Sacred Practice

A couple of weeks ago, my friend and colleague Katharine Weinmann posted a blog on Spinning the Sacred Feminine. The whole thing is a good read. I love Katharine’s heart and brain and weaving spirit in it.

Included in Katharine’s post was a list of eight qualities of sacred feminine (sourced from Christine Valters Paintner).

• following intuition
• attending to synchronicity
• listening deeply to the natural world
• surrendering striving
• trusting the wisdom of underworld of shadow
• honouring vulnerability as strength
• embracing slowness and spaciousness
• valuing being over doing

This list has been staying with me ever since in an excited way. Yes, as unique qualities of feminine. But more so, as outstanding practices for anyone, and in particular, for the men that I know and cherish. Each of those qualities are great invitations I feel for wise living. Many of these articulate most trusted bonds of practice that I feel with them.

So, what’s that about? Not totally sure. Might be that the times are calling for the reclaiming of the sacred / healthy feminine (after decades of overplayed toxic masculine). Or that there is feminine that is wrapped in masculine and vice versa. Or that words, fantastic as they are to sort categories, also fail (beware the patterned use of the binary).

I love the clarity and the invitation of those qualities. I love it that I know men deeply committed to such practices, sometimes in very deliberate norm-breaking ways. I love it that so many men that I know are finding wisdom together and contributing with soul through such practices.

So, this post today, isn’t an intent to over-sort or over-categorize. Nor to slip to man-splaining nor to prematurely rename a category. For me, it is to celebrate such powerful clarity. And to express gratitude and relief for welcoming this kind of living in these kind of days.