This post is extremely compelling and I believe strikes at the heart of the current spiritual struggle that Western men are facing. Even just re-reading my last sentence, it appears I can't discuss this topic without using war imagery like "strike at the heart" and "struggle". I think that the warrior element of manhood is the most accessible to men who haven't really taken the time to contemplate their own manhood. Mostly for the cultural reasons you described above, but also because of the (broadly speaking) physical differences in male and female bodies. Men are big(ger than women), so we must be protectors right? A major conundrum that I've come across in my own musings on this topic is the following: Do men truly have value in our society if they aren't protectors and/or providers? We cannot create life in the same way as women, so what is our value besides working and fighting?
In regards to the magician archetype, I think we need to cultivate that now more than ever. With so much fake news and polarizing content bombarding us from every direction, the ability to think critically and find universal truths is becoming a lost art. I try to use stoic philosophy and Aristotle's cardinal virtues to guide my thoughts and actions, I'm curious to know what kind of spiritualism/belief system guides you?
I hear you on the imagery we naturally use. And I do agree that there is something to our bodies that feeds that, even when you grew up the scrawny kid like me and ached to be bigger.
It is interesting, that idea that because we can only seed life as opposed to incubate it that we see ourselves as lesser in the process. Sadly, far too often, men have proven that to by being largely absent after conception. That's part of why I drive toward self-discovery and sorting out how to serve.
As for spirituality/beliefs, there's a long story there and I struggle to separate it from cultural baggage, but let me see if I can hit a few highlights of where I am today.
The thing that caught my girlfriend's attention on a dating profile is the line, "I'm too heretical for Christians but too Christian for 'heretics.'" By that, I mean I have a deep appreciation for the life and teachings of Jesus, but not Christianity's interpretation over the past 1000 years. I fundamentally see him as offering us a different way of being in the world, one rooted in love rather than power. From what I see, that generally puts me in the broader mystical tradition that flows from Christianity and then interplays with similar ideas found in Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. So an intellectual as I am, my roots are much more heart than head.
When pressed to say something more heady I describe it as the scandalous love child of Eastern Orthodoxy and Black Liberation Theology, which essentially means I believe that the divine / the Universe / Source or whatever you want to call it is relentlessly loving, wants all of us to discover our innate belovedness, and has a particular heart for the marginalized and ostracized in our society. As James Cohn wrote, in the late-60's, Black Power is the same as the Gospel.
I hope that makes sense. It would be a whole lot easier if I could say something akin to yours where if someone didn't know what it meant they could just Google it and get a good idea.
This post is extremely compelling and I believe strikes at the heart of the current spiritual struggle that Western men are facing. Even just re-reading my last sentence, it appears I can't discuss this topic without using war imagery like "strike at the heart" and "struggle". I think that the warrior element of manhood is the most accessible to men who haven't really taken the time to contemplate their own manhood. Mostly for the cultural reasons you described above, but also because of the (broadly speaking) physical differences in male and female bodies. Men are big(ger than women), so we must be protectors right? A major conundrum that I've come across in my own musings on this topic is the following: Do men truly have value in our society if they aren't protectors and/or providers? We cannot create life in the same way as women, so what is our value besides working and fighting?
In regards to the magician archetype, I think we need to cultivate that now more than ever. With so much fake news and polarizing content bombarding us from every direction, the ability to think critically and find universal truths is becoming a lost art. I try to use stoic philosophy and Aristotle's cardinal virtues to guide my thoughts and actions, I'm curious to know what kind of spiritualism/belief system guides you?
I hear you on the imagery we naturally use. And I do agree that there is something to our bodies that feeds that, even when you grew up the scrawny kid like me and ached to be bigger.
It is interesting, that idea that because we can only seed life as opposed to incubate it that we see ourselves as lesser in the process. Sadly, far too often, men have proven that to by being largely absent after conception. That's part of why I drive toward self-discovery and sorting out how to serve.
As for spirituality/beliefs, there's a long story there and I struggle to separate it from cultural baggage, but let me see if I can hit a few highlights of where I am today.
The thing that caught my girlfriend's attention on a dating profile is the line, "I'm too heretical for Christians but too Christian for 'heretics.'" By that, I mean I have a deep appreciation for the life and teachings of Jesus, but not Christianity's interpretation over the past 1000 years. I fundamentally see him as offering us a different way of being in the world, one rooted in love rather than power. From what I see, that generally puts me in the broader mystical tradition that flows from Christianity and then interplays with similar ideas found in Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. So an intellectual as I am, my roots are much more heart than head.
When pressed to say something more heady I describe it as the scandalous love child of Eastern Orthodoxy and Black Liberation Theology, which essentially means I believe that the divine / the Universe / Source or whatever you want to call it is relentlessly loving, wants all of us to discover our innate belovedness, and has a particular heart for the marginalized and ostracized in our society. As James Cohn wrote, in the late-60's, Black Power is the same as the Gospel.
To further development in that, I'm a huge fan of Bill Plotkin and his Jungian eco-depth psychology. So I engage in a lot of soul craft. The easiest intro to that is this map of the human psyche: https://responsiblenomad.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/map-2-edited.jpg?w=994&h=654
I hope that makes sense. It would be a whole lot easier if I could say something akin to yours where if someone didn't know what it meant they could just Google it and get a good idea.