♂ Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - The Divine Masculine

[TheTravelWitch_Bry]

Merry meet!

Thank you once again to everyone who joined in for last week’s Weekly Witchy Challenge - Grounding & Centering

After spending some time becoming composed and connected, it’s time to tap into the energy of the season and explore an important aspect of the world and ourselves.

The theme for this week’s challenge honors the upcoming Sabbat and is…

The Divine Masculine

Exploring the role and purpose of masculine energy in our lives

What is divine masculine energy?

Divine masculine energy is the energy of the universe that is responsible for manifestation. It is the active, creative force that brings essence into form. In other words, it is the “do-er” energy. Divine masculine energy is often associated with qualities such as strength, protectiveness, and assertiveness. This energy can be channeled in many different ways, but it is ultimately about embodying these qualities in a way that is authentic and helpful to others.

From Spells8: The Divine Masculine

Divine Masculine Energy is one “flavor” of energy in the world around us and within ourselves. Regardless of biological sex or gender identity, divine masculine energy is a force that can influence and be used by anyone.

This week, we are exploring what the divine masculine means to us (as, per usual, definitions can vary and are always worth exploring for yourself!), how it manifests in our lives, and the ways that we can use divine energy within the Craft

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This week’s challenge is about exploring the Divine Masculine- but as always, how you do so is up to you!

So are you ready? Because it’s…

CHALLENGE TIME!

As you explore the theme this week, please remember that the Divine Masculine can be experienced and explored by anyone, regardless of their physical sex or the gender they identify as- it is a natural energy within the universe and within ourselves

Picture from Pixabay

STEP 1 : Divine Masculine in Your Life and Practice

This challenge is all about exploring the divine masculine- but how you choose to take on this theme is up to you!

Still not sure where to begin? To help you get started, here are a few ways in which a witch might approach this challenge.

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Defining Masculinity in Magick

What comes to mind when you hear the word “masculine”? While some societal stereotypes around the world masculine may also carry into its magickal associations, in magick, “divine masculine” has many more connotations than simply describing the male sex.

Magickally, Divine Masculine Energy is related to Yang energy in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)- the Divine Masculine embodies fire, air, manifestation, strength and action, to name just a few of its applications in magick.

Divine Masculine: What Is It and How to Use It?

If it’s not an area you’re familiar with, consider learning more about Divine Masculine Energy this week- for your entry, feel free to share what you learned!

Alternatively, if the definitions around Masculine (or Feminine) Divine Energy don’t align with your personal practice and beliefs, please feel free to share your thoughts and how you define energy types- all personal views are welcome to be shared!

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Deities & Spirits of the Divine Masculine

There are many deities, spirits, and entities associated with Divine Masculine Energy. While many are male, deities who are gender non-conforming or associated with divine masculine traits (such as war, fire, power, and manifestation) could also be viewed as having strong Divine Masculine Energy.

Here are a few suggestions you might learn about this week- feel free to look elsewhere and connect with other higher powers as well!

The God’s Temple: Divine Masculine Myths & Symbols

The Horned God

Charge of the God

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Sabbat Celebrations

This week, from April 30th to May 1st, is a Sabbat and special occasion! As part of many Beltane celebrations in the Northern Hemisphere, The Horned God is honored. It is a time of fire and fertility- of both a masculine and feminine nature.

Consider honoring the Horned God, enjoying fire element magick, and casting spellwork for fertility (if you choose!)

Hymn to Pan

Fire Elemental Invocation

For Samhain in the Southern Hemisphere, fire in the form of candles light graves and spirits of the dead of honored. Consider honoring a god of the afterlife or using fire energy in candle spells

Hades: God of the Underworld

Pyromancy: Divination with Fire

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Magickal Masculine Correspondences

The Divine Masculine has many correpondences in magick- these are things that relate to, call upon, and channel Divine Masculine Energy- from herbs to crystals, zodiac signs, planets, elements, and more!

Consider studying some new information, examining items you already have, or building your own associations for the Divine Masculine in your practice.

Tarot: Suit of Swords

Tarot: Suit of Wands

Magickal Correspondence Charts

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… And More!

The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity- if you feel called to explore grounding/centering in another way, please feel free to do so!

