God sees all.
and then unite, they can see all.
God is a combination of the Divine masculine and the Divine feminine.
thanks to Irene Hoffman from The Noun Project for the male image
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Thursday, December 25, 2014
His and Her Directions
Using our bodies as guides, we see rather plainly that man is external facing, and that woman is internal facing. A man's reproductive organs are installed on the outside of his body, and a woman's reproductive organs are installed on the inside of her body. The powers of procreation are, from start to finish, "spiritually significant". 1
In the walled-garden analogy, man is the wall. His job is to stand erect in order to protect the life contained within his circumscription. Within the walls of man's purview is contained all life - a garden of needs being met, of growth, of beauty, of meaning.
The wall can, in a certain sense, be called two-faced for it faces both the outside and the inside. The life within the borders of the wall, while tending to the inward parts, results in outward growth. So each role, both masculine and feminine, takes part in each direction... when they are performing together. If we take each alone, we see that the "primary" responsibility of the masculine wall is to look outward, toward dangers; men are to go out into the field, and bring home the harvest. I mean this both temporally and religiously. If there were no garden to look at, the wall's only focus would be external, because there is no danger from within. Taken alone, we see that the "primary" responsibility of the feminine soil is to look inward, toward life's emerging needs; women are to watch for emerging needs and meet them with the same tenacity with which men are to watch for emerging dangers and meet them. Women are to magnify the home that it's light burn so bright that all who belong to it will want to return to it, and dwell there in felicity forever. If it feels difficult to separate roles this way, it is because each of the divine genders has a piece of the other within itself, and, by design, neither is the woman supposed to be without the man, nor the man without the woman.
Still, before two may be sealed as one, each must know its part and play it. It is a matter of efficiency and function that one gender face one way and the other gender face the opposite way. It is not feasible for a person to focus on life's emerging needs AND vigilantly guard against threats to those same needs. Further, the love which makes the home fire burn bright must needs be unconditional. The promise, "I will love you no matter what" attracts the hope which can feed the change when it is required.
"Dad's love is a little more negotiable [than mom's]." 2 This is by design. As a the wall, he can be said to be two-faced, not in purpose, but in practice. One side faces the light, a reflection of the feminine burning within his border. His other side faces the dark cold. He sees - he even is - both sides of the coin. This conditional way-of-being serves a purpose: it can employ the dead-end in the two-fold process of nurturing. This catalyzes repentance by showing clearly that "there is no other way". In the wall is the door to the home; the divine masculine, therefore, is the gate by which we must enter.
We receive "inspiration" to grow from both the conditional and unconditional roles of the nurturing process. Gender must be divided, then unified to efficiently effect the growth of souls.
In Math, we see another clear example of gender direction. Give me that in the symbol of sex man brings everything to the table and woman brings nothing, i.e, an empty vagina. Give me that man is the substance the way Adam is dust, and that woman is the meaning the way water, in clay, gives form to dust. So, I may then begin my math metaphor with this statement: men are whole, and women are derivatives.
Counting whole numbers, let's start at one and progress outward - we go 1, then 2, 3, then 4, and so on into eternity. This direction is external. There is no end to counting numbers this way.
Now, counting fractions of whole numbers, or derivatives, let's start at 1 and count inward (toward zero) - we go 1, then .9, .8, .7 and onward to .1, then .09, .08, .07 and onward to .01, then .009, .008, .007 and so on into eternity. This direction is internal. There is no end to counting numbers this way.
Between each whole number, there are infinite multitudes of numbers, all derivatives of the whole number. This is a family structure, with the Father as the lead or head, carrier of seed and name, with his wife taking his name, and all of their kids being derivatives of him.
Just as fractions are derivatives of whole numbers, woman is a derivative of man. 3 The word "female" is derived from the word "male" and the word "woman" is derived from the word "man".
Derivatives take the name of their origin. Men, women, and children receive their names from their fathers. All who make God their father take upon them His name. In the case of the devil, however, no name is given him. Christian scripture makes it clear that evil has no name. 4
All of the infinite fractions which exist between 2 and 3 are defined by the existence of 2. 2.3 takes 2's name, as does 2.4, 2.6, and 2.7458923478923479982374. See, his name stands out in front, like a Mrs. John Smith, or more exactly paralleled, John Smith.Mrs.
