Four Ways to Connect to the Divine Feminine

The divine feminine is a higher power that helps you find balance in your life and become a better version of yourself. Some people believe that only people who identify as women can or should have relationships with the divine feminine, but this isn’t true. All people can connect with it, and all people can benefit by doing so. When you seek a relationship with the divine feminine, you uncover your true self and realize the power of rest.

Mother Earth

You have probably heard of Mother Nature, or Mother Earth. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why nature or the Earth are associated with a mother figure? The origins of the word “nature” are related to birth and the restorative powers of the body. Perhaps this is one possible explanation for why our Earth is often referred to as a mother. 

To mother someone is to give them life, nurture them, and support them. The Earth is constantly generating new life. Because of the resources it provides, it continually nourishes and sustains life. Thus, it’s easier to see why our planet has been personified as a mother. Encyclopedia Britannica says this about Mother Earth:

“Earth Mother, in ancient and modern nonliterate religions, [is] an eternally fruitful source of everything. Unlike the variety of female fertility deities called mother goddesses, the Earth Mother is not a specific source of vitality who must periodically undergo sexual intercourse. She is simply the mother; there is nothing separate from her. All things come from her, return to her, and are her.

“The most archaic form of the Earth Mother transcends all specificity and sexuality. She simply produces everything, inexhaustibly, from herself. She may manifest herself in any form. In other mythological systems she becomes a more limited figure. She becomes the feminine Earth, consort of the masculine sky; she is fertilized by the sky in the beginning and brings forth terrestrial creation. Even more limited reflections of the Earth Mother occur in those agricultural traditions in which she is simply the Earth and its fertility.”

Over time, the world’s beliefs about Mother Earth have evolved. But Mother Earth has always been an expression of the divine feminine.

Yin and Yang

Understanding yin and yang is foundational to understanding the divine feminine. Yin and yang are opposites that exist interdependently. Yin represents feminine energy and yang represents masculine energy. Some characteristics of yin energy are passivity, softness, cold, and darkness. Yin is also associated with rest and the season of winter. Yang, on the other hand, is associated with awakeness and summertime. Some characteristics of yang energy are activity, hardness, heat, and light. 

It would be difficult to explain how bright the day (yang) was if there weren’t a night (yin) to compare it to. You can’t have one without the other. In our blog post about tai chi, we explain yin and yang this way:

“Yin and yang are always balanced, always in harmony, like the state of nature. It’s humans and our crazy lives that jerk things out of balance, not God or the natural world. One of the most meaningful aspects of yin and yang are that they are complementary. One is not better than the other. In fact, a small part of one is inside the other. Opposites are required in order to form a complete whole.”

In terms of your spirituality, yin and yang can help you find meaning in all parts of your life, on the sunny days and the rainy days. Our fast-paced world tends to value the masculine qualities over the feminine, but the feminine is not lesser than the masculine. If you find that you’re still valuing yang over yin or yin over yang, then it might be time to restore that balance.

Divine Duality: Feminine and Masculine Energies

Again, yin/yang does not imply that all women are all yin and all men are all yang. In fact, the best part about the yin/yang concept is that it actually breaks down the barriers of gender. Sounds like a contradiction, yes, but read how Emily Torres puts it:

“The existence of the divine feminine suggests that complementary energies exist within each being . . . It’s not body parts or reproductive function that leads to femininity, nor is it the other way around. To base our spirituality in how our body is shaped is inherently exclusionary and limiting. But if the sacred feminine doesn’t have anything to do with gender, why do we use gendered terms to explain it? We don’t have to!

 “The feminine and the masculine are not singular and siloed energies—instead, they exist in balance. For example in ancient Chinese philosophy, Yin and Yang are a balance between receptive and productive, introspective and extrospective, feminine and masculine. But the two energies depend on one another—note how the symbol doesn’t cut harshly in a straight line down the middle. The black and white shapes swirl into and out of each other in harmony, changing, flowing, and making room for every possible version of balance.”

All things have yin energy and yang energy within them, including you! It’s all about give and take, all about balance. This also implies that you can seek out the divine feminine even if you don’t identify as feminine yourself. In fact, you need more divine feminine energy in your life.

Many mainstream religions have focused almost exclusively on the masculine divine energy for centuries. Even outside of religious contexts, our society tends to honor accomplishing as much as possible rather than simply using what we need and resting what we don’t. This has caused people to believe that the divine feminine isn’t as important, or even that it’s off-limits to talk about or seek out. But remember—neither yin nor yang is more important than the other. The hope is that in your own spiritual practice, you can seek both feminine and masculine energies in a way that best nourishes you.

Seeking the Divine Feminine

So we’ve talked a lot about the idea of the divine feminine, but what does it really mean in practicality? The divine feminine is the force that urges you to rest and renew yourself. The divine feminine unlocks the door to your process of rebirth, whether it’s spiritually, physically, mentally, or emotionally. When you access your creativity, perhaps you take some inspiration from the divine feminine. The divine feminine encourages you to look within yourself and ponder what life means to you.

Suppose you’re someone who tends to neglect quality sleep. Engaging with the divine feminine for you might be setting a dedicated naptime during the day. If you’re a person who tends to take on too much and volunteer your time for too many things, the divine feminine can help you let go of some of these burdens. Maybe you’re someone who spirals into sadness during dark periods of your life (whether literal, e.g., wintertime, or metaphorical, e.g., post-breakup)—seeking out the divine feminine can assist you in appreciating (or at least tolerating) those times.

Four Practices to Connect to the Divine Feminine ‍

There are many ways you can access divine feminine energy, but it all starts from within. You might be surprised what works and doesn’t work for you. Here are four practices you can try: 

1. Journal. Recording your thoughts encourages creativity and reflection. Sade Jones leads a journaling exercise on the Skylight app that can help you start thinking about the divine feminine in your life. The prompts are easy to understand and thought-provoking: 

●      Where do I want to find more balance in my life? 

●      What new thing do I want to bring into my life?

●      What new thing do I want to bring into the world? 

●      What part of my power needs to be given more attention? 

●      How do I best reset to find my flow? How can I add that reset to my self-care routine? 

●      What conditions in my life have to line up in order to make me feel like I’m going with the flow?

2. Forest bathe. This is perhaps a no-brainer: spending time in nature will help you tune in to Mother Nature. But there’s a bigger reason than that! The divine feminine is all about being where you are when you’re there, and nature helps you do that. Forest bathing, in particular, is a practice that involves all five senses. When you focus on sensory experiences, you’re connecting with divine feminine energy.

3. Pray. Prayer is often a time of introspection where you can reflect on your life and plan for the future. You can pray and ask your higher power to recognize the divine feminine. If you believe in a personified God, praying to a feminine figure can provide comfort and clarity, or even just give you a new experience if you’re used to praying to a personified male God. 

4. Prioritize rest. You might find this the hardest practice of all! Rest is just as important as action. When you prioritize rest, you will find yourself happier, more productive, and more connected to the divine feminine. Consider a spiritual bedtime routine.

However you go about doing it, you can draw spiritual power from seeking out the divine feminine.

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