The Mythic Masculine

My guest today is Tyson Adams , a trauma-informed IFS men’s coach, somatic bodyworker, and psychedelic facilitator. After spending twenty years entangled in pornography addiction, Tyson broke free seven years ago and has since dedicated his life to helping men reclaim their lifeforce energy . He co-facilitates men’s leadership intensives, supports couples navigating intimacy, and brings a grounded...

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." I remember coming across this quote at Burning Man years ago. It's from writer and essayist Anais Nin. It struck me then, and it reverberates for me still. This photo was taken that year. That sky is particularly specific to that time of evening, as the heat of the day dissolves into gorgeo...

My guest today is Simon Yugler , a longtime friend who is a psychedelic therapist, educator, and the author of Psychedelics & the Soul —a mythic guide to deep healing, depth psychology, and cultural repair. With a background steeped in Jungian thought and apprenticed to earth-based wisdom traditions, Simon walks the liminal spaces where myth and medicine meet, where the personal journey of the sou...

1999 was a golden year for movies. That year saw the release of The Matrix , American Beauty , and Fight Club - which remain some of my all time favourites. The latter two are particular compelling as I look through my present-day lens and what they had to say about men & masculinity at the end of the millennium. Both American Beauty & Fight Club depict similar themes of (white) men grappling with...

My guest today is the renowned Starhawk , a writer, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a leading voice for ecofeminism and earth-based spirituality. She is the author of thirteen books, including The Spiral Dance , The Earth Path , and The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups , as well as the visionary novels The Fifth Sacred Thing and City of Refuge . She directs Ear...

My guest today is my good friend Tad Hargrave. Tad is the founder of Marketing for Hippies with a mission to restore the beauty of the marketplace. He teaches folks who have a desire to do good, but hate marketing, how to articulate their work with elegance and effectiveness. Tad has spent years learning his ancestral language of Scottish Gaelic in Nova Scotia and on the Isle of Skye in Scotland....

Greetings all - I’m excited to extend a special invitation for men who wish to dive into the cauldron of mythopoetic masculinity and eros. But before I get to that, I want to acknowledge a milestone: it’s been over five years since I began The Mythic Masculine podcast. Time, as always, passes like a blink. This journey began after my previous film project, Amplify Her , which explored feminine arc...

My guest today is Gabriel Meyer Halevy is a "radical flexitarian minstrel," musician, poet, and spiritual activist, born and raised in Argentina. I first met Gabriel at the Tamera research project in Portugal, where we both attended the Global Love School. We stayed in touch over the years, and this past fall, I hosted Gabriel for a few shows in the Pacific Northwest where he brought this ‘prayerf...

Recently I sat down with Matt Sturm (author of The Organic Masculine) alongside my collaborator Deus Fortier to do a post-event harvest from our immersion Eating the Shadow . This men’s gathering was the first 5 day offering that Deus and I had put together, and we were beautifully affirmed by what happened in the container. Matt flew up from California to join us and experience the magic of what...

On today’s episode, we delve into the layers of myth and meaning surrounding same-sex love in mythology, exploring the fascinating tale of Ganymede—a myth that stands apart from other tragic tales of ancient love.  Here, we uncover a story of enduring affection that doesn't end in loss, but in ascension, as Ganymede is welcomed to Olympus by Zeus and granted immortality. What does this myth offer...

My guest today is Ned Abenroth , a creative entrepreneur and wilderness guide who has spent much of his adult life tending to transformational spaces. For the last 10 years, he’s worked with Illuman, a global spiritual community that was birthed out of Richard Rohr’s work with male spirituality and rites of passage.  In this episode, we explore the distinction between merely growing older and beco...

It wasn’t long after my entry into “mythopoetic masculinity” back in 2015 that I came across the Minnesota Men’s Gathering , a yearly event that began in 1984 by Robert Bly, author of Iron John . The organization has released a trove of stories & lectures on their Youtube channel from celebrated teachers such as Bly, Lewis Hyde, Martin Prechtel, Martin Shaw, Daniel Deardorff, Malidome Some and man...

