The Mythic Masculine

My guest today is Stephanie McKay , an educator and mentor in earth-based skills and ancestral ways.  She is the co-founder of Fianna Wilderness School on Vancouver Island, as well as a monthly Mythology Club , where folks explore stories of predominately of Indo-European origins in an attempt to uncover the remaining vestiges of an intact, land-based culture and spirituality, indigenous to that l...

This is a bonus conversation and a special invitation to attend the forthcoming Calling All Men Summit , of which I’m a featured speaker among many other men. Watch the trailer for the event: An overview: Over 7 days you’ll meet and learn from 50 men who are experienced with the multitude of crises we face. These men are fathers, leaders, mentors and elders with unique experiences and deep wisdom...

My guest today is Christopher Ryan , an acclaimed author and speaker who has led a diverse and unconventional life, from working odd jobs around the world to earning a Ph. D. in Psychology and being a self-proclaimed “vanthropologist.” He is the host of the podcast Tangentially Speaking, as well as the author of “Civilized to Death” and the co-author of “Sex At Dawn”, which columnist Dan Savage ha...

My guest today is Kai Cheng Thom , a certified somatic sex educator, qualified mediator, clinical hypnotherapist, and poet based in Toronto. She's the author of six award winning books in various genres, including the Stonewall Honor Book award winning essay collection, I Hope We Choose Love. Kai Cheng's work focuses on the intersection of social justice, pleasure activism, and the transformative...

I’m pleased to release this conversation with my friend and longtime collaborator Deus Fortier as we discuss our recent MXM immersion for men. The detailed show notes are below. As well, we’ve announced new dates for our next MXM - Nov 17-19. You can find all the details & apply to join here. Note: I’m very excited to release more new episodes of the podcast that I’ve been trying to polish all sum...

As lovers, can we move beyond the need to get it right - and instead be absolutely captivated with the desire to be real with each other? My guest today is Melissa Maya , a writer & artist who works as a feminine leadership and somatic intimacy guide. She is devoted to midwifing a culture that is rooted in the resurgence & remembrance of feminine intelligence & intuition, and in her own words, “in...

The ability to slow down and self-regulate is a very important act of self-love and self-care that is accessible to anyone. - Robin Clements My guest today is Robin Clements , an international leader in the field of conscious connected breathing. He is the founder of Breathwave , as well as a surfer, yogi and father. Robin also happens to be my neighbour.  As well, my partner has trained with Robi...

Dear listeners, My guest today is Muhammad Ali Sardar, aka The Alichemist , a satirist who speaks to the themes of money, power, sex, race and religion.  In particular, he caught my eye through his various Instagram reels that depict a wry critique of men’s work tropes, blind spots, and the dangers of spiritual materialism.  Our conversation today is a hybrid experience. First, we open with his al...

Greetings friends, Happy to share this recent interview with my pal Eamon Armstrong where he interviews me on his podcast exploring mythopoetic masculinity. The conversation also highlights my active curated series Restorying Masculinity . You’re welcome to join now and receive the recording from last week to get up to speed. Use the code MYTHICrm20 and get 20% off when you register here. From the...

Welcome to The Mythic Masculine , now hosted on Substack! You’re welcome to continue connected as a free subscriber, or please consider upgrading to a paid subscriber to support all the effort that goes into this show. “The way you treat and view women represents the way you treat your own feminine qualities and unconscious mind.” - Connor Beaton My guest today is Connor Beaton , a writer, speaker...

This is the full recording of the latest Solar Session, a live conversation via The School of Mythopoetics. Join the School http://schoolofmythopoetics.com Charles Sue-Wah-Sing is a leadership and whole life coach, facilitator and guide with a focus on conscious leadership, and practicing safe conversations.  He works with people from all walks of life who are longing for or in the midst of major...

My guest today Ke’oni Hanalei , founder of Pōhala, purveyor of Esoteric Hawaiian Fern Medicine. Ke’oni caught my attention through his Instagram, where he shares profound perspectives rooted in the Mū teachings of ancient Hawaii. In our conversation today, we speak about his own upbringing under the guidance of his grandmother and his rediscovery and cultivation of fern medicine. Ke’oni shares his...

