Saturday, January 28, 2006

Sorted by Topic

~ Index Sorted by Topic ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Womanhood...

* Your Own Best Girlfriend
*
What's a Slut?
*
SHE WHO IS
*
Dressing En Femme
*
Perception of Womankind
*
Don't Compare Yourself

~ Society, Culture...

* Pondering Men's Liberation
*
Breaking Out of the Box
*
Beware of Bubba
*
Poisonous Misogyny
*
You are Living Proof
*
Starting a Revolution

~ Trans Community...

* CD/TV/TS Labeling
*
A Positive Impression
*
Transwomen in the Media
*
AdaraBeth's Dream

~ Relationships...

* Be the Best of Both Worlds
*
Maturity is Key
*
Desperately Seeking

~ Personal Growth...

* What is Character?
*
Reinventing Oneself
*
Gender Euphoria
*
One Petal at a Time
*
Transformation

~ Challenges...

* Decompression
*
Living in Shadows
*
Psychology 101
*
How Far You've Come
*
Rhenaiya the Brave

~ Inner Beauty...

* Passing the Test
*
Inner Beauty
*
The Truthgiver
*
Forgiveness is Golden
*
Alysyn the Wise
*
The Value of Honesty

~ Spirit of Gender...

* New Age Spirituality
*
Are Our Spirits Gendered?
*
Yin-Yang GenderEvolution
*
The Venus Transit Gift
*
11:11 on 11/11 of 11
*
Balancing Male and Female

~ My Journey...

* I Am Finally Home
*
Am I transgendered?
*
The Calling
*
Seeing You Come Alive
*
Our Family Bond
*
Love & Light From My Sisters

New Age Spirituality

Upon reflection, I came to the realization that I should clarify a few things. As explained in my Venus Transit post, I come from a background of eclectic spirituality. Having recently come into the transgender community, I am making linkages between my previous spiritual learning and human gender. I am beginning to write about these connections. Each step I take along this line of pondering has lead to the revelation of avenues not previously considered.

Our keynote at GenderEvolve is "improvement of societal perception of transgenderism". In order to make progress toward this goal, it will be necessary to find support from groups outside the TG community. The starting point was GLBT. Gaining the attention and acceptance of a wider scope of people is the only evolution from this point. The New Age community holds promise in this regard.

The New Age community is based on a movement which began in the 1970’s. Included here are people of all walks of life, heritage, religion, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The community embraces the notion that there are many possible ways to be spiritually centered, there is no "one true way". Any type of love-based spirituality is welcomed by the New Age community.

Hence, there are a myriad of philosophies, theories, interpretations of spiritual information, both ancient and new. The New Age community does not include cults or heirarchical systems of righteous command. There are no "chosen ones", no human guru to kneel before, no need to send in your money. New Agers believe that spirituality is a personal choice, and it is up to each indivual to discern for themselves what feels right. The community is built on the premise of many possible paths to enlightenment. The one and only "rule" is love... the only step required for salvation of a human soul in the New Age is to live life from a loving perspective. Be kind, forgiving, accepting... listen to your heart, and strive to do what your heart tells you is "for the good of all and to harm none". How each person chooses to connect with God or their spirituality is a personal choice, subject only to the rule of love.

A huge number of free thinking open-minded people exist in the New Age community; people who are seeking a greater understanding and a more meaningful existence. Inherant to this genre are the type of people who would be most likely to accept, perhaps even embrace, transgenderism. We can apply the very same information the New Agers are already embracing, and applying it to transgenderism, thereby supporting a case that transgenderism is evolutionary.

If we can influence hundreds of thousands of New Agers outside the TG community to feel positively about transgenderism, the domino effect may follow. If transgendered people knew they would be welcomed en femme at New Age venues, greater social mobility would be enjoyed by the TG community. Transgendered people need not embrace New Age spirituality in order to benefit from greater acceptance, yet new horizons would open up on both sides.

The New Age community has global reach, is very diverse, and has a rapidlly growing presence which has been gaining momentum at an astonishing rate in the past 10-14 years. With influential support for gender self-expression now arising within the New Age community, yet still indirectly, the time to make this New Age / TG connection is NOW.

Continued pondering about my sudden involvement with the TG community (see my previous article "The Calling") has drawn me to the revelation that I have been called to write a book. I am to use the understanding brought by my life-long training in New Age spirituality to open a new door of acceptance for the Transgender community.

In this process, you at GenderEvolve will be the first to see my new writings as they arise. Some of the ideas presented may picque your interest, others may not. My intention is not to "convert" anyone in any way, as I completely honour your spiritual belief systems as a personal choice. If, on the other hand, this New Age information is something you would like to explore with me, your questions, comments, insights will be valued greatly. Never expected, yet always appreciated.

In addition to New Age sources, I will be actively seeking information from any established religious doctrines that can be interpreted to support a case for gender balance or self-expression (either within a person or within society at large). I am not too familiar with most of the traditional religions, so any suggestions in this area would be most welcome.

