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Comments on “Numen, Old Men” – Part 3: Integral Spirituality or Muscular Spirituality?
I have long been enamored with models of human behavior, development, personality, origins, …on and on. From simple typology models, such as Myers-Briggs, to more complex models, including the Enneagram, from spiritual esoteric developments such as the Kabbalah to Jungian archetypal explorations, and on to Ken Wilber and the Integral Model of “a brief history of everything” I’ve studied them and applied them to my own development, understanding, and yes, even (maybe especially) enjoyment. Most models, of course, are found wanting in one or more respects. They are models, after all, and not the real thing. They can’t be expected to operate perfectly in the real world. This is just like creating climate models and then expecting accurate weather reporting – it just doesn’t happen!
Ken Wilber has created an elegant and complex model of the world, especially of people and their history in the world. I have enjoyed poking into it, with a relatively non-critical eye, to understand it, but not to test it in all it’s “grandeur.” Chapter 5 of Joseph Gelfer’s book: Numen, Old Men: Contemporary Masculine Spiritualities and the Problem of Patriarchy is titled: Integral Spirituality or Muscular Spirituality? and in it he takes a critical look at Wilber’s Integral Model and its perspectives on spirituality and masculinity. And, just as all models have them, Dr. Gelfer finds some serious issues with Wilber’s.
I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter and believe it to be the best argued so far in the book. It is both informative and entertaining at the same time; I laughed out loud at points, often at the expense of Mr. Wilber. For example Dr. Gelfer observes that Wilber runs afoul of his own “pre/trans fallacy” insight. The pre/trans fallacy leads to a confusion of pre-rational and transrational spiritual explorations by elevating “archaic and magical reasoning to the heady heights of Wilberian transrationalism, and scientific rationalists can reduce Wilberian transrationalism to the primeval swamp of archaic and magical pre-rationalism.” Then “Wilber’s whole application of masculine and feminine ‘types’ falls foul of the pre/trans fallacy….Wilber’s simplistic approach to gender, even if we give him credit for removing masculine and feminine one step away from actual men and women (which he does on occasion) is clearly pre-rational.”!
Yes, you could say there are times when Wilber argues out of both sides of his mouth!
There are also some parts of the chapter which elicited a “groan” from me as I read about the extent to which Wilber and some of his followers of the Integral approach have perpetuated the notion that women (the feminine) are some how inferior to men (the masculine)! As an example: “even in the noosphere [the sphere of evolved thought which transcends and includes the biosphere] Wilber says women should not expect complete parity, ‘given the unavoidable aspects of childbearing, a parity in the public/private domain would be around 60-40 male/female'” – yeah, he quotes Wilber here! And Dr. Gelfer then rightly quips: “Dashed are the hopes of many who thought that in the noosphere would be realized more flexible workplace policies.”!
In my mind the main argument here is that Wilber has not dealt very well with masculine/feminine issues and has not modeled the incredible complexity of these notions at all deeply. To rely on two dimensional characterizations of male and female as polar opposite manifestations of humanity is naive. And as elegant and useful as some of Mr. Wilber’s thought is, he fails to probe this area of masculine spirituality much below the surface of the trite characterizations of masculinity/femininity by the evangelical men’s movement.
Tomorrow we take a break from Dr. Gelfer for a comment on this week’s Mystic Message from The Divine Feminine.
Alchemy and the Goddess
My posts have been sparse lately as we travel coast to coast and back home. Experiencing all these climates has been enjoyable but a bit hard on the environmental body controls. Rosemary and I are both a bit under the weather (so to speak) from the changes. It was good to get home to Colorado last evening and back to our regular schedules. My posts will be regular again as well!
Last night Rosemary and I hosted our “First Monday” Spiritual Exploration Group meeting here in Colorado Springs. We had a good turn out for our topic of the month: What’s All This Hype about 2012? What’s the Basis for it and What Do We Think Might Happen? I found some interesting references to both Alchemy and the Goddess in my readings in preparation for the discussion. There seems to be a strong synchronistic potential at work in my life. The books I am choosing to read and the topics I am choosing to write about and discuss all align with the topic of this post. More of this as we work through the week
The first story of my current book on Alchemy (Alchemy, an Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology by Marie-Louise von Franz) is from the Codex Marcianus. It is called The Prophetess Isis to Her Son and is about Isis seeking the secret of “the holy technique” – the preparation of gold and silver. Interestingly Alchemy and the Goddess are immediately linked not only in my mind (see my post on March 25) but in the very first material I take up on the subject!