Who knows, maybe things will invert in the next life, and we'll have a matriarchal order like the Jews have now? I'd be okay with being a derivative, as long as the origin is warm and loving. I'm just teaching principles. If you see in them respect and equality via interconnectedness, then you see them as I do. If you see in them a painful inequity, and your desire is withdraw from the tapestry, then you see them differently. But, numbers are numbers and body parts are body parts. Our response to them is relative to our desire.
As beautiful and meaningful as those infinite amounts of fractions between 2 and 3 are, they would be nothing without 2. Derivatives acknowledge the indispensability of the original. And, as essential as whole numbers are to fractions, without the infinite depth of fractions, math would be a lot more boring than it already is. Indeed, it would be meaningless. Both acknowledge their incompleteness without the other.
Now, counting fractions of whole numbers, or derivatives, let's start at 1 and count inward (toward zero) - we go 1, then .9, .8, .7 and onward to .1, then .09, .08, .07 and onward to .01, then .009, .008, .007 and so on into eternity. This direction is internal. There is no end to counting numbers this way. Just as fractions are derivatives of whole numbers, woman is a derivative of man. 3 The word "female" is derived from the word "male" and the word "woman" is derived from the word "man".
Derivatives take the name of their origin. Men, women, and children receive their names from their fathers. All who make God their father take upon them His name. In the case of the devil, however, no name is given him. Christian scripture makes it clear that evil has no name. 4
All of the infinite fractions which exist between 2 and 3 are defined by the existence of 2. 2.3 takes 2's name, as does 2.4, 2.6, and 2.7458923478923479982374. See, his name stands out in front, like a Mrs. John Smith, or more exactly paralleled, John Smith.Mrs.
Who knows, maybe things will invert in the next life, and we'll have a matriarchal order like the Jews have now? I'd be okay with being a derivative, as long as the origin is warm and loving. I'm just teaching principles. If you see in them respect and equality via interconnectedness, then you see them as I do. If you see in them a painful inequity, and your desire is withdraw from the tapestry, then you see them differently. But, numbers are numbers and body parts are body parts. Our response to them is relative to our desire.
As beautiful and meaningful as those infinite amounts of fractions between 2 and 3 are, they would be nothing without 2. Derivatives acknowledge the indispensability of the original. And, as essential as whole numbers are to fractions, without the infinite depth of fractions, math would be a lot more boring than it already is. Indeed, it would be meaningless. Both acknowledge their incompleteness without the other.
I recently read an article by a young woman wherein she complained that men get to "stretch out" (literally) and expand themselves while women are expected to minimize their space - to cross their legs, hunch their shoulders, and be smaller.
The notion that there is only space for the outward journey, and no space for the inward journey, leads many people, both men and women, to question the inward-facing role and, ultimately, the value of women.
I'm barefoot and outdoors as often as possible; I feel separated enough. In this condition, I feel connected to Father God above, and Mother Earth beneath. Imagine me, standing in nature with one arm pointing up toward heaven and the other arm pointing down toward the center of the earth. I am pointing outward and inward - outward toward space and inward toward center.
Math and science and nature inform us that infinity stretches in both directions. One of my favorite scriptures states "and there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom." 5
The notion that there is only space for the outward journey, and no space for the inward journey, leads many people, both men and women, to question the inward-facing role and, ultimately, the value of women.
I'm barefoot and outdoors as often as possible; I feel separated enough. In this condition, I feel connected to Father God above, and Mother Earth beneath. Imagine me, standing in nature with one arm pointing up toward heaven and the other arm pointing down toward the center of the earth. I am pointing outward and inward - outward toward space and inward toward center.
Math and science and nature inform us that infinity stretches in both directions. One of my favorite scriptures states "and there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom." 5
Fractions and other small things can make worlds of difference. Remember, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass...and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls", 6 by a few degrees outcomes can vary vastly, 7 and on the hinges of moments, gates of eternal consequence swing.