I just wanted to clarify my motivation for presenting New Age information in relation to transgenderism, in case any of you were wondering. Please don’t think I am trying to convince you of anything, or enforce a certain belief on anyone. Your beliefs are every bit as valid as mine or the next person’s... spirituality is a very personal choice which I fully respect.

Originally posted at: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/11/1111-on-1111-of-11.html

Yin-Yang GenderEvolution

Felicia Conti got me to thinking when she recently sent out an email to the group entitled "The Yin and Yang of it all" in which she said: "I would say that the GenderEvolve group has both qualitative and quantitative mechanisms in place for evolving both the amount and quality of interaction of its members. It seems that quantitative research has more masculine, yang energy and that qualitative research has more feminine, yin energy, but that both are necessary for completeness."

Felicia's perspective mirrors my own. I see importance and benefit in both Yin and Yang energy, and constantly seek to combine them. The time has come to explore the connection between the Yin-Yang symbol and transgenderism.Feminine energy is attributed to Yin, and masculine attributed to Yang. Yin and Yang are interdependent and symbiotic, and can be used to describe all mutually exclusive set of opposites, including man and woman. One cannot thrive without the other. Neither is greater nor lesser than the other. Yin is attributed to the feminine energy and Yang to the masculine, and the widely accepted interpretation of Yin-Yang (appended below) can be restated as follows:

"Feminine (Yin) and masculine (Yang) are opposite energies, which are interdependent, can be further subdivided, consume and support each other, and continuously transform into one another. Female exists within male and male exists within female."

It sounds pretty simple considering it has only been around a few thousand years. In our use of the Yin-Yang symbol, the suggestion is not that anyone should “convert” to Taoism, but rather, we are "borrowing" from ancient mystical wisdom applying it in a new arena.

The fifth and sixth principle of the traditional Yin-Yang definition are both auspicious for transgendered people:

"Female (Yin) and Male (Yang) can transform into eachother."

and

"There is some Boy (Yang) in every Girl (Yin) and some Girl (Yin) in every Boy (Yang)".

These are a few of the reasons why the Yin-Yang is an appropriate TG symbol. It is a symbol representing the harmony of balanced duality, and the meaning goes further to include all points on the spectrum in between. There is no such thing as "100% pure Yang" or "100% pure Yin", as each side must contain at least a grain or more of the other in order for any balance to exist. The entire spectrum of gender possibilities can be fully described by continual transforming flow of feminine/masculine energies in the Yin-Yang symbol.

Felicia further explained the relevance of Yin and Yang to society at large and how it may apply to GenderEvolve. She said, "There has been a long standing debate in the social sciences as to whether quantitative or qualitative research is the preferred method of choice. Similarly, in nature, there has been an historical debate as to whether the masculine (yang) energy or the feminine (yin) energy should govern a society. Qualitative research is yin. It is exploratory and inductive in nature and involves analysis of data such as words (e.g., from interviews), pictures (e.g., video), or objects (e.g., an article). Quantitative research is yang. It is confirmatory and deductive in nature and involves analysis of numerical data. Actually, neither type is superior and the thinking style of the researcher or the culture of the group is a key factor in determining preferred choice of research. It is likely be helpful to combine both qualitative (yin) and quantitative (yang) research."

Combining a balanced mix of Yin and Yang energies lends to a more comprehensive perspective. The ability to understand and experience both sides leads to wholeness and completion. By functioning through both energies we can live in the beautiful range in-between, exhibiting the strengths of both feminine and masculine.

GenderEvolve is a benevolent, philanthropic entity which is borne of a special blend of Yin (qualitative) and Yang (quantitative) initiatives and efforts. This approach will promote our rapid acceleration and growth, in a soft and gentle manner which consistently upholds the spirit of light and love.

We embrace the Yin-Yang symbol in celebration of gender duality and all points of the ever transforming flow in-between. Throughout most of history, Yang energy has been over-emphasized at the expense of Yin, leading to masculine domination of societies and lack of compassion among people. While we recognize both Yin and Yang as equally necessary, we seek to personify and manifest Yin more fully in our everyday lives. By upholding the feminine Yin-spirit, we seek to bring greater balance to ourselves and the world around us.

Lau Tsu, the father of Taoism, around 500 B.C. said it best: "Know the masculine, keep to the feminine."

A new day is dawning... humans are coming to recognize the truths of ancient wisdoms, the seeds of which have been within us for millennia. It is only in this New Age of transformation and acceptance that we are now discovering how the pieces of ourselves fit together so brilliantly.

*****

Yin and Yang Defined- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_Yang

1. Yin and yang are opposites.

Everything has its opposite—although this is never absolute, only comparative. No one thing is completely yin or completely yang. Each contains the seed of its opposite. For example, cold can turn into hot; "what goes up must come down".

2. Yin and yang are interdependent.

One cannot exist without the other. For example, day cannot exist without night.

3. Yin and yang can be further subdivided into yin and yang.

Any yin or yang aspect can be further subdivided into yin and yang. For example, temperature can be seen as either hot or cold. However, hot can be further divided into warm or burning; cold into cool or icy.

