Exercising the Feminine Aspect

by Julie Smith

The world is hungry for a bigger picture of God. We are hungry to understand and see a picture of the Divine that reaches out to nurture and lead us. We have the picture of The Good Shepherd in the image of Christ and we are drawn to see a picture of God that holds us in the hollow of that kind of protected loving. It gives us a glimpse of the picture of the Mother image of God.

Cultures throughout time have created pictures of God that include a feminine side. Sadly, throughout the history of Christianity, we have often vilified the feminine aspect of God. We hold a picture of the Godhead as being totally masculine. This has driven many from the doors of the church in search of a religion that will embrace the feminine qualities of God that in our hearts we know exists.

In psychology, the idea of balancing the masculine and feminine aspects within oneself is critical to becoming a whole, healthy individual. Within religion, balancing the feminine and masculine aspects of God is critical to becoming a whole and healthy church. We were created in the feminine/masculine aspects of God. We need to create a truer picture of this God within the church by equally honoring these qualities.

The masculine qualities can be compared with a life force energy that seeds the feminine qualities of the void. The feminine aspect is the womb-like environment that allows the seed of creation to grow. In nature, we are perfectly clear how this process works. In life, in spirituality, however, we seem to have become ignorant on this.

Nicodemus, an influential spiritual leader in the time of Christ, came for a secret interview to find out where Jesus received his incredible, healing, magical-like qualities. His level of spiritual power had not been seen in Israel for quite some time. Jesus embodied the balancing of the masculine and feminine aspects of God. He was Spirit-filled. He was the perfect receptive womb for the infilling of the power of God.

How might we understand the Divine Feminine aspects of God within our own lives and within the church? How might we become more Spirit-filled and empowered to let the healing power of God flow through us?

To exercise the feminine aspect within us is to commit to becoming empty. We do this through the regular spiritual practice of quietness and meditation. We include quietness before God as a vital part of becoming the womb for the Spirit to grow Divine gifts in.

We are quite familiar with the masculine aspects of doing and acting. We are out of balance in the feminine aspects of becoming empty and becoming Spirit filled.

We have excluded the female gender from important aspects of ministry within the church because we believe that the masculine aspect of God is superior. We have confused gender issues with the issues of the masculine and feminine qualities that both men and women possess. In reality, both aspects are equal and both genders are needed equally in all forms of ministry and leadership.

Until we understand the differences between the masculine and feminine aspects of God and we understand the need to balance these qualities in our own spiritual practice and in the practice of the church we will continue to argue over issues of equality and the ordination of women. Unless we grow in this area, we will become a dying church.

We see the results of our treatment of Mother Earth. It is but a symptom of our treatment of the Divine Feminine. We have the opportunity to correct our course. Whether we choose to do so or not remains to be seen.

The most important question facing us personally is whether or not we will open ourselves in quietness and emptiness before God. The spiritual future of our lives and of our church depends on our learning to exercise the feminine aspect and balancing it with our overdeveloped masculine aspect of doing.

The Spirit quietly reminds us, “Be still and know…”