We can learn to revalue femininity without transgendering it. Let's keep both the microscope, and the telescope. 8
----------------------------------------
1 Elder David A. Bednar, "We Believe in Being Chaste"
2 Jamie Lawson, "5 Ways Fathers Influence Their Daughters"
7 "A Matter of a Few Degrees" - Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
8 Here's one story of a microscope saving millions of lives
thanks to Eugen Belyakoff and Dusan Popovic from The Noun Project for the microscope and telescope images
8 Here's one story of a microscope saving millions of lives
thanks to Eugen Belyakoff and Dusan Popovic from The Noun Project for the microscope and telescope images
Thursday, March 27, 2014
A Piece of Each in the Other
After the separation of gender roles became clear to me, it remained that there was a little piece of men that women could not do without, and a little piece of women that men could not do without.
I wanted a picture for this. I greatly value visualization in my effort to learn and retain knowledge. I knew there were two halves, equally paired, and a little piece of each half retained by the other. Then the thought came to me, “Hey, what about that symbol all the dragon-lovers use? Is that ying-yang, or fung schway?” And there it was.
In original yin and yang, one swirl is white and the other black, with the white representing good, positive, and men, and the black representing evil, negative, and women. The ancient Asians placed a disclaimer on this distribution saying that one is not better than the other, but come on – good vs. evil? positive vs. negative? Which one would you choose? So, I’ve taken some liberty with the colors. I believe that in the delineation of roles there is EXACT equality.
The larger pink section depicts life-giving and life-growing. Women pretty much have a handle on this. But, they do need us to generate life, and that is why a little pink dot (or a portion of the complete woman) belongs to man.
The larger blue section depicts preserving life. The outer blue strip surrounding the larger pink section depicts protection and is often misunderstood as power over, rather than power with, women. That women are equally empowered to harm men will be discussed later. Men can handle these roles pretty well on our own. But, we do need women to give the very life for which we are to perform, including our own. And that is why a little pink dot (or portion of the complete man) belongs to woman.
For me, this visualization serves as a north star. With the right bearings, I can place myself in my relationships, and begin the work of performing my role.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
His and Her Powers
The powers of life are divided in two. Each has equal efficacy to either maximize or minimize our range of joy. Man has power-over life (strength). Woman has power-through life (lure). 1
Our physical bodies serve as symbols for spiritual realities. By understanding these powers in the physical, we can project them into the spiritual.
Physically, man is larger and stronger than woman. If there was ever a literal, physical war between the genders, it would be short. Men would destroy women. Men are AWESOME in strength! Men can run faster, shoot straighter, and kick harder than women. Men are the builders of existence. Because she cannot force man, she must persuade him to move. The empowerment of women in the last century has arisen by virtue of her ability to persuade men in power to give it away. Do women storm the castle? No, they infiltrate. Do women force men at the end of the sword? If, at the end of the day, a woman wants a man to move his body or change his legislation, she can't force him. The choice is his.
A woman's body sells vitality, marketing to weary bodies and souls "come, and be nourished." Her vagina solicits rest & replenishment. Her breasts advertise nourishment, literally supplying food for others. Women can encourage, enliven, and buoy better than men. Women are the designers of life. Women understand the nuances of life, and can arouse its remote parts to come out and play. At the end of the day, if a man wants life to be sweet, even meaningful, he needs woman. Because she replenishes and encourages, his strength is, in a very real sense, hers to wield. But, woman does more than beautify existence; her beauty arouses existence. 2
Both men and women "show off" their power. He "shows off" by performing feats which say, "I can protect and provide for you", while she "shows off" her beauty which says, "I can make life meaningful and enjoyable for you."
All power can be used to enrich or destroy life.
Some men use their dominion over women to enrich life. They hold the line in spiritual and physical war, creating a boundary around the beauties of life. This wall of safety circumscribes, providing safety to his family. Safety is prerequisite to growth and life. Without safety, life is not sustainable. These men reap the fruits grown within their walls, but always with respect and deep gratitude for the hands which produced it. An awareness of who produces the richness causes men to cherish women. These men also know that taking without respect disincentives future production, even stops it altogether. These men have discovered that the continued use of force for reasons other than protection end the production of life - beauty and meaning disappear. He contributes the seeds of life (the beginning) as well as the safety requisite to preserve it (the end). His sacrifice takes the form of a permanent willingness to die for the safety of his loved ones.
