Bibliography: BIB20473

web link	bahai-library.com/bibliography/BIB20473
reference type	Journal Article
title	The Role of the Feminine in the Bahá'í Faith
journal	Journal of Bahá'í Studies
author	Woodman, Ross
authority control	Ross Woodman
year	1995
date	June–Sept. 1995
issue	2
volume	7
abstract	The author proposes a non-gendered understanding of the terms "masculine" and "feminine", in which the terms refer to two completely interdependent forces or energies at work within the Manifestation as the Revealer of the Word, as well as throughout the creation including the human individual. He focuses on the unprecedented role of the feminine in the Bahá'í Faith, particularly as it corrects the oppositional imbalance between the masculine and the feminine in the Adamic cycle. A close examination of Bahá'u'lláh's address to Carmel as His consort or New Jerusalem bride, and the role played by the Maids of Heaven in His Revelation, will stress the importance of what Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Iqán calls "the brides of inner meaning" who issue unveiled from a new revelation of the Word. Understanding the importance of the feminine in its nuptial union with, rather than subordination to, the masculine may lead to a deeper understanding of what it now means to be created in the image and likeness of God.
language	English
keywords	MAID OF HEAVEN (HURI, HURIYYIH); MASCULINE; FEMININE; SPIRITUALITY; PSYCHOLOGY; SOUL
pages	75–97