Читать книгу The Woman's Book of Spirit - Sue Patton Thoele - Страница 21

I'VE HEARD IT SAID THAT IF GOD IS MALE, then the male is God, and in our predominately patriarchal culture, God's masculinity does remain the prevalent belief system. But in this belief something crucial to us all has been left out—the Feminine. Indeed the loss of the Feminine from our spiritual ideologies has caused a grief so deep and so raw, particularly in women, that it has been virtually unspeakable until recently. Why? Because, as women, we have been disinherited; we are not created in His image. In her book, A God Who Looks Like Me, Patricia Reilly beautifully addresses the wounding some women feel around this issue.

But the loss is not women's alone. No matter how we may feel about the idea of a purely male God, it is obvious that when the Divine is only masculine, only male qualities are highly valued. This leaves the feminine qualities of compassion, inclusion, cooperation, tolerance, beingness, intuition, and nurturance underrated and even perceived as weak or ineffective. With the negation of heart-qualities such as these comes many of the malignancies in society; lack of empathy, elevation of power, violence, disregard for nature, concentration solely on the mind to the exclusion of the heart, and loss of soul, to name only a few.

In a human family, it is optimal when both loving masculine and feminine models are available. The same is true within our spiritual family. Believing in and honoring both the mas-culine and feminine divinity within our hearts, and within the great unknowable mystery that is God, is essential for the balance and harmony of our spirits.

We need both the law and the love, the word and the wisdom, the mind and the heart of God. With tender honesty, ask yourself if the God that you love possesses both feminine and masculine aspects. If not, make a commitment to give yourself a sacred gift by incorporating the missing virtues into your heart's vision of the Beloved.

I honor and appreciate both the masculine and the feminine qualities of the Divine.

I possess qualities worthy of honor and admiration.