Sacred Masculinity

A Path Toward Men's Healing
and Self-Discovery

By Dr. Bill Pinder


CHOOSING A DIFFERENT DIRECTION

Men are beginning to wake up to the reality that we are facing a formidable adversary which reeks havoc in our daily lives and the world in which we live. It bears no human or material form, and yet, is responsible for most of the maladies which we witness and experience. This enemy is not from without, instead it is from within. It is ignorance of self.

Through not knowing nor embracing our nature, men have become less than what we actually are. By turning a deaf ear to the original inner vibration and muffling the celestial song which resonates within, a destructive dissonance has threaten all living things.

However, in questioning and examining our motives and actions, some men are beginning to choose a different direction - one which brings healing, wholeness, knowledge and acceptance of our divine nature. This choice confronts and vanquishes the dark enemy within.

For want of a better term, this choice is referred to as Sacred Masculinity, which may be defined as the intentional journey of a man toward:

1. Inner Discovery - Finding, accepting, and embracing those elements within himself and others which are good and divinely unique;

2. Outer Acknowledgement - Learning and knowing that there is a multidimensional universe governed by precise laws, and

3. Harmonics - Striving to bring about a state of harmony and balance within his life and within his surroundings.

Thus, any man, regardless of his religious orientation, who walks such a path is a "Sacred Male".

This path of sacredness is simply our attempt to maintain and/or increase the original energy vibration within ourselves and within our surroundings. It encourages us first, to see the sacred in everything - and secondly, to treat both beings and things with respect and honor.

Earth SonSpirit is a men's webgathering dedicated to the pursuit of this path.

   

The above artistic creation is entitled "CL2704" by Fred Casselman of Earth Echo .com. It was selected to represent the concept of Vision Quest because it carries a very primordial and mystical energy.

In Numerology, CL2704 adds up to the number 19 - which is Karmic Debt. In the true spirit of the ancient "rites of passage" ordeal, difficulties will be faced and overcome through personal struggle.

In the spirit of the Vision Quest, one of the main lessons of 19/1 energy is learning independence and the proper use of power.

The Vision Quest is, historically, a solitary vigil by an adolescent American Indian male to seek spiritual power and learn through a vision of a guardian spirit.

The Vision Quest has been an essential part of Lakota life and ritual. Until recent times, all young men sought this experience, sometimes as young as 10 or 11 and never later than their early teens.

Later in life, men would often return for another Vision Quest when seeking guidance in the affairs of life. Women would vision quest too, but not as regularly as men. The practice, though not as prevalent, has never been abandoned by the people and is still carried on today.

As far as we know, there is nothing in Western Culture that parallels this spiritual practice. Thus, there has been a growing interest in studying, borrowing and re-packaging some of the principles and practice of this discipline.

The concept of a "Vision Quest" has grown in recent years across cultural lines.

Even along the path of Sacred Masculinity these principles are at work, for each traveler is on a "personal quest" for a deeper understanding of self and a right relationship with the Divine and their own SonSpirit.