4. Yin and yang consume and support each other.

Yin and yang are usually held in balance—as one increases, the other decreases. However, imbalances can occur. There are four possible imbalances: Excess yin, excess yang, yin deficiency, yang deficiency.

5. Yin and yang can transform into one another.

At a particular stage, yin can transform into yang and vice versa. For example, night changes into day; warmth cools; life changes to death.

6. Part of yin is in yang and part of yang is in yin.

The dots in each serve as a reminder that there are always traces of one in the other. For example, there is always light within the dark (e.g., the stars at night), these qualities are never completely one or the other.

*****

Love & Light From My T-Sisters

Since entering the Transgender community about 9 months ago, I have been deeply moved on a daily basis by the kind and loving words these beautiful people have blessed me with. There is nothing more fulfilling to me than to know that my energy makes a difference, great or small, in the lives of so many incredible souls.

When I received the amazing testamonials that Arianne collected for my bio page, I was touched beyond words. I was so inspired, that I revisited my online guestbooks and gathered the most uplifting comments I have received from the Trans community this past 9 months. I have combined testamonials and comments together on a page on GenderEvolve entitled "Blessings of Love & Light".

This page is living testament to show just how royally my sisters of GenderEvolve and all those in the Trans community have treated me. These kind, respectful people truly make me feel like a Queen, because they are gentle spirits with strong love for femininity and women. If anyone wonders or doubts what fulfillment I could be getting from my efforts with GE, they need only read this page...

http://genderevolve.com/team/thelove.html

These words spoken about me by my T-sisters are the *Pride & Joy* of my life. On this page you can see what I consider to be the most meaningful achievement of my 32 years on this earth. I will revisit this page daily, and dwell in the loving vibrations conveyed here.

I could spend the next 50 years devoting my life to pursuing my career in corporate finance, and never earn this type of regard from fellow human beings. When I pass from this earthly plane (in about 150 years /- a few ;) these are the vibrations I will take with me forever.

With every fibre of my being, my deepest gratitude belongs to my dear transgender sisters and best friends. For those of you women and men reading this who can see the transgender beauty that I can see, welcome to a brave new world where we can ALL transcend gender and just BE who we ARE!

With love and light,
Michle Anglique

The Venus Transit Gift


Last night I had an epiphany. I now understand "why". I will show you what I discovered, but first I must give you some background on where I am coming from in a spiritual sense.

I have always been a deeply spiritual person, never in the organized religion realm, but just in always "knowing" we are all here for a grand and magnificent purpose. My spiritual training began in my early childhood, around the age of 4-5. Although I was baptized Roman Catholic at the insistence of my grandparents, my parents were hippies, and thus were explorers of many belief systems outside the Christian/Catholic realm. We never practiced any form of ceremonial religion, it was always more in-depth discussions and pondering among ourselves. My early spirituality was more based on Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Paganism and Metaphysics. Our spirituality never had a "label", my parents just borrowed from various schools of thought and applied them to our daily lives.

My dad passed away when I was 10, although his presence in the early formative years of my life made a huge impact. I never stopped seeking, questioning, expanding my consciousness in the spiritual sense. In my life I have studied a brilliant mosaic of spiritual teachings from all areas of the globe. It was only in 1997 at the age of 25 that I discovered a source of spiritual wisdom that originates from a non-human source.

A friend introduced me to the channeled material of an entity known as Kryon. Kryon is not a "god", nor does it represent a "religion"; it does not ask for your "belief" nor your "conversion". Kryon simply speaks of the way of the Universe and humanity's purpose therein. Kryon speaks to humans in pure love and reverence, never condemning, never judging. Kryon is comparable to a genderless angel whose message feels more authentic and divine than anything I've experienced previously. For those who need "proof", Kryon has already told us *in advance* of multitudes of scientific, archaelogical, geographical, astronomical changes and discoveries. Now, governments and the science community are even paying close attention to the Kryon work.Kryon first touched my life in 1997, and fundamentally changed ME, my understanding, my purpose. It is because of Kryon that my entire outlook on humanity was softened from one of confused distain, inner turmoil and anger, to one of celebration, acceptance and love. A new feeling of peace and belonging filled my essence, and has never left me.

Since 1992 when Kryon began its communication with humans, its teachings have become a paramount force in the New Age community. Kryon is in print worldwide, and has been hosted by the United Nations on four occasions to address the world community. Kryon has become integral to the New Age movement, which has rapidly grown over the past 20 years to now include tens if not hundreds of millions of people.

Kryon has changed millions of lives, and can be credited as the spiritual source behind my own involvement in GenderEvolve. I have always been what Kryon refers to as a "Lightworker", and upon discovering the transgender community, I am putting down roots and becoming a "Lighthouse". Finding a "cause" didn't surprise me really, but what was still confusing me and my family/friends was "why transgender?", why not "something else?".

Last night I read a Kryon channeling that I had not read before. It speaks of the Venus Transit, which is known to science as Venus retrograde. This is happening for the 8 year period between 2004-2012. Kryon explains the energy of the Venus transit, and after reading this, my involvement with the TG community makes sense to me now... and so will it make sense to the millions of New Age community, just as soon as they make the connection between the following Kryon words, and the TG community. This is something we can hang our hats on, and gain a huge pocket of support in the New Age community! Kryon, which has millions of supporters worldwide, celebrates transgendered people! This is huge!

