The Sexual Division

In our discussion on human origins, we mentioned that the human life form underwent a division of the sexes during an early stage of experience in the pattern of Man. We will now take a brief look into why this was a requirement.

Earlier we introduced the idea that human striving is a must and the need to work toward a goal is an inherent requirement of manifestation. But a fragment of Being in elementary stages of evolution may not have the necessary drive (other than an inherent curiosity) to set goals and to strive towards them - and in that progression reach the ultimate union with the Godhead. Therefore it is required to provide that fragment of Being with an experience of what union really means - a faint reflection of the Great Union - a transitory experience of bliss sufficient enough to generate the necessary drive to move forward. When we talk about sexual union in this discussion, we do not mean simply union at the physical level, rather at multiple levels, including the emotional and the spiritual. This is important to keep in mind.

Imagine a battery with its positive and negative terminals. If these two terminals are connected by a conducting wire, then an electric current flows between the terminals (a union in a metaphorical sense). But such an arrangement is of little benefit to anyone and the battery simply wastes its energy. But send the current through a resistance such as a bulb, and the energy is now converted to useful work.

Precisely such an arrangement is at work in the human race, where culture, family traditions and social order in general tend to keep the male and female poles sufficiently separate and in tension, so that their energies are channeled into useful work in striving toward goals - colored by a deep subconscious desire for union in that process. Many cultures are engineered to prohibit adolescents from engaging in sexual relations, so that their awakened energies may be harnessed toward higher goals. Religious scriptures have also mandated moral stances on sexuality with more in terms of prohibitions. Such a division and separation of the sexes and the resulting tension have been responsible for much of human development in terms of culture, arts, science, music and many other important facets of the human experience.

We do not mean to say that sexuality is the prime motivator for the human race, but it is indeed a major source of energy for human beings in their current stage of evolution. The union of the sexes is but a faint reflection of the great union with the Godhead, and at some point an evolving human being is enabled to look past a sexually-oriented union toward the greater spiritual goal that it represents. At this time we should also bring to the reader’s attention the idea of the Temptation as found in holy scriptures. The sexual division was intended to provide an arena for the requisite temptations toward self discovery and expression, in man’s descent into duality.

As we pointed out in our book, there is not one single reason for anything, but a multitude of reasons. One of the important purposes of the human race that we discussed earlier, is the exploration of emotional and mental realms. This exploration is reflected in the nature of the sexes, where the feminine form is capable of expressing feeling and emotional aspects of being in stronger terms than the masculine form which better expresses the logical and mental aspects of Being. These are reflected in certain symbolic interpretations of Genesis, where Adam represents reason and Eve represents feeling.

We say form, because Being as such cannot be classified as male or female, but may be viewed as expressing and discovering various traits through association with sexually distinguished physical forms. By way of the Prime Directive, it is required to be acquainted with both of these expressions. Therefore Being in general takes many turns in its physical expressions of the masculine and feminine principles (they are indeed principles). In this process it may well take on and reinforce certain sexual attributes more than others, resulting in some form of polarization toward one of the idealized sexes. Male/female attributes as found across various fragments of Being are not a cut-and-dried, black-and-white kind of separation, but are much more dispersed and indeed form a spectrum. During a masculine physical expression many of the feminine attributes of Being are repressed into the unconscious, and vice versa for a feminine physical expression. The level of such repression of traits of the opposite sex can indeed vary. For example the aggressive and intellectual female or an effeminate male are not quite the exception in today’s society.

It is also possible to bring up repressed tendencies of the opposite sex in starker ways, such as genetically or through indulgence in certain lifestyles. These can result in sexual expressions that may be classified as bisexual, homosexual and so on. Such expressions are found throughout human culture and history and do not necessarily form an aberration, if it is recognized that expressions of human sexuality really form a spectrum. However they do tend to disrupt many cultural and social norms as established in society, and therefore often have negative repercussions. We do not intent to take a stance either way on this matter, and will make no further comments in this regard.

Having discussed the role of sexuality in human evolution, we will now consider the role and importance of individuality in this progression.