What if hidden in the soil below the monumental myth of patriarchal masculinity there was a rhizomatic biodiversity of alternative masculinities? What does it mean to create an ecosystem of narratives, rather than uplift a singular story? Looking to the past for ingredients to compost into better stories for the future, Ian and Sophie bring their personal experiences and mythic mycelial systems in...

This bonus episode is actually a conversation recorded for another podcast The End Of Tourism .  The host is my good friend Chris Christou, who I initially met through Stephen Jenkinson’s Orphan Wisdom School. We have spent many a time gathering on the farm in Ontario where the School is held, and have woven threads of companionship over the years. A few months back, he invited me on his show to d...

My guest today is Jason MacKenzie , co-founder of Sacred Sons, a men’s organization whose self-professed aim is to “steward the return of the father archetype through men's relational and physical training.” I first met Jason in 2019 at the Sacred Sons Convergence in San Diego, a powerful gathering of 300 other men. I experienced firsthand the container that he, alongside his core collaborators Au...

This episode is a live recording as part of a series of events leading to the Grand Opening of The School of Mythopoetics June 1st, 2022.  Consider joining as a Founding Member http://schoolofmythpoetics.com In myth, the Underworld is a place of testing and initiation, but hopefully not a final destination. Within many stories the descent is the second element of a three stage process, leading to...

My guest today is Autumn Skye , a visionary artist whose work holds a significant presence with transformational culture around the world. I first had the pleasure of meeting Skye on a festival tour in Australia back in 2016, and since then we’ve kept loosely in touch from afar. Last year, when she released her two pieces, first Mary Magdalene and then Yeshua, better known as Jesus, I knew I had t...

My guest for this Live Episode will be Nicholas Powers , author of The Ground Below Zero: 9/11 to Burning Man, New Orleans to Darfur, Haiti to Occupy Wall Stree t. He is a poet and an associate professor of English at SUNY Old Westbury with writings in Truth-Out, HuffPost, Alternet and The Indypendent. Nicholas recently published the essay “Can Psychedelic Masculinity Stop War?” , a poignant weavi...

My guest today is Bill Kauth , the resident visionary and co-founder of The ManKind Project, one of the most recognized men’s organizations in the world. In 1984, Bill was working as a psychotherapist when he conceived and co-created the New Warrior Training Adventure . Since then, over 75,000 men in 12 countries have completed this neo-initiatory experience. In 1992, Bill also authored one of the...

My guests today are Ophir & Dor Haberer , Jerusalem-born identical twins, who are, among many things, facilitators, ritualists, storytellers, chefs, and organizational consultants. The brothers bring together their connection to ancestral Arabic Jewish Roots with their love for ecology, healing, and village-building. They have been guiding men’s work for over 4 years, and have just launched th...

My guest today is Steven Martyn, M.A. (traditional plant use), an artist, builder, and farmer who is also the founder of The Sacred Gardener School.  Steven has spent more than 30 years of living co-creatively with the Earth, practicing traditional living skills of growing food, natural building, and nurturing community. He has written numerous books, including the newly released The Roundhouse: A...

My guest today is Robin Esrock , a global adventurer, travel writer, and author of the Great Global Bucket List. After a chance encounter on a Canadian TV talk show, Robin and I have remained friends for over a decade. We’ve shared countless experiences together, from working on his acclaimed international reality series Word Travels, to exploring the playa at Burning Man, and even attending the p...

In this 60 minute conversation, Ian MacKenzie and Heather Pennell unpack the opening chapter of Iron John, the classic tale made famous by poet Robert Bly. JOIN THE NEW COURSE: REVISITING IRON JOHN http://revisitingironjohn.com   The book almost single handedly spark the mythopoetic men's movement of the early 90's, which crested before heading underground. Now a new generation of men are discover...

REGISTER HERE http://revisitingironjohn.com In 1990, Robert Bly’s book Iron John: A Book About Men ignited a generation of men towards what would become known as the mythopoetic men’s movement. Suddenly, men (at least in Western culture) had a map to their inner landscape and their outer experience. The exploration of a German fairy tale, alongside poetry and ritual, offered a pathway into the rea...

My guest today is Chris Fletcher, a counsellor that specializes in working with youth and their families. He is also the co-author of the forthcoming book The Nine Rings of Alignment, alongside his partner. I first encountered Chris many years ago while visiting his oceanside retreat sanctuary Halfmoon Haven. Over the years, we crossed paths only a handful of times, though I was touched by his gro...