Though much is taken, much abides; … that which we are, we are, One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. ~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson Most of us received no sword from our fathers. Instead we inherited […]
Returning the Earth
“We have conquered the environment, and in our obsession for control, we no longer allow the environment to live in us.” ~ Valerie Andrews Humankind has “tamed” the wilderness, bought and sold land for profit and loss. For too long we have mortgaged the earth and bankrupted its resources, pouring fumes into the skies and […]
Retrieving Dreams
Imagination is more important than knowledge. ~ Albert Einstein If we believe that our dream life is at least as important as our waking life, what wonders might occur. Intuition is as real and dependable as anything that can be scientifically observed. We know from experience that we become what we imagine. We don’t just […]
Learning Patience
Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence. ~ Hal Borland Men learned how to wait long ago. We waited on our parents to approve of us, to love us as we were, to stop drinking, or just to come home from work and give us their attention. Failing […]
Empowerment
The power of a man … is his present means to obtain some future apparent good. ~ Thomas Hobbes Many of us have lived for power, often getting it at a very high cost to ourselves and the people we love. In such cases, we seldom feel empowered by our actions. Nor do we feel […]
The False Self
Ring out the false, ring in the true. ~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson As boys we learned that we had to find out who others wanted us to be. Then we were taught we had to become that person in order to get acceptance, appreciation, and love – things we should have gotten just for being […]
Centering
For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all tasks, and the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke As men we were often taught that the center of our universe is work, that we are […]
Youth and the Flying Boy
In the woods is perpetual youth. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Because our society is so youth-oriented, many men want to “stay young.” Compounding the problem is the fact that so many of us as boys were made to grow up too fast. It’s as though we lost our youth before we ever had it – […]
The True Work
Blessed is who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness. ~ Thomas Carlyle The work we do should feed our soul and keep it strong, as good food nourishes the body. Sometimes we work only for money and survival because it may be that that’s all we can do at the moment. […]
Earth, the Great Teacher
Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee. ~ Job 12:8 So many men have been brainwashed into believing that the Earth is not alive, that it possesses no character, no feeling, and that it’s merely here to serve the insatiable demands of a greedy few. As we recover from this soul-shattering falsehood, a new […]