Reflections on Strictly, Merlin and divine feminine/masculine essence
I don’t watch TV much but when I do I’m fascinated by the metaphors for life that leap out at every turn. At the moment I’m pondering again the balance of feminine and masculine energy and what it means to be fully in your divine feminine or masculine essence.
I confess to being an avid fan of Strictly. It makes the winter months bearable and I love to watch the progression of the celebrities. I secretly dream that I might one day be one of them – hopefully before I get to be the token ‘oldie’! Watching the 2011 final was very revealing, I thought, in this whole divine feminine/masculine thing. The two male celebrities (Jason Donovan and Harry Judd) danced their hearts out, fully in their essence as male dancing partners.
It is often said that the hardest thing for the male celebs is to learn to lead their lady. What you see though is that when dancers truly dance together in absolutely harmony, both absolutely in their masculine/feminine essence, there is no leading or following – they simply move as one. But to get to that space, the male has to be completely empowered in his essence in relation to his female partner – and only the female can give that power.
You could see that so clearly in both Jason and Harry. Kristina and Aliona, both women totally in their essence and divine feminine power as dancers, were able to empower their partners through their choreography and their confidence, to truly shine their light. And shine they did – as dancers and as men. Both Jason and Harry were totally at one with their female partners – the divine balance of masculine and feminine energy shone out like the Blackpool illuminations and it was truly beautiful to watch. My real regret is that one couple is eliminated after two dances. I think that is such a shame and frankly wrong. I, for one, want to see all three couples perform all their dances. Yes, because they have worked so hard on them, but also because by this stage in the competition they are truly amazing and inspirational to watch, and I want to see everything they have to offer. Sod the competition, just give me the dance!
And so to Chelsee. Didn’t she dance superbly too? Oh yes… but. For me, Chelsee did not own the dance floor, and her own divine essence, in quite the same way as the boys. She had it in her jive, but then something was missing. You could see it in her face through and after her show dance; her bright smile sat on her lips but did not shine from her soul.
Maybe it is an age thing. Maybe it’s a self belief thing – she just about admitted she might be a dancer when she got to the semi’s. Whichever, Chelsee is not yet a woman fully comfortable in, and shining from, her own divine feminine essence. Contrast Chelsee with Anita Dobson, Pamela Stephenson and Cherie Lunghi when she performed that sublime Rhumba with James Jordan in 2008 (if you want a reminder click here) – these women were totally owning their divine feminine essence. It is the one thing that Pasha could not give Chelsee, because it is the one thing that no man can give a woman. Feeling and owning the full power of our own feminine essence is something we women have to find for ourselves. Women call, men respond (even if we have been led to believe the contrary for centuries).
Pasha did a superb job in bringing out Chelsee’s natural talent as a dancer, building her confidence and her self-belief. She was a joy to watch and a joy to get to know over the series (I confess to an eye-rolling moment when I first heard her Mancunian accent, shame on me for being so judgemental). I voted for her. I adored her. But I can absolutely get why the nation fell for Harry, and for Russell Grant (who I think is a far better dancer than we were allowed to see). We all respond to someone, male or female, who shines from their very essence and, consciously or unconsciously, we are drawn to the divine harmony created when a fully empowered man and a woman completely in her essence meld into one entity. It is what we all are striving for, yearning for even, whether we realise it or not.
The Strictly final was a superb metaphor for the relationships we all want to achieve in life. And when we learn to work ‘together’ in the way these dancers have to – focusing on the glue that binds us rather than the differences that pull us apart – then we as individuals, couples and nations will dance in harmony also. It will be a magical thing!
Talking of magic, Merlin – my other winter TV pleasure – gave me another aspect of feminine essence to ponder. In the penultimate programme of the series, Morgana – the purveyor of Dark Magic and half sister to King Arthur – has finally got her way and ousted Arthur from his throne (at least until the final episode). Here is a woman who totally owns her own power, her divine feminine essence, but sadly channels it for her own ego rather than for the good of all. It is a poignant reminder that even in our divine essence, we have dark and light, and we can channel that divine energy either way.
Morgana too is empowering legions of men to serve her. She has called them, and they have responded. She empowers their egos, the dark side of their masculine energies – the macho, competitive, win at all costs and brutally beat into submission anyone who doesn’t agree. And yet what she truly wants is to be loved and accepted – just as we all do, men and women. That divine harmony I talked about above can only come about through love and acceptance; it will never come about through fear, terror and bullying.
One very poignant moment is when Morgana asks ‘Do the people of Camelot love me now?’ Of course not, they still love Arthur. They love him because he serves his people and his kingdom first and his ego second. Morgana, driven by her ego before her heart, has not learnt that love and respect needs to be earned; it cannot be commanded. And yet of course, her ego is fed by her ability to empower the egos of men (there are notably no women in her army), and because they respond to her, she feels loved, respected and vindicated. Sadly, she discovers this kind of love is only ego-deep.
Maybe I’m just a bit weird in my thinking (but heh ho). I think Merlin and Strictly are both great metaphors for our own divine powerful essence of being; our own magical capabilities. Right there in two great TV programmes are all our struggles played out on screen, and also the answers to those struggles.
As a woman it is in my power to inspire the souls of men or to inflame their egos. And whether they like it or not, men are at the mercy of women in their divine essence. So shall we own our essence and use our magic to inspire and dance with our men? I think we all – men and women – will be much happier when we do. Working together for our own glitter ball has to be better than fighting over who gets to sit on the throne, surely?
© Tina Bettison 2011 Images © BBC 2011
End note: Since first writing this, my fiancé Paul and I have started dancing lessons together. Glitter balls here we come!