The Sacred Male

Q. Hi Lynn – this is off topic for this reading but I was wondering whether you could do a reading on the ‘sacred masculine’ vs the ‘shadow masculine’. I feel like in this society, to be a man means possessing qualities that tend to be associated with the ‘shadow masculine’ – meaning being aggressive, a bully, domineering, controlling and power-hungry, rather than the ‘sacred masculine’ which is to be a protector, a provider and ultimately a ‘hero’. Do you see changes in this society coming where the ‘shadow masculine’ will evolve into the ‘sacred masculine’? And is the ‘shadow masculine’ that drives many men (and women) behind much of the negativity that exists on this planet (including wars, rape, corruption and greed)?
A.  I see that in the more primitive societies people had more defined roles.  Men hunted and protected, and women had children, gathered and nurtured.  Women may want to do what the man did (and vice versa), but that wasn’t an option (unless absolutely necessary in times of famine or war), so it kept women and men clearly focused.  Survival depended on the men and women doing what needed done in order to survive.

As society changed, so did the clarity of the roles. There were opportunities and choices that people never had before.  I see the change occurred first (and much more aggressively) with the women, and the men shortly followed.  Men went to war, women joined the workforce.  New identities formed, and how men and women defined themselves changed, and I see it radically changing over the past 100 years in comparison to the years previous.  

TV “programming” and marketing told people how they should look and what they should want and deserve.  Women started to lose the prideful feeling of being at home and slowly wanted to become more involved in the working world in order to have and feel the way they were told to feel.  The prideful feelings the generations of the past had regarding their important roles became viewed as submissive.  

I see the altering in male roles really peaked at the moment women craved being the in the workforce, being a staying at home mom/wife didn’t feel as prideful or glorious and men looked at wealth as a way to substitute the gathering and hunting (because those things could be bought now).  In some way I see men watching women (and also themselves) be “programmed” into wanting the things they need to be happy, and they want to provide those things for their women.  The things that can be bought seem of more worth than hunting and protecting from sheer strength (whether true or not, that is the “thought” energy I see).  Men are providing now in the way they think women want cared for (and things they want too), and I see this change occurring like a huge wave.  The focus has become money, wealth and power- you don’t need to be a good hunter and protector because you can throw money at those things, so money, wealth and power has turned into the new form of measurement for some people.

Many (not all) of the problems are because we are doing things and not embracing what deep down gives us pleasure.  As a society we even resent doing some things that would give us the most joy.  I see an example of someone hiring a lawn service to mow their lawn, while an angel sits on their shoulder saying you should do that- you would enjoy that.  I see we don’t take opportunities we have, and easily dismiss things that would make us feel good and accomplished, and build self-esteem.  Then I see a woman hiring a maid service, and then running on a treadmill at a gym. 

Overall, I see so much suppression of our true selves, and much comes from what society tells us to think and feel.  If we listened to our higher self, and dismissed the judgement, we would be much happier and true qualities would seem more clear.  I do see a movement to get back to our roots- People are starting to grow their own food, more families are having a parent stay home, people are more active and getting off meds- when you look at those people and families that have taken that leap and ignored the “programming,” they look happy. [The evolution of the people leaving the "programmed way of thinking leads to a more fulfilled life.  Those stuck in the "programmed" way of thinking will be caught in this loop.  There really is a divide between those groups of people.]

And that is all I have for this reading.  Thank you.  Narrated version available on YouTube.