Gender Lens – the play of Dynamic & Static Energies

Profound coaching utilizes well-founded models of human development for the sake of comprehending a client’s particular path, challenges, way of being – in essence …their life. While no two people are exactly alike, most humans follow similar, well travelled trajectories of personal growth and transformation. Individual personalities will always experience these paths uniquely, yet the depth of the journey is often the same for most of us. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of such models available to understand various aspects of human development. Integral Coaching™ accesses the wisdom and power of several such models.

Integral Coaching Canada (ICC) terms the models they use as a “lens”, for it is one “view”, one “perspective” that an Integral Coach™ looks through in order to understand their clients. The coordinated use of many lenses help us understand where our clients are at and how they are doing in their lives. Its through the use of several lenses that an Integral Coach crafts a client’s AQAL Constellation™.

Even if you are not an ICC Integral Coach you will find some tremendous value in looking at the lens I am writing about today.

One of my favourite lenses is the Gender lens. ICC actually uses three distinct models within their Gender lens – Gender in the World, Gender in Relationship, Gender Patterns. This posting will focus on what I call the “Gender Pattern” of a client, or the gender energetics a client is experiencing.

This model is based on the unique and powerful work of Gareth S. Hill Ph.D., a Jungian analyst and clinical social worker in Berkeley, California. His book “Masculine and Feminine: the natural flow of opposites in the psyche” was published in 1992. While I think it is under appreciated for its depth and range of implication, it no doubt has served thousands of clinicians to better notice what phase and potential pathologies of life their clients are experiencing. His work has also given many people an understanding of the flow of cosmic energy that they find themselves in at various times in their lives. I use the word “cosmic” to indicate an energy flow that appears and feels beyond any control that we may have personal possession of. While we can certainly use this knowledge to make choices towards what we want, we are also always part of a larger flow of cosmic life that is beyond our tiny grasp – even though we may be able to catch glimpses of it through a well-crafted lens.

This “natural flow of opposites in the psyche” that Hill helps us dive into has four main patterns that we all experience in our lives:

The Static Feminine
The Dynamic Masculine
The Static Masculine
The Dynamic Feminine

Since this lens works with the archetypal energies of existence (as primarily revealed by Jung), I am going to use a semi-archetypal movie to portray a feel for these four energies, as well as a healthy manner in which we may move between them. X-Men 3 – “The Last Stand”, which came out in 2006, brilliantly displays the path through these major patterns and their lived energies. It is necessary to remember that a person will travel through this flow in their own way, at their own pace – yet, as Hill points out – the flow only moves in one direction. Pathology can cause a block or stagnation, yet the flow is eternally in one powerful direction; an important distinction that is vital in the development and directionality of a profound coaching program.

In the following clips from X-Men 3 we follow Logan, also known as Wolverine – one of the main characters in the X-Men series, on his path through the flow of these four patterns. It is essential to note that these four archetypal energetic patterns work within the microcosm and macrocosm of our lives. Once you start to notice the flow of these energies you will see them in your hour-to-hour, day-to-day exchanges, as well as in the larger scale of your life; which (once you get over the awe of that truth), you will be able to utilize for the development of your own life, as well as that of your clients.

In the movie Logan’s path moves quickly. As a character (established in the previous films and comic books) we know Logan (aka Wolverine) to be his own man, a lone wolf conquering the world, known as the Dynamic Masculine.

Look of the Dynamic Masculine

We are introduced to this scene of chaos, a training ground for younger X-Men mutants. The scene itself is representative of what the Dynamic Masculine loves – intensity, fire, war, power, chaos – all things that are to be overcome and conquered. For the Dynamic Masculine there is a freedom that is based within the surrender to the inevitable energy needed to over-come the impossible.

We see everybody else running around looking concerned, afraid of the intensity, yet Wolverine who focuses on taking initiative and single-minded focus of “slaying the dragon” has very few concerns at all.

Nothing phases him. Notice how he casually strolls through the chaos, not showing any outward concern about anybody, though very present to what is happening around him. His face gets bashed with a large chunk of hot metal and he just nonchalantly shakes it off (and regrows his tissue like only Wolverine can).

Within the building intensity around him, he stays calm, lighting his cigar off a burning car. His statements are clear, concise and always about the focus of the mission. His humour is crude and deprecating, yet sharp and accurate, with a macho bravado. When he is protected by Storm he doesn’t say thank you, he shakes it off, and focuses only on his own in the moment truth “That was my last cigar!”

Like an arrogant all-star player he also knows that he can save the day. Instead of bringing the team together and helping the new players (trainees) get better, he initiates the ending by walking into the danger, using the tools available to him for the most effective completion of the mission. Man to man he gives Colossus the only compliment in the whole scene, based on the move that helped Logan slay the dragon.

This is all classic Dynamic Masculine play. For those clients that are residing in that pattern, they will easily identify with Wolverine in this scene. “Come on, what else was he to do”, they will say. “He’s got the power and he saved the others from getting hurt.” For clients in this energy there is often clear and direct focus, a move towards more power. Its not about teamwork or learning, its about getting it done.

Wolverine in this scene is the essence of bad-boy tough-ass macho know-it-all. Its hard to argue with somebody when they are heavily in this pattern. This is the domain of competition, self-mastery, and building of power – which then leads to the individuation process. Men and women who are ready to really step into their Dynamic Masculine often venture forth into the unknown. For many this is the first overseas trip on their own, heading out to where they have to survive only on who they really are. This is a time of immense power, focus, determination, fire energy – the knight goes to kill a fire-breathing dragon. Some may have to start a business on their own, go off into the woods, or do radical things that seem out of character. In a variety of ways, in order to initiate the momentum necessary for their Dynamic Masculine journey, a client may also need a vision quest of some sort. Paulo Coehllo’s famed book The Alchemist is a brilliant story of a young man who enters such a quest.