As always, all witches are encouraged to embrace their own unique practice with how they explore the theme

Picture from Spiritual Shenanigans: Masculine and Feminine Energy Balance

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STEP 2 : Share Your Experience

Click here for a note about challenge inclusivity

Everyone is welcome to join the challenge by practicing magick in line with the current theme. For lurkers and those who don’t feel comfortable sharing, it is absolutely okay to follow along with the challenge but keep your entry personal. Feel free to join in spirit and do what feels most comfortable for you!

That being said, please know that if you would like to receive a prize and a public shout-out, it is required that you share your experience.

Getting Your Credit

In order for your entry to be counted, all you have to do is write/share about your experience and label it as your challenge entry. There is a lot of chatting here (which is awesome- chatting and discussion are very welcome!) so please clearly write that it is your entry so I know to count it!

Where Should I Share My Entry?

Click here to learn where to share your challenge entry

You are welcome to post it right here- just click “reply” to this post and write your experience in the text box that pops up!

Alternatively, you could create a new post in the forum (this is good for when you have a lot to share and/or would like to discuss aspects of your entry not related to the current theme)

Note : If you do choose to create a new thread, please add the “challenge-entry” tag and/or add a hyperlink back to this post so that it can be easily found- thank you!

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Deadline

This challenge will close in 6 DAYS

To join in, please share your experience by:

Tuesday, May 2 at 7:00 AM CET (Central European Time)
( Time Converter: 2023-05-02T05:00:00Z)

(Note that the time zone is CET- if you don’t see your time displayed above, you can use this time zone calculator to check for your time zone!)

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Prizes

For their efforts, all participants will receive a special shout-out and a small prize!

Acknowledgments will be given in a Props and Presents Post that will appear in the forums on Tuesday.

After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given. This discussion will remain open for about a week after the challenge finishes.

Picture from Loner Wolf: 9 Ways to Awaken the Divine Masculine

A warm reminder that the challenges are designed to be very open- everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that honors and reflects their unique practice

If you have any doubts about if something is acceptable to post or say, please double-check with the Forum FAQ and/or reach out to your friendly Moderator Team.

And for those new to challenges- welcome! Know that the goal of these activities is to help you further diversify and strengthen your abilities and to bring together the Spells8 forum family to inspire and support one another in creative ways

Picture from Pixabay

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Strong, sturdy, rigid and true-
The Divine Masculine lives within you.
By power and flame, it will help you to shine-
Wield it well, and be blessed by the divine!

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Blessed Be!

[Siofra_Strega]

Ooo… I like this one! I’m going to have to think about this on At first my brain went to Gods/Goddesses & then it said… “Um, Lady… currently you only regularly work with Goddesses…” so I think I’m going to dive into their history for this one. See what I can come up with

[brandy20]

Tell me why Ares came straight to mind as soon as I read this!

[AIRAM]

Jupiter Male Deity
PARTICIPATION IN THE INVITATION
Other names Zeus, Otoptis, Pantoptis, Epopsios, Euryops, Panoptis, Epitimitor, Epopetis etc.
Symbols Lightning, eagle, bull and oak
Spouse-the Goddess Hera. Before Hera he had as wife the Oceania Metis and then the Titan Themis.
Companion-Aegina, Leto, Leda, Aigis, Alcmene, Anaxithea, Antiope the Boeotian, Asterope, Cambyses, Callisto, Carmis, Cassiopeia, Chalcedonia, Clymene, Danae, Demeter, Zeus, Dione, Elara, Electra, Europa (mythology), Eurymedusa, Eurynome (Oceania), Gaia (mythology), Himalia, Hora, Io, Iodama, Ision, Laodamea, Myra, Maia, Mnemosyne, Niobe of Phoroneus, Nysa, Othreis, Pandora, Persephone, Plutus, Plutus, Protogenea, Selene, Semele, Taygete, Thalia, Thrace, Thyia, Aphrodite, Calyx, Lamia, Podargi, Pyrrha, Calliope, Doris, Echidna, Heos, Eurydome, Aetna, Eliki, unnamed daughter of Borysthenes, Kontoumelia, Coryphi, Crete, Cyrno, Eurynome, Nemesis , Lamia and Phthia
Parents Titan Saturn and Titaness Rhea
Siblings Goddess Hestia, Goddess Demeter, Goddess Hera, God Pluto and God Poseidon. The centaur Chiron was his half-brother.
Children Goddess Aphrodite (according to Homer), goddess Persephone, god Ares, goddess Hebe, goddess Eileithyia, god Hephaestus (according to one version the goddess Hera spelled it herself), god Hermes, god Dionysus, Hersis (Drosia), Hecate, god Apollo, goddess Artemis, goddess Athena, the Fates (Klotho, Lachesis, Atropos), the Hours (Eunomia, Judgment, Irene), the Graces (Aglaia, Euphrosyne, Thalia), the Muses (Calliope, Cleo, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Erato, Melpomene, Thalia, Polymnia and Urania), the Coryvantes (according to one version), Epaphus, goddess Harmonia (according to one version), Endymion, god Panas, Tityus, Britomartis, Zagreus, Kar, Kurites, Cris, Minos, Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon, Greek, Hellene, Achaeus, Myrmidon, Magnis, Macedon, Bithynus, Dardanus, Thebes, Asopus, Amphion, Zethus, Locrus, Orchomenus, Trophonius, Herakles, Argos, Perseus, Nemea, Lacedaemon, Fair Helen, the Dioscuri (Castor and Polydevkis), Arkas, Megaros and Aiakos

