What’s all this ‘masculine/feminine energy’ talk?

The wellness world has cycles. When I first stepped into learning all about wellness, it was 5 years ago and my Dad had been diagnosed with cancer. At that time, juicing your greens and chia seed puddings were really NEW. Like, not at all mainstream. Chia seeds were bloody hard to find, and I remember people double taking my green juices as I downed them. Now no one looks twice. It’s mainstream. Which is freaking awesome if you ask me.

There have been multiple ‘wellness’ trends becoming mainstream lately: everything from meditation and the apps you can use, to yoga retreats, to natural beauty. People are becoming more and more conscious about living their happiest and healthiest lives, and it makes my freaking heart SING! The health food aisles in supermarkets are expanding, About Life chains are popping up left right and centre and no one bats an eyelid when I talk about my penchant for oils and crystals and the chakras. I BLOODY LOVE IT.

A biggie in the wellness community at present is ‘tapping into’ our masculine and feminine energies. Our yin and yang (not a typo guys, it isn’t YING contrary to popular belief!)

I started hearing talk about all this ‘masculine feminine stuff’ about a year ago. And truth be told, at the time it just seemed a bit far out for me – I didn’t resonate with it. I know now it is because I wasn’t READY for that part of my journey. But recently I HAVE been ready and in learning more about these innate energies and states of being, I have been able to really enhance my life in so many ways.

So what the fuck are you talking about Hollie? What do you MEAN masculine and feminine?

I get it. When we first hear these terms it sounds like we are talking about males and females. But that’s the first misconception with these energies – they are NOT gendered. In fact, in my life I have operated from a far more masculine stance than I have feminine. I have men in my life that are more feminine than masculine. And with this in mind, it is neither good nor bad. But when you become AWARE of which energy you are naturally inclined to operate more from, you are able to swing back to the opposite (the masculine/yang or the feminine/yin) to counteract the overstimulation of that initial energy.

Stay with me guys, this stuff is freaking mind blowing.

Masculine looks like….

Constantly striving, running on adrenaline, knowing everything, determination, being driven and successful, ‘busyness’, exercise like weights and running, logic, decisiveness, reason, power, survival.

You can see that these states of being are neither good nor bad. They just are. Operating from your masculine means you get shit done. It is that state of being when you just need to put your head down and do the damn work. When you need to make decisions and call the shots. THAT is when you tap into your masculine.

Masculine energy can lend itself to high productivity, but naturally, it also lends itself to overexertion and burnout. Where are my type A’s at? Fatigue, anxiety, perfectionism? All very much stemming from that masculine energy.

Starting to make sense?

Feminine looks like…

Rest, love, yoga, compassion, kindness, space to do nothing at all, nature, calm, quiet, emotional awareness, organised, intuition, going within, nourishing, creativity, sensuality (this is a BIG lesson for me currently).

See the difference?

When you are operating from your feminine energy (remember this goes for males AND females) – your are softer, steadier, more considered and gentler. You have created space to rest and tap into your innate wisdom, rather than rushing from task to task, to do list to to do list (now that’s a mouthful!)

When our feminine energy is TOO overactive, we can become indifferent, unable to make decisions and passive. We allow others to control our lives rather than taking life under our own wing. We care about what others might think.

Do you see how these energies are both as important as one another in our lives? There will ALWAYS be one we are more inclined to naturally gravitate towards: for me, it is very much a masculine energy. Striving, pushing, working hard to achieve. And it has served me the WORLD of good in running my business, for example. However I have become increasingly aware of my need to tap more into my feminine: with my clients in our sessions, as I study energy work, with my partner, with my friends. Operating from one energy constantly is damn exhausting!

How do I know which energy I am operating from?

Chances are if you have read this far, you know just by reflecting on how the above traits apply to you. You will start catching yourself when you acknowledge where the driving force of a decision has been made. Like anything, once you are AWARE of the energy, it becomes easy.

For me, I started to really notice majority of my decisions were very masculine and driven. And I didn’t want it to rule my life anymore. I was craving softening, and solace, and quiet. So I started to tap into my feminine more.

Here are a few things I have done recently to really tap into my feminine energy:

• Consciously choose clothes that make me feel beautiful and sexy (rather than just dressing for comfort)
• Wearing a full face of (all natural) makeup even when I am just heading out to the shops (playing with my feminine sensuality more – and being totally unashamed by it!)
• Solo walks in nature, hugging trees and watching waterfalls (literally, I have become THAT girl)
• Lathering my body in coconut oil infused with essential oils just because it FEELS good
• Journalling my heart and soul rather than my mind – connecting more with my intuition
• Taking full days off for nothingness – EVEN when there are emails to be done (they will always be there!)

You will know in your heart what is right for you. If you are craving more masculine energy, go for a run, or start speaking up more at work. Play with it. That’s a big part of my journey actually – not taking any of this too seriously. It is all a part of bettering yourself and your life so you damn well want to be having fun while doing it!

I’m curious – what is your experience with the masculine and feminine? How is your journey unfolding? Share with me in the comments below…