What does it take to be a man?

I was feeling better yesterday, so I went for a walk in the bush.  We have about 68 acres of virgin boreal aspen forest and I love spending time walking among the trees, plants, food, medicine and animals.  I saw a white tail deer while I was out and, for the first time in decades, a bald eagle flew over my head.  It circled a few times and then continued on its way.  I was touched deeply by the eagles visit.

The totem for the bald eagle conveys the powers and messages of the  spirit.  It bestows freedom and courage to look ahead. The eagle is symbolic of the importance of honesty and truthful principles. It is no accident that the bald eagle came to visit me while I struggle with my post about what it takes to be a man!

User: (WT-shared) Dsifry at  wts wikivoyage [CC BY 3.0  from Wikimedia Commons]

I'm being told to be courageous and stretch my limits.  I'm not sure how much more I can do that, but I will try.  

What does it take to be a man?

Here are the lyrics from the band 'Boston' "To be a Man" that was released in 1986.

 "To Be A Man"

What does it take to be a man?
What does it take to see
It's all heart and soul
A gentle hand?
So easy to want and so hard to give
How can you be a man
'Till you see beyond the life you live?
Oh, what does it take to be a man?

We can be blind, but a man tries to see
It takes tenderness
For a man to be what he can be
And what does it mean
If you're weak or strong?
A gentle feelin'
can make it right or make it wrong
What does it take to be a man?

The will to give and not receive
The strength to say what you believe
The heart to feel what others feel inside
To see what they can see

A man is somethin' that's real
It's not what you are
It's what you can feel
It can't be too late
To look through the hate and see
I know that's what a man can be 

What does that mean?

I feel compelled to be an iconoclast today and bust open the fraud of what we think a 'man' is.  A man does not use this strength and power to enslave, denigrate or belittle others.  In fact, he does not engage in violence of any kind as his job is to protect and hold space for himself and his family.  In my view, a real man dedicates himself to the Pacem Arts, much like a Jedi, he reaches out with his feelings to embrace the Force, which is another word for LOVE.  

 A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack - Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)

The current government and corporate systems are not a reflection of the masculine energy, even though it is mostly controlled by men.  It is a reflection of dark energy, dependent upon violence to maintain control.  This is NOT divine masculine energy and should never be confused as such.  The only reason it is dominated by men is because of privilege, physical strength, bulling, coercion, violence and force to suppress everyone else.

The Divine Masculine

 Luminous beings are we…not this crude matter. - Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)

We are spiritual beings in command of our vessels, made up of crude matter gathered from Mother Earth.  For the Divine Masculine to flourish, we must first acknowledge who we really are.  

 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. - Genesis 2:7

Our vessels came from the Earth and our Spirit came from Creator to form Man, a living, breathing, spiritual being.  As such, we find ourselves learning what it takes to be a man.  If we acknowledge that love is indeed the most powerful force on this planet, would it make sense to practice the Pacem Arts so that we can build a relationship with that force, must like the Jedi do?  

A Man who is interested in the divine masculine energy acknowledges this relationship and dedicates his life to the practice of peace and love.  He does not engage in violence but instead find the courage, strength, knowledge and wisdom to confront the dark side and be the guardians of peace, freedom and love.  To be a Jedi requires that we confront the dark side within ourselves.  We must endure the trials before we can step into the power and authority of the force of love.   Whether we are a Jedi or the divine masculine, we must confront ourselves first so that we can walk the path of peace, freedom and love.  Only then will the force (love) be with us.  

Leadership by example, not conquest!

I've been told a number of times that I'm unusual and not a typical man.  I've had women tell me that numerous times over the years.  These observations and comments come from the women in my life and they were all meant as complements as they noticed that I don't behave or talk like most other guys.  Many of the women in my life feel so safe and comfortable around me that they are able to share, open up or even surrender themselves in order to express the full divine feminine within themselves. I cannot express how much of an honour and privilege it is to be a witness to the transformations that I've seen with those around me.  I was moved to tears a few weeks ago as a dear friend shared with me that I spiritually saved her and another lady friend said that I saved her marriage.  The tears were of gratitude, joy and an outburst of love as it is these kinds of relationships I work so hard to foster, grow and support.  There is no better feeling in the world than when somebody expresses themselves in such a raw, powerful and spiritual way.   I'm addicted to that feeling of love, the force that can move mountains!

I've noticed lately that it is not just women who are starting to reach out to me.  The fact that guys are starting to approach me as well is a sign that we are ready to start talking about these issues more openly and frankly.  So what is it that I do that builds such a deep, intimate connection with those around me? 

The Spiritual Man

In the spirit of the bald eagle, lets look ahead to see where this is taking us.  I see a foundational shift in how we interact with one another.  In the coming years, men from all over the world will acknowledge the Force and want to train themselves on how to stand in the integrity, power and influence of love.  In order to do that, we must surrender our old ways and embrace the Pacem Arts so that we can reach out with our feelings!  When we feel our way through life, we allow the force to move us, guide us and protect us!  

 There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found  a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all  others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and  has not yet been identified by us. This universal force is LOVE. - Albert Einstein 

There is a new force sweeping the face of this planet and it is a group of men who are embracing the Pacem Arts and learning how to connect to this universal force of love.  When these Jedi Knights start to stand up and confront evil, we will start to see changes we never expected in our life time.  Women are already acknowledging who these Jedi Knights are.  They feel safe, secure, protected and loved around these knights of peace, freedom and love.  The Jedi don't attack or engage in violence to do their work.  Instead they lead by example in order to influence others to turn away from the dark side.  The divine masculine does not run away from darkness, but instead he turns to face it directly, confront it, acknowledge the evil, forgive it and heal it!  

These Jedi Knights are the most courageous as they must confront the deepest and darkest depths of their own souls.  It is not about going to war against others, but instead healing themselves and teaching others to do the same.  

Lion's Den retreat

I've been invited into a tribe as an elder.  That tribe is holding a level one heart retreat for men and women on October 26-28.  The ladies will be at the 4-H Center on Battle Lake Alberta, while the men will be joining me here on our little patch of heaven that we steward.  

This retreat will focus on the heart so that we can break down the false idols, that we cherish so much, in order to allow for the force to take hold and express itself through us.  We are holding these two retreats at the same time.  Even though we will be hundreds of KM's apart, the energy that will flow between the two divine masculine and divine feminine will be intense and powerful.  The city of Edmonton is directly in between both sites and I have no doubt we will impact the people within the city as well.  

This mission to become a divine masculine spiritual warrior is not something to be taken lightly.  The training is intense and requires dedication, commitment, courage and bravery.  This is a call to all the brave men to join us for this retreat.  This retreat is going ahead, whether there is one or twenty.  If you are interested in the divine feminine, then I encourage you to reach out to the ladies as well.  

We are going to work on healing so that we no longer need to resort to violence.  Remember Luke's failure in the cave?

We are going into the cave to confront the dark side.  We don't need weapons where we are going.  But instead we will explore tools to help us confront what we find when we enter into the cave.  Come join us if you want to learn the force of love.  

May the Force be with you.