Some men use their dominion over women to devour life. They deplete life by exploiting, rather than protecting weakness, forgetting that since men need that nourishment, they deplete themselves. Exploiters are willing to take from women, but not care for them. They steal the fruits engendered by other mens' strength, such as fathers'.
Women are either the leaven or the lead in their family's home-baked bread. The knife on which women divide camp is honesty. If a woman uses the lure of her beauty with integrity, she lifts. If a woman uses the lure of her beauty with deceit, she kills. Like the man's misuse of strength, a woman's misuse of lure is the easy, short-sighted route. Woman's deceitful misuse of her beauty is as deadly as man's domineering misuse of his strength, and thus, ought to be punished with equal vengeance. How many bits of carcinogenic metal does it take to ruin a loaf of white, steamy bread? But, to ensure destruction, these kinds of women, like those kinds of men, leave no crumb of life behind. Screaming is their song; berating is their charm; poison is their harm. Her arsenic in the OJ kills just as surely as his hammer to the head.
There are two powers equally capable of enabling or disabling life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 "The Evolution of the Swimsuit" - Jessica Ray
2 “Man can never know the loneliness a woman knows. Man lies in the woman's womb only to gather strength, he nourishes himself from this fusion, and then he rises and goes into the world, into his work, into battle, into art. He is not lonely. He is busy. The memory of the swim in amniotic fluid gives him energy, completion. Woman may be busy too, but she feels empty. Sensuality for her is not only a wave of pleasure in which she is bathed, and a charge of electric joy at contact with another. When man lies in her womb, she is fulfilled, each act of love a taking of man within her, an act of birth and rebirth, of child rearing and man bearing. Man lies in her womb and is reborn each time anew with a desire to act, to be. But for woman, the climax is not in the birth, but in the moment man rests inside of her.” ― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934
3 "When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound o lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?" Neal A. Maxwell, "The Women of God," Ensign, May 1978, 10-11 italics and bold added ~ “Women who make a house a home make a far greater contribution to society than those who command large armies or stand at the head of impressive corporations. Who can put a price tag on the influence a mother has on her children, a grandmother on her posterity, or aunts and sisters on their extended family? We cannot begin to measure or calculate the influence of women who, in their own ways, build stable family life and nurture for everlasting good the generations of the future. The decisions made by the women of this generation will be eternal in their consequences. May I suggest that the mothers of today have no greater opportunity and no more serious challenge than to do all they can to strengthen the [home]” (Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes[2000], 152). ~ "The prophet who sits with us today could tell us of such togetherness, when at the time of his overwhelming apostolic calling he was consoled by his Camilla, who met his anguished, sobbing sense of inadequacy and, running her fingers through his hair, said, "you can do it, you can do it." He surely has done it, but with her at his side." - Neal A. Maxwell, speaking of Spencer W. Kimball in "The Women of God" April 1978 General Conference
Our physical bodies serve as symbols for spiritual realities. By understanding these powers in the physical, we can project them into the spiritual.
Physically, man is larger and stronger than woman. If there was ever a literal, physical war between the genders, it would be short. Men would destroy women. Men are AWESOME in strength! Men can run faster, shoot straighter, and kick harder than women. Men are the builders of existence. Because she cannot force man, she must persuade him to move. The empowerment of women in the last century has arisen by virtue of her ability to persuade men in power to give it away. Do women storm the castle? No, they infiltrate. Do women force men at the end of the sword? If, at the end of the day, a woman wants a man to move his body or change his legislation, she can't force him. The choice is his.
A woman's body sells vitality, marketing to weary bodies and souls "come, and be nourished." Her vagina solicits rest & replenishment. Her breasts advertise nourishment, literally supplying food for others. Women can encourage, enliven, and buoy better than men. Women are the designers of life. Women understand the nuances of life, and can arouse its remote parts to come out and play. At the end of the day, if a man wants life to be sweet, even meaningful, he needs woman. Because she replenishes and encourages, his strength is, in a very real sense, hers to wield. But, woman does more than beautify existence; her beauty arouses existence. 2
Both men and women "show off" their power. He "shows off" by performing feats which say, "I can protect and provide for you", while she "shows off" her beauty which says, "I can make life meaningful and enjoyable for you."
