Wow, this is stunning, my friend. 💖💖 The way you guide us into the Sacred Marriage with reverence, clarity, and so much embodied wisdom feels like an offering in itself. I love how you root these archetypes in their deeper, pre-patriarchal context, especially drawing on Inanna and the Hieros Gamos. You're truly doing the work that's needed now.
Your invitation to stop seeing these archetypes through the lens of gender polarity is so powerful, and I deeply resonate with how you framed the Empress and Emperor not as opposites but as necessary, complementary energies within us all. That image of allowing the feminine to flow and create, supported by the masculine’s structure and direction, feels like such a clear map toward wholeness. The power and the guardian of the power.
And your own journey—bringing the fire of the feminine “No” into your body and unlearning perfectionism—spoke directly to so many things I’ve lived through too. I’m so grateful for the spaciousness and groundedness you offer in this piece. It’s not just a post, it’s a living ritual. Thank you! 💛
Jenna, I am deeply touched by all that you've said here. I appreciate how you've seen so deeply into my intent, and named it. Your words of, "It’s not just a post, it’s a living ritual." Soothes my heart. And so true!
I agree, this is the work needed now, a bringing together not a tearing apart. A dance where these opposites are seen more as complements. Interdependent energies that temper the other. Not as a holding back, but by making the two stronger because they are together. Love to you dear friend. 💜💜💜
Julie, thank you for continuing to speak truth about the dysfunction around gender in our current culture. And also the immutable truth that every single one of us has both the divine feminine and masculine energies in us, to be used in an organic ebb and flow. So much of the conflict and cruelty we're witnessing is related to the disconnect from these divine energies. Your collage of Jonathan Weber's art is exquisite, too! 💜✨☀️💜
Thanks Keith. I see in myself how hard it is at times to not make these principles about gender, and the resulting dysfunction of them that is so ingrained in our culture that makes us do that. Yet the deeper truth is we each have our own recipe of these sacred principles that makes us what we are. Each formula different, by design - and how wonderful is that. And yes to the "organic ebb and flow."
And glad you liked the collage - I enjoyed making it. Art made real in my own life and body. 💜💫
Hi Julie! Love this article about the sacred marriage! Thank you for your perspective on the Emperor and Empress! I certainly have a new and expanded definition of marriage that starts with ourselves and the feminine and masculine within each of us.
I get so tickled at how Substack allows us to collaborate and create community in this way. So happy to be walking this Substack way with you too Julie!
you are sharing such amazing stuff Julie!! I am blown away by this ancient indigenous perspective of sacred marriage. and with what i learned from you about Innana's journey yesterday, this is wonderful and so impactful. exactly what is needed within the current paradigm of challenge and change, the hard work of descent, and embracing the trickster energy that is forcing a call to action. the light at the end of the tunnel is the sacred marriage!! love love love, and big hugs dear friend. you are a beacon.
Ahhh thanks so much Mare, you are such a dear heart to me. I'm glad you received this message from Inanna from our journey the other night. This sacred marriage is more important now than ever. Which means we first need to clean our own house, thus the descent. Then the rising to join in the Hieros Gamos, this sacred marriage of masculine and feminine! Love to you! 💜
Thank you for this reflection it’s stirred something within me I don’t know what to do with so I will leave it here.
You state that “The Empress embodies earth and water, that of body, heart, emotions, and intuition. The Emperor contributes fire and air, that of passion, inspiration, logic, and reason.”
While I don’t disagree, a musing flickered in my mind.
We know that stories have been corrupted over the years to fit the “toxic male conditioning”. I’m finding through my explorations of the elements that there is an overwhelming amount of masculine connection to water and earth and on the reverse feminine connections to fire and air. I’m wondering if when these cards originated it wasn’t that they were ruled by those elements but that they were tasked to understand those elements from the perspective of the opposite sex. To teach the men to be softer and the women to be stronger… to embrace the duality living within them.
I feel this I will be going deeper into reflection about this… I just needed to put these somewhere so thank you.
Wow, this is stunning, my friend. 💖💖 The way you guide us into the Sacred Marriage with reverence, clarity, and so much embodied wisdom feels like an offering in itself. I love how you root these archetypes in their deeper, pre-patriarchal context, especially drawing on Inanna and the Hieros Gamos. You're truly doing the work that's needed now.