The story itself is fascinating: Isis encounters an angel who wants to have sex with her in exchange for the knowledge of alchemy. She puts him off until she obtains the knowledge; then he admits this is above him and he needs to hand her off to another more powerful angel. The next day the more powerful angel appears; this one too wants to have sex with Isis. Again she refuses until she receives the secrets of the preparation of gold and silver. In the story the recipe is actually presented but the names of the various substances used are so arcane as to be not identifiable today. But Isis does obtain the secret knowledge and is allowed to share it with her son, Horus.
The significant part of this is where von Franz takes the discussion: she draws the parallel between this myth and the creation myth of the Bible where Eve is the source of the “fall” when she suggests Adam eats the apple whereby they gain knowledge. Of course the Isis story is a positive one: not only does Isis succeed in gaining the information she sought, but she also avoided payment for it by not having sex with the angels. The Eve story is negative: the payment for the knowledge gained is expulsion from the garden. Von Franz would say both stories are archetypal and related; they likely have the same source. The Biblical story is much younger than the Isis story. How is it that the newer story was twisted to have a negative outcome to the gain of knowledge?
And this becomes the crux of the evolution of western civilization, even consciousness! There was an ancient track that seemed to consider knowledge as good. And women were the seekers and keepers of knowledge. This track was diverted a few thousand years ago to declare knowledge as evil; and the cause of this evil was Woman! What is this all about?
Is knowledge good or evil? You might think this is a silly question in the post-modern world of today when science and technology are supreme icons of advancement. But this debate continues. How many people today would still say Eve was wrong in offering the apple, knowledge, to Adam? How many people today deny the science behind the evolutionary process? Believe it or not there is still a sizable portion of the population of this country that believes the Earth is the center of the Universe! (And I suspect these people do not want to discover anything that would contradict their beliefs.)
Is knowledge evil; is ignorance bliss? The question is not as simple as it seems. My posts will continue to consider the question – as we seek answers through knowledge!
A New Storm; A New Book
Yes, I do live in Colorado. And at this time of year anything can happen, even well into Spring. So, we are expecting snow tonight and all day tomorrow, with winds, with falling temperatures, a regular “winter storm watch.” Oh, and there’s a “100%” chance of this happening! Fortunately I just received a new book to get me through the snow-bound stage (which will probably only last a few hours tomorrow!).
One of the good things about this blog is it gained the attention of Joseph Gelfer who is doing some really interesting work down in the Melbourne, Australia in the field of masculine spirituality. I just received his book, Numen, Old Men Contemporary Masculine Spiritualities and the Problem of Patriarchy. He warned in one of his comments to me that he takes apart the whole, so called “mythopoetic men’s movement” of which I’ve felt some kinship and even participated in from time to time. So, I am not surprised and full of anticipation to read his second chapter titled: “The Mythopoetic Movement: Getting it Wrong from the Start.”
Robert Bly, Michael Meade, Robert Moore and several others were at the forefront of this movement beginning in the mid-80s. I’ve been in workshops and read much material from these three men in particular and have enjoyed what they offer. In his preface Joseph writes: “I had a deep, intuitive feeling that I could identify a masculine spirituality that did not perpetuate patriarchy and homophobia…” Yes, exactly what I am looking for and what I am working to reveal in these random posts on “men and the Goddess.” During his research for his book Joseph discovers an underlying patriarchy within the men’s movement; he states: “All but a few…who articulated a ‘masculine spirituality’ were actually articulating a patriarchal spirituality.”
Yes, I can see that to an extent. And I did read critical reviews and commentary on the mythopoetic movement at the time of its zenith that stated much the same thing, that patriarchy was alive and well within the movement. But, for me at least, it was a beginning. And there was much good work done by some within the movement. I have moved on. Many have. And I hope that this new book by Joseph Gelfer helps advance this whole notion of masculine spirituality. I will keep you informed of my progress as I move through his research and findings.
