3 Misconceptions That Keep Women Back From Fully Embracing Their Feminine
What’s keeping women from fully embracing their femininity, their inner goddess? Intuitively, we all know we should be living a life aligned with our truest, purest nature, yet so many times women ignore their feminine, they suppress it, neglect it, and even in some extreme cases, despise it. Why is that?
Let’s talk about the three most pervasive misconceptions related to feminine energy (or you can call it femininity, feminine sensibility, whatever term resonates with you) that keep women back from stepping into their real power, from embracing their inner goddess.
(Hint: no, it’s not because they fear they wouldn’t look good in pink)
1. The perception of power
Let’s start strong: how women are perceived in relation to power, and how power itself is understood in our society might just be the biggest factor holding women back from embracing their femininity.
What happens is that as a society we have defined the feminine as something delicate, soft - and indeed, it can be, but this is only one aspect of the feminine - while at the same time associating power with a very masculine perspective of domination, force, and physical strength. Most women who hesitate (or are downright afraid) to embrace their femininity are afraid that by doing this they will give up their power, and will be seen as weak.
So how then do we then reconcile the two? How do we get to be powerful women and well in our feminine? Can these coexist? Yes, they can. But for this, we need to look at the way we define power.
The power stemming from feminine energy is a different, softer kind of power - and I use “soft” and “power” next to each other here on purpose because I want you to know that the two can coexist;
I know that many women adopt hypermasculine traits in order to fit in and get ahead (especially at work) - I know I used to do this! - but hear me out:
What if using your feminine energy would actually give you an edge? You see, where the masculine is process-oriented and logical, the feminine is creative and intuitive. So by making space for your feminine to shine, you combine the best of both worlds; moving forward is easier because you no longer need to push and pull; you learn to use your natural gifts to move forward with grace and ease.
There is nothing more powerful than a woman who has embraced her feminine energy, her inner goddess.
She is authentic,
She knows her values and her purpose;
She stands strong and compassionate in her boundaries
She shows love and compassion to herself and to others
She uses her ability to influence and connect for the greater good
She is the leader of her own destiny
For us not to use our feminine power means to give up on ourselves; to forego our natural strengths and abilities; ultimately, it robs us of our own, authentic power.
2. The ability to receive
The second misconception related to feminine energy is around the ability to be open to receiving.
For a woman who has grown up being told that she needs to be independent, self-sufficient, and relying on herself and her abilities only, this is a very touchy point.
This is why women are afraid that being in receiving mode would be equal to giving up their independence, their hard-earned place - and this happens in work relationships, but also in romantic relationships.
Let me nip this in the bud right now: you can be independent and accept help; you can be self-sufficient and open to having somebody else handle some of the things you have been doing on your own. It’s not like you will lose the ability to do it on your own if needed.
This doesn’t stop at the physical level though.
At its core, the ability to receive is about more than receiving physical things; it’s about being open to the entire abundance of the Universe, to the love, care, and support of others, in any and all forms.
Being open to receiving is really the gateway to manifesting what you desire in your life; it’s about tapping into this unlimited flow of abundance and allowing yourself to know you are deserving of its richness.
Now, I’m not saying one should be open without being wise - this is where boundaries come in - but shutting the door to any and all opportunities so that you can be “safe” or not seen as “less than” is really just a glorified way of hiding from all the good things life has to offer - and, not to mention, burning yourself out in the process.
3. The rejection of vulnerability
Although in recent years more and more people have started speaking about the benefits of being able to show vulnerability, the concept still has a bad rep, and even more so for high-performing women, as they have fought so long and so hard to prove themselves.
We tend to equate vulnerability with weakness, but really, nothing could be farther from the truth: by opening up and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable we allow ourselves to explore our full range of emotions, our true selves.
This is the gateway to greater self-awareness and deeper self-acceptance - so, armed with this, we can go into the world operating from a place of authenticity, no longer stiffening our authentic voice.
The same ability to be open and vulnerable allows us to form better, deeper, more satisfying connections, so really, using this to our advantage will add more life satisfaction, a better connection to ourselves and to others, and ultimately, it will lead to a more meaningful life.
But here’s the catch: you must be open to experiences that will, most probably, make your internal alarm bells go off; when you expose yourself to situations where you feel vulnerable, you gain more self-awareness and more self-confidence, you form deeper relationships, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll love experience itself, especially in the moment, especially when you are barely starting out.
Yes, being vulnerable is about opening up to those parts of yourself that you may be afraid to look at: but what’s more powerful than facing your fears?