My Unique Flavor of Men's Work
+ Upcoming events for men
Dear Fam and Men in Particular,
In 4 days I’m hosting a free digital men’s retreat called The Tao of Man.
And, in about two weeks, the upcoming brotherhood journey I’m leading, Brothers of the Ever Innocent Heart, will be getting started.
For those curious to learn more, a few days ago I recorded this video talking about these upcoming events for men and my unique flavor of men’s work:
I believe that brotherhood—rooted in the ancient practice of the Circle—is one of the great Healing Medicines for the modern man.
Men deeply need brotherly connection with wise, honorable men.
They need spaces in which they can be raw and brutally honest about what they’ve been through and what they’re going through…
Spaces in which the full spectrum of their human experience can be heard, seen, and accepted unconditionally.
In general I’m a great supporter of the men’s work movement and men’s circles generally.
If I were to identify a couple ways in which my flavor of men’s work diverges from the norm, I’d say:
A lot of men’s work seems to excessively emphasize “getting in your masculine” and embodying the major masculine archetypes. While I feel this is powerful and valuable work, I think it can become somewhat imbalanced and cookie-cutter in its approach. My work with men certainly invites the integration of the healthy masculine, but it goes further: It invites men to “call all parts home” and to embody the radical fullness of what they are. It’s more about being fully yourself, which far transcends yet includes “integrating your masculine.” I wrote more on this recently here.
Much of men’s work focuses on “self-improvement” or “personal development.” Though there’s plenty of great stuff in these domains, there are also huge shadows of “not-enough-itis”—i.e. feeling ‘not enough’ due to early-life traumas that then lead to an endless (fruitless) pursuit of self-perfection. My focus is more so on self-acceptance, initiation, and awakening: Relaxing into who you already are, initiating into manhood by undertaking rites of passage, and awakening to the “great completion” of reality—and your role in it.
Once more, be sure to watch this video if you’d like to hear me go deeper into all this:
If this resonates and you’d like a free opportunity to experience my work with men, register for The Tao of Man—the retreat is 4 days away.
And if you feel a strong inspiration to experience this work in a much deeper way, apply for Brothers of the Ever Innocent Heart.
“Become what you are.”
— Nietzsche
Love,
Jordan
Jordan Bates is a father, mystic, space-holder, facilitator, writer, rapper, beat-maker, and MC. You are welcome to keep up with his unfoldment on Instagram, Telegram, Twitter, Facebook, and/or YouTube.