In terms of reincarnation, I’m sure most of us have incarnated as a different sex or gender than the one we currently inhabit, but most of us don’t hang on to that gender when we reincarnate. Gender, sex and bodies, like everything else, is impermanent.
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For example, I’m thinking of Kulreet Chaudry, author of Sound Medicine, who writes in her book about her teacher, The Mother, who was born in a male body but was predominately female in previous lifetimes.
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So you’re saying they were born as a biological male but presented in a feminine form? If so, that’s interesting.
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Another observation. Some people seem less attached to gender than to others. For instance I’m a biological male and identify as male, but if you took a magic wand and turned me into a female, I could roll with that. It would be interesing to experience what the female form and experience in this world is like. And if you took the wand and again turned me into a male again, I could roll with that as well. I am relatively gender non-attached. But the Trans folks that I know find it extremely painful that their biological sex doesn’t match their internal sense of gender. And I don’t mean to imply that my less attached experience is spiritually superior. Just a noticing of difference.
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The Third Gender and Hijras | Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School.
@fenwizard I know nothing on this topic, but I believe the problem is a conceptual one.
In societies that do not have an option for 3rd genders, or 4th genders, 5th, etc, the gender non conforming individual will typically pick from the 2 genders available, the gender that conceptually fits their minds.
It would not shock me if there are infinitely many genders, just waiting to be discovered.
I dont agree with policies that allow children to mutilate their bodies, I think history will judge our culture very harshly on this one. But I do agree that adults who are sane and have gone through the appropriate therapy and steps should have the right to transition and be treated as equal members of society without discrimination. From my understanding, these therapies used to take years to make sure a person was 100% ready for the ramifications, to weed out anyone who might regret the body modification surgery. Now a days, in some locations, it seems after 1 doctors visit you can start children on hormone therapy. I think this is very harmful and dangerous practice, and it benefits the health care sector far more than it benefits these young vulnerable minds, some of whom have been indoctrinated, and go one to seriously regret these hormone therapies or surgeries.
I think it is possible to live a happy and healthy life as a 3rd gender or gender non conforming person, without any medical intervention (hormones, surgery, drugs, etc). The key for this is to have a society that offers this option, as many cultures have throughout time.
If weight lifters have the right to pump themselves full of steroids, and women have the right to get breast implants, I dont see what is wrong with adults modifying their bodies and gentials, if thats what makes them truly happy. In my mind its far more important to focus on spiritual health and mental wellbeing, rather than the material or physical world.
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In my limited experience with trans folks, there are some who identify with the opposite gender and others that identify with qualities of both genders and prefer the pronoun “they.” All of these genders need to be allowed and affirmed in my opinion.
The whole question of allowing adolescents to transition before they are legal adults is a complex one. One downside of having them wait until after puberty is that there can be irreversable changes. Such as voice changing to male sounding in trans females. But one thing that I think that mental health professionals may not always consider is peer pressure effects. I’ve heard of cases where kids get into a clique where several other kids are transitioning, and to fit in they feel they are trans as well and should transition and there have been a few cases where they later regretted it. The mental health professionals who approve the transitions need to rule this factor out.
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Agreed, but not at the extent that they start to destroy the rights of others.
No doubt. Its my understanding that many European countries are beginning to see the consequences of suicides from transitioning children too early.
These cases of false positives are heart breaking. They are also I think one of the largest contributors to Transphobia.
In my opinion one of the most vulnerable periods of a persons life is the years surrounding puberty. I saw a statistic that 1 in 3 teenage girls contemplates suicide, would not shock me if that number is much higher.
This extremely vulnerable period in children’s lives is also when they seem to be the most sensitive to peer pressure and social contagions. Its also a time of very high self consciousness, low self esteem, and body image issues. Offering a vulnerable mind a ‘Silver Bullet’ to cure all their woes is very dangerous/ I heard one person say that putting a child on hormone therapy is like telling an anorexic person go on a juice cleanse to cure the issue, the point being the heart of the problem is not being addressed, and the prescription could make things far worse.
One downside of not letting them experience puberty may be that critical areas of the brain that experience growth or transformation during this time period, get stunted or hurt. I’m not a doctor, but it is my understanding that the brain continues to grow and develop well into a persons lates 20s- mid 30s. Why do you think there is an age discrimination for the minimum age a person needs to run for president of the US (35 years)?
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I have a friend whose daughter slowly started realizing she was a “he”.
It was a very painful transformation for him, from the inside, for several years. When he finally started taking hormones, it all started make much sense to him and everyone around. When he was finally also looking outside in the way he looked at him from the inside, the family could finally fully accept and better understand this decision.
In this process I saw his mother becoming more at peace with her education… in the beginning it was a huge shock, where she was thinking she had given him everything, and somehow she felt she had done something wrong.
This transformation process was mind blowing for everyone involved.
I remember in the beginning of the process tuning in with him, and my feeling was that there was no space for that feminine energy to grow - there was no fertile environment to deal with the feminine gender, but there was space for him to have attention and love, through assuming his inside feelings.
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I believe this is the most important factors for helping gender fluid individuals are:
LOVE, openness, acceptance, and positive attention
These ‘therapies’ are golden.
The hormones, surgeries, and other medical interventions take a back seat to those primary ‘therapies’ which I believe are essential for healing and overall well being of these individuals.
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‘may i feel said he’ - E. E. Cummings
"may i feel said he
(i’ll squeal said she
just once said he)
it’s fun said she
(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she
(let’s go said he
not too far said she
what’s too far said he
where you are said she)
may i stay said he
which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she
may i move said he
is it love said she)
if you’re willing said he
(but you’re killing said she
but it’s life said he
but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she
(tiptop said he
don’t stop said she
oh no said he)
go slow said she
(cccome?said he
ummm said she)
you’re divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)"
‘may i feel said he’ - E. E. Cummings
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Thank you for this. His youtube channel is fantastic!
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It has arrived! (yesterday)
My Lu Jong teacher recommended it to me and shared these videos also:
2021: Holistic Life Series: Kalachakra Yoga Practice: Working with the Subtle Body
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