INWARDS AND ONWARDS
The Menspedition
Lawrence Joye - 21 May 2023
Note: The masculine archetypes referred to in this blog are posited as being present and available within all humans, not just men. There are also feminine archetypes to be explored within us all. Furthermore, there’s powerful work available in spaces open to mixed/all gender identifications as well as in spaces exclusively for men or those who identify as men. All group configurations facilitate different opportunities for deep collective and individual development, based on all those who are present and what is witnessed and shared between them. My observation is that some parts of us feel safer and more permitted only whilst in the company of the same gender. This blog speaks to a specific instance of a Men’s retreat and our broader community vision - Menspedition.
Men’s Work is a mountain with many trails and routes. The kind of journey that awaits a man as he embarks along any one of these pathways can vary significantly. The reason he takes that pathway will be unique to him. The underlying intention which may well have gotten him, and many other men, to that mountain in the first place…?
To answer a call to live from true meaning, purpose and connection.
Perhaps his present work or chosen focus in personal development, healing or growth practices will inform the sort of experience a man feels drawn to. A shift or breakthrough from a therapy session, workshop or retreat - even a podcast, article or book - may point quite clearly to the next phase of the journey.
We haven’t “figured out” men yet. That may never happen because our individual and collective understanding of “Men/Man” and “Masculinity” will continue to yield new insights. As a result, there will likely continue to be many forms and formats of Men’s Work in the world, many trails on the mountain. This feels healthy and true, from here. Diversity within any ecosystem is crucial to its flourishing and thriving.
I happen to be involved with a men’s work community that is forging its own unique path on Mt. Men’s Work - both literally and figuratively. Below is my telling of our practice, purpose and vision.
Menspedition (a name born from playful banter) is creating retreats and workshops that are:
“Journeys both inwards and onwards.
Crusades into the depths and magnificence of our collective and individual masculinity”
The inward work - self-reflection, introspection, healing - is required, but not sufficient by itself.
The onward work - action, implementation, manifestation - is required, but also not sufficient.
How we explore and integrate these 2 areas of work has and will continue to evolve to meet what is meant, at any given plateau in cultural definition, by being a healthy and actualised Man.
Our most recent retreat - a term which doesn’t always feel truest to the experience - was a 6 day experience, set in the epic landscape of Eryri, Gogledd (Snowdonia National Park, North Wales). A hike up Yr Wyddfa (Mt Snowdon) took place on one of these days, the literal mountain path. Enquiry into, and illumination of, the hidden, suppressed or denied aspects of ourselves became a quest into our own inner landscapes, the figurative mountain path. Woven in and around the Work, were fireside music and poetry sessions, communal meals, wild swimming, wood fired hot tub sessions and ceremonies to land and spirit. All contributing to a deeply connective, bonding, humbling and rewarding experience.
To arrive into a shared language and common “map” to navigate our mountains, we offered an exploration of four Masculine Archetypes, popularised by Carl Jung and commonly used in Men’s Work - the Lover, the Warrior, the Magician and the Sovereign (less gendered term for King). Each day we explored our own connection to each one of these four transpersonal, universal energies, in an open dialogue ‘classroom’ setting, followed by a more experiential and embodied workshop setting. This kind of work seems to be most effective when it includes intellectual and physical elements, otherwise it can remain too conceptual or in some way inaccessible. For example, we took our Warrior exploration onto the literal mountain.
Being a “Warrior” may mean different things to different men. That’s fine.
Not every man wants to feel made to hold a weapon or physically fight another. They really don’t have to. If a man has some resistance to, or fear of, confrontation or standing up for himself, he is certainly invited to explore it. This will often be through a process, held through qualified and experienced facilitation, which involves meeting that edge in some way.
Sometimes that might take the form of stepping into a ring of present men, to explore releasing rage or physical combat. Sometimes it might involve something different, like committing to keep apace with a group of 28 other men who walk at vastly different paces.
For the fastest man, an opportunity to enquire about the frustration that arises when they’re called back to the group. For the slowest man, perhaps an opportunity to find a voice to share how it feels when that fastest man comes back to help him up the mountain. That takes great courage.
“What are the qualities of your Lover, Warrior, Magician or King?” We invited the group to consider. “What awareness do you have of these aspects of yourself? How are they present in you, unconsciously?” We plot our route with these kinds of questions, each day with a focus on a different archetypal energy. Woven into these days are many moments of joyful, soulful, beautiful connection between men and between the boys they all carry within them.
The very first Menspedition retreat was an entirely co-created experience where each man present had space to offer a workshop, music jam, movement session etc. A fluid schedule, a sober and mindful atmosphere - Men’s work all the same. Although the program flow of this most recent iteration was 75% structured and guided by core facilitators, the spirit of co-creation endured in some very profound ways. The rather spontaneous and unrehearsed King’s blessing ceremony, for instance, will remain with me for a very long while past forever…
All that myself and Zak Avery, the current core facilitators, had was a strong intention to walk abreast with each and every brother into their sovereignty. We had a trust that the time would come where each brother could be a mirror to all the others, reflecting a golden wholeness and the divine essence of their souls in mutual blessing and unconditional love.
When we reached that point, and perhaps even to actually reach it fully, we surrendered to a higher flow beyond any of us and made space for the unfolding of a ceremony for the sovereign in us all.
The unfolding was, in a word, transcendental. We held a crucible, prayed into it’s potential. An answer came, from within and through us all. Thank you, thank you, thank you, divine and benevolent eternal light, for gracing our endeavours with your presence. You made it possible for us not to need to pretend any of it. For us to all take a knee together and rise as a council of Sovereign brothers. To celebrate the reality that this was some of the deepest and most powerful work that many of us had ever participated in.
A relatively blank “map” on day 1 became a rich and detailed account of our collective journey by day 6. Unique to that group of men and that specific retreat flow. If we had gathered around a table and re-traced our journey, the map would be speckled with altars and effigies honouring vulnerability, openness and courage among our brothers. The many caves and caverns along the way would be marked with the names of those men who, instead of being turned back by fear, held torch flame high and trod into their own darkness, to carve their truth onto the back walls. The words of celtic folk songs would be scrawled in the corners. Symbols - Awen, infinity, a labyrinth - sketched on the periphery, all echoes from this journey, this pilgrimage, this rite of passage.
This work is for life, to be embodied in every moment, our map rolled up in our belt, always there for reference. Lasting change doesn’t happen without consistent practice of applying it to our continued journeys. A seed which we sprout will need nurturing and care for it to become a fully fruiting tree. A group of the men who met on this particular mountain path will continue to meet remotely and share their work of weaving the peak-state experience of our time together into their own day-to-day lives. This phase of integrating the openings and realisations gained in intentional, ceremonial settings, is often overlooked. For me, it’s essential.
In the most basic sense, it’s about making it all count. It’s about making it real and true for You.
The Men’s Work mountain, of many trails and routes, will continue to welcome our explorations around, atop and within. Other maps will be drawn up, insights and revelations will emerge, brotherhoods will be forged. Future Menspediton groups will meet in October 2023 and May 2024 and beyond (more at menspedition.com). This year will also see the first Wombspedition Retreat, a 6 day journey for a group of women and those who identify as women to co-create their own map on the trails of their Mountain. The peaks of this wild and mysterious range can be regarded in full splendour from the summit of Mt. Men’s work, where men gather frequently to wonder at what might be encountered on those distant trails and in the beckoning caves and lush, vibrant forests of the feminine.