In the world of duality, there are two primary types of energy:  masculine and feminine. When we use these words, we tend to think in terms of physical gender and whatever stereotypes we hold for those. In American society, masculine energy is stereotypically associated with men, aggressiveness, strength, most sports, and a tough veneer. Tender emotions and their expression, such as sadness and tears, are generally considered to be signs of weakness, and therefore feminine. Of course, this misperception is a disservice to men, and it provides a narrow view of what masculine energy is.

In the Chinese tradition, masculine energy is Yang, while feminine energy is Yin. If something expresses Yang energy, it is warm or hot, and it is vibrant:  red, yellow, orange, or white. It has strong edges and corners; a square is Yang, while a circle is Yin. Yang energy is expansive, outgoing, dominant, and assertive. Yang energy reaches out beyond itself and is highly interactive. Certainly, every person alive has some of these qualities, regardless of their physical gender. Many women are assertive, dominant, and outgoing. Masculine energy lives within all of us.

Masculine energy is required for creation, just as feminine energy is. One cannot create without both energies. God could not create if God were a "father" only. The feminine counterpart—a mother—is also necessary. But creation is about more than physical offspring. All beings are creative:  we all create every day with our thoughts, feelings, and choices. We create art, music, literature, politics, situations, careers, and the lives we enjoy—or not, as the case may be. In order to do this, we draw upon our own masculine and feminine energies.

For several thousand years, there has been an imbalance between the masculine and feminine energies of the planet. More than 2,000 years ago, the feminine godhead began to be attacked by those advocating for a purely masculine godhead. In the power struggle that ensued, God lost his wife, and masculine energy became ascendant. The result was the oppression of women in many different cultures, and the glorification of the masculine. You can see this in many religious traditions, in which women are granted purely secondary roles, if any. But who has been harmed the most by this transition? Women? Or men?

We have much to heal about masculine energy. It is not "bad"—it is essential to all life. But masculine energy without the feminine to balance it leads to sickness, whether physical, emotional, mental, or social. Denying our feminine energy is the same as denying half of ourselves. Ultimately, this denial inflicts serious spiritual distress on everyone, but especially men.

In our modern age, we don't need men to go hunting, find food, or prepare for battle with neighboring villages. For a time, however, it was still the accepted role for men to be the family breadwinner, and to bring home the means with which to feed, clothe, and shelter the family. Of course, women do that now as often as the men do. The last frontier was probably the military, which provided an outlet for men to serve in the role of "protector," which is a strong component of masculine energy. And now women serve there, as well. So, what's left for men? Are they obsolete?

The answer is, certainly not. Men are as essential now as they ever were, but our definition of masculinity needs to come into alignment with spirit. Men are, as a whole, in crisis because of our skewed belief of what masculine energy is, and who can have it. In general, men who are tough, strong, clever, and whose primary emotion is anger are considered to be "masculine." Men who show "feminine" traits, such as vulnerability and compassion, are often singled out and ridiculed. Sometimes feminine men are called gay slurs, even if they are heterosexual. Our society does its best to reinforce a single-minded vision of masculinity that encourages our men to be half of who they really are. And this hurts our men, which in turn hurts everyone.

Likewise, women are discouraged from showing their masculine energy. Women who are ambitious and driven are ridiculed—just ask Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. Even Martha Stewart was slapped down for playing the big boys' game. It is harmful for men to deny their feminine energy, but it is equally harmful for women to deny their masculine energy.

All of this confusion brings us to the crisis point for men today:  who are they? What is their purpose, if women can have careers and be warriors, too? What is left for the men? We as a society must address this question, or the result will be more confused, angry young men. It's a serious question:  how can we help our men to be whole beings? How can we help them embrace their feminine energy AND make the most of their positive masculine energy?

We must change our attitudes about what it means to be masculine and feminine. It has nothing to do with gender and anatomy. It has nothing to do with what jobs we hold. It has everything to do with who we really are, and the spirit that animates our physical shells. If we deny any part of ourselves, we are denying the whole. We are unhealed. We are torn apart. We are a house divided against ourselves.

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