For Men: Toward a Conscious Masculine

I grew up in a tough neighborhood in New York in the 50’s, and was in a street gang at 8 years old.  My father and my grandfather were at constant war with each other, and I fought my way across the playgrounds and ball fields of my youth.  I still have men in my life that I have been friends with since the age of 10.

The old masculine ethic of hiding one’s vulnerability I learned in the street, but my tender side was always looking for an outlet.  I came of age in the 60’s with the feminist revolution, and learned to trust women with my feelings.  But something was still missing.  I participated in men’s groups in the 70’s and early 80’s, but all we talked about was sports, politics, business, and sex.  Same old stuff…

In the mid 80’s, I participated in the New Warrior Training Adventure, and finally discovered my own Sacred Masculine, the part of me that could be fierce yet tender, powerful yet vulnerable.  This was a whole new territory for me, something I had been looking for my entire life.  Finally, I began to feel whole and balanced.

I have been leading and facilitating men’s work for more than 20 years.  I have witnessed thousands of men find their deep masculine soul in a grounded way.  Men are learning the practical tools of relating to women through a powerful vulnerability, finding the language to express what they truly feel, and to really listen with the heart.  We are discovering a whole new power in their relationships with women, not a controlling power over, nor an abdicating power under, but an empowerment based on respect and equality and honoring the differences.

Men in business are learning to use their power consciously, to be awake to the old traps of male politics and economic power, to resolve conflicts in a peaceful and successful manner.  I believe the challenge is for men to flatten the hierarchy by having the courage to show their own vulnerability, to discover true Sacred Masculine Leadership, and the real power that is centered in the Heart.