Reminder… A House Keeping Matter:
Over the past few months, there has been an increase of gremlins and shenanigans to deal with such as my emailer, FB, YT, and such. Proactively, I encourage everyone to just “bookmark” www.LoveChangeGrow.com in their browser. Thus, folks can maintain their sovereignty, reasonable anonymity, without algorithmic/digital encumbrances and remain affordably free (both to you and to keep my cost to a minimum). I wonder if these new “shenanigans” are evidence of gaining traction with you all and irritating the old guard. Feel free to share LoveChangeGrow with others as you deem appropriate.
Being And Love
This week’s post is about being and love. To be and to love. Arguably, everyone aspires to be and to love. A place to start is a male and female blueprint or template on planet earth. Ancient cultures often have a cosmology of their existence with feminine and masculine aspects. Which is a way to make sense of their world and their existence. The past thousand years, we have had the development of “science” and the study of the differences between the sexes. Currently, we have opened genetic, hormonal differences. And for the past 100 years, the discussion of the social, economic, and political arenas of men versus women. This past decade there has been the opening of gender identification. Recently, in the past couple of years there has been an uptick in the discussion of the divine masculine and feminine. I wonder if we now have a hot mess of confusion about who we are? There are differences between genetics, physiology, appearance, behaviors, self-identification, and social and/or psychological constructs of what it is to be male/masculine versus female/feminine. So, what about “being” human?
A place to start this discussion is at a conceptual level. Of course, these levels are not clearly divided and arguably arbitrary. Common sense, notes there are four levels: the physical, social, psychological, and metaphysical/spiritual views.
Let’s Get Physical
Physical… genetics of XX verses XY, body parts, hormones. As infants, we all look the same, except for a two niggly parts. As we go through development from birth to mid-late 20s, there are vast changes/differentiation in one’s physiological development, social interactions, psychological aspects towards self-identification of either being male, female or some variation thereof. And this occurs within and in the embedded the family, social, economic, and political environments. However, the keyword is self-identification. Meaning, what a person identifies or claims they are (I am). The start of “self-identification” arguably corresponds developmentally to a person’s teenage years. This is where a teen becomes aware of their “self” and explores, invests, and eventually takes ownership and is responsible for their identity.
At the physical level, i.e., genetics, sex and hormones are a matter of XX/XY chromosomes, then physical appearance and the expression of hormonal effects on physical development. At puberty, a youth develops the secondary physical attributes of being a male or female. Which is hair, muscles, breasts, and the capacity to procreate.
Gender Social
The social level is about becoming and/or being different in the process of growth or development in socialconnections, interaction, and relationships of one’s social environment. Specifically regarding social and cultural differences beyond the mere genetic and biological level. It is the development and differentiation of gender identity. A few years ago, I was introduced to the long-known “eastern/Asian” notion of four gender types. Which are the masculine and feminine gender types which can be further differentiated. Which are: 1) The man within the man, the stereotypic manly man. 2) Woman within the man, an effeminate male. 3) The woman within the woman, i.e., the stereotypic traditional feminine. And 4) the man within the woman, a “mannish woman.” Which makes simple intuitive sense that there are four basic observed and self-identified genders. For example, girly girls and tomboys.
Of course, there has been an explosion of genders that reflect both internal and the social-environmental context of our “self-identified and self-centric” western (USA) culture. For example, see link, I had no idea! (https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_72_other_genders/article.htm)
Psychological… What?
The general idea is the initial a drive to be. Thus, the process to become a differentiated being. As an infant, it is thought there is no distinction or awareness of an “individual self-awareness.” In the womb is just a world of oceanic bliss. Followed by the infant/mother, a rudimentary self/other, self within the family, self in relation to peers, etc. Essentially, starting about 2 through 7-8 years of age, we realize finer distinctions the self and the other. The self, being oh, this is me and there’s mother, family, peers, and the world. Starting around the age of seven, is the transition to and learning about the world via their self-efficacy (ability to connect, relate to and influence their world). Then at age 7-14 years we learn how to interact with this world. Which is primarily social, and that’s where the group behavior and such come in.