Your invitation to stop seeing these archetypes through the lens of gender polarity is so powerful, and I deeply resonate with how you framed the Empress and Emperor not as opposites but as necessary, complementary energies within us all. That image of allowing the feminine to flow and create, supported by the masculine’s structure and direction, feels like such a clear map toward wholeness. The power and the guardian of the power.
And your own journey—bringing the fire of the feminine “No” into your body and unlearning perfectionism—spoke directly to so many things I’ve lived through too. I’m so grateful for the spaciousness and groundedness you offer in this piece. It’s not just a post, it’s a living ritual. Thank you! 💛
Jenna, I am deeply touched by all that you've said here. I appreciate how you've seen so deeply into my intent, and named it. Your words of, "It’s not just a post, it’s a living ritual." Soothes my heart. And so true!
I agree, this is the work needed now, a bringing together not a tearing apart. A dance where these opposites are seen more as complements. Interdependent energies that temper the other. Not as a holding back, but by making the two stronger because they are together. Love to you dear friend. 💜💜💜
Julie, thank you for continuing to speak truth about the dysfunction around gender in our current culture. And also the immutable truth that every single one of us has both the divine feminine and masculine energies in us, to be used in an organic ebb and flow. So much of the conflict and cruelty we're witnessing is related to the disconnect from these divine energies. Your collage of Jonathan Weber's art is exquisite, too! 💜✨☀️💜
Thanks Keith. I see in myself how hard it is at times to not make these principles about gender, and the resulting dysfunction of them that is so ingrained in our culture that makes us do that. Yet the deeper truth is we each have our own recipe of these sacred principles that makes us what we are. Each formula different, by design - and how wonderful is that. And yes to the "organic ebb and flow."
And glad you liked the collage - I enjoyed making it. Art made real in my own life and body. 💜💫
Bingo!
Hi Julie! Love this article about the sacred marriage! Thank you for your perspective on the Emperor and Empress! I certainly have a new and expanded definition of marriage that starts with ourselves and the feminine and masculine within each of us.
Thanks so much! It's a powerful embodiment, and so needed in our world right now. 💜
Great piece, enlightening and right on target.
Thanks so much! Appreciate that! 💜
Such a beautiful post Julie, I couldn't help re-stacking quite a few quotes♥️🙏🕊️
I so appreciate you Camilla! Thanks for the re-stacking and for sharing this passion! 💜
I get so tickled at how Substack allows us to collaborate and create community in this way. So happy to be walking this Substack way with you too Julie!
you are sharing such amazing stuff Julie!! I am blown away by this ancient indigenous perspective of sacred marriage. and with what i learned from you about Innana's journey yesterday, this is wonderful and so impactful. exactly what is needed within the current paradigm of challenge and change, the hard work of descent, and embracing the trickster energy that is forcing a call to action. the light at the end of the tunnel is the sacred marriage!! love love love, and big hugs dear friend. you are a beacon.
Ahhh thanks so much Mare, you are such a dear heart to me. I'm glad you received this message from Inanna from our journey the other night. This sacred marriage is more important now than ever. Which means we first need to clean our own house, thus the descent. Then the rising to join in the Hieros Gamos, this sacred marriage of masculine and feminine! Love to you! 💜
Thank you for this reflection it’s stirred something within me I don’t know what to do with so I will leave it here.
You state that “The Empress embodies earth and water, that of body, heart, emotions, and intuition. The Emperor contributes fire and air, that of passion, inspiration, logic, and reason.”
While I don’t disagree, a musing flickered in my mind.
We know that stories have been corrupted over the years to fit the “toxic male conditioning”. I’m finding through my explorations of the elements that there is an overwhelming amount of masculine connection to water and earth and on the reverse feminine connections to fire and air. I’m wondering if when these cards originated it wasn’t that they were ruled by those elements but that they were tasked to understand those elements from the perspective of the opposite sex. To teach the men to be softer and the women to be stronger… to embrace the duality living within them.
I feel this I will be going deeper into reflection about this… I just needed to put these somewhere so thank you.