wikipedia.

Temple of Zeus at Olympia
Kind
ancient Greek temple and archaeological site
Architecture
ancient greek architecture
Geographic coordinates
37°38′16″N 21°37′48″E
Administrative affiliation
Municipality of Ancient Olympia
Country
Hellas
Start construction
460 BC
Architect
Libon
Protection
declared archaeological site in Greece
Symbols of his power are the thunderbolt, the eagle, Victory, the scepter and the aegis.

hellasmythology/olympus_gods/zeus

[Heav3n]

This is great, I already planned to include The Horned God in my Beltane for this week and now I can add some more things to it. As for now he is the only God I work with and who has come to me in many forms of deer. Funny story I was starteled on a walk listening to a song by 30 Seconds to Mars called Hunter, I look up and it is a deer standing 6 feet in front of me looking at me while I am looking at it, I was able to get a picture of it.

[Siofra_Strega]

@brandy20 as soon as I read it there were a couple that came to me too almost instantly when I read the title! Now it’s just choosing how to approach this one.

@AIRAM oh great entry! That’s a lot of wonderful information & I like the counterparts included as well within Jupiter’s lineage! Thank you!

@Heav3n oh that’s really awesome! Lots of synchronicity in that experience! I love that you were able to get a picture too! You should have a copy made with the date, song, & artist to keep with your things for The Horned God if you have them

[Heav3n]

@Siofra_Strega you know what you are right I did not pick up on all the synchronicities but I did pick up on a few. Right now I just have a print out of The Horned God on my Altar but I like your idea a lot. I do have the date, and pic still. I just came across it the other day on my FB.

[Siofra_Strega]

Oh yay! You could add it with the printout too… I’m sure whatever you choose will be wonderful.

[Kasandra]

Challenge Entry

I tend to work with goddesses because I spent much of my life worshipping the Christian God. Christians still call God Father and clearly see Him as a male deity, although they’ve told me that He is not a man or a woman.

This challenge has reminded me the divine masculine is part of my practice. I work a lot of fire magick because I work with dragons. Dragons are neither male nor female, but they are of the divine masculine and the divine feminine. Some are equally masculine and feminine. Others have more masculine than feminine in them, and vice versa. Their divine masculine qualities such as strength, protectiveness, and assertiveness is what drew me to them in the first place. I needed to learn to not let others bring me down, to not put up with other people’s shenanigans, to put it nicely.

[Garnet]

142 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - The Divine Masculine
Challenge entry GARNET

In my research, divine masculinity also known as Yang is sometimes compared to the ‘father’ and can be symbolized by things like materialism, money, energy, sexuality, and more. Divine masculinity tends toward materialism, but also great logic. The focus is efficiency and practicality.

The divine feminine is energy also known as shakti, Yin, and lunar energy, and is often connected symbolically [to the moon]Gaia (Mother Earth), and water. Devine feminine focus is more on feelings and emotions.

From what I read, both work like the energy in Yin & Yang, they are opposite sides of the same coin, but work together to create balance. They are everywhere and in everything including in us. If I understood, to keep the balance with the universe the two energies must work together to form a cohesiveness.

Confused yet? Me too.

