Empower Others, Empower Yourself!

It's no secret that modern men are a tad confused. They aren't sure if their masculinity is welcome, having been on the receiving end of messages that masculinity is scary, violent, dis-empowering to women, destructive to the planet.

These messages are not categorically false: it's true that many men abuse others, especially those with less power than they have. It's true that men lead the way in drawing down the regenerating resources of Mother Earth, swallowing up the seed corn that could be used to prolong life's sustenance.

It's also true that guys pay too much attention to their place in life's assorted hierarchies, continually ranking themselves against other men in social status, material wealth, and the hotness of their women companions.

That's the bad stuff. Sadly the good stuff has been buried in the hearts of many men. I'm not hear to outline what's bad, though, because blechhh! Who wants to read another screed about what sucks in life? I want to offer a message of hope, that when men make a choice to acknowledge the shadow of masculinity yet move past it, and embrace what's magical and powerful, life-giving, and life-affirming about maleness, then they enter a world where they set the stage for others to thrive.

Guys, we can find our power by creating a field of energy in which others blossom! We then can stand back and watch, and glow in the great good energy that wells up out of others, and learn that we can do this, we can be the source of what's good, and it's because of our gift of being men, not despite of it.

Doesn't that put too much responsibility on the men? What about women's role in finding their power? Fact is, women have been doing this work for decades, and have concrete victories to show for it. Hats off to them!

But just as a person entering a crowded subway car has to throw an elbow now and then, women have had to push men aside to make space for themselves, bruising some ribs and wounding some egos along the way.

Those ego wounds will heal. We're several generations into the women's movement now, and although many, many, all too many women are cut off from the progress their sisters have made, and do not enjoy the benefits of their fellow female trailblazers, the fact is that women have reached places they weren't allowed into.

And guess what? They look around and see what species of man around them? Those nursing the bruised ribs and egos, complaining about the bitchiness of the ones who delivered the shove on one hand. Other men cheering on their progress and offering up the rest of their bodies as a sacrifice on the other.

I'm not sure how well I'm making this point, except to say that having achieved so much in the public square, women may have created a problem that is not theirs to solve. It's the men who need to level up, offer a resounding "brava" to their sisters, and make peace with the drive for equality for all people.

Survey women with new power and you'll hear of lack and frustration. "Is this all there is?" has many answers, or sources, and one of them is that they lack the energy of positive, confident men.

That's not their problem to solve! It falls to men to raise their game and appreciate that women, or more accurately the feminine which resides in all people, yet dominates in a female body, need the masculine to provide safety and structure in order to thrive.

This is why men who step up empower others, especially women. Women who can balance their public sphere energy with support and permission to drop into their femininity are happier, more content, and offer more easily their magical gifts to the men who create and hold that sacred container.