She was my first experience of a Jewish American Princess. We met in graduate school studying depth psychology. She had been an actress in New York City, engaged to a famous Irish film star. She didn’t like him getting all of the attention, so she left him for another Irish Catholic. The second one married [...]
Archive for the ‘men’s issues’ Category
Ancient Greece was different
Posted in Child/Parent Relationship, Initiation, men's issues, tagged Erotic love, Men's Movement on March 29, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Independence Day
Posted in Burning Man, Carl Jung, Dreams, I Ching: Book of Changes, men's issues, Mental Health, Montessori education, Psychology, tagged Feeling, Indigenous, Men's Movement, Shadow on February 20, 2011 | 1 Comment »
After teaching ethics, logic, and the history of philosophy, being a Montessori teacher and school director, and becoming a spiritual counselor, I find myself in 2011 wondering what has happened to Western Civilization. It is crumbling all around us. The old ways of the American Heartland Religion and Puritan hard work have been abandoned like [...]
Crane Dance
Posted in Carl Jung, Dreams, Elder Activities, Liberal Catholic Church, men's issues, tagged Indwelling Spirit, Men's Movement, Self, The Matrix on January 28, 2011 | 6 Comments »
I met a man my age. He said his name was, Ken Self. He had white hair like me. He greeted me by coming close enough to touch. Then we both stood on one leg, and leaning at the waist, he backwards, me forward, he lifted my right leg with his left. Up and down [...]
Thank you Susanne
Posted in Dreams, entheogens, men's issues, Mentoring, tagged ayahuasca, Coyote, Men's Movement on November 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Dear Susanne, When my blue eyed Hermes knocked on the window tonight, I let him in and shared your site. Showed him your Postcard to Hermes http://susanneiles.com blog and he said, “he’s even got his head on his hand”, which is a common gesture for my young friend. At thirty and the father of a [...]
Pitfalls in Mentoring
Posted in Initiation, men's issues, Mentoring, Psychology, tagged Growth, The Matrix, Wisdom on September 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Mentoring has natural pitfalls built into the relationship. These are illustrated in the legend of Mentor/Telemachos/Odyssos and elaborated by my years of experience. A thumbnail sketch of 7 things of which to be aware and to avoid when possible.
Why are there jewels in that man’s left ear, Dad?
Posted in men's issues, Psychology, sexual conduct, tagged Androgyne, Men's Movement, The Collective Unconscious on September 16, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Why do California men wear only one earring? Where did the custom originate? About forty years ago I was teaching in Huntington Beach, when young male college students began to pierce their ears. Some of us thought it might be a regression to the Wild Man of Robert Bly’s book Iron John. But why would [...]
Lost and Found
Posted in men's issues, Psychology, tagged patterns on July 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Twenty years ago my friend lost his three-year-old son. He had been the primary parent from the boy’s birth and the mother became jealous of their relationship, so she left with the child. That Christmas all of the father’s gifts to his son were returned. Although he tried for years to find his little boy, [...]
Backing up your camel
Posted in men's issues, Mentoring, Spirituality, Synchronicity, Terroism, tagged Islamic tradition, Shadow on May 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
My newest spirit son is covered with tattoos and looks like he stepped out of the Hispanic section of the city. He just looks that way. He’s more eastern European in ethnicity, but the black shirt and jeans makes him look like a old gangster. He invited me to my first experience of Ethiopian food [...]
Offering Your Hand
Posted in men's issues, Mentoring, Psychology, tagged Healing, Men's Movement on May 18, 2010 | 1 Comment »
My nephew wanted to see the secret place I use for Vision Quest. The drive up the mountain road along the creek was refreshing. The stream was running with water and I wondered if we could cross higher up the canyon. When we arrived I couldn’t see the outlet across the way. I would have [...]
Just say “Yes”
Posted in men's issues, Mentoring, tagged Men's Movement, Sweat Lodge on March 17, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Sometimes we need to respond in the positive to an invitation for greater closeness and connection instead of the usual unconscious response. Modeling the good father is rather tricky business when we are tired, sometimes saying “Yes” is really the medicine we need to feel better.