We are born with both masculine and feminine energy, but you can lean toward one or the other

How to Awaken Divine Masculine Energy

In order to be a spiritually awakened person, you must learn how to embrace—and balance—both the divine masculine and feminine.
I found that these Ideas might be very helpful in waking your masculine energy.

Take responsibility. So many people say that something is their parents’ fault, but that’s a cop-out. They did the best they could for you.
This took me most of my life to accept because it’s easier to blame another than accept that it was your fault or that ‘they’ did the best they could. If that wasn’t good enough for you, consider evaluating yourself, perhaps by shadow work.

Practice grounding exercises. The divine masculine is about being stable and purposeful. So, grounding exercises like yoga, meditation, or sitting in nature, might be helpful to find that inner peace. Divine Masculine: Meaning, Traits, Awakening Symptoms | Astrology.com
I do meditation because of my limited mobility, yoga or even a simple walk is painful and difficult.
Take care of someone or something. This energy really prides itself on being the provider or the safe haven for people or animals in need. It’s about “responsibility, not only for yourself but for your people.”
Take care of someone or something. This is part of nurturing, and caring for the sick, your kids, and your grandparents.
My easiest explanation of Masculine and Feminine is like comparing the head to the heart.
One would think that the two would be arguing all the time. Although both are quite smoother when they are in balance."
Then again if I’m arguing with myself {masculine vs feminine}, no matter who wins…I win. Win, win!
blessed be
Garnet

[Jeannie1]

**The Egyptian God The Sun God
Sun God Ra

Here is something I found on Pinterest.

I have this book and I turned the page to the Sun God I thought this would be perfect because
He rules the sky during our hours of activity to the bulk of which his rising and setting marks the limits because we need his light to see what we are working at. The blue light of intuition can with an effort be ignored the sunlight of ego consciousness cannot. The sun is also seen to rule in partially the activities of the various, and often mutually hostile sense phenomena which emerge from his existence. The Gyptian rod for instants kept scorched the arid desert of his terrible great grand set grandson. Set but he also cat fruit for the rich Nile valley of his other great grandson Osiris. As his rising and setting govern our daily activities, so does his annual rhythm govern our long-term activity and the earthly fruitfulness on which we depend a vivid God symbol in deed, and he roomies so it may be noted for rising Christianity. The gospels give no date for Jesus birth, but as the early church raise him to God status, the deep rooted human instinct to celebrate the sons annuals rebirth demanded that the Christ God two should be born at the mid winter solstice. And it was decreed and Ad 273 and has been so excessive both officially and popularly ever cents. The emphasis on the masculinity of the sun and the sun DD is most smart in the tropical and subtropical regions. Around the Mediterranean, and remember Christianity in the formative centuries was a Mediterranean religion both son and son God are almost universally masculine. The only sun goddesses of the region we have been able to find are comparatively minor the Phoenicians Nahar and summers mentioned in the Ugarit Scripps, the Samarian show posh in the Hittite Wurussumu. The Gyptian Ra, the Greek Helios in the Roman soul, are all words meaning son, as well as being the names of gods and all the masculine
Keep reading see

I just am so glad we are touching on this topic because I have had many times thought about recovering this topic!

This is a special God to me!
Jeannie

[Phoenix_Fire]

challenge entry part 1
So i reflected on who was in my clan and 4 are male, 6 female. The male deities are

• Cernunnos
• Lugh
• Njord
• Fenrir
  So i figured for thus challenge i was going to explore my connections to these deities. I just realised half are celtic deities, tje other half norse deities cool😁

[Siofra_Strega]

@Phoenix_Fire that’s really interesting! Celtic & Norse were I don’t want to say close but throughout some overlapping areas in Germanic Europe! So that is exciting! I hope you are able to find out some more & share what you have learned with us!

@Jeannie1 wow! That is really interesting! Great information & I’ve learned a couple things! Which I love Thank you for sharing this information with us!

@Garnet wow, thank you for the information tips & tricks! I use meditation a lot for limiting physical abilities too, but recently I have found a few yoga poses that I can adapt to my abilities when I am feeling tip top!

@Kasandra something else new learned today! I love it! I have always been fascinated with dragons & over time I have learned a lot from what you have been able to do while working so closely with them. I completely understand how you became drawn to them for those reasons… it was & is still something that I need to continue learning too as situations come up.