What this means to US is that the energy of the world is right for tremendous change! Our message will ring true, will be heard loud and clear, and will be both embraced and celebrated. I now understand "why" the transgender cause has compelled me so intensely... it's because the time for change is NOW, this is the WINDOW, and I could instinctively FEEL it. It is no wonder that I as a lightworker heard THE CALLING! Other lightworkers like myself will also feel it! I now know my purpose here among you, and my inspiration has been brought to new heights.

It is in this light which I present to you the following excerpt from a Kryon channeling in regard to the Venus Transit. To visit Kryon on the web, go to http://www.kryon.org/ ...

****

Excerpted from Kryon Summer Light Channeling, June 2004

"... Venus, who's known to have the energy of the Goddess of Love. It's not an accident that those in mythology named it this. In the mythology, the lover [Venus] disappears for a number of days [which you call the retrograde], while it transits between your planet Earth and the sun.

The energy being transmitted to this planet now, and for the next eight years, is a loving feminine balance of love. You're going to see a balance take place that you've never seen in your lifetime. It's a balance of both Gaia and the Human in a new way.

At the moment, your earth isn't balanced. It's masculine-heavy. This has nothing to do with your gender. There is masculine and feminine energy in every Human. No matter what your gender is, the most balanced man reading and hearing this is one who has the balance of the feminine and the masculine, equally. The most balanced woman listening and reading is the one who has the masculine and the feminine equally balanced in their lives.

You've grown up on a planet where the balance hasn't been equal, and where the masculine energy has far outweighed anything else. Now, due to your efforts, the consciousness changes on Earth. The beginning of this was the 11:11, then the 12:12, then the Concordance. Now the new window brings in the best yet! Because of the new path you took, it demanded the energy of the eight. The balance and the responsibility being delivered to this planet, therefore, is energy that will eventually balance this planet, masculine and feminine.

What a change this has the potential to make! Let me tell you, there will be those who will go crazy with this new potential. It doesn't fit them and it doesn't fit what they consider to be their reality. I'll make two statements, and both of them will be of the kind called "unbelievable."

(1) Masculine-heavy governments won't be able to exist on the planet.

(2) No masculine-heavy religion will be able to exist on this planet.

Neither one can be supported, and they won't make sense to a changing consciousness. They'll fall into the ashes of civilization. Remember that. I'll say it again before I'm done. This is the profound time we talked about that was coming.

The new news is that you're rewriting the masculine/feminine balance of this planet with the help of a new energy being delivered through the Venus Transit and the opening of this eight-year window."...


*****

Originally posted at: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/09/venus-transit-gift.html

Friday, January 27, 2006

Mystery of Transformation

The Butterfly Chrysalis

During the time that a caterpillar egg is an egg, it looks nothing like a caterpillar, and the butterfly seems a far cry from the larva that precedes it. Do caterpillars recognize butterflies as their future selves? Do butterflies identify caterpillars as past relations? The most mysterious phase of this shape-shifting creature's process is the chrysalis, the jade green cocoon in which the crawling, leaf-eating caterpillar transforms into a floating, nectar-drinking butterfly.

In our human lives, we sometimes find ourselves in the chrysalis state. During those times we don't have much to offer the outside world because, whether we realize it or not, much of our energy is consumed with an inner transition. We might feel sluggish or disinterested in the outside world. We might feel impatient with ourselves, wondering why we don't have the energy we used to for our usual routines. But if we remember the chrysalis-the dark, inner sanctum that provides the environment for a remarkable conversion-we can relax and let ourselves be, finding ways to support our process rather than cajoling ourselves out of it.

If you see a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, the temptation may be to help it break out. But the physical challenge of this part of the process is necessary for the butterfly to build its strength so that it can survive outside the chrysalis. The same is true of us. Sometimes we have to labor on our own to discover the force we need to be our new selves in the world.

Similarly, when seeing friends or family members struggling, it's easy to become impatient and want to help with their emergence, but we have to learn to let others make their own way. Taking on the challenge of liberating ourselves directly enables us to thrive in our new freedom. Sometimes the greatest supports we can offer others and ourselves are patience and quiet confidence in the process unfolding, along with faith that the result will be extraordinary.

~ from
http://www.dailyom.com/

One Petal at a Time

Thank you Miranda for sharing your perspective. I must say, after reading "Miss Fiorella TS Essay" I certainly understand why you were pondering when you wrote this. I was only able to get half-way through her article before the bile started rising in my throat. This is not a pleasant read, my dear! The author is so bitter, so harsh, so misfortunate. She labels transgendered people into cut-and-dried categories, then proceeds to rant on about the trials and tribulations of every TS's life.