The move into the Dynamic Masculine is the first big step away from the Static Feminine, where we all start from. The Static Feminine is the mother archetype. The fundamental first move away from the Static Feminine towards the Dynamic Masculine is made is when babies start to crawl away from their mother. They will venture forth a little bit and then look back to mom to see if it is okay. A nod from mom and the child goes a little further. The day eventually comes when the child doesn’t look back to check and simply ventures out on her own, believing she can handle it. While this can happen at any age, there are common cycles many people experience in their lives.

Notice how we continue to do this in our own lives. From the known safety of whatever is called home (whether we like “home” or not – it is what is known, there is some degree of comfort) we venture out into the wilderness, looking over our shoulder a few times to ensure it’s okay, and then we take that last step…free into whatever awaits. This can be a crucial time for a client. This is also the domain of many pathologies.

Attachment to the “mother” , in the many comforts and distractions that we all like to surround ourselves with, can be a lifetime of work to detach from.

With some clients you will be helping them engage the energy of their Dynamic Masculine in order to go into the quests they need to.
With other clients you will be showing them the challenges and pain they may be experiencing because they have not stepped clear enough away from the Static Feminine.
With these clients, developing individuation skills will be essential.

Depth and Reason of the Static Masculine

The energetic pattern that lies beyond the Dynamic Masculine is the Static Masculine. The term static can be deceptive. It does not mean lazy nor complacent. On the contrary, the static masculine is the domain of rules and regulations. The Static Masculine arose in history when we wanted more order and standards instead of the unfair reign of tyranny. The Static Masculine is the first place in which we take full responsibility for our actions and are accountable to a system of meaning.

The archetype here is obviously that of the Great Father – the one who overlooks and protects us. And that is what the Static Masculine provides – true safety and protection. The only reason we have created rules and regulations, hierarchy and systems is to stay safe. This then allows us to accomplish more which leads to greater freedom. We can finally relax and enjoy life because stability has been secured. The Static Masculine is aware of the play of power, and why it needs to be controlled. He takes responsibility for the calculated risks that will serve the greatest good, and will be accountable to his choices. Whereas the Dynamic Masculine only considers the free flow of choice, such that he has access to power whenever, for whatever he alone wants. The goal of the masculine, both Dynamic and Static, is always about greater freedom – the difference is in the way they go about accomplishing it.

In this scene we see two other characters – Charles Xavier, known as Professor X, and Jean Grey, known as The Phoenix. The back story is that Jean is what is called a class 5 mutant, the most powerful expression of energy ever seen. Professor X, whose “talent” is mind control, found her as a little girl and created a system of mind blocks that allowed Jean to live a fairly normal life. He set up a structure to keep her safe.

We see that Logan thinks that this is bullshit. Logan believes Professor X is controlling Jean, and that she should have the right to authentically “be who she is”. This is the constant play between the Dynamic and Static Masculine. The Dynamic Masculine wants freedom to do and be whatever he wants, and believes everybody should also have that same right. He will fight for and rebel against the hold of the Static Masculine. The Static Masculine however (who has grown from the Dynamic Masculine) rests in knowing what structure actually provides. From his viewpoint, freedom comes from stabilization. Building a strong river bank will protect our homes from the strong flow of the river. While building walls around the kingdom may block out the view (one expression of freedom), we are protected from marauders and enemies so we can relax more (another form of freedom).

It is important to remember – neither the Dynamic or Static Masculine are ultimately more “right” than the other. They are both necessary, and will happen anyways – since life demands both. Pathology arises when we can’t get out of one. You may notice your clients stuck in one of these patterns. From their perspective, theirs is the right way to do things, and will have a vast amount of rationale to stand firm in that partial truth. For the Dynamic Masculine the Static Masculine is almost always the path to less freedom. A feeling of complacency, stuckness, no creativity, no fun, no energy – and this is true enough – it is static.

Today, many men in our culture find themselves stuck in a place of turmoil because what they observe as the Static Masculine is not what they want to become. Many fathers of the last three generations are not the fathers young men want to emulate, and thus there are few solid role models of what the Static Masculine is for the 21st century. In previous times in history while the boy may not have wanted to grow up, there was a solid community of men to become part of, that, once entered, provided way more to the boy that he thought was possible. Today that is often not the case.

As we see in this clip, even though Professor X has provided endlessly to Logan, Jean, and a huge host of mutants for their safety and comfort (they all live in a fancy mansion school and are very well taken care of), Logan wants less restraints for Jean – which to him means freedom.

This play often continues until the Dynamic Masculine gets a sense of what the Static Masculine is really standing for; of why he has established the structures, laws, rules, hierarchies that he has. It usually takes a massive force of uncontrollable power for Dynamic Masculine to understand the depth of love and values that the Static Masculine truly possess.

What you may observe in your clients is a relentless disregard of the Static Masculine. Men and women who are in the energy of stabilizing their Dynamic Masculine often “Question Authority”, need to break the rules, and don’t care who is in their way. They may speak of the “old guard” who “just doesn’t get it”. Depending where your client is within his/her trajectory, they may be in a healthy expression of Dynamic Masculine (wanting to push the edges, looking for new solutions, not taking no for an answer, living out of the box, taking it to the limit, standing my ground) or they may be stuck within an unhealthy expression of the Dynamic Masculine (showing them who is boss, breaking free, giving them what they deserve, pushing back, getting what is mine).

Notice how the healthy expression focuses on Individuation – becoming more of “me”, what I stand for, seeing how far I can go. Where as the unhealthy expression tends to be me against another. When you note your client needing to “break free from other”, a profound coaching move would be to establish deeper Dynamic Masculine individuation by helping them become more secure in their own personal boundaries. This deepens and stabilizes the self that wants more freedom by self exploration (the essence of the Dynamic Masculine) until that process no longer is personally fulfilling. For both men and women, without fully “going through the wringer” of the Dynamic Masculine, a client simply will not have the necessity for the rules and stability of the Static Masculine. It’s not until a person has the lived experience of “I can’t do this alone” that she is willing to acquiesce to the wisdom of the Static Masculine.

