Divine Androgyny: The Spiritual Path of Mutual Surrender

By John H. Mann

Divine Androgyny arose spontaneously five years ago during
A series of teaching that the author was giving in Sedona,
Arizona. It has since been widely in the U.S. and Mexico,
Canada and Europe.

It is a sacred process that happens effortlessly in the
Presence of an initiated couple, such as John and Mirananda
Mann. By their mutual surrender a portal is created through which
The higher spiritual energy of the universe is free to manifest.
John Mann is the author of the fourteen books including: Rudi-14
Years With My Teacher, Body Of Light, Learning To Be, Students Of The Light,
Encounter and Frontiers Of Psychology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477130902

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Copyright © 2012 by John H. Mann.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Cover photograph by Josh Race of a stained glass window designed and executed by Mary Ott on commission of the author.

Back cover photograph by Sharon Smith.

All interior illustrations by Juan Li except for page x which is by Sean Derity.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

1. The Significance of Doing Nothing Together

2. The Coming of Divine Androgyny

3. If There Were A Higher Power

4. Reclaiming The Feminine and Realigning The Masculine

5. The Nature of Divine Androgyny

6. Experiences of Participants

7. A Comparison of Spiritual Paths

8. Divine Androgyny In The Future

9. Conclusion

10. Epilogue

The Ultimate Relationship

is one in which

the two participants blend

creating

a new form of being:

The Divine Androgen

Androgyny may be the oldest archetype of which we have any experience. (It) appears in us as an innate sense of a primordial cosmic unity, having existed in oneness ..before any separation (was) made.

Androgyny: The Opposites Within by June Singer,

Boston: Sigo Press, 1989. Page 5.

Jesus said, ‘When you make the male and the female one and the same…then you will enter the Kingdom of God.

Gospel of Thomas.

"These two come paired but distinct

By their names.

Of all things profound,

Say that their pairing is deepest,

The gate to the root of the world."

Tao Te Ching: A new translation by R.B. Blakney,

New York: Mentor Books, 1955. Page 53. Poem One.

Acknowledgements

I wish to express my indebtedness and gratitude to all those who have participated in the conception of Divine Androgyny: and particularly to Capella who has devoted herself to the fulfillment of that process. And most of all to the manifesting Sacred Power itself without whose presence Divine Androgyny would never have been born.

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Preface

Any description of the nature of Divine Androgyny inevitably reflects the individual viewpoint of the writer. In what follows I have endeavored to describe my own experience and the understanding to which it has led. Other participants might have chosen to interpret it in different terms. They might have even called it something else, such as Receiving Grace Together rather than Divine Androgyny. But in the interest of clarity, I herewith present my own truth in the hope that it will help you discover what is true for you.

John Mann

11/26/98

Riverbend,

Lake Lure, NC

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Chapter One

The Significance of Doing Nothing Together

The heart of Divine Androgyny is doing nothing together. It sounds like a simple process, but it rarely occurs spontaneously and when it does its significance, like the space between two thoughts, is usually missed.

There are certain forms of meditation where the space between two thoughts is far more important than the content of the thoughts themselves because it constitutes a way to enter the creative void from which all experience arises. In a similar manner, doing nothing together creates a portal through which a higher power can manifest.

But the doorway must remain open long enough for this process to occur. Ordinarily, when two people unexpectedly fall into the state of being conscious of one another without intent, they may be temporarily fascinated with the experience of pure awareness, but they get fearful or embarrassed and either look away or start to talk, so they never uncover the possibility hidden within the state into which they have momentarily stumbled.

However the first step one must undertake is to learn to do nothing by oneself. This may seem like the easiest activity in which a human being could engage. It is the simplest activity, but that does not mean it is the easiest.

Rather than talk more about it, let us try an experiment. Find a clock with a second hand. Then for one minute try to do absolutely nothing, while the seconds tick away.

- one minute passes -

Have you done it? Probably not. But whether you did or you didn’t, it is important that you try it out now. Put down the book. Find a clock and for one minute do nothing at all while the seconds pass. After that has occurred, pick up the book again.

- one minute passes -

What did you discover? Generally when people perform this experiment they find that it is much more difficult than they had anticipated. Their mind is constantly active. They think about what they ought to be doing or want to be doing. They get caught up in different emotional states; boredom, fear, curiosity.

If they are following a spiritual path they may start to practice what they would ordinarily be doing when they sit; focusing on an image, breathing in a certain manner or praying. They may feel physical discomfort and want to shift their position. The array of possible activities is virtually endless, but they all have one thing in common; they involve doing something or at least thinking about it. They are not doing nothing!