We’re now a month out from our next cohort of The Deep Masculine , a 3 month online journey for men that weaves together mythology, somatics, ritual & brotherhood. I invited my collaborator Deus Fortier to reflect on our initial journey which we launched earlier this year and completed in June. At its core, The Deep Masculine seeks to repattern men's relationships with eros - the primal force of l...

I’ve had the good fortune to collaborate with Charles on numerous films, including Sacred Economics and The Revolution Is Love , as well as spent time at Tamera’s Love School and other gatherings. Our conversation for the Mythic Masculine (originally released as episode #8 ) touches on his own interview series on the “ new story of masculinity ” and what he learned along the way. The major theme,...

A few years ago I read Terry Real ’s book “Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship.” He is a well established couple’s therapist and friends with a fair number of celebrities, with the forward written by Bruce Springsteen. In one chapter he shares the story of two men, a “strikingly handsome couple” that were “killing each other (as they put it) over sex.” One man wanted it a...

“The first half of my career was spent putting people to sleep, and after my midlife crisis, I realized I had to start waking people up, including myself.” My guest today is Dr. Stephen Faulkner , a former medical doctor, pilot, and one of my key mentors on the path of mythopoetic masculinity. In this episode, Stephen reflects on his nearly 70 years of life and shares his profound emotional and sp...

My guest today is Trevor Yelich , an alternative therapist specializing in breathwork, somatic psychotherapeutics and trauma work. He is the founder of Numa Somatics and the Numa Mystery School. This episode was recorded immediately after I completed an in-person training with Trevor in psychotherapeutics, which I very much enjoyed. Many of the principles and practices I found quite complementary...

Access The Iron John course here. A few years ago, I was invited to steward an online offering for the Rowe Center, based in Massachusetts. With the passing of Robert Bly , esteemed poet, activist, and father of the mythopoetic men's movement, I opted to weave a 7 week journey revisiting his seminal book Iron John , inviting an array of special guests to join me. The roster includes Stephen Jenksi...

My guest today is Nicolas Canon . Nicolas is a seasoned relationship coach who has deeply intertwined his insights in love with walking the plant medicine path in his homeland of Colombia. Over the past decade, he has dedicated himself to helping individuals and couples not only deepen their relationships but also find greater self-awareness and spiritual alignment.  In this episode, he shares of...

My guest today is Andrea Villa , a scholar, a mentor of men, a restorer of old practices and languages of the sacred. He has spent several years studying male initiation with indigenous peoples from India to West Africa to Native America, developing a unique understanding of gender as intelligence. His passion is to support men in regaining their erotic agency in love & relationships. In today's e...

Last week I had a lovely conversation with Jumana Sophia , creator of Her Mystery School . In this enlightening inquiry, we delve into the origins and evolutions of her initiation school for women, with clear parallels to what I’ve been developing for The Deep Masculine. We explore the role of these dedicated spaces to heal and deepen our understanding of gender dynamics in modern society. We touc...

Spring is stirring, and I’m excited to announce the next offerings with my good friend and collaborator Deus Fortier. After two successful immersive weekends for men held last year, formerly titled MXM, we’re pleased to announce our next one is coming soon April 5-7, 2024 in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. You’re welcome to listen to our conversation recorded after our first weekend , which...

Barbie is back in the news again. The Oscars race is on and the film was nominated for numerous awards including Best Picture. Ryan Gosling received the nod for Best Actor, while Margot Robbie & Greta Gerwig were passed over. Ironic snub, given the context of the film? Or just how it goes sometimes? Now before you roll your eyes and wonder ‘who cares?’ I’ve decided to do some of the mythic heavy l...

“Every group and every single gathering is an opportunity to remake and re-story culture.” - Al Jeffery My guest today is Al Jeffery , an integrative psychotherapist, meditation guide and regenerative leadership practitioner.  He is also a conscious explorer of queerness and masculinity. In this episode, Al shares his journey, unlocking the potential and power of queerness as an aspirational appro...

My guest today is Rabbi Zelig Golden , the co-founder of Wilderness Torah , an organization dedicated to supporting Jewish people to heal, learn, and grow together through reconnection to the earth.  Zelig also holds a Masters in Jewish Studies and previously worked as an environmental lawyer protecting food and farms, and has long guided groups into the wilderness. In our conversation today, we s...