"If we believe that we are created in the image of God-'Male and female, God created them'-then half of God is what it means to be masculine. Half of God is what it means to be feminine. Anybody who only give you half of that truth is only giving half of the mystery of God. The journey for all of us is to find the opposite, the contrasexual. For men, this is called the anima, or feminine soul."(R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 176)
One of the flip cliches these days, is to say I'm getting in touch with my feminine side. What one is usually saying is that I'm doing some task that has been stereotyped as being a "woman" thing. And it doesn't take to much recollection to remember the harshness of the playground/locker room world, to recall how being called a girl, was about the worst insult you could give.
The problem with calling something masculine or feminine is that it is too sweeping a generalization. When a male acts in ways that are seen as "feminine" eg. compassionate, generous, a good host, it is often seen as a negative. And conversely if a woman acts in ways which are "masculine" eg. competitive, analytical, aggressive, they get labeled pretty quickly too.
What are truly unique are those folk who seem to have a good mix of what is positive in both traits, while still being true to who they are.
While God may be the perfect blend of male/female personality traits, all of us are an image of it. When there is good balance, we tend to be less toxic to others and to ourselves.
Blessings,
Ed
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