As we just finished celebrating Mother’s Day, we travel right around the corner to Father’s Day, which yields the same sense of celebration and acknowledgement. Some people were graced with having a great experience in their relationship with either parent or with both. If this is the case, then a celebration of acknowledgment is in order. However, the key idea is not parent here, it’s relationship or to simply relate.
The question then is, what if there was no relationship experience with either the male or female figures in our lives? What if there were no reference to acknowledge or any experiences to celebrate, what then? Well, in that case, there would be a need to switch focus.
Life has proven to be a breeding ground of opposites. There are two sides to every story — two sides of a coin, two sides of our brain. Life gives us plenty to mull over, examine, and differentiate when it comes to the antithesis of a whole experience. There are familiar references we have all heard and become accustom to: male/female, right/wrong, yes/no, light/dark, good/bad, happy/sad.
In Taoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy, we can see this concept of opposition illustrated in the symbol of Yin/Yang. The symbol represents two halves that come together to complete a whole expression. It literally means there is a dark and a bright side that exists separately; yet, both sides are dependent on the other for a complete experience.
What we rarely notice or talk much about is the point at which opposition meets. That seamless place between the two, that grey area, where a relationship between neutrality and balance gives rise to the whole picture. If we become aware of our whole experience, we can recognize that we have both male and female aspects to our being and expression of self. In the development of our character, we can witness having experienced both right and wrong, acknowledging that grey area also. Doing so allows for that point of choice that build’s relationship between the two realms of experience and gives reference to a complete understanding of the whole.
Celebrations like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day represent two sides of a complete experience. The examples of specific male and female attributes that allow for a deeper relationship, appreciation, and acceptance in stepping into a complete and rooted self. This is a point of power and a place where you cannot be swayed one way or another. There is no struggle, strife, conflict, loss or even indecision because in this state of awareness, you get to choose what you want to integrate into your experience. You get to acknowledge yourself within the two sides and you get to celebrate the understanding of what it means to be whole. Celebration is a choice- you get to choose.
Discovery Exercise: Use this focus around Father’s Day to reflect on the male energies and attributes you can connect with and acknowledge how you’ve integrated them into your life. Then choose how you’d like to celebrate the richness of those qualities. If you want to further your exploration, take a moment to explore the opposite, the female expression and witness how the two halves come together for a complete and whole experience overall. God Bless!
~ Jennifer Circosta, AFSI Blogger, www.jennifersmusing.com, Health and Wellness Coach