Women's (or Anyone Else's) Empowerment

'Empowerment' connotes that that power must be given from some outside source, so we've got to ask ourselves some questions in order to make that happen. To wit:

• To whom was our power given?
• Power is inherent to the entity from which it arises and cannot be taken without consent. By that token missing power must have been and continue to be given. Without knowing to whom there'll be no getting it back.
• When?
• Was there a contract? What are the terms?
• Why?
• Power might be given in order to facilitate the efforts of another in creating or building something, or to absolve its holder of responsibility for its use, or because the generator thereof has been left vulnerable, or left itself vulnerable in the case of any entity we'd call sentient and accountable, to theft (where it's assumed that power is a limited commodity to be hoarded rather than freely distributed and consumed wherever necessary).
• Where?
• If power is being stolen or a system isn't sound, there'll be a leak. Find the leak, patch it, and watch the power meter rise. Or just replace the system altogether.
• Most importantly and puzzlingly, how?
• It's one thing to drain tangible electricity or some measurable signal off the grid; that requires nothing more than simple physical manipulation. But a human's own inherent power? Let's explore:

In an infinite multiverse nothing is impossible, but the proposition of taking power not given is pretty close to it. Will can be broken. Desire can be molded. Beliefs can be changed. But the power of the individual lies solely in who that person is. That person fills a role no one else can fill, and that role is whatever they make it. Each of us has all the power in our own universe. Frustration arises not when we can't do what we want, but when we can't make the rest of our universe do what we think it should. We forget that the 'rest of the universe' exists solely as a framework for what we are; it holds everything we can't be if we intend to have this unique human experience. We hold no true power over anything outside ourselves, save that which has been given or stolen, but infinite power to reshape ourselves within this framework, which responds in kind by reshaping itself around us and our new contract. So for those who feel disempowered (and who doesn't from time to time), our best bet is to examine our systems and what's plugged into them, adjust any drains to which we've agreed to suitable levels, eliminate any drains that serve no purpose, and give ourselves some time to recharge. Beating ourselves or anyone else up will only waste more energy.

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Isn't it interesting how power and the desire for more are the source of so many social ills? Power is infinite, so why do we fight over it? Because force is limited. The two are not interchangeable, and what's seen as power is very often really force in disguise. We don't want the power to run our own lives as we see fit. We want the 'power' to force others into the molds we purport to think are best for them, which upon close examination are usually really what we think it's best for us for them to be. But we'll only have that when we're ready to take responsibility for what they then become. Every action, every word, every choice they make at our behest is then on us. The only two ways to take that responsibility are by force or if it's given. In the former case, power always outlasts and ultimately absorbs force and turns it to its own purpose, given time, patience, and understanding on the part of the one wielding the power, while in the latter, power is willingly given and received, muted or boosted according to the purposes at hand, and both consequences and rewards for its use are shared as appropriate by all involved. As we at MOA have said before, power is inherent in particular to the feminine energy, and is most stable when produced individually but shared universally. Force is a masculine trait, used to direct and amplify power. Is it perhaps that power is more subtle than force and therefore less apparent, although - if we'll only use it - just as essential? Is it possible that the desire for empowerment is all about appearances? Either without the other is of limited usefulness, while the two together can change the world.

So where does it all go wrong? What makes us give our power up in the first place? When it's an intentional choice - "You take my power and the responsibility that goes with it" - do we really want it back? If that answer is yes, then have we figured out what we intend to do with it, keeping in mind that the only changes any entity can be guaranteed to effect are within oneself, with external effects being often random and unpredictable? If also yes, what are we waiting for? It would seem, with the current movement being stalled at, "We want empowerment," that we're asking for someone else to offer it. Who? And if we know who has it have we at any point asked for it in a way that we'd respond to favorably if anyone else were to ask us for something in the same tone and with the same attitude? If we know who has our power, and if we've asked politely for it back and it hasn't been given, then yes it's time to take it back unless we pledged to a contract otherwise. At that point, it's on us to find the power source within ourselves, tap into it, nurture it and do any necessary maintenance if it's become weak or drained, be ready to take responsibility for the consequences of (and enjoy the rewards for) our actions, and go use it.

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For those who can't be arsed to go read our post on the masculine and feminine, let us be clear in saying that although power is an inherently feminine trait and force an inherently masculine one, this is not a delineation between men and women, as each of us carries both positive (masculine) and negative (feminine) energy to varying degrees and, again, the sum of the two is greater than its parts. Where power is nurturing and gestational, force is originating and motivational. Each needs the other in order to meet its full potential, and empowerment comes in finding and embracing both within ourselves.