About a century
prior to the advent of Buddha
it is said that Lao Tzu
dictated the eight-one chapters
of the Tao Te Ching.
In it we read
of the philosophical polarity
between the patriarchy of yang,
the matriarchy of yin,
as well as of the need
to eschew the former
and adopt the latter.
As a progressive man
sweet, and well intentioned
but quite often naïve and ignorant
I strove to avoid my gender’s
propensity toward toxic masculinity
by overcompensating
and embracing an energetic yin polarity.
Seems legit?
Perhaps in theory
however in practice…
NOT so much!
One of my mentors
cast some light on the problem.
This was in the past,
dear one,
before the supremacy of Amazon dot com
and the death of shopping malls.
He instructed me
to invest three consecutive Saturdays
in an anthropological study.
On the first Saturday
I was to sit in a mall
with a yellow pad
and keep score
of every time
I observed a scowling woman
stalking two or three meters ahead of her man
while he pushed the stroller
and tended to the children.
This was a surprisingly easy task.
On the second Saturday
I was to return to the mall
with a fresh yellow pad
and this time note
every time I observed a man
presenting the trappings of toxic masculinity
while his woman’s body language
and facial expression
communicated utter disempowerment.
Sadly, this did not prove too difficult.
On the third Saturday
I was to return to the mall
and this time notice women
who seemed joyful, and energetic, and serine.
This demograph proved the most illusive
of the three.
But each time I did
I also observed the
peace, amusement, and vitality
of their men.
In subsequent years
I observed similar patterns
in same sex couples.
Have you seen the Tee shirt
that reads:
“Happy wife… happy life”?
In our interdependent universe
perhaps its corollary could read,
“Balanced man… happy woman.”
I shall explain.
About a thousand years
after the founder of Taoism
taught of philosophical polarity
sages began experimenting
with the subtleties
of polarity:
energetic and occult.
While the majority sought
physical longevity
and martial mastery
the goal of an extreme minority
was emotional and interrelational
peace, and joy, and fulfillment,
and sustainability.
They found that directly striving
to balance the subtleties
of one’s energies
was as ineffective, exhausting,
and unproductive
as trying to herd kitty cats.
However,
to their considerable surprise
and great delight
they found a method
profoundly effective
and infinitely easier
in its execution.
PHYSICALLY it involved:
daily physical exercise,
and consuming an exclusively
whole food, vegan diet.
SEXUALLY it involved
both partners refraining from
both ejaculation as well as orgasm.
And MENTALLY it consisted
of regularly performing
four-point, body scan, contemplations;
as well as passive meditation:
aware and acquiescent.
Every time these physical,
sexual, and mental practices
were performed on a twice daily basis
energetic, and emotional,
and sexual balance was achieved:
effortlessly, and automatically,
and consistently, and blissfully.
Let us conclude
with a simple
call to action
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