Meanwhile I have been working for “the goddess.” Yes, I have revamped Rosemary’s website with a modest update to include a new video of her describing what she does. The site flows a bit better now, but stay tuned for a major overhaul in late spring as I shift her to a WordPress hosted website. Check out the video at www.rosemarybredeson.com. And, for goddess sake, if you haven’t subscribed to her FREE weekly ‘ezine’ Wisdom Connections, each issue of which contains a new message from The Divine Feminine on how to live more consciously, do so when you visit the site.
Do you have a connection to the Goddess?
Balance – Can you find that still point within?
Happy Spring! On Saturday, locally at 11:32 am, we officially greeted Spring’s arrival. And while your weather may not have been appropriate for this season of growth and greening, at least here in the northern hemisphere, it was nevertheless a point of balance for everyone everywhere. The equinoxes are celebrated as a time of year of equal light and dark. The Sun is up for very close to 12 hours and it is down for 12 hours. For example Sunrise on Saturday here in Colorado occurred at 7:04 am and Sunset was at 7:11 pm. Balance.
How do you define balance? And here I’m asking about your sense of balance as an individual moving through your life on Planet Earth. Of course there are many kinds of balance: balancing while riding a bicycle, balancing on one foot in a yoga asana, balancing a diet, a check-book, balancing times of work and play, activity and rest. These are all examples of physical balance. There is also balance to be found in emotions: balancing joy and sorrow for example; and balancing of mental activity: right and left brain balancing, creativity with logic; and there is spiritual balancing to consider: balancing an understanding of self and Self, sensing the presence of God and Goddess, masculine and feminine energies within.
The balancing of day and night amplifes this sense of balance in our lives at this equinox time. It is a good time to examine all these areas of balance to determine if there might be some shifting to do. Balance is not a static or rigid sense of maintaining a status quo of some sort. There is an essential dynamic to balance. When riding a bike subtle shifts in the body are required to maintain balance; and, of course, forward motion greatly adds to the balancing act. All balancing acts require adjustments and tests to find and maintain the balance point.
Spiritual balance can be found, tested and adjusted on the inside. There is a still-point within where the breath eases, where the mind quiets, where emotions become submerged; this is a fulcrum of balance. Some people feel this in their heart-center, the fourth chakra, middle most of the seven. Some people find it in their dantien, especially the lower dantien in martial arts applications. It is in this inner balance point where God meets Goddess, where self meets Self, where the natural world meets emptiness, where no-thing meets the All. This is a highly dynamic center, full of life and change. But it is is a quiet place and the changes are subtle.
When we find this place of balance inside ourselves all other parts of our lives come into balance. Stress eases, ease strengthens, heaviness lightens, lightness deepens, masculinity softens, softness toughens, roughness smooths, smoothness texturizes. The polar energies swirl about one another, as in the Tai Chi symbol: yin swimming into yang, yang spiraling around yin; dark to light, light to dark dynamically balanced, ever changing, always the same, never static, spiraling upward.
Enjoy these days of balance subtly moving toward lengthening days and the coming solstice. And sense that still point within, your fulcrum about which your entire life can be balanced.
Inner Work using Divination
As predicted we got our five inches of snow; it is still coming down as I write! And by equinox time tomorrow, 11:32 am locally, we will see the Sun and experience the light for half the day; and then we’ll have half a day of night: equal parts light and dark to balance our inner and outer natures.
I’ve been writing about inner work lately. I’ve cited several methods I have used with varying success to get in touch with the inner being, to process loss and grief, to get in touch with our spiritual bodies and minds, to get in touch with Self. And in clearing up one of my piles of papers yesterday I found a single typed sheet, isolated, waiting for me. I glanced at it before pitching it in the recycle bin and read a few lines. This sounds interesting, I wonder who wrote it; maybe I should set it aside to read later.
I read this note today; I had written it, who knows when, I discovered about half-way through the piece. It was a response I had written, perhaps 10 years ago, to a “shusta card” drawing I had done. Shusta cards are a deck used for divination that I was trained in some time in the 90s. I haven’t used them in years. I have used other cards on occasion. Divination cards are very useful as a means to communicate with our higher consciousness, the Self. One year I drew a card from three different decks each morning and wrote in a journal what I interpreted the cards to mean. It is fascinating to go back and read that journal now.
