What is Feminine Energy? Understanding the Feminine Principle

Feminine energy has become a big topic in recent years, and I wanted to share my understanding and what this concept means to me.

One way of looking at feminine energy is as a universal energy that is found in all things - it’s found in us as women, the creatures in the forest, the wind & the rain and the men in our lives, too. It is creative life force energy. It’s the Chi, as it is known by Chinese culture, or the Prana as it is called in India, that runs through every one of us.

Feminine energy is not exclusive to women, although as women we do carry a powerful connection to the feminine, which is why so many women today are feeling drawn to understand what it means to embrace their feminine energy.

This concept of feminine energy as life force energy is why the feminine is the creative principle. The feminine creates. The feminine births. The feminine is a bridge between spirit and matter - bringing life into the physical plane.

This is why, as feminine beings, we are powerful creators. And this is why we have a special connection to Source.

Feminine energy also represents certain domains of life: behaviors, modes of expression, orientations. And masculine energy represents the complimentary domains of life. They are the Yin and the Yang, as found in Chinese philosophy.

One way I like to think of this polarity is that the feminine is like the ocean, and the masculine is like the ocean floor, providing a structure and container for the ocean and all of it’s life.

Another very traditional representation of these archetypal energies is seen in our Sun and our Moon, very often depicted as masculine and feminine principles. The sun blazes outwards with active, consistent energy, while the moon softly reflects the light, ever shifting through cyclical phases.

In astrology, the Sun represents the masculine part of our psyche, and the Moon represents the feminine part. This is why the Moon is so important to understand, particularly in a woman’s astrological blueprint.

The feminine governs being and passivity while the masculine governs doing and activity. The feminine is the energy of flow rather than control, of receiving rather than pursuing, of dependence rather than independence.

Masculine energy is more outward focused, structured and goal oriented, while feminine energy is inward, reflective, diffused and process oriented.

To give a sense of what feminine energy feels like, one way to describe it is that the feminine feels like a relaxing tropical island with warm fragrant breezes and gentle lapping waves. In contrast, the masculine feels like competitive New York City, with all the hustle, productivity and single-minded goal orientation.

There is something very pure, natural and alive about feminine energy. It can be deeply healing.

When a woman is truly grounded in her feminine energy, she is connected to her heart and body. She is open and vulnerable in a way that arises from knowing her value and worthiness.

Something to note is that feminine energy represents many of the qualities and aspects of life that we do not often prioritize or reward in modern culture.

For example, perhaps you have noticed how dependence and passivity are not often seen as something to celebrate. This is a reflection of the way our culture has developed a more masculine value system.

Productivity is more important than rejuvenation, logic more trustable than intuition.

In our busy world, many of us operate in perpetual “doing” mode - life is full of deadlines, to do lists and productivity hacks.

This can lead many of us as feminine women down a path of perpetual burnout, disconnection and lack of fulfillment.

Reintegrating feminine energy into our lives doesn’t mean abandoning our masculine energy, it simply means creating more balance. It means incorporating more needed softness, rest and safety so that our masculine energy can be grounded in more alignment and sustainability.

Masculine and feminine energies are both important and needed; they are both powerful in their own ways and these forces complement each other. A balanced life allows for both - the drive to make things happen, and the trust to let things unfold.

That being said, as feminine women, it is often more supportive and appropriate for our wiring and well-being to “run” feminine energy more often than masculine energy. We could think of it like an operating system; we are designed to run a more feminine operating system.

Or, we could think of it like fuel: women are designed to run primarily on feminine fuel, while men on masculine fuel.

This is why feminine healing has become such a popular topic in recent years. Many women are realizing that the modern hyper masculine lifestyle does not suit them or support their well-being. It simply does not feel good in their bodies and hearts to express primarily in a masculine way. They are exhausted by the hustle; they are left feeling unfulfilled by achievement and goal-orientation.

I have written more about the topic of feminine healing in my post here.

Honoring our feminine energy means making space in our lives for the domain of the feminine: to feel more connected to ourselves and others, cultivate well being, slow down and listen to the body and the heart. It means being authentic to who we truly are as feminine-essenced beings.

The feminine domain of life includes the home, food, nourishment, family, children, relationships, collaboration, romance, beauty, art, creativity, expression, nature, pleasure, sensuality, embodiment, self-care, healing, joy, empathy, feelings, spirituality

Here are some additional words that also represent the feminine principle: soft, responsive, reflective, sensitive, vulnerable, inward, flowing, passive, dependent, cyclical, organic, natural, surrender, trust, intuition, inner knowing