At age 12-14 of puberty, then we notice ourself as an individual. But it’s an exploration of who am I? A teen strives to become internally aware, explore and find whom they wish to become. It is a differentiation of becoming special! (LOL, no disrespect intended, but parents that have survived their teenagers… ((SNL, “well isn’t that special!”)). The primary task from 14 to 21 is the exploration whom, their appearance, how to present, represent and relate to their emerging world. Eventually, despite whatever gender is chosen, there is also the responsibility, realization, and consequences of making it happen in order to maturate or become a functioning and responsible adult.
Yes, there is the bumping up against reality. Meaning a person may feel special, aspire to be recognized as being unique, and thus wants to be treated as special. However, the stark realization that one might be treated poorly. Thus, the question is, how are you/they going to navigate and negotiate this issue? It is a process of becoming and being. The process of becoming and being leads to questions of undeveloped versus underdeveloped versus developed. Regardless of the gender, whether it is masculine, feminine, or androgenous. Meaning undeveloped (potential), versus underdeveloped (a lack of agency and/or skills of becoming, yet unrealized) versus developed (potential actualized).
The question is of being… whom, what and how?
Side Note: Archetypes
Carl Jung’s writing about archetypes discussed male and female, anima/animus and androgyny archetypes. Archetypes are a significant rabbit hole that offers informative symbolic wonderings. Suffice it to note that I’ve found psychology to be one of the many junctures or interesting nexuses in the web between environmental context, bio-chemical, behaviors, sociology, philosophy, metaphysics, religion, etc. The “blueprint” of male/female and the breadth and depth of symbolism throughout cultures and generations are evidence of its enduring influence. Undeveloped versus developed whether it is masculine, feminine or androgenous gender.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anima_and_animus
Let’s Get Metaphysical… Spiritually
Throughout history and thought, whether found in cultural anthropology, art, scriptures, esoterica, etc. there are found male and female symbolic representations and metaphors. It’s in tantra, Taoism, Jesus and Magdalene, earth and sun, alchemy, rites, rituals, astrology etc. Interestingly there are emerging references to divine masculine, divine feminine. I wonder we are moving beyond the descriptive confines of masculine and feminine to “being?” Is it an attempt to expand and/or transcend toward unity? A unity of “beings being beings.”
If Beings, Then What?
In the world of the psyche, there is a host or spectrum of beings. Ugly, terrifying, and stinky from the depths of hell to divine and otherwise. Some have primordial forms, earthly bodies, energy bodies, light bodies. It’s a whole range of spectrums and multi-dimensions (the multitudes?). Of course, there is the filters of anthropomorphic human-like characteristics projections. I wonder what are the other characteristics that are referenced to the notion of being; the beings of unity and/or the unity of beings? What will be pragmatic and useful being in the realms of unity?
Avatars of the Contemporary
An avatar historically, was a deity or divine being incarnated, manifested or revealed in bodily form such as a teacher of an epoch, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar#) A recent concept of avatars is a digital representation of a person in video games, on internet forums, etc. Avatars primarily have a purpose, abilities, ect. And the embodiment of whether being masculine, feminine or otherwise are of secondary issue. Avatars may be asexual, sexual or androgynous. But with a matured or developed with divine or special digital powers (game skill attributes) is primary. I wonder, with the digital avatars, are now dropping the male (masculine) and female (feminine) distinctions. And are we transitioning, entering, or evolving into being… beings. Regardless of sex or gender, but based on inherent and developed qualities or abilities to be. Qualities such as sovereignty, integrity, compassion, grace, etc. Many heroic movies have the underlying portrayal of, via the dramatization of the struggle for justice, moral authority, ethics of sovereignty, etc., have integrity, be compassionate and graceful. These are the struggle for both the hero and heroine. Are these the emerging characteristics and qualities that we aspire? Are beginning to socially appreciate and understand that being is beyond and trumps one’s sex, gender, race, and color? Is this a dawning of awareness beyond an individual ego? A step towards being galactic citizens? A recognition that all life is an expression and expansion of love. Perhaps sex, gender, and race (human or otherwise) are mere earthy accouterments of our anthropomorphic, ethnocentric, and planetary environment or dimension in which we are embedded. That they are a mere sticky residue of the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual paradigms. Is the challenge to see and be beyond; yet appreciate and be in awe of this kaleidoscope of beings. What will it take for beings to drop and go beyond the physical, gender and accoutrements of status-centric badges that have become burdens. Are we at the threshold of becoming “being in/of love?”
