There is much confusion about masculinity and femininity in these times. Identity is a quest that occupies a huge part of the life of many young people, and gender-based suffering is felt in societies across the globe.
According to ancient tantric teachings, masculinity and femininity are cosmic polarities or principles, not social identities. Social identity exists and is real, but is ultimately an illusion: it is the fabrication of a particular sense of self by the ego – the ahamkara or I-maker – which creates a sense of self in relation to the particular tendencies of the society at the time. It gives us the comforting illusion that we can relate with others and belong to an ideal community of those sharing this “identity”.
These teachings encourage us to see that our true nature is beyond all social identity. Clear perception and clear thought are valuable tools taught on the spiritual path to be able to distinguish amongst the confusion. These cosmic polarities of masculine and feminine exist within each and every person. Often, in a simplistic fashion, we draw the parallel to Shakti and Shiva – creative energy and consciousness – which make up the being. Individuals are taught to seek balance in the polarities of masculine and feminine that make up their being.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of imbalance on an individual and collective level with these two polarities. So the question is, how do we fight for equality when gender and identity are real but part of maya, illusion? Social transformation and spiritual transformation are two different things. Social transformation can recognise spiritual truths of equality and non-duality, but unless it also teaches spiritual development, it will always fall back into creating new identities, new illusions.
It would seem that the only policy position that conforms with non-dual spiritual teachings is a gender blindness, whereby everyone is treated the same regardless of their “identity”. Critics of this position argue that minorities and oppressed peoples need to have special rules and policies aimed at addressing the inequalities, to therefore create a just society.
The traditions would respond that looking to address social policy is ineffective if the inner transformation is not undertaken: we can continue to play around in the illusion of separation and try to create conditions of equality which will never be just, nor perfect, nor equal, or we can encourage and teach spiritual development such that people realise, recognise, and most importantly experience the non-binary nature of reality. Complete equality and justice are but mere ideals, objectives for a society, but with true spiritual transformation, individuals will be more able to authentically act from a place of compassion and fairness with regard to genders, as they will see themselves in every other individual – male, female, or other.
There is a difference between a spiritual journey of introspection and the realisation of one’s true nature, and the “deconstruction” process advocated by identity politics and developed through French social philosophers such as Foucault. Deconstructing one’s socially-constructed identity to then establish a new identity conforming to one’s own idea of oneself is not a spiritual process. It replaces one ego-structure with another. In itself this process is a very valuable tool for developing maturity, self-awareness and self-knowledge, and we are fortunate that so many young people are drawn to a path of interrogating the self. With what is proposed by left politics, however, they stop what could become a process of divine recognition, and instead return once again to the maya (illusion) of identity.
Politics of the “left” have never been spiritual – remember that this left-right divide comes from the French parliament after the French Revolution where those in favour of royal veto sat on the right, and those against sat on the left of the President. The heritage of modern politics goes back to these revolutions against royalty and the establishment of people’s democracies across Europe, the United States, and later across the entire globe. All political ideologies emerging from these traditions seek to regulate and rule over resource use, human behaviour, and money flows: because this is what Kings and Queens did before these revolutions. Centralised power was transferred from royalty to the President – but little else changed.
Current political ideologies do not seek the inner transformation of consciousness of their citizens, and the establishment of a coherent, equal, sustainable network of communities living in right relation with the other inhabitants of Earth – animal, plant, fungi, and mineral… This, however, is what I believe is needed for human earthly societies of the future.
Instead of establishing and creating separation through identity politics, we must focus on creating unified communities of equals. Instead of trying to rule and regulate resource use based on the assumption that humans are selfish and individualistic, we must open the awareness of those around us to cooperative and sustainable resource use. Instead of seeking a social identity through representations from outside, we must look inside to realise our true nature is the same as every other being, avoiding the creation of a new identity with new “demands” for society.
Om Namah Shivaya – I allow my awareness to merge into my real divine nature.