She makes it seem that a huge fatalistic choice must be made, throwing one's life completely away, describing every possible worst-case scenario, as though it were most likely to happen. She makes no allowance for living a harmonious duality of male/female, compares supportive partners to "winning a lottery", and is harshly pessimistic about the ability of a TS person to maintain any part of the former male life (ie: marriage, career, family). I simply couldn't read the whole article, it was too discouraging. No wonder you felt beat-up!

I think part of your angst stems from this internal pressure that your TG journey should follow a linear progressive path toward some end. It may be due to your inner drive and self-competitive nature where you always want to beat your last best score. It seems you either want to take Miranda to some different level, or shut her out altogether. Perhaps it is possible to focus more in the moment, just dwelling today on the feminine gifts that you already have, rather than wishing for something else. Let your feminine energy flow naturally, and let its warmth envelope you, rather than trying to push/pull it in some certain direction.

Wherever your lifepath takes you, Miranda will be there too. No matter whether you choose to keep her inside, or bring her out on the surface, her presence lives within you. You mention fast losing interest in the internet and virtual female existence, yet this is the only self-expression that Miranda has at the moment. Every time you go online, Miranda takes a breath of air. Maybe she's bored, but at least she's breathing! And remember, you don't have to be "dressed" to be her... gender is 98% in the brain, the rest is just icing on the cake.

This being said, is there any way you could take time to dress up once in awhile? As Adara mentioned, self-empowerment is required in some situations. You feel disempowered right now because you don't have the same career position as you once did, yet you still have the right to *be* who you are. Such personal choices as dressing and esthetics do not harm anyone, so you should take the liberty to do what makes you happy. If you are happy, you will be a better spouse and parent. This is a win-win cycle. When pondering how far to allow Miranda to come out, remember there is a big spectrum of options in between occasional CD'ing and full time transitioning.

Just relax dear, don't be so goal-oriented. You don't need to make any big life-altering decisions right now. Just blossom into your femininity one petal at a time.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2006/01/on-golden-pondering.html

Balancing Male and Female Energies


The following article, "Balancing Male and Female Energies", is exerpted from meta-religion.com, a popular New Age source. The message is delivered by Germane, a group consciousness energy, through clairvoyant Lyssa Royal. It provides a powerful framework for harmonization of our male and female selves through meditation and creative visualization. The approach presented applies to all gender orientations.

~ Offered in Sisterhood, Love & Light by Michele Angelique, GenderEvolve.com



* * *

Balancing Male and Female Energies

Germane: All right, greetings to all of you. This is Germane. Pleasure to be with you today. Are you here? All right. Just making sure we went to the right dimension.

Now, you've read the subject for tonight - balancing the male and female energies. We're going to give you a little analogy to start off with. Imagine the batteries you have that run your tape recorders. One end is negative; one end is positive. Now, it doesn't mean that the negative end is bad or the positive end is good, but that they are opposite charges. Both charges are necessary to run the tape recorder.

This reality you live in is a polarized reality. It has charges just like that battery. There are many different ways to categorize those two charges, like yin and yang, but tonight we're going to talk about the masculine/feminine as the battery that fuels your universe.

Each of you, then, has masculine and feminine energy within you. Together those energies act like a battery. They are the fuel that allows you to be who you are in this dimension. We want to get you really familiar with these two charges and allow you to develop an intimate relationship with them. As you develop an intimate relationship with the masculine and the feminine within yourself, this allows for the ultimate balance, the ultimate integration of your energies in this dimensional reality.

So, even though it's uncharacteristic for us, we're going to begin with a meditation. The reason for this is that some of the things you discover in this meditation you might want to refer to during the session. So get yourselves comfortable.

Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Place the beautiful golden-white Light around your body. Feel yourself relax into that Light. We're going to do a brief chakra exercise.

* Place your attention at the base of your spine. Place there a beautiful ball of red energy. Allow that ball of red energy to begin spinning slowly.

* Then, place your attention about three inches below your navel. Place there a beautiful ball of orange energy. Allow that ball of energy to spin slowly.

* Then, place your attention at your solar plexus. Place there a beautiful ball of yellow energy. Allow that ball of energy to begin spinning slowly.

* Then, place your attention at your heart. Place there a beautiful ball of green energy. Allow that ball of energy to begin spinning slowly.

* Then, place your attention at your throat. Place there a beautiful ball of blue energy. Allow that ball of energy to begin spinning slowly.

* Then, place your attention at your third eye between your brows. Place there a beautiful ball of indigo energy. Allow that ball of energy to begin spinning slowly.

* Then, place your attention at the top of your head. Place there a beautiful ball of violet energy. Allow that ball of energy to begin spinning slowly.

~Imagine that you are walking down a long hallway. At the end of the hallway is a closed door. Allow yourself to put your hand on the doorhandle. Open the door and walk inside. You are now in a large room. In the center of the room is a beautiful, large, ornate mirror. Allow yourself to walk and stand in front of the mirror. The reflection looking back at you is the one you see every day. But now we're going to ask you to do an exercise with us.

Consciously change the reflection in the mirror to one of masculine energy. This means if you are female, see yourself as male. If you are male, see yourself as even more masculine than you feel you are in your daily life. Change this image into an image of masculinity down to the most minute detail possible. All the while remember, this is you - this is your masculine self. We will give you a moment to look at this image of yourself and begin to feel comfortable with it.