Terrifying Heart Truth of the Dynamic Feminine

There are many reasons that an individual will become ready to move into the Static Masculine. In ancient or traditional cultures there was often a rhythm based on age and experiences achieved that signified time to move into the deeper clan of the Static Masculine – and this happens differently, yet for the same reasons, with both men and women. Sometimes this move is based on fatigue. There are only so many dragons to slay before you’re ready to retire.

However, one of the most substantial and intense motivations to initiate the move from Dynamic Masculine to Static Masculine is encountering the Dynamic Feminine. When you can grasp even a small comprehension of the Dynamic Feminine you will feel goosebumps. The Dynamic Feminine is the ferocious home of the unexpected, the unknown, the powerful, the unseen, the chaotic, the dark, the wild, the endless. While the Static Feminine does embody the full cycle of life – from birth to death, including disease, illness, pain, and suffering; the Static Feminine is also benign in the truest sense. For Mother Nature there is no concern about death because it is what brings life; and her heart rests open and relaxed, almost neutral, through all these cycles – as long as existence continues, which it always does…until.

Until the Dynamic Feminine shows up. For the degree in which the Static Masculine establishes stability, the Dynamic Feminine has the power to tear it all apart a million times over. All that which is unknown and incomprehensible is sourced from the Dynamic Feminine. This energetic pattern has the power to eradicate all sensibilities, all knowledge, all cycles. For many who experience the Dynamic Feminine death would be a welcome release. For the Static Feminine there is the cycle of the seasons, there is a beginning and an ending, this can be counted upon and worked with. In the domain of the Dynamic Feminine there is no end. Her power ends times because it eats up time – for time, even though it exists within nature (the Static Feminine), time is measured by the Static Masculine. And the only energy that can wipe out the Static Masculine is the Dynamic Feminine. In spiritual texts this has been called the dark night of the soul and dark path of the self. This is the realm of the undead.

Side note about Stuckness in The Dynamic Masculine

This is another area of stuckness you may find a client in. He or she just doesn’t want to give up overcoming challenge. S/he wants to keep slaying dragons, going on adventures, claiming the centre of attention, being the all-star. Also known as “the Golden Boy” syndrome (see Robert Bly’s book Iron John), this will be a client who just doesn’t want to grow up. S/he would rather keep playing around and trying to be seen as special (by the Static Feminine), instead of taking his or her seat as an adult. You may notice your clients not wanting to take responsibility, often dismissing accountability as being too rigid (denying the Static Masculine), wanting to play instead of work, not having any deep soulful purpose, believing their “feelings” will guide their way, but not actually satisfied with anything. He or she may be overly positive, and yet it feels like they are fooling themselves, like they are just not stepping in. Depending on how developed your client is (cognitively, emotionally, spiritually, energetically) they may easily pull the wool over your eyes. You may notice however, some sort of incongruence in how they are showing up versus what they are saying. And you may feel for yourself a sense of dissatisfaction in this person’s life. You may find it hard to have compassion or empathy, and experience a desire for them to “grow up”. Most likely you are not the only one. If they are in an intimate relationship their partner may also be saying the same thing. The older an adult is who is stuck within the Golden Boy syndrome, the more challenging it will be to help them undo from the golden myth they find themselves in.

Honestly, I’m only partially writing in a romanticized provocative manner. In a tangible context we see the Dynamic Feminine in storms that violently destroy. Hurricane Katrina or the Japan Tsunami. There is an amazing video footage of the the tsunami. A nuclear power plant is exploding, engulfed by monstrous flames, while being carried away on a flood of ocean’s water. This massive (Static Masculine) infrastructure, which was very well-established, very well planned for, which took years to build – whoosh – washed away, eradicated within minutes. When you are within the Dynamic Feminine – nothing else exists, there does not appear to be any way out. While both the Static and Dynamic Masculine can destroy and kill, there is calculation. Hiroshima was calculated. Nazi Germany was calculated. Vietnam was not.

In this clip from X-Men 3 you see the Terrifying Heart Truth of the Dynamic Feminine. The character Magneto (Professor X’s once best friend, now rogue enemy) has found the lost Jean Grey, aka The Phoenix (because Logan aka Wolverine in his Dynamic Masculine defiance of the Static Masculine Professor X, woke Jean up out of her protective sleep and she beat him up and she escaped), and has brought her to her old parents house. Professor X has shown up to try and talk sense into her and bring her back. Magneto (who is trying to establish a Static Masculine foothold for the mutants, yet is actually stuck in a Dynamic Masculine play of ongoing defiance) does what Logan did, stating to Professor X to let Jean make her own decisions, that she doesn’t want “to be controlled”. The stand off between Jean and Xavier begins, and we can tell right away who will win. He has done his best to establish a solid ground for the mutants – his people – for Jean, Wolverine, even Magneto, yet Professor X’s power has reached its limit. And he knows this.

As they move into the kitchen you see the water jug swirling in a frenzy. Whether the directors knew this or not, the Dynamic Feminine is known for its association with tumultuous water. Professor X calmly enters as the room shakes. There is nothing hidden between him and Jean. Magneto on the other hand, who is in the Dynamic Masculine, pushes; still trying to use force for freedom. As the Professor holds his Static Masculine ground – “I can help you. You must trust me” Jean’s energy start to build. Wolverine and the others are drawn into the chaos with Magneto’s minions. All the while the stand off between the Static Masculine and Dynamic Feminine ensure. Watch as he holds and she transforms into the Phoenix. Her power increases – as the Dynamic Feminine will – until the Static Masculine is essentially eradicated, allowing for a new emergence to arise. Through her violence and pervasiveness (whether as a tsunami, a contagious broad-spectrum pathogen, forest fire, or a psychotic breakdown, etc) the Dynamic Feminine clears away “the old guard”. She shakes down the established Static Masculine, no matter how much “good” it has provided. In the dark night of the self, one’s established sense of self is utterly drowned in the dark unknowing of existence; destroyed, with only what is vital and true – for whatever is next – to arise.