There are wide-ranging discussions of the Star Trek like cyborgs, the Matrix, AI becoming self-aware and what is an alien? Which at the core is a matter of “being.” And do these beings have human attributes? Or is it something else? Something like programing, prime directives, etc. Is it possible that we cannot help but project an anthropomorphic interpretation on to the unknown? Is this because this is all we know? What else is there?
If we are externally oriented, perceptions and understandings of ourselves limit us. The difficulty of examining and evaluating ourselves from an external perspective is that our reference is our experiences of the earthly realm, naïve and innocent. And yet we can imagine floating around in the space and being light, energy, and frequency beings. Is this a subtle trap of desire or wanting? Perhaps desire and wanting means we don’t have nor are we there yet. Have we limited ourselves to the body physical, earthy plane of experiences? And we have denied and forestalled the future to the wishful longing? Thus, we continue to remain in our self-imagined/deluded cage of the wistful and wishful floating around in the heavens and hells of the past and future.
Uncertain, we cannot recognize the opportunity of now. Now (as the present) to be. Is the “to be” the mystical experience of being… both a noun and verb? Is it the “Is…ness of being?” Is it being open, surrendering and disappearing (collapse) into and of the now? An ability to blend and share. For example: We can say “Hi, you are interesting, and I’m interested. Let’s mingle and discover a novel experience of being two, together as one.” Perhaps on a level of being able to attract and blend, have novel experiences beyond the mere limits of the body. Are we energetic beings? Can we zoom around in the psychic dimension via energy or light able to connect telepathically with each other? Are moving beyond the mere limits of a physical membrane to the psychic level/dimension?
It’s a Psychic Thing?
We have a similar experiences but it’s more of a psychic nature. We experience occasionally in our dreams, in spaces of empathic resonance and simpatico of flow. I would say we experience it fairly regularly in our dreams, but our left-logical brain does not have the capacity to think about it that way. But we have right-brained symbolic plays. Metaphorically and with symbolism, we play, having parts, having feelings, and experiences. And in these experiences, we can discover, enact, and expand as a process to go beyond who we thought we were. An exploration and expansion to go beyond what is known in the introspective head. And yet we have the heart. The way of the heart is experience. And once experienced, is known in the soul. It is what has is always been known, transcendent of space and time. That which is available via the introspection of the soul. For example, there are times when you experience something new. But it is like a “déjà vu” feeling of remembering… “oh I knew that…. but how?” Is this the familiarity of the soul? When one hears a song and weeps in the truth of its heartache or joyful sweetness?
The psychic dimension is still a matter (or weight) of sovereignty, integrity, and appreciation for the other. Along with actions of being compassionate and gracefulness. This next level of soul encompasses the appreciation of the physical realm. Though we are not so tightly bound and limited by our past physical experience. In a sense, the physical cage door is opening. And we can explore and expand into the psychic dimensions of energy, frequency, psychic phenomena, etc. Is this the new frontier where we explore and expand what has been known as the ethereal qualities? What are the challenges, lessons and beingness of sovereignty, integrity, compassion, and gracefulness? This is not new, but perhaps forgotten. The text, treaties, and teaching of spiritual, mystics, yoga, meditative traditions note warnings, responsibilities, and preparations for entering the dharmic path. A path of eternal truth, i.e., a right way of being (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma).
School of Being
Being is both… what is… which is a noun, and a verb of what is.
I wonder what if there were “Being Studies?” The study of and practice of “being.” Such as, a simple example: is to lead with a smile. To lean into greetings and interactions with a smile. A smile that is genuine, fearless, and recognizes another being is also an avatar of divinity.
As we are, so we become, so it is… incarnated, manifested, and revealed… The Divine… what shall we be?
Blessings,
Tim