Now reach your hand into the mirror and take the hand of the masculine image in yours. Pull this masculine self out of the mirror so that he stands in front of you. Imagine that a beam of green energy connects your heart with his heart. Then take him into an embrace. As you embrace, feel that the boundaries between you are lessening. Feel the blending of your energies together. You blend so much that finally you stand simply embracing yourself.

Now turn and walk out of the room the way you came, back into the hallway and close the door. Next to that door is another door. Allow yourself to put your hand on the handle. Open that door and walk inside. In that room also stands a large, ornate mirror. Walk up to the mirror and stand looking at your usual reflection. Now, consciously begin to change that reflection into one of feminine energy. If you are female, make the reflection even more feminine. If you are male, make the reflection your female counterpart. Change the reflection to the smallest detail possible. We will give you a moment to become familiar with this feminine self.

Now, reach your hand into the mirror and take the hand of the feminine image. Pull the feminine image out from the mirror so that she stands in front of you. Imagine that there's a beam of green energy connecting both of you at the heart. Then take this feminine image into an embrace. As you embrace, feel that the boundaries between you are lessened. Finally there are no boundaries. You have become one, and you stand embracing yourself.

Allow yourself to walk out of the room the way you came. Close the door behind you. Feel your consciousness begin to come back to the room here. Feel your body here in the physical universe. When you feel ready, you may open your eyes.

-- These Archetypes Are Our Friends --

You've just been introduced to two friends who live within you. No matter what you do in your life, these friends will always be there. We can call these the male and female archetypes. In your own time, in your own contemplation, think about how easy it was to visualize the male or the female. Were there problems with either of them? Was one easier than the other? If you had one that was more difficult to visualize, perhaps that's one that you may want to work on at some point.

These male and female archetypes are like the battery that runs your tape recorder. They live within you. Now this doesn't mean that you're going to stay polarized within these archetypes forever. No. But when you truly befriend each archetype, casting light onto them so there are no shadows, it is then that integration can truly occur.In our perception, this is one of the most important things in terms of growth, that all of you can be working on right now.

Notice we said one of the most important things; because the male-female balance is also reflected in your planet. As you know, your planet has been polarized more toward the masculine for quite some time. Now, in this time, the feminine energy is rising within all of you but the planet does not know, from its masculine point of view, how to integrate that feminine energy. So that's why you're seeing a lot of different struggles in the family system in cultures all over your planet that are trying to break out of their old societal patterns.

-- Heal the Self First --

We've said so many times that when you want to heal the planet, the first thing to do is to begin healing the self. So if you want to balance the energy on the planet, balance your energy within. We have all sorts of exercises that can help you with this. Some of them are rather fun, but they require you to be a little playful and a little bit courageous. So, assuming that all of you want to be playful and all of you want to be courageous...do you? [Yes.] All right. We're going to give you one to help you get in touch with the masculine/feminine within you in the physical universe, now that we've allowed you to touch them in the archetypal universe.

-- Play-act the Opposite Polarity --

If you are a female, one day when you have some errands to run, allow yourself to dress in the most masculine style possible. When you're walking down the street, pretend you're a man. Consider what a man would feel going to get a newspaper. What would a man feel going into a restaurant for lunch? Play-act and become a man; you can have a lot of fun with this. A very feminine woman who did the exercise said she felt powerful. After that she had, in her estimation, no problem in expressing her masculine side.

If you are a man, we're not going to tell you to wear a dress, so don't worry. If you're a man and you're going out to do some errands, dress in the most androgynous way possible so that you feel neither male nor female. When you're walking down the street, imagine that you are a woman. What would it feel like to be a woman getting the newspaper? What would it feel like to be a woman going into a restaurant? Again, this will require you to play-act, pretend. It's important that you allow yourself to have fun when you're doing this, because if you take it too seriously, you don't feel the energy as much.

Now, we're going to reverse it. If you are female, and you're going out to run some errands, dress yourself in the most feminine way possible, more so than you usually do. Accentuate your feminine energy. When you're doing your errands, feel that light, feminine energy more than you usually do. If you're male, dress yourself in the most masculine way possible - cowboy boots maybe, hats...you'd have to answer that question. When you walk down the street, feel really butch, really masculine. See what that brings up in you.

As you do these exercises, pay attention to what you have trouble with, what was easy for you. You may even want to keep a journal in order to document them. Just do it. Doing these exercises is like sticking your finger into an electric socket. We guarantee you that if you do them seriously and playfully, you're going to feel energetic changes. You're going to learn an awful lot about yourself.

-- Develop a Relationship --

One of the reasons we introduced you to your internal male and female archetypes is that we'd like you to develop an ongoing relationship with them. You know, children have imaginary friends; there's no reason why adults can't have them too, although they're not really imaginary.
So, pretend that this male you saw in the mirror and this female you saw in the mirror are real people who live inside of you. The first thing we're going to ask you to do is to give them names. You can choose the name. It really doesn't matter, but make sure it is something you're comfortable with because you're going to want to refer to these people many times in the future, for they are real people inside of you.