With that as introduction I offer this “reading” of self, and Self, for your consideration, not only as the message for today as we approach equinox, but as a method you can use to get in touch with your higher Self:
“I can not hope to serve others successfully unless I am serving myself to a point where it becomes clear I am host to God/Goddess, a point where wholeness is growing inside. Then there will be a platform from which to serve.
“Now my Shusta cards from this morning become clearer. Destiny, Self, Unconditional Love. Of course, I have a destiny which is unalterable and set in motion from the beginning of time. I know that, and hard as it is, I accept that, at least intellectually. It is harder to accept it emotionally, but once it is admitted, life becomes easier to bear. Acceptance of this condition is a step on the path to wholeness. Let the moment unfold as it will. I can’t change it. The minute details may alter but the overall pattern of my existence is set, so let it be.
“Self within the established pattern – what does that mean? Is there a self within the motions of the plan that has any importance? Perhaps only in the context of the Self can the self be considered significant. Everything needs context. The Self has its context in Oneness, the Unity of All, the Way/Tao, the Am that I am. I am that Oneness, that Oneness am I. In the great beingness, isness, suchness, I am, the Self. From this one point derives all existence. The self is the conscious level of the Self. It is awake, aware, and built to serve the Self. It gets in its own way a lot. It second guesses everything. It thinks way too much. Out of this thinking derives worry, guilt, and many other destructive emotions. The shadow emerges from the self. The Self has no shadow, can not be split or divided onto itSelf, because it is only the Self. Consciousness of the Self is the only path of salvation for the self. Dwelling in the Self is the source of hope. Awareness of the Self is the platform for wholeness, and service. All derives from the Self; the first derivative (dS) is the self. The only purpose, meaning is to be aware of the Self, to serve the Self, to reflect the Self in the outer realm of existence.
“Unconditional love is what the Self has for the self. The Self knows what the self has to endure; the entire plan is available to the Self, nothing is hidden. From this knowledge derives love. Self-love of self is the dynamo of the universe, of all creation. The Self is Love. Suchness, beingness is love; love is suchness. There is an identity here which is the key. Unconditional love is the root, the central core of the All. Yes, even the most dark and evil corner of all creation has love at its center. It couldn’t exist without love; nothing can exist without love. Love Is. If this is true, then the only possible response to everything is love. How can it be otherwise. Love can only generate love. See the love in all things and you become love. The self becomes the Self. And emptiness engulfs the self in an ecstatic state of bliss.”
I got all that from three little cards. It’s a good meditation to consider as we move to the balance of the Spring Equinox and into the new year of growth and activity.
Using divination cards is a wonderful way to get in touch with Self. Have any of you had good experiences with cards?
Men and Spirituality
Yes, it was a beautiful spring 70 degree day in Colorado. Yes, we are expecting somewhere up to 5 inches of snow between tonight and tomorrow night. And on the first day of Spring…yes, more snow likely. But that’s just fine with me because it is watering the yard – for free – thank you, Mother!
I just bought a book by Matthew Fox: The Hidden Spirituality of Men. I’ve enjoyed Fox’s work and have participated in workshops and circle dances for peace with him. He has done so much to steer the spiritual ship of humanity in a more reasoned and less hysterical/blind belief direction over the past 20+ years. It’s hard to believe his Original Blessing was published in 1983! I have not read his more recent works so I am looking forward to reconnecting with him, especially around the issue of men and spirituality. In the preface to this current work, he provides a couple dozen reasons he believes men’s spirituality remains hidden. I’m sure you can come up with a list that parallels Fox’s; the reasons range from insecurity to lack of training and vocabulary to the usual masculine cliches. And it’s a good list. But it strikes me that it is a list of passive traits; it’s a list of excuses we have made up and hide behind. And there is an active item that is not on Fox’s list: I think our culture, our society, what my teacher, Martín Prechtel, would call “the empire”, wants to repress spirituality in men, especially when we are at war, even a made up war – the so called “global war on terror.” (And we always seem to be at war, or preparing for war – hence the enormous defense budget we pay for every year.) Now, I’m not interested here in conspiracy theories or hypothesizing deliberate propaganda campaigns to keep men from expressing ourselves in spiritual terms. But I do think there is a decided and purposeful lack of encouragement for men to get deeply in touch with our spirituality.