There comes a moment in the scene when both Professor X and, importantly, Magneto realize the Phoenix has risen. While Magneto momentarily pacifies under the awful implications of what he has done, Professor X drops into the inevitable. There is a subtle moment when he acquiesces to what simply is – the knowledge and depth that only the Static Masculine can master from holding ground for so long in order to stabilize safety for the sake of something greater than himself. We also see this in the movie Hero with Jet Li, when we realize that the emperor has been “conquering” all the areas of old China in order to bring greater harmony to more people. He had to level the energy of the Dynamic Masculine in order for something greater to be achieved. It is exactly because she has sacrificed herself to something greater than herself, and then seen it to the end, that somebody who is embodying the totality of the Static Masculine will able to surrender to the inevitable obliteration that the Dynamic Feminine always brings.

Notice how the Professor holds poise and clarity right until the end. His last words to Jean, cutting through the chaos as the Phoenix rises, as straight as his heart-truth has ever been, “Don’t let it control you.” And, with complete abandon, coupled with the wisdom of sacrifice, and a dash of humour (in acknowledgement of the play we all are in – only learnt through deepening into the Static), the Professor bids his last gesture to who…? Logan. Wolverine. A tiny smile, into the release of the unknown. This is a shattering powerful moment for all who witnessed.

Interestingly, Magneto knows where he has to step into next – his particular expression of the Static Masculine, and he moves quickly. The pain is felt by Logan and Storm. For the first time in any of the X-Men movies, Wolverine’s pain tears deep from his heart. This is the cut that the Dynamic Masculine can not heal. He (or she) can not evade this move. There is no more negotiating. No more time for the golden boy. No more time to hide.

As a coach, there is a lot to take note of here.
If your client is stuck within a Dynamic Masculine way of being, unable to take the walk of fire into the Static Masculine, s/he may start to find his/her self witnessing the turmoil and possible demise of a “structure” (Static Masculine) that he has been avoiding. Maybe he has been dodging some responsibility for some time, especially in relation to a group. Often there is a sacrifice of self that needs to be made that he does not want to do. He (or she) believes he will lose “freedoms” that he has worked hard to obtain.

The move may be very obvious to you and those that know your client. It may not be until the Dynamic Feminine destabilizes the fort that he is willing to start making new moves to embody the Static Masculine. In wiping out the Static Masculine (or some aspect of that energy) the Dynamic Feminine essentially creates a void. A vacuum in the stabilization of that particular reality. The deep dark water she works with maintains a seal that can not be broken, and thus, the Dynamic Masculine is eventually drawn into the Static Masculine – like it or not.

Helping your Dynamic Masculine client see the Static Masculine in a new way, not like the “old guard”, is essential here. He may have the opportunity to actually create and establish something more profound that he realized. She needs to see that she has claimed significant bounty, has slayed many a dragon, and is now in the position to actually stabilize (and even rest in) what she has sought for. For some clients this will be a huge relief, for others it will be terrifying. I have found the older a client is, and the less he has claimed Static Masculine ground in his life, the more challenging it will be.

For some clients they never can make this move, it is too much for them. For those clients, furthering their capacities in the Dynamic Masculine such that they feel even more free and able in their lives, until they come to acknowledge they are as free as they can ever already be, are the moves to be working on in your coaching program. This can be a challenging moment for a coach. You can see and taste the edge your client has to overcome. Their friends and family have watched your client almost reach the summit many times over. Yet, for a variety of reasons, the client simply chooses not to. It is in this moment that a profound coach recognizes that it is out of their hands, and there is not need to force a client beyond their capacity.

On the other hand, if your client is stuck within the Static Masculine you may notice how rigid she or he is. There can be a sense of fascism or aloofness, holding on so tight or “free from it all” that you may have a hard time touching them. It may be challenging to locate their hearts. Their emotions may be wrapped safely in justifications. If this stuck energy pattern of the Static Masculine is what you are experiencing from your client, then the intriguing move to make is towards the Dynamic Feminine.

There is often very little else that can be done. More stability only stagnates. More insights and “waking up” tends to only reify the defences of the one who “needs” to stay in charge. There is often an attitude of superiority, sometimes aloof. This is not always so, yet for the client who is really stuck, these signs become more tweaked and apparent. Creating the means for your client’s world to be shaken can be tricky and demanding. He obviously is working with you to move into a new direction, yet the move out of the Static Masculine into the Dynamic Feminine requires skillful coaching. You don’t need to go find your own Phoenix or create water geysers to impress, yet you will have to create practices or events in which the stability of your client is slightly to significantly disturbed.

Depending on the encroachment of your client’s belief system you may have to insert great stretches, even straining, their sense of reality enough so they actually can let go for a moment (or longer). Something needs to shift. As a coach you are in the position to help your client into that zone and safely navigate with them into the watery unknowns. This does require you to have the solid capacity to hold ground, perturb the space, and be willing to get messy, even choke on some water yourself.

As you are starting to see, we are awash within these cosmic energies. Your client will eventually be drawn into those watery depths of the Dynamic Feminine. Your potential as a profound coach is to make that as smooth as possible for your client – not sparing any necessary undoings he may need to experience. Yet, through the conscious engagement of human development, you are able to create the space in which your client can be ready for whatever unknown and never-ending experiences she or he may need to traverse. It will always be their own experience. As a profound coach your job isn’t to make it smooth, it’s to provide the way in. Be patient, gentle, yet firm. Avoid playing a Dynamic Masculine energy when working with this client, it will not support their trajectory, and you will lose their trust. Hold the stability that they will be leaving from. Be the dock in which they are shoving off of.

Lastly. You may have a client who is caught within the Dynamic Feminine. This can be a very challenging place for somebody to be residing within. Depending on how deep they are in, this may feel violently overwhelming, to immensely encompassing. S/he will most likely have the feeling of “being in something that won’t end”. There can be a darkness or heaviness also associated with this energy pattern, yet not always.