Now, we're also going to ask you, if you want to do this, to begin carrying on imaginary dialogue with them. When you're standing and doing the dishes, think of Mary, your inner female and talk to her. Maybe you feel you're having trouble with your feminine energy, so ask Mary for advice. Ask Mary what she would do in a certain situation. Imagine her response. Do the same thing with your inner male. We'll call him Joe. When you haven't been assertive enough, ask Joe how to be assertive. Ask him for advice. I

f you develop really strong relationships with these inner archetypes, we absolutely guarantee you that you're going to begin to transform. The people who have worked with these exercises have had dramatic changes in the areas of their lives where they felt they were weak. So if you really want to accelerate your growth, try it out and see what happens.

-- The Time is Now --

In a sense, there's no more time for fooling around. Many of you who have been involved in the New Age movement for quite some time have been getting yourselves ready for the time when it was really going to count - when it was really going to matter. All through the 80's and even the early 90's, you've been getting ready. The time you've been getting ready for is now. When you actively take part in your growth, when you're ready to look at everything, including the shadows, you're going to accelerate very fast, and you're going to become the person you've always hoped you would become. The time is now.

All of you who are alive now chose your incarnations so that you would be here now. This is because now is the time of transformation. Beginning in 1993, everything you do and say is going to count more than it ever has before. Now we don't want to sound so serious. Have some fun with it too.

-- You Are Filled With the Energies of Transformation --

When we look at your energy fields, we see butterflies just ready to come out of the cocoon. We sense a tremendous amount of energy locked within each of you; not that you're blocking it, but that tremendous energy inside is the energy of transformation. You may not notice in your daily life that you're transforming, and you may not believe us when we tell you that you are, but you are. Transformation is a relative thing. Often you cannot see where you've been and where you're going. But in this room, there's much energy for transformation.

All of you are at a turning point. This is the point of power. Use it wisely. Use it joyfully. Even if you are afraid of your transformations, do not allow your fear to keep you immobile, for the most important thing you can do is act, rather than staying still.

So, that is our discourse for tonight.
http://www.meta-religion.com/Paranormale/Other/balancing_male_and_female_energi.htm

* * *

Germane Through Lyssa Royal:Germane, a group consciousness energy, states that "his" orientation is from a realm of integration that does not have a clear-cut density/dimensional level. The term "germane" in the English language means "significant relevance" or "coming from the same source". Germane therefore chose this term to somewhat personify his energy. Neither male nor female, he views us as evolving to become him as we begin the process of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual integration, which leads us back to the Source of All.

* * *

Don't Compare Yourself

Darlings... the insecurity that some of you feel when in the presence of a beautiful woman is common to females. However, it is a common *weakness* among the feminine gender, not one to be emulated, but rather something to overcome. The dark energies of jelousy and malice stem from insecurity, and it is the poison tears womankind apart.

If not for this weakness among women, we could have solidarity, unity, of the feminine gender. Imagine the power! If women could only let go of this self-destructive attribute called insecurity... for goodness sake, transwomen, do not fall into this trap!

You feel jealous in the presence of beautiful genetic women, to whom you believe this beauty "comes so easily". Consider this my friends... these women have been developing their femininity all their lives. It's *not* just so easy, it takes years and years practice... and the real artform comes in appearing to be "not even trying".

When you see women who seem to have femininity so easily, remember that they have been working at honing their feminine grace to look like their "not even trying" since they were a toddler. It is not uncommon for a feminine woman to devote 2-3 hours per day, every day of her teen and adult life, to mastering this "not even trying" style and grace.

Presuming you as transwomen have not been at it quite so long or so consistently, why compare yourself to them? They may have the equivalent to a Ph.D. in femininity, while you are still working on high school or undergrad studies.

Instead of feeling insecure, jelous, or unworthy, rather look at these women as a source of inspiration. Study them, and learn. Accelerate your own understanding of femininity by seeking to replicate them. Trust me, that "not even trying" femininity takes a lot of practice.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2006/01/interesting-revelation.html

The Value of Honesty

Sharon Williams made a very important point about honesty, to which every self-admitted transgendered person can relate. In order to acknowledge and realize one's transgendered state, a certain level of self-honesty is required. All of our TG sisters have already crossed this bridge, a step which took tremendous courage. Yet, this is only the first step.

Next comes honesty about one's own feelings, behaviors, needs and dreams. Self-Realization occurs because of honesty and fulfillment comes from action based on honesty. In order to fully embrace oneself, it is necessary to honestly look at everything, including the dark. Every person has strengths and weaknesses, talents and failings, hope and despair. It requires honesty to admit the full spectrum of reality to oneself. Avoidance of truth due to inner fear will only make the dark grow stronger. Rather than working desperately to avoid the dark, use honesty to help shed light on those areas. Honesty with other people is critical for so many reasons.