In any case I am very much looking forward to reading this book. To a large extent Fox’s subject is why I am writing this blog. If he provides a way forward so men do begin to reveal their ‘hidden spirituality” I will recommend it highly!
Meanwhile, I believe there is much evidence out there that men are becoming more forthcoming about their spiritual lives. I am encouraged by two very recent examples from my own life:
I hope you all read my blog on Monday when I posted an essay on the Harbingers of Spring by Don Ellis. These are words from a man who is very much in touch with his spirituality. He writes “If I could choose to live again the Springtime of my life, I would again choose to live it where the meadow lark announces the season of reawakening.” Eloquent words spoken from the heart.
And yesterday I was with a friend and shared with him a dream I have to circumambulate the sacred mountain in western Tibet, Mt. Kailash. This is a pilgrimage of many faiths, especially for Buddhists and Hindus. The mountain is considered the “navel of the earth” or the Axis Mundi. It has never been climbed; that is not allowed. It is walked around; the trek takes days and the high-point of the walk is crossing Drolma La Pass at 18,000 feet. I first read of this pilgrimage in Circling the Sacred Mountain by Robert Thurman and Tad Wise, a lovely book of spiritual teachings by Thurman and an entertaining travelogue by Wise. And as soon as I finished the book I wanted to set out! I am now, if I’m lucky, two years away from this dream. But I digress! After sharing my dream with my friend I later have dinner with him and his wife. In addition to the lovely dinner I am given a gift bag, complete with a beautiful picture of Mt. Kailash, Tibetan incense and prayer flags. He said he wanted to energize my dream! I don’t call that “hidden” spirituality.
I am encouraged. And I write to be even more encouraging. It is time for men to express their feelings, their joy and grief, their spiritual insights. How do you express your spirituality? And if you don’t, now is the time to start. Respond here with your thoughts, dreams, fears, and insights. It is a safe place! Blessings for your journey around “the sacred mountain.”
Spring is just around the corner; not that we are anxious!
Our “little or no accumulation” of snow yesterday amounted to three inches! It is melting quickly today and tomorrow will be in the 60s. I love this time of year with fickle weather, unexpected returns to winter and wonderful hints of Spring. Newness is in the air and everywhere I look.
Today we have a new moon bringing in a fresh look to the evening skies and the energy of the planet. It’s a great time to let go of old stuff, whatever that is. The old moon is taking its last breath and will sweep away any of the “clutter” that might be holding you back. And on Saturday as the Sun moves into Aries to begin the new astrological year, Spring rolls in with it. The Vernal Equinox on Saturday is the day of balance between light and dark. It is this balance that is required in everything. If we are to bring in new then old must be chucked.
Persephone is the Greek Goddess of Spring. She’s the Goddess captured by Haides and abducted to the Underworld to be his wife. She was rescued but still had to spend some of her time with Haides. She returned from her Underworld sojourn in Spring and brought with her fresh growth and new beginnings. She returned to Haides for the balance of her time in the fall as growth ended in withering and death. Persephone’s story reminds me of Inanna’s which is much older and the likely basis for the Greek stories.
So, we look for Persephone’s return! I saw my first Robin last week no doubt looking for sluggish, still nearly frozen worms. In telling this story at our Sunday Celebration yesterday I reminded Don of his story on his harbingers of spring. It is so good I am including it here for your enjoyment:
Harbingers of Spring
The return of the robin, businesslike in his red vest industriously extracting earthworms from the front lawn, is a sign of Spring so enshrined in American art and literature that it is almost a cliché. So, too, is the first crocus, small and delicate in the garden testing the cold air and the lingering snow as it reaches up, opening itself to the sunshine of the lengthening days. Despite the overused words and oft reproduced images recapitulating these annual events, the events themselves are new and fresh each year. For many, they herald not only the biological reawakening of a new growing season but also a personal emotional revitalization.
For much of the time when I was growing up in the 1940’s and 50’s, the only water we had fell from the sky or was hauled from a spring in jugs and cans. And, even after we got water from a pipeline, our attempts to grow a garden or a lawn met with limited success. So, the harbingers of Spring which touched my youthful soul (and still touch me the most deeply) were different, wilder, more robust.