Sometimes there is simply a vacuous feeling, like nothing matters, and its hard to imagine anything will matter ever again. While there may be a sense of hopelessness, the sentiments that one experiences while in the Dynamic Feminine is different than that of depression. In clinical depression one has a sense of “something needs to come to an end” in order for me to feel better. In the most extreme cases, suicide seems like the only way out, in order to “end my life”, hence the depression. The process of the Dynamic Feminine is such that death is usually not a desire nor an option, for the “endless” feeling of the Dynamic Feminine makes any sense of forcibly ending anything somewhat non-sensical. When you feel like the living dead, there is no where to go.

These watery depths are the domain of dark night of the soul, and dark path of the self. Even the mystics have trouble relaying and holding fast within this domain. Not everybody, however, will be residing within a “transformational process”.

For some clients this is the zone they find themselves in after a tragic or challenging dis-engagement or dis-identification of the Static Masculine. It is important to assess whether an individual is stuck here due to pathological reasons or developmental reasons. The first requires therapy, the second profound coaching. For clients you believe are within the throes of the Dynamic Feminine a few elements that are important to note are:

Be careful of any tendencies (yours, theirs, or their loved ones) to try to rush through this process. Like trying to get out of a hurricane, vital energy is wasted in such efforts.
Instead, focus on stabilizing your client’s fundamental life. Ensure they can still go to work, function decently in important relationships, are eating & sleeping okay. Help them keep their lives together.
Focus practices on “staying awake” to their own process. Unlike in the other domains, there are no standard insights that can be figured out here. Each client must experience their own fullness in this domain. In the three other energetic domains, partial engagement can often work until new ground is gained. In the Dynamic Feminine there is no ground, thus simply assisting your client to stay afloat is the focus of practice.
Assist your client in seeing what is most important to him or her. Though this will barely provide any solace, a client can become more deeply acquainted with what is of “fundamental importance” to him. This is different than what is of “ultimate importance” that is the domain of the Static Masculine. Remember, a purpose of the Dynamic Feminine is to strip away our highest regards to surface was is fundamentally true.
Ensure your client does not think too much about “the process”. This domain focuses on the felt lived experience. Most mental conjectures for meaning or assimilation are simply attempts to grasp hold of something meaningful. Creates practices and forms of support that allow them to continue to rest in the fullness of their experience without mental engagement.
Surrender and giving up is a crucial base for practices and development here. The more a client attempts to fight or understand versus surrender, usually a longer and more painful struggle ensues. There is no way to calibrate the degree of challenge and ache one will experience in the Dynamic Feminine. Yet, like being in quicksand or a spider’s web, the more the effort the quicker the suffocation.
Lastly, stay ready for when your client touches ground. This may be actual earth they can stand on, or a boat or raft they have found in the waves. Both are valid and valuable. Once this occurs, your job as the coach is to once again assist them in establishing stability. Deepen their lived experience as it is right now, clearly providing evidence that they have reached safety.

Be careful that your client does not try to “become something new” (born again), or “philosophize their experience” (write the book) too quickly. This will degrade the lived bodily experience that their heart and body need to metabolize. Eventually, clients will need to rest in the next domain as the Static Feminine. However, this “rest” may not occur quite yet until other aspects are completely let go off, put to rest, died, such that new life can again emerge.

Fall of The Dynamic Masculine

While a surge to or from the Dynamic Feminine can create a vacuum for the Dynamic Masculine to be drawn into the Static Masculine, that is not always the cause of development. There comes a moment when the raw, self-directed power of the Dynamic Masculine will simply fail. This can be subtle, like the stripping of a screw, or more dramatic, such as the loss of a business. Eventually the push and thrust of the Dynamic Masculine simply can not compete with the capacity and stability of the Static Masculine.

In this clip we see Wolverine looking for Jean. Magneto has taken her to his rebel camp and Logan has gone to “save her” as the Dynamic Masculine does – slay the dragon for the princess. He makes it past the first layer of “demons”, challenges that always seem to be in the Dynamic Masculine’s way. Then he runs into the one man that can destroy him – Magento. (If you are not aware of the various “powers” of these characters – Magneto has the power to magnetize any type of metal, with that power he can bend guns, move tanks, lift ships, and toss away Wolverine, who, was a US Army experiment, in which then inserted a self-reproducing metal into his DNA structure. Yes, that is why these are comic book heroes!) As mentioned before Magneto was straddling the fence between Dynamic Masculine and Static Masculine. With the death of Xavier, his old best friend, he has been able to step into the role of Static Masculine with complete authority and autonomy.

Your Dynamic Masculine clients may be feeling the end of their power, like they simply can’t go on any more. Nothing they “do” will bring them success. No matter their efforts there is simply a feeling of impotence that they can’t overcome. This is where the move of “being” the Static Masculine takes place. There is no “doing” the Static Masculine, you simply are. Subtle signs can arise, such as: they may have lost their capacity to be funny.

Humour changes when you can’t be macho and hold your power any more. The humour of the Static Masculine is much more substantial and “awake” compared to the often witty, smart, brash, over-the-top humour of the Dynamic Masculine. They may also feel like their attractiveness is disappearing. In these moments both men and women often try to “stay young”. For some reason people simply aren’t giving them the same amount of attention they once were getting.

Intuitively most people can feel the shift of energy when somebody’s “time is up”, usually earlier then the individual does. This doesn’t mean she or he won’t be funny or attractive, simply that the power that the person possessed, which overflowed and manifested through humour and beauty, is now waning to the point of insubstantial. These are the moments when somebody’s efforts are just not going anywhere.

