Years ago, in desperation, I made a sacred doll to represent what I felt to be the “wounded masculine” part of myself — a creature jaggedly cut off from his core; his heart barren, cold, barricaded; his perception limited to logic and analysis, rejecting what’s fluid and intuitive.

Creating this three-dimensional image helped me externalize — literally objectify — his way of being, placing me in a position to observe him and his schemes.

I’ve known this character as he’s inhabited my inner world, and my outer world as well. I’ve judged him harshly, treated him with resentment and disrespect. I've operated with a large, weighty and ultimately dysfunctional chip on my shoulder regarding all I've tagged as "patriarchal."

Mercifully, life is giving me opportunities to release these judgments, invoke compassion and forgiveness in both inner and outer realms. What a relief!

I recently created a ritual to signal this release and invoke healing all around. The ritual involved placing the icon in the neighborhood of joy, inviting him to sit in the lap of the Sacred Feminine and finally burying him near a Native American ceremonial mound in a nest of moss, holly berries, seashells and feathers.

In my next post, "Notes on the Wounded Masculine," I'll tell you about three or four times recently when I've observed clueless male behavior, and my own self-imposed distress. Mercifully, I've been able to crank these aggravations around into insights into — and opportunities for addressing — the wounded masculine part of my personality.

For now, here's a selection of photos sharing the ritual of release and healing with you.

Blessed be,
Lisa