Reconsidering Circumcision

Controversial: Male circumcision and the emotional and mental repercussions. Bringing awareness to an outdated procedure that perpetrates unnecessary violence.

It’s been great making a new friend and sharing an ocean view home with a shamanic teacher this past week. We peacefully respect one another’s spaciousness and share overlapping experiences and knowledge in science, spirituality and healing. This morning over a cup of cacao he brought up his insights on the trauma of male circumcision, and less than an hour later a dear sister on mainland called me and she began the conversation with the very same topic. While the notion of cutting off a newborn’s foreskin appears obviously egregious to me- reality sunk in when my girlfriend emphasized that baby boys are being born every day and that everyday their foreskins are being cut off…

The interplay of masculine and feminine relating is dynamic, both subtle and obvious. In this moment women are deeply reclaiming the voice of their womb. They are deeply reclaiming their power. They are uncovering the suppressed sexual traumas of their own lives, of their ancestors, and of the collective. The inner child shrills to be witnessed and healed. Where does the masculine source of perpetration, anger and sexual aggression begin? What constant inner state of agitation and unconscious relating could normalize sexual abuse and everyday power-thieving behaviors?

At every moment we are relating to our environment. We create a sense of identity and a sense of the world based on what is happening to and around us. Now imagine for a moment if your very first impression of life as a human here on earth was your foreskin being removed, without your will or consent, without explanation or apology. It’s just the way things are. Imagine yourself now, as an adult undergoing the exact same experience. You wake up one morning, and with no explanation or mercy, someone cuts off your foreskin or any other relative body part. What would you make of your identity and of the world with this new reference of relating?

You may expect to experience unconscious…

• Resentment towards the mother, the only “person” you have had direct experience and bonding with up until this point in your earth-based experience.
• Resentment extending from mother to all of the feminine
• Surfaced or suppressed rage in response to the violence
• Distrust and fear of your environment
• Distrust ad fear of your physical body, disembodiment
• Continual sexual stimulation, engagement, agitation and aggression due to the exposed sensitive tip of the penis.
• Sometimes too much of the foreskin is removed resulting in discomfort and pain when the penis is erect, leading to negative self associations

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and since first considering this subject deeply last summer I had forgotten how “normalized” the act of circumcision is. This is not in any way a judgement post it is simply shared to stimulate independent thought and informed action. Please share and expand with your own insights- in agreeance or opposed. All is welcome.

Mahalo, I love you. May we have mercy and forgiveness as our unconsciousness continues to illuminate and become conscious.