But perhaps you were fortunate. For part of the time, maybe for only a few seconds, you may actually have done nothing. If so, what was it like?

Most people describe the experience as natural, relaxed and enjoyable. Why then does it occur so infrequently?

Ask yourself, When was the last time I felt deeply relaxed, totally content to remain just where I was without moving a muscle? Most likely it was not today or yesterday. It might have been months ago.

Why is this the case?If people are dedicated to achieving happiness in the form of either immediate or delayed gratification, why don’t they achieve it in the basic form of greater relaxation? Is this state so difficult to realize?

Exactly the same question arises in relation to doing nothing, which is only a more complete expression of relaxing. If doing nothing is inherently the simplest thing to do, why is it so hard to attain? It requires no direction, effort, or will. It does not even require personality, intelligence, physical health or beauty. It requires nothing at all.

Instead of thinking about it further, let us try another experiment. But this time prepare a little more in advance. Make yourself comfortable. Find a place where you feel at home.

When you feel ready, allow yourself to do nothing for sixty seconds. This doesn’t mean you have to stop thinking, feeling or sensing. It implies only that you don’t have to identify with those experiences, just allow them to occur all by themselves.

(While there is nothing that I can do to ensure that you actually take the time to perform this experiment, please don’t avoid it. If you do, you won’t be able to fully appreciate what follows in the rest of the book.)

- one minute passes -

If you have taken the time to experience a minute of doing nothing, your sense of what it is like should be clear and strong. Not being right there with you, I cannot know what you have discovered, but the usual experience is to shift from a sense of involvement with every thought, feeling and sensation to a more comfortable and uninvolved sense of witnessing consciousness. Events occur but one’s relationship to them has altered. This may or may not have been your experience, but it would probably tend to be if you undertook a number of sessions of non-doing.

Now that you have undergone these mini-experiments we can return to the question of why it is so difficult to do nothing. It is partly a question of fear. As a society we have been brainwashed to believe that worthwhile experiences will only occur if we make them happen through effort, will-power and possibly conflict. And if we aren’t in control, or have the illusion that we are in control, we are afraid that our life might begin to disintegrate.

There is some basis for this fear. Look at the seriously mentally ill. They have lost control and as such embody the condition that is the dread of their more normal counterparts. Any addicted person is likewise an illustration of what can happen when the individual abandons the power of self-mastery.

To make the achievement of doing nothing more difficult there is the ego. The ego justifies its existence by mentally redesigning reality to make itself more comfortable. It will fight as best it can against any perceived threat to its entrenched position. The worst heresy is to suggest that the ego really isn’t necessary in order to get things done, but this is what is implied when we do nothing and have a positive experience.

If you are willing at this point, go take a short walk and then come back. It doesn’t have to be far, just into the next room is sufficient.

- another minute elapses -

Hopefully you have done it and noticed what it felt like. Certainly it is a familiar experience. You decide to go to a particular place and you get up and do it.

Now do exactly the same thing without any effort or intent at all. Just allow your body to get up and move all by itself to where you have just been and return without any effort on your part. Is it possible? Try it and see.

- another minute elapses -

What have you discovered? Did you have a few moments in which the act of moving was just happening all by itself? If the answer is yes consider the implications. If you can walk without walking, could you talk without talking, sit without sitting or read without reading?

Only a series of little experiments on your part can demonstrate whether or not any of this is possible. If you want to try it out, make sure that you keep the time short. Otherwise the ego will reassert its control and once again start to make things happen instead of allowing them.

Even now you must begin to suspect that, to a limited degree, everyday activities of life could go on without your conscious control. It is as if you realized you were in a play that someone else had written, that has nothing to do with you. The play goes on, but your attitude is radically altered. It is all simply happening as the expression of someone elses will.

Or it is like waking up from a dream. While the dream is happening you are totally involved. On awakening you realize that none of that really occurred.

Last night I dreamt that I had been robbed of my money and credit cards. I was thoroughly concerned about what to do. Then I began to wake up. In the twilight state I was still trying to make plans to take care of myself, even though I gradually realized that it was all a dream. Finally upon fully awakening the experience faded away. It had never really happened!

Similarly, we are usually convinced that what we are doing depends on our conscious effort and involvement. When we wake up in the midst of life we begin to realize that it is happening all by itself. At first, the sense of surprise may interfere with the performance of the activity, but after a little experimentation you will realize that you can actually function more effectively when you get out of the way.

As I type this manuscript, I begin to allow my fingers to move by themselves and my mind to flow as it will. The result is a more natural expression, better typing and an overall sense of freedom.