“The first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. If an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem.”

~ bell hooks, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity & Love ~

Now more than ever we (men) need to come into a more whole relationship with who we are at the emotionally embodied, psychic & relational levels.

For too many of us growth & evolution at these levels has been stunted &/or tainted (as spoken to so directly by bell hooks in the quote above).

We suffer as a result. So do those we are connected to. All of them.

This work is not just about becoming more emotionally-tapped-in, more intuitive, more empathetic & more compassionate (though it is about all these things).

What this work is really about is cultivating all of these dearly needed skills while also building the capacity to face life’s challenges with a strong spine, firmly rooted, honest & open. No matter what. I know of nothing more “manly” & nothing more needed from the men of our age.