The Profound Gifts of the Masculine
One of the unfortunate side effects of patriarchy is that many women have a wounded relationship with the masculine, and thus are unable to receive his gifts.
And the gifts are profound.
This episode is my love letter to the men of this world who are showing up, doing the work, and loving their women wide open.
We start by unravelling the knots and exploring why reclaiming the feminine does not mean discarding the masculine; why patriarchy and masculinity are not the same thing; how patriarchy wounds men as well as women (though not to the same extent); and why we need to watch out for reductive, dualistic models of thinking.
Feminist discourse tends to over-emphasise the distorted masculine and under-emphasise the distorted feminine. This is a companion episode to ‘The Hollow Queen: Victimhood & the Distorted Feminine’.
We discuss how we can embrace the gifts of healthy masculine expression within ourselves, and also in relationship with the men in our lives.
As women the most potent way we receive the gifts of the masculine is via sacred intimacy; when we are simultaneously pushed and held by our beloved, and allow ourselves to be cracked wide open and deeply known, and discover new capacities within ourselves along the way.
My free training The De-Armoured Leader expands on the themes of polarity and vulnerability discussed in this episode, and includes an infosheet on healthy vs distorted versions of masculine and feminine energy - you can access it at madeleineeliza.com/leader
Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the episode please feel free to rate and review the show, and share it with a friend who might be interested in this topic.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2023 Estimating Homelessness: Census, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/housing/estimating-homelessness-census/latest-release
Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2020 Mental health of Australian males: depression, suicidality and loneliness, https://aifs.gov.au/tentomen/insights-report/mental-health-australian-males-depression-suicidality-and-loneliness
Eisenstein, C. 2021 The True Story of the Sith, www.charleseisenstein.org
Mental Health Foundation, Men and Women: Statistics, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/men-women-statistics
Saini, A. 2023 The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule, Fourth Estate