Many movies show these moments in many varieties, sometimes in humorous fashion, sometimes with more substance. A great scene happens in Good Will Hunting, where Will (Matt Damon) is telling his best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck) that he doesn’t want to go and be the math wizard that he is so talented and destined to be. He’d rather live there in their neighbourhood, work the job site, raise their kids, be like old times. Chuckie, in a touching moment of deep masculine brotherhood devotion, tells Will that he’ll kill him if he sticks around doing the same old shit. He tells Will that its actually not about Will anymore, its about him – his best friend, its for the sake of his friends and other guys on the job site, that WIll needs to get out of his self-identified self desires – the Dynamic Masculine – and anchor down into something more substantial.

Chuckie is actually holding two solid domains here – both the Static Feminine and Static Masculine. The place where life is safe and seems all good – the Static Feminine – actually doesn’t want Will to stick around, its time to leave the nest. This is expressed when Chuckie says the best moment in his day is the ten seconds when he picks Will up in the morning and wishes he wasn’t there – that is some hardcore truth of the Static Feminine. And, Chuckie is also holding the Static Masculine in saying that you owe your gifts not to yourself, but to those you love – you owe it to them to anchor down, quit your bullshit, and step in. Chuckie already knows his fate, and can hold the ground of the Static Masculine in a way that Will can’t yet, because Will has not lived up to his potential, beyond the “showing off” (Dynamic Masculine) of his math genius, as he does in most of the movie.

To assist your client in these times:

Provide the means for them to feel the truth of what they have “conquered”. Depending on how far they are in this process, your affirmations may not hold any water (this is an apropos analogy, since that is what it feels like in this phase – you’re drying up (opposite to the wateriness of Dynamic Feminine)).
Therefore, its important to track a client’s potential for self-pity, potential for closing off and hiding out, or for giving it one more go. These are all tactics to minimize the feeling of not being able to conquer anymore. There might be shame, embarrassment, disgust, all towards oneself. There might also be disdain for “those that didn’t help me” prepare for this time. As mentioned earlier, in today’s society a lot of young men didn’t have the strong masculine role models to prepare them for the responsibility for the future.
This is where a profound coach will allow a client just enough commiseration to allow his heart to feel the “burn of existence” that will then prompt him into Static Masculine responsibility and action. And then, a profound coach will provide the means for the client to step into the Static Masculine with as much poise and humility as is necessary such that he or she can “take their seat”.
Practices will focus on stability instead of creativity, intelligence versus intensity, clarity versus ambiguity, wakefulness versus discovery, truth versus possibility.
This will be a powerful time for a client. When a client steps into this at a ripe moment in his/her life, it will seem like everybody and the world will breath a sigh of relief. The client will start gaining a deeper degree of respect from people, and more substantial opportunities will suddenly be available.
Your job will be to keeping you client consistent and stable, building solid foundations.

A profound coach will also be keeping an eye out to see if a client is having a hard time finding where to place his step. The Static Masculine ground may be very foreign to him or her. It also may look very bleak and unappealing. Help your client discover that he can do it his way – that he can build the castle in the manner he wants, simply honour what is already there.

Build on what the “forefathers” have worked very hard to establish, in a manner that establishes greater Static Masculine solidarity. If there is any move to try and topple the “old guard” show your client that he hasn’t quite submitted to the “walk of fire” into the Static Masculine, and that he’ll just keep running into the same old guardians at the gate – just as Wolverine has done many times.

Dynamic Masculine Claims the Static Masculine Values

In order to move from the Dynamic Masculine to the Static Masculine one has to claim the values of the new way of being. In Integral Coaching™ terminology, these are the new Ways of Seeing that a client needs to start having a sense of.

Our values guide our actions. While we can adjust a client’s behaviour through various practices, true self-directed action must be linked to a substantiated and trusted value – otherwise its just goofing around. In this movie clip, this is the first time we see Logan claiming the values of the Static Masculine. His team is small and concerned. Instead of dismissing their fears as he often did in the Dynamic Masculine, he acknowledges their fears. He speaks to the past (the loss of Scott and The Professor), linking their choices and actions to a thread of continuity. The Static Masculine is the keeper of time, and uses historical landmarks to inspire and lead. Logan also creates camaraderie, owning what he values and then establishing a means for the others to join him. Compared to the first clip we saw of Wolverine, his while approach is different. He still embodies the same power and robustness, yet his motivations are directed for the sake of something greater than himself – establishing a team of X-Men that stands together for a higher good, a greater truth.

This is an important scene, especially because of the fore-shadowing in Storm’s words, “Are you ready to do what is necessary when the time comes?” In this scene she is holding the already established ground of the Static Masculine (since she has already been in that capacity), and yet also the force of life from the Static Feminine. “Are you willing to do what is necessary when the time comes?” These are the words that you will be holding for your client that is about ready to step into the Static Masculine. Depending on the scope of your relationship you may not actually be the one who will be speaking there to your client, yet it will be the energy that you will be holding for them.

Your job as a profound coach is to provide two things:

1Practices to establish the humble confidence and dedication to responsibility that your client will really need to be resting within in order to make the move into the Static Masculine. These are the deep breath moments, when we know what we need to do, and just need to do it. Hopefully by now you have helped your client establish a new ground of being through consistent Foundation Practices. There is a space that she can feel under her, even if she has not completely stepped in yet.

2The right style of encouragement is also important here. The “Ho-Ha – GO Get ‘EM!” high-energy style of encouragement is often not the appropriate way to send your client forward. Neither is an uplifting, “You can do it” motherly type sentiment. While it may be challenging, a solemn or even somber style of energy is usually the best style of encouragement to provide a client ready to make the move into the Static Masculine. To enliven the mood in which you are supporting a client here actually diminishes the work and challenge they are about to step into. In fact, as a coach, not holding the right expression of energy for your client here may cause a rift of distrust between the two of you. Be careful not to let your own discomfort with stability or consequence unconsciously percolate.

A profound coach will hold a client to the fire’s edge, knowing that you have given all you can to your client to prepare her, and now it is up to her to walk across. Let others provide the “positive energy”. As a profound coach working with a client to make a move into the Static Masculine, you’re holding an important thread between your client’s worlds. If anything, find your best neutral mood, and trust that equanimity will provide.