All power can be used to enrich or destroy life.
Some men use their dominion over women to enrich life. They hold the line in spiritual and physical war, creating a boundary around the beauties of life. This wall of safety circumscribes, providing safety to his family. Safety is prerequisite to growth and life. Without safety, life is not sustainable. These men reap the fruits grown within their walls, but always with respect and deep gratitude for the hands which produced it. An awareness of who produces the richness causes men to cherish women. These men also know that taking without respect disincentives future production, even stops it altogether. These men have discovered that the continued use of force for reasons other than protection end the production of life - beauty and meaning disappear. He contributes the seeds of life (the beginning) as well as the safety requisite to preserve it (the end). His sacrifice takes the form of a permanent willingness to die for the safety of his loved ones.
Some men use their dominion over women to devour life. They deplete life by exploiting, rather than protecting weakness, forgetting that since men need that nourishment, they deplete themselves. Exploiters are willing to take from women, but not care for them. They steal the fruits engendered by other mens' strength, such as fathers'.
Some women use their power through life as leaven. Leaven is an element, influence, or agent that works subtly to lighten, enliven, or modify a whole. They sweetly, often quietly, and always powerfully, inspire. They sense & identify needs, and then creatively meet them. They respect Choice in order to encourage learning, helping repair when mistakes are made. Their sensitivity gives them access to critical opportunities to influence. These women employ compassion and wisdom subtly to enable and inspire life-altering decisions. 3 With an arsenal of patience, forgiveness, and charity, she leads souls through wind and storm to reach their full potential.
Women are either the leaven or the lead in their family's home-baked bread. The knife on which women divide camp is honesty. If a woman uses the lure of her beauty with integrity, she lifts. If a woman uses the lure of her beauty with deceit, she kills. Like the man's misuse of strength, a woman's misuse of lure is the easy, short-sighted route. Woman's deceitful misuse of her beauty is as deadly as man's domineering misuse of his strength, and thus, ought to be punished with equal vengeance. How many bits of carcinogenic metal does it take to ruin a loaf of white, steamy bread? But, to ensure destruction, these kinds of women, like those kinds of men, leave no crumb of life behind. Screaming is their song; berating is their charm; poison is their harm. Her arsenic in the OJ kills just as surely as his hammer to the head.
There are two powers equally capable of enabling or disabling life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 "The Evolution of the Swimsuit" - Jessica Ray
2 “Man can never know the loneliness a woman knows. Man lies in the woman's womb only to gather strength, he nourishes himself from this fusion, and then he rises and goes into the world, into his work, into battle, into art. He is not lonely. He is busy. The memory of the swim in amniotic fluid gives him energy, completion. Woman may be busy too, but she feels empty. Sensuality for her is not only a wave of pleasure in which she is bathed, and a charge of electric joy at contact with another. When man lies in her womb, she is fulfilled, each act of love a taking of man within her, an act of birth and rebirth, of child rearing and man bearing. Man lies in her womb and is reborn each time anew with a desire to act, to be. But for woman, the climax is not in the birth, but in the moment man rests inside of her.” ― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934
3 "When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound o lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?" Neal A. Maxwell, "The Women of God," Ensign, May 1978, 10-11 italics and bold added ~ “Women who make a house a home make a far greater contribution to society than those who command large armies or stand at the head of impressive corporations. Who can put a price tag on the influence a mother has on her children, a grandmother on her posterity, or aunts and sisters on their extended family? We cannot begin to measure or calculate the influence of women who, in their own ways, build stable family life and nurture for everlasting good the generations of the future. The decisions made by the women of this generation will be eternal in their consequences. May I suggest that the mothers of today have no greater opportunity and no more serious challenge than to do all they can to strengthen the [home]” (Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes[2000], 152). ~ "The prophet who sits with us today could tell us of such togetherness, when at the time of his overwhelming apostolic calling he was consoled by his Camilla, who met his anguished, sobbing sense of inadequacy and, running her fingers through his hair, said, "you can do it, you can do it." He surely has done it, but with her at his side." - Neal A. Maxwell, speaking of Spencer W. Kimball in "The Women of God" April 1978 General Conference
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