Spring was heralded, not by the robin, but by the meadow lark standing erect on a fence post, yellow bib bared to the world, loudly trilling a crisp melodious flute like greeting to all, as I passed on my walk to school. Rather than the smooth petite crocus of the garden, I saw the floral face of Spring in the larger, hairy, almost disheveled, yet delicately beautiful pasque flower.
If I could choose to live again the Springtime of my life, I would again choose to live it where the meadow lark announces the season of reawakening.
Perhaps that is one reason I am passionate preserving those wild places where our increasingly urbanized and regulated community can reconnect with the meadow lark and the pasque flower, the dynamic order of nature in contrast to the designed and manicured order of the city.
Walk the Section 16 trail connect with the pasque flowers.
We are at the beginning of a new season!
Don Ellis
Thanks, Don!
What are your harbingers for this wonderful season of newness and growth?
Men and Grief (Part 3)
I put a big ding in my relatively new guitar this morning. I usually begin practice while steeping tea. This morning I forgot to set the timer for the tea and got up from my chair, guitar in hand, to set it; not my typical routine. As I turned to go back to practice I banged the guitar’s face into the corner of the the tea cart.
My first reaction was anguish followed immediately by anger, flashing white-hot: anger at the universe for setting this event in motion followed immediately with anger at myself for being clumsy, mindless, out of rhythm…Words were used to express this anger, not peaceful words, not high vibration words I would choose to share with anyone; words spilling mindlessly from an ill-tempered mouth.
I retreated to my “cave” to spare others from my venting, to salve my hurt, to recover some balance. “What is this?” comes easily to mind, long minutes too late, but the question remains hanging over me. My guitar practice, making tea, sharing a moment with Rosemary are all mindfulness practices for me during beautiful new days. Yet, how quickly I plunged into mindless anger. I went on with my other routines.
I asked during yoga practice: “What is this?” During stretches, asanas and concluding meditation the answer comes: mindfulness practice is exactly this! Whether we are sitting on our cushion, making tea, practicing guitar, lessons arise; thoughts interfere with following the breath, a forgotten timer interferes with the routine of the tea, a dinged guitar brings us up short in our practice and throws us into the ditch of samsara.
I move on to my “morning pages”, a practice recommended by Julia Cameron in “The Artist’s Way.” I’ve been doing this with reasonable regularity for years; it is very helpful in clearing away the cobwebs of the mind. I sit to write in our sanctuary and ask: “What is this?” And I write of my perfectionist ways, my Enneagram type 1 personality which at the superficial level demands perfection. My guitar is no longer perfect; it is dinged. Oh, it will sound no different in my amateur hands; I don’t play perfectly, so why must the guitar be perfect? The evolved Enneagram type 1 human realizes the world, the Universe is already perfect; it is just the way it needs to be; it just IS. “What is this?” This is a lesson in impermanence. We live in an entropic Universe; everything tends toward a more natural state of higher entropy: destruction, decay, death are all natural processes with which we live. Guitars get dinged.
I move on to write “a poem for the day”, and ask “What is this?” The wheel turns, more lessons await, always lessons. Practice more, sit longer, breathe into the cycle. Thoughts arise, come back to emptiness; dings happen, come back to emptiness; loss comes, feel the grief; grief arises, find your center, emptiness.
A dinged guitar is a small thing, a small loss. It offers a small lesson for the day. It brings me back to center after a trip or two around the wheel and after some focused practice to understand and accept the ding, my reaction, my work, my return to the breath, to the present moment, all I have, all I will ever have.
I’ve touched on a few practices I find useful in my life of lessons and constant cycling (I hope spiraling) toward “the heart of perfect wisdom.” There are many mindfulness practices, some I use on a daily basis as I’ve illustrated, some like shamanic journeying, chanting, drumming I use less frequently, and others like holotropic breath work, sweat-lodge, fasting I use infrequently for major “spiritual emergencies.” There are as many ways to approach inner work as there are human beings. The importance is to approach it!
Men and grief; many of us don’t do it well. If we have the knowledge and the tools, the wisdom of the grieving process and its importance will surely follow.
Men and The Goddess 