The Step Into the Static Masculine

The energetic feel of moving between the Dynamic Masculine and Static Masculine is that of heat and fire. In the sacrifice of the individual will in service of the social demands a person experiences a burning up of what was. Burning off the old, so the clarity of the new can shine forth. The heat comes from the frustration that the individual feels when having to swallow and suffer one’s own will rather than act on it.

In the tribes of old, this is the time when young ones would go through initiations, often with a massive amount of energy and intensity. Sometimes there was heat or immense cold, yet always some form of pain. Regardless of the source or style of pain, the individual has to simply succumb to the fiery trials that are set before him. In this submission to the group one chooses to experience the unspeakable for the sake of higher ground that the entire group supports. In modern times we experience similar rites of passage in front of PhD tribunals and military boot camps. Putting in the long hours at the office in order to get the promotion is another form of tempering the individual self in service of a greater reward – security.

In this video clip we see the brewing of heat in its many forms. First, Storm electrocutes one of the enemy mutants – the dry heat of electricity. Then, Magneto and Pyro – using team work – throw fiery cars onto the “good guys”. Like a barrier, one of the nine gates of Hell, the flames wash down on our heroes. It is amongst this heat that Wolverine notices the key needed for their success – the mutant antidote in needle bullets.

His statement, “we work as a team.” He asks the Iceman to work on the fire of Pyro. The young mutant Iceman stepping into his own masculine power as he goes head-to-head with his old friend. Your client may be in a similar situation in her life. A challenge against the old, having to stand up for the greater good in opposition to those she once called friends. This can be a horrendous time for a person. Having to make choices, usually from the heart, in order to establish a higher ethical order, a greater moral expression.

Movies such as The Departed are brilliant at expressing the scope of challenges one can face in such moments. We have all been there. The choice is usually obvious, yet the heat of the process is often overwhelming. Your job as a coach with clients making these moves is to help them hold ground. Depending on where she is in her process, your client may still be looking for a way out. Usually, by this time, once the Static Masculine values have been claimed, its more of a matter of sticking with it. Reduction of distraction is important here, as is support. As Logan says in this clip, “I need some cover”. Focus is important. Creating practices that assist your client in maintaining congruency and surrender is vital for this time. We see that it is through teamwork and vulnerability that Wolverine and the team are able to eliminate Magneto’s powers.

There is a good chance that your power to hold your client to deliverance will be tested here. As we get older the comfort and safety of our current ways of being can really keep our drive and energy engaged in patterns that are difficult to overcome even when we deeply desire to. Depending on the scope of your client’s life he may have been through several “fiery initiations” already, and taking on one more may simply seem too challenging. Age is a variable in this motivation, if only a minor one. The older we get the less we want to deal with the heat. In youth we can see or intuit the other side, and find what it takes to go for it. Yet, with age, the value of going through another trial has to be very worthwhile. Once we have accumulated a certain degree of comfort in our lives it takes a lot of motivation to step up into that next level of expression. One has to let go of the self in the move from Dynamic to Static masculine. Even if one really wants to and sees the value, the energetic momentum can be demanding to build.

Your job as the profound coach is to:

Keep showing the value in the person’s upcoming new moves, value that lies beyond himself, and yet is necessary for his own fulfilment, which leads to…
Also keep exposing the pain your client is in by not stepping up; this “pain” may be experienced in many ways – immense frustration, feelings of worthlessness, inability to sleep well, poor communication with others – and attempts to assuage or anesthetize this pain or try to fix it, only prolongs the agony
At some point there is no more that can be done, they just need to jump.

Two other points of interest here:

It is in this stage, the actual step into the Static Masculine that a client may believe that having more practices is the way to go. There is often a belief that more knowledge, more insight, more practice will get them better prepared. you might here, “Once I get in shape, then I’ll…”, “after I read this book I’ll know what I need to do”, or, “I just need a bit more time to feel into all the aspects I’m taking into account here”. These types of statements are usually tell-tale signs that your client is stalling. Most likely you’ll have a feeling of, “ya, right, that won’t help at all”, probably other people in their life believe the same thing. Consistently shining a light on your client’s ways of maneuvering around taking the step in is where you work is here.
Also, once your client does step, she/he may suddenly (by choice or happenstance) drop a lot of the “stability” that they once used to hold themselves up. For example, if a client has been holding off on writing a book and then finally steps into doing it, his regular gym routine may start to fall of its routine. Your client may start doing things that are out of the norm, staying up later, eating differently, not going out as much – this is all very normal as somebody claims their Static Masculine move.
Initially their focus becomes more streamlined and their patterns aligned with the new moves they are claiming. They may feel concerned or bad about this. As a profound coach you can help them by sorting through their confusion and pointing towards the new ways of going that they are making. As well, for you coaches that know the lingo, now is the time to assist your client in new Ways of Checking also, since these were not really available before. Give your client some time to waffle around in this new expression of self – claiming his seat. Then start to slowly layer on any necessary practices or routines that will help him stabilize on this new ground.

The Power of the Static Feminine

From the first line of this clip we can tell that Wolverine has passed through the formidable gates of the Static Masculine and now is in the free-flow of existence. What is fascinating to note, is that often, when we do pass through to our next level of energetic expression, if we have done so boldly, with complete surrender yet also with upright integrity, then we are free to move very fluidly between all the energies.

Suddenly, the dam that was holding back the flood of our being has been released and we enter immense and capable flow. We still have our new “native territory” that we have claimed and will reside in, yet the flush of freedom provides us with much agility. Over time this will start to slow, and our flow will meander more widely and consistently. Yet, you’ll note with your clients who do make it into their next level of energetic Gender Pattern, there will be a bit of time where they can embody many facets and capacities – IF, as I mentioned, they’ve crossed bold upright integrity in their surrender. Any tendency to look back or feel false humbleness will lessen this agile time.

