Sex and gender and spirits

[Heather B.]

This strange question occured to me at some point during getting ready for work this morning (which says alot about how my mind works ).  

I was just wondering... are sex and gender purely a physical world thing, or do spirits also have sex and gender?  Are individual spirits male or female, masculine or feminine?  I know spirits can certainly appear to have sex traits and act in gender roles---but is that really how they are, or is it just how we perceive them according to our little mortal schema?  

I was also wondering about myself and the greater spirit of which I am part (subscribing to the theory that we are each individual "focuses" of a larger spirit)... I wonder if all the individual focuses of the spirit are female like myself.

Sorry, this all probably sounds really silly.  But I've been thinking about it all day, and I really don't know why I find it so intriguing.  I guess it's just more interesting than my job at the moment.

Well, I'll get back to work and let you guys run with it now! :mrgreen:

[MisterJingo]

I've always found that gender roles in spirits are learnt behaviour from life in this physical location (specifically Earth).
We each share the same energy bodies, and the same consciousness. But gender roles might make certain aspects of spirits who were male in physical life more prominent then those aspects in spirits who were female (And vice versa).
Next time you are OBE, ask if you can speak to individuals of any race which has an asexual (or more genders than 2) reproductive cycle, and are based in our physical universe. Although it might be hard to see past our perception of gender (and so class them as a certain sex based on percieved traits).

[Leannain]

can spirits have children?

[James S]

I can definitely relate to such ponderings during a boring spell at work!

I see two different situations.
Where the spirits have previously incarnated on earth, they may be more comfortable in their former physical appearance. This is certainly the case with every ex-human spirit that I have dealings with. If you've seen the movie The Matrix, remember where Morpheus explains to Neo about residual self image. That wasn't just made up for the movie. It was well researched philosophical theory, and I do believe it relates very closely to what happens after our spirits leave the physical world.

For other spirits, such as angels and nature spirits that have never incarnated as physical beings, I believe it to be their choice in how they wish to appear. It is has been noted by many who have had dealings with the archangels that they can and do appear in either male or female aspects depending on their purpose. I've encountered the archangel Ariel a few times, which is the female aspect of Uriel.

Depending on what gender spirit comes to us, there will be particular traits associated with that gender that will be important to their purpose. Its "horses for courses" type thing as well as a "different strokes for different folks" thing.

Blessings,
James.

[MisterJingo]

For other spirits, such as angels and nature spirits that have never incarnated as physical beings, I believe it to be their choice in how they wish to appear. It is has been noted by many who have had dealings with the archangels that they can and do appear in either male or female aspects depending on their purpose. I've encountered the archangel Ariel a few times, which is the female aspect of Uriel.

Depending on what gender spirit comes to us, there will be particular traits associated with that gender that will be important to their purpose. Its "horses for courses" type thing as well as a "different strokes for different folks" thing.

Blessings,
James.

I can agree with what James wrote. Although I'm not sure if for example archangels actually change sex, rather than us interpret their 'energy signature' as being eith male or female based upon our outlook and belief systems. For example, where one person might see male, another might see a sexless being of light . I guess it all comes down to how we percieve and interpret gender roles etc.

[MisterJingo]

Just a quick aside. Its great to step out of the 'human perspective' box with realisations such as this. It gives history, especially our religious/spiritual practices a new perspective - seeing how we built things around out perception of the world and us (male/female duality etc).
It points to the underlying energy structures which we attach our own interpretation to and work within.

I'm sure a race of 50 foot asexual aquatic sentient creatures would have a very different universal view and opinion of enlightenment .

[Heather B.]

James and MasterJingo, thank you for all your input!  All of what you say makes sense.  I can certainly understand formerly incarnate humans keeping their incarnate identities intact--whether or not there is any need or reason to.  

Leannain asked whether spirits can have children... I'm not sure, but my guess is that they don't procreate children as we do in physical form.  But I have reason to believe that spirits can, and do, have children, whether those children ever become incarnate or not.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned this on the forum, but I've met the spirit of Patrick's and my would-have-been-incarnate-son.

The time I met him, he was with Patrick's spirit, just after Patrick's death--I can't tell you how happy it made me feel to see them together!  He appeared as a little boy, and looked just like his dad, except for the color of his eyes, which were darker brown like mine, and the color of his hair, which was lighter brown like mine.  And like Patrick, he was so solid I was able to hold him.  And he told me that because of my grief for Patrick, my body couldn't hold his, and so instead of being born, he was going to be my spirit guide instead.  It was the oddest thing, being told that by this little child, who had such a very unchildlike manner of speaking!

In reality, of course, he may not have the form of a child at all, or of a male, for that matter, since he was never incarnated.  He might have chosen that guise for Patrick and me.  Or maybe that is our subjective way of perceiving him.  But Patrick---I think he'll always be a man!  I know he will be to me, and knowing him, that's what he prefers too.