@Kasandra

Their divine masculine qualities such as strength, protectiveness, and assertiveness is what drew me to them in the first place. I needed to learn to not let others bring me down, to not put up with other people’s shenanigans, to put it nicely.

[Artemisia]

Hmmmmm I’m going to have to mull this one over and come up with an idea for my challenge

[lisa67]

This’ll take more investigation - I am drawn to Elemental Earth which presents itself as masculine and Francisco had a wonderful video discussing the “Green Man” and I liken him to The Horned God or Cernunnos. Just something about this is resonating to me.

[Siofra_Strega]

@lisa67… in terms of Cerunnos he has been referred to as The Horned God or a version of The Horned God as well as The Green Man. I’m not sure if you have seen this:

→ The Horned God: Spells8

From there you should kind of have jump off point as well as for the upcoming Beltaine & working with the Fire Element

There’s a lot of good information on how the 3 are connected to each other & further reading suggestions

[lisa67]

@Siofra_Strega Yes, indeed and I am pretty excited as well. My sisters and I like to do Beltane when we celebrate our sibling birthdays that are the 2nd & 6th! This is a very happy week for us

[CelestiaMoon]

Challenge Entry

This has been a challenging one for me, being a trans woman i.e. having been told growing up that I’m male when my inner knowing has been telling me a completely different story. The first conscious step on that journey is often forsaking the things from the “childhood gender” and diving in head first into the one that feels right. That’s how it was with me too. It’s been 6 years now from my decision to transition, and it feels just as right as it did then. Often the question is not “why did I do this” but “why didn’t I do this earlier”.

Maybe close to my 5 year mark I started making peace with masculinity. There has been a lot of the toxic kind in my life, and part of the acceptance journey has been learning to see what mature, healthy masculinity looks like. There is still that destructive power, but when focused right, it can become a force of protection. Something that can actually nurture, by keeping out the harmful elements. There can be that active, goal-oriented mindset that helps bring dreams into reality. While the toxic version is domineering and steamrolls over others, the healthy one is responsive to their needs and emotions, and charts the best possible course through them.

Tantra also focuses a lot on the polarity of the divine masculine and feminine. There are multiple ways of making the distinction, but common for all of them is that they’re not opposing but complementary forces. There are the same familiar correspondences that we use in witchcraft too, that have their roots in the yin and the yang from Taoism. In addition there’s the Shiva and the Shakti, which are also often embodied as roles in tantric rituals.

Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction, one of the three main gods together with Brahma (god of creation) and Vishnu (god of preservation). In Shaivism, which tantra also draws from, Shiva is the primordial original being and the ultimate awareness without boundaries. That itself is said by some to be Shiva’s destructive power. Especially when it comes to the ego, it thrives in the shadow. Bring it to light, and it dissolves.

The word Shakti means power. In tantra Shakti refers to many things at once that are one. She is Shiva’s power and passion, without her he is dispassionate and withdrawing. She is Parvati, Sati and Kali, Shiva’s beloved in different forms. She’s Devi, the divine feminine, just as he is the divine masculine. She is the serpent power that lies dormant at the base of our spine, waiting to be awakened as kundalini, to slither through the chakras to unite with her beloved where the intellect lives. The usual division of masculine = head and feminine = heart exists here too. Also the division between the immaterial and the material, spirit and body, purusha and prakriti, air and earth.

So what is the Shiva flavor of divine masculine? Above all, conscious awareness. Observation. In some rituals, receiving worship but not participating, in others being the one that leads. Stillness. Shakti being the force that animates, Shiva is the matter being animated. Shiva being the flame, Shakti being its warmth.

There can be conflicts with the yin/yang and Shiva/Shakti way of looking at things, like for example which is the “slow” and which is the “fast” energy. I’m looking at it like in physics there’s the theory of relativity and the quantum theory. Both are useful on their own, but they don’t always play nice together. That’s where intuition steps in, for working with the paradoxes the rational mind can’t accept. The heart unites and the mind divides. Both are needed in this cosmic dance of duality, and together make up the whole that would be incomplete without.

[TheTravelWitch_Bry]

@Siofra_Strega

I’m going to dive into their history for this one.

I’m excited to see what (and who!) you choose to explore! Good luck and have with it, Siofra!

@brandy20

Ares came straight to mind as soon as I read this!

Ohhh the God of War would be a great deity to call upon for Divine Masculine work- good luck, Brandy!

