LOTR, the Masculine, the Feminine, and Spirituality

[qos]

The most recent issue of Presence, the journal of Spiritual Directors International, has an article called "Masculine Spirituality: A Journey through The Lord of the Rings." LOTR has become very precious to me, and seeing its spirituality expressed solely in masculine terms sent a jolt of resentment through me. I haven't had the time yet to read the article, but ever since I saw the title I have been reflecting quite a bit about the topic of Men's and Women's spirituality -- what the differences are, how important/significant those differences are, and to what degree some of us may have started to limit ourselves by focusing on gendered spirituality.

Don't get me wrong: I think that the discovery and exploration of gender and spirituality is a fascinating and important development.

But I've been wondering recently what parts of Men's Spirituality would speak to me if I started exploring it. I have, after all, been called "masculine" in my thinking and attitudes on several occasions, by a diverse group of people. Some of Women's Spirituality is profoundly moving to me. Some of it, especially that around the body and physical rites of passage, leaves me cold.

Of course we all embody both the masculine and the feminine, and one aspect of the quest for wholeness, whether expressed in spiritual or purely psychological terms, is the integration of our masculine and feminine natures.

I'm too tired to think much more about this at the moment, but I am dearly hoping that the marvelous group of intelligent, spiritual, unconventional people who have chosen to Friend me are willing to dive in and comment on this topic. I really am curious to find out what you think about this.

Comments

[grailquestion.livejournal.com]

I have an odd relationship with...I suppose I'll call it gendered spirituality. I have a friend whom I love dearly, but I have avoided participating in spiritual activities with her because she is at a point in her life where she feels she must elevate the feminine to the exclusion of all else. I tend to be gender blind and find discussions of "inherent" masculinity or femininity to be narrow and irritating. Yet I can see where people feel the need to compensate for a poor sense of gender identity by attaching themselves to a divine image. (I think that sounds harsher than what I actually feel...)

In modern paganism, there is a miserable lack of good healthy images of the divine masculine, and I think the movement as a whole suffers because of it. It becomes pigeonholed as a "female empowerment" movement rather than a genuine, inclusive religion that can embrace all that is human.

It's odd to me that people would say you are masculine in your thinking. I don't think that label really means much. You are strong, skeptical, direct, spiritual; why are these things necessarily masculine? There is much in woman that is strong, forceful, unyielding, and warrior-like. The Mother can be gently nurturing, or She can shape us by being strong, relentless, and unyielding.

[saskia139.livejournal.com]

*hearts your icon*