“I’m the only one who can stop her”, proclaims Logan, as Jean, now moving to embody the fullest expression of the Phoenix in retaliation for Magneto’s demise. The he says, “get everyone to safety”, owning the power of the Static Masculine fully, and ensuring the people under his claimed leadership are taken care of. Note the billowing ascension of dark water, as the destruction ensues. Remember, Jean as the Phoenix (the only class 5 mutant) embodies the greatest expression of the Dynamic Feminine- utter chaos, unknowing, the ripping apart of existence, space, and time. While “goals” are not really an actual aspect of the Dynamic Feminine, her capacity is to set forth the mysterious forces of phenomena, in a capricious and unpredictable manner, which – in closely watching the trends – assists to establish a higher order of integration. There comes a point when only chaos will free us from the rational mind of self and collective. There is actually nothing we can do to prevent this energetic truth. While we can prepare, Her watery ways will always find a way under in order to upsurge any beliefs we still value.

“I’m the only one who can stop her” is a foreshadowing of the move that Wolverine will have to make. When we watch him climb the steps, we might view him as embodying the Dynamic Masculine, pressing forth against the onslaught of unbearable power to save the beautiful Jean Grey. We might also believe that he is wearing the full power of the Static Masculine, holding “the truth” above all else and conquering the Phoenix for the sake of “right order” amongst the mutants. It is not until we hear his answer to her question do we realize he has actually stepped completely into his free-flow of his power, agile in his heart and capacity.

Wolverine has moved through the Static Masculine – stability and safety for the people – to the Static Feminine – maintaing the flow and order of life and death. His heart is so wide and free that the only truth that permeates him is that of Life. Remember the Static Masculine holds to rules, ideas, obligations, and constructs in order to ensure safe dominion. In most circumstances, those governed by the energies of the Dynamic Masculine, Static Feminine, or even other Static Masculines, that righteousness is what is appropriate and will prevail. That authority is good and right in those situations. However, the only energy that is able to end the dominance of the Dynamic Feminine is the Static Feminine.
“You would die for them?”, she asks. “No, not for them, for you. For you.”
This was the key to Jean being released from the Phoenix. We can see Jean, as person and woman, within the power that overtakes her as the Phoenix. Logan’s heart was only focused on the true heart of Jean. He was able to see through the overwhelming force of the Phoenix to the personal heart of Jean. If he were to be taking “them” – everyone – into account, then he would have still been in the Static Masculine, and the Phoenix would have torn him apart. He was however, fully rested in the dominion of the Static Feminine, and that tenderness was no match, the Phoenix could only surrender. Killing both of them was the only answer.

The power of that killing rests in the Static Feminine’s capacity to hold the impersonal with the personal. For the Static Feminine, the on-going expression of Life is the only intention. In that purpose, both the personal and impersonal have a place, yet one is not greater than the other. Like back in the clip from Good Will Hunting, when Chuckie tells Will that the best part of his day is when he thinks Will might have left without saying good-bye. We can feel the caliber of personal and impersonal in that one statement.

It is a quality of love that only the embodied heart of the Static Feminine can express. The Static Masculine, who can also operate out of complete love, must allays reside further into the impersonal. His domain represents the heavens of the transpersonal, beyond the individuation of the Dynamic Masculine. This is why we see those “stuffy old men up on high” in various offices of authority that always seem completely bereft of emotion, as if somebody ripped their sense of person-ness out of their hearts, only caring for “what is right and true”, instead of the individual.

The Static Feminine holds “the balance” of Life together in very majestic ways. For a client who is entering this domain your job will be to help them discover equanimity in the face of tough choices. Your program for them will also contain practices of simplicity and connection, finding the personal in everyday moments. Here is where the laughter and play of everyday life becomes buoyant. Instead of the rigid rules of the Static Masculine, the Static Feminine finds a way to bend them for the sake of personalized love. This is mom secretly giving you a cookie, even though you didn’t finish dinner. This is the dandelion finding its ways through a crack in the cement. This is helping a stranger change a flat tire without needing to know their name.

For a client who finds themselves re-emerging into the Static Feminine a lot of play and robustness may emerge. As a profound coach part of your job will be to help your client settle into the simplicity and fullness of this re-birthed energy. Watch to ensure they don’t turn what is happening here into the personal. Many people in our materialized society, especially men, tend to want to start pushing into the Dynamic Masculine once they have had a good wash in the Static Feminine. If somebody has been a “warrior-type” most of their life, it may be hard for them to rest in the bosom of the Static Feminine. Others may actually finally find the solace they have been needing; they’ve worked so hard, and established so much, that now they can simply rest in the organic fullness of the Life that holds it all.

Culture actually plays the most significance in this energy. While “mother” does have a universal archetypal truth and feel to its manifestation, culturally how mothers treat, care for, and individuate their children is very vast in the 21st century. How comfortable a client is with mother energy will show up once they enter the Static Feminine. Since the Static Masculine energy over the last few decades has been waning and weak in many first-world cultures, many people are conflictual with how to be with Static Feminine – mother – energy. In many families the mother had to take on many roles, and the children didn’t experience the pure clarity of the Static Feminine much. If you intuit this may be happening for your client, your job will be to assist her in finding the simplest ways to nurture herself, showing him the joy in resting in what he has accomplished without making it to be more or less than what it is. While as the coach you don’t want to actually take on the “mother” role for your client, you can however hold a more sibling style of energy, sharing the joy of simple experience in this domain of Static Feminine embrace.

While there are many other nuances and angles to explore within these energetic Gender Patterns, this has been a thorough start. I’m impressed, you’ve made it to the end. If working with these energies within your coaching practice interests you then I suggest buying Gareth Hill’s book and diving in.

Learning how to properly comprehend, asses, and then employ these energetic patterns takes time, insight, and practice. For personalized instruction in how to start developing this capacity for yourself please contact me, and we can discuss working together. When you are ready to deepen your coaching abilities, expanding your range to provide creative and deep work to your clients, take a look at my Services for Coaches. Connect with me, and we’ll begin.