I would venture that perhaps no other single factor will determine success or failure in human relations. Honesty is the key element of trust. To be dishonest violates trust, and any relationship will begin to break down without trust. Our word is our bond. Without our word, we have nothing. Whatever we say, let it always be true.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2006/01/honesty.html

*****

Further to this topic of honesty, I am appending an email written just today by Lacey Leigh (www.laceyleigh.com ) which applies so perfectly to our conversation.

TheSuccessfulCrossdresser@yahoogroups.com, "Michelle N Mara" wrote:

> You pass, you have them fooled, and then you go and ruin *it* after
> you had *it* by telling them,......... why?
> > All I could think of was...."but, I'm not *trying to fool them*, I'm
> just trying to be a woman, because I see myself that way, and feel
> that way".
> > Again she said, "but why tell them"? I couldn't answer her.
> > Lacey....anyone......is there an answer? I see what she is saying
> about it being a harmless deception, or not really a deception in a
> case like this. But.......is there an answer?

Michelle,They expect you to stay 'cloaked' because that's what they've been led to believe we should do. When you're 'supposed' to feel ashamed of who you are, you're expected to keep a low profile. They are still in the binary gender - either/or - mindset. If you're out of sight, they don't have to think about it. Your example illustrates otherwise. By being upfront about it, you're shifting the perception and being the change you wish to see.

Why? Because it's honest.

As you can see, the reaction to your honesty is sometimes curiosity, surprise, and confusion. But your cards are on the table and no one will get angry because they feel misled or fooled or deceived.

Why? Because it's making a difference.

There are now several additional people who have encountered an upbeat, unapologetic transgendered person - an image that will surely replace the dysfunctional model they've been led to believe. This is a good thing.

Why? Because it's personally empowering.

Because we are *not* women - but males with an abundance of 'feminine' aspects of personality. Learning to express and explore these facets of character help us grow. But not if we are in a sheltered, 'pretend' mode. It serves us well to accept who we are, in reality - as opposed to fantasy - and then to celebrate all of it.

Wishing you success,
Lacey Leigh
--Author of "7 Secrets of Successful Crossdressers"
http://www.LaceyLeigh.com

Perception of Womankind

Devi thank you so much for this beautiful and thoughtful contribution! The title "Shades of Pink" is perfect for the context of your article. While pink is often thought to represent femininity, it can also be perceived as a blend of the color of love (red) and the color of light (white). In other words, Pink = Light + Love... what a glorious framework for the celebration of transgender expression. Your article conveys a sense of inner peace and emotional balance, which is what we all are striving for.

I really appreciate your use of the term "shades of..." as it seems among the transgendered community, there are no absolutes. The transgender umbrella includes a broad spectrum, with individuals representing every point. Many will even move from one shade to another as they evolve along their journey. Where the typical inclination has been to try and apply hard-and-fast labels to explain individual TG behavior (CD/TV/TS), your "shades" approach is all inclusive and gives recognition to the dynamic nature of the trans community. "Shades" corresponds so well with the message of your article because you are identifying the fluidity and progression of your own transgender expression. Among the beautiful transgendered ones, no two shades are exactly the same.

Those among the TG community have many commonalities, yet the differences are even greater. You do an excellent job of identifying the main areas of difference being the shades of origin, self-acceptance, motivation, expression, and contentment. Everyone within the community has a different perspective, or shade, within these areas. It is fascinating to think of the diversity that exists within these common realms.

I think you hone in on a very profound truth with this statement:"I believe that individual self acceptance follows when one genuinely treats the gender they are expressing as equal to their biological one. If a man sees the feminine as the 'weaker' or any other similar pejorative, his own en femme expression would reflect that, and affect 'his' ability to accept 'her'."

I think you hit the nail on the head Devi. In my opinion, the primary reason M2F transgenderism is considered "unnatural" by society at large is the deeply ingrained belief that women are inferior to men. Women wanting to be more like men seems readily understood and accepted, given men's "superior" status in the eyes of prevalent religion and culture. A woman wanting to be more man-like is considered a natural aspiration to greatness. Whereas, a man wanting to be more woman-like is perceived as weakness or perversion.

I think a man's perception of women this is the singlemost important determinant of his level of comfort and pride in his transgender experience. Those who perceive woman as equal will not experience the same level of guilt and shame in expressing femininity, whereas a man with ingrained beliefs that women are inferior will fight against his feminine tendencies, perhaps even to the point of loathing and/or abusing his femme self. No man can be blamed for this internal struggle, as this gender disparity has existed within the human race since the dawn of time it seems.

For those transgendered people who feel this guilt, shame, self-hatred, the healing can begin with looking deeply into ones own individual perception of womankind. How one feels about his inner woman will be a direct reflection of how he feels about the female gender at large.

One of the quotes we have on GenderEvolve elucidates perfectly this very point..."A man will treat a woman almost exactly the way he treats his own interior feminine. In fact, he hasn't the ability to see a woman, objectively speaking, until he has made some kind of peace with his interior woman." Robert Johnson

Again, thank you so much Devi for contributing this uplifting and enlightening article. I very much enjoyed experiencing a glimpse of your particular shade, and think you are truly brilliant!

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/12/shades-of-pink.html