@AIRAM

Jupiter Male Deity

Zeus/Jupiter is one of the first gods that comes to mind when I think of deities associated with the Divine Masculine- thank you so much for sharing wisdom and pictures of Him! I would love to be able to go to Greece and see the temples of the gods for myself someday- the pictures looks amazing!

@Heav3n

I look up and it is a deer standing 6 feet in front of me

What a fun synchronicity! It sounds like you have been nurturing Divine Masculine energy, and that it manifested in a tangible way right in front of you- that’s really neat, Heav3n!

@Kasandra

Dragons are neither male nor female, but they are of the divine masculine and the divine feminine.

I love this And in a very respectful way, I think that, in this sense, we can see ourselves within the divine. Human society has had the habit of sorting people and things into the rigid categories of “male” and “female”, but in truth we all have a healthy mix of divine masculine and divine feminine within ourselves- like the dragons do. Hearing this and thinking of such great entities in such a way helps to open the eyes and the mind.

Really beautifully said, Kasandra! (And props to you for drawing on their strength to protect yourself- people do love their shenanigans! )

@Garnet

Take care of someone or something.

As usual, I found myself nodding along in agreement with your post- you’ve done a really wonderful job of exploring the Divine Masculine, ways that it might manifest in someone’s life, and also how someone can nurture Divine Masculine energy in their daily life! Taking care of someone, protecting them, sharing strength to help them grow strong too- this is a wonderful way to express Divine Masculine energy!

This is a lovely entry- thank you for sharing it, Garnet!

@Jeannie1

This is a special God to me!

I can tell from your writing that He is close to your heart and important in your practice- and what a great god to explore! The Sun is such an important part of our lives- thanks to its light, nature can grow and we can live on a beautiful planet. The Sun is a very strong symbol of Divine Masculine energy, and how it weaves itself beautifully into all the many aspects of our lives- the perfect accompaniment to the Divine Feminine

Thank you so much for sharing about the God of the Sun, Jeannie! May He continue to smile and shine upon you

@Phoenix_Fire

i was going to explore my connections to these deities.

That’s a wonderful way to embrace the challenge, and I’m sure the male members of your clan will enjoy spending the time with you- good luck and I hope you have fun with it, Phoenix!

@Artemisia

I’m going to have to mull this one over

For those who work primarily with the Divine Feminine and female goddesses, I know this topic can be a challenging one- but I can’t help but think that the more challenging a topic is, the more worthwhile it is to give it a try!

I hope that a wonderful idea comes to you and that you have fun with whatever you choose to do, Artemisia- good luck!

@lisa67

Just something about this is resonating to me.

If it’s calling to you, I say heed the sound and follow your heart! Wishing you all the best with your research into the elements and the Green Man/Horned God- it looks like Siofra found some great resources to help you get started! Good luck (and wish you a fun and happy birthday celebration week! )

@CelestiaMoon

I started making peace with masculinity.

I don’t even have the words to properly say how much I respect you and how strong I think you are, Celestia- your journey to self discovery and acceptance is a really amazing one, and I feel so blessed that you shared it with us It takes a really strong soul to know yourself for who you are, and then a whole different type of power to make the changes you need to embrace your best life and live openly and honestly. You are one amazing woman and a real role model!

I also have to stop and appreciate how you draw on so many wonderful areas of wisdom- you’ve looked at yin/yang, shiva/shakti, masculine/feminine, and found your own definition and balance of how these energies influence and play a role within your life. From all that you’ve said about tantra, I’m not surprised to hear that your tantric studies helped you find balance in this sense as well!

Thank you again for sharing! I’m going to keep your last three lines in particular close to my heart. They really resonate and feel like something I needed to hear today.

[CelestiaMoon]

Thank you dear @TheTravelWitch_Bry, your sweet words mean a lot to me And yes, what a journey it has been, drawing on all kinds of strength I didn’t know I had in the first place. I feel I’ve always had a very strong inner knowing of what’s “me” and what isn’t, and the determination and drive towards expressing that, even when my external conditions have made it hard. I like to think of it as hunting for pieces of a mirror, the shine itself is recognizable and gives me excitement and satisfaction. The more pieces I find, the clearer the picture looks when fit together. And the pieces still are glass, and need to be handled with gentle hands.

I’m happy I could give you words you needed for this moment too. You have a beautiful heart and I love to see it light up