Today is May 1, traditionally the day of the Goddess in pre-Christian Europe, a time in which the feminine is celebrated, which I often do. But this year, I want to write a bit more about the rise of the Noble Masculine that’s at the heart of the balanced energy that, I believe, can heal the world.
Our transformational movements tend to be more focused on the rise of the Sacred Feminine because that has been what has been overlooked, devalued, or suppressed. It’s part of why Shift attracts more women teachers, customers, and staff, and why many of our programs focus in this direction. It is good and beautiful to have this upwelling and redemption of the Sacred Feminine as it is a key part of the healing of our world.
Yet, there can be an imbalance in this reclamation. From what I've seen, the crisis of young men in our culture (who are failing in egregious ways) is a reflection of confusion about what truly healthy and even Noble Masculine qualities are and what their rightful role is in the world. Too often, we see distorted versions of the masculine — aggressive, self-promoting, bullying, and callous to the divinity in other beings — and start to see the masculine in a more negative light.
Men (and those who identify more with masculine qualities) can take this as a kind of rejection or demotion in their value, which can then lead to a loss of self-esteem, value, or purpose. This can make men more susceptible to being drawn to some of the less savory purveyors and even con artists of "men's work" who advocate for a coarser version of manhood. This dynamic manifests politically as well.
The way I see it, we cannot create a larger Shift on the planet without a healthy, balanced partnership between Sacred Masculine and Sacred Feminine qualities of being. There are virtues and zones of mastery that the masculine pole of the dyad holds, and when we can uplevel them into their highest expression, truly in service to the world, then it actually helps the feminine qualities to blossom as well. This deep rebalancing is part of why, I believe, we have such a rise in non-binary, queer, or more multidimensional ways of holding gender. As souls, we are losing an exclusive identification with one side of a polarity and claiming a higher integration.
Underneath this upwelling is trauma, rejection, and oppression of people's authentic truths. So to do it right requires patience and a lot of compassion for working with the wounds and distortions of our history.
Instead of focusing on the damage of patriarchy, though, which tends to devolve into blame, I think it's better to lift our vision to what is arising in many corners: the Noble Masculine.
The Noble Masculine is, first of all, consecrated to a high purpose, a mission that goes beyond self-interest to the blessing and betterment of others. The Noble Masculine uses its precision, focus, and clarity to align our actions, release what doesn't serve, and move us out of unproductive spin cycles. It calls us into mastery and excellence rather than languishing in lower expressions.
The Noble Masculine gifts us with the ability to pare away what is not helpful and to challenge injustice at the roots. It is strength married with heart, vision married with excellence, power married with Spirit.
When I think of the union and balance of these masculine and feminine polarities, I evoke Jeshua and Mary Magdalene. Western culture has spent 2,000 years elevating Jeshua, reflecting the patriarchal pattern of men dominating women, and now there are great movements to bring forth and illuminate the gifts of Mary Magdalene as well. Yet, the real healing and transformative power comes in not elevating one over the other but seeing them as complementary awakened beings, each mutually lifting the other and creating blessings beyond what they could do individually.
This quality of sacred union manifests in romantic partnerships and co-creative business relationships, in families and in startups. It is the secret sauce in so many things that have blessed the world.
And particularly for men, reclaiming the Noble Masculine is at the heart of making our greatest contributions.
I’ve been finding myself calling myself President of Shift more now, a title which for me summons the Noble Masculine part of myself. I find my energy and time increasingly wanting to flow toward empowering and uplifting other leaders and addressing the great challenges of our day rather than simply growing the business. There's a summoning forth of the Noble Masculine in me that has too often been suppressed out of shame for the extensive damage caused by the patriarchy.
And yet my inner guidance has been clear: it is time to stand in my authentic, Sacred Masculine power in the service of shifting our world. That requires seeing the holiness, beauty, and redemptive power of qualities that have sometimes become a source of fear. Speaking powerfully is often more effective than speaking gently. Standing in clear purpose is more effective than trying to please others.
So today, may we all light a candle to the holy beauty and blessings of the Sacred Feminine. May her love suffuse the world and help us step out of millennia of oppression! And may we also remember and celebrate her sacred consort, the Noble Masculine, which can align our lives with our highest commitments and highest service.
