You can also watch on Uplift TV (12 mins)

As the world rushes toward the brink of biospheric collapse, many people are now looking to traditional Indigenous wisdom for guidance on how to live sustainably. Yet Stan Rushworth, a professor of Native American Studies and an elder of Cherokee descent, believes a different kind of wisdom is revealed once there’s a willingness to face the truth about genocide and loss of right relationship to the rest of the life.

Stan and journalist Dahr Jamail are raising funds for a new book that centers Indigenous voices. Learn more and contribute here.

The post Prayer for the Earth – An Indigenous Response To These Times appeared first on IAM.

A third of humanity is under lockdown. The world economy is grinding to a halt. And we have entered an impossible moment – a liminal space between stories — where the existing narratives no longer hold sway, and new possibilities have the chance to take root. ~ Ian MacKenzie

In mid-March 2020, I was invited to offer a keynote talk at the annual EcoLiving Fair. Unfortunately, like most everything else, it was postponed due to COVID19. Instead I was able to offer this Zoom talk, which was intended for their community, though also available for wide viewing.

NOTE: If you have trouble hearing the words, please turn on the Subtitles.

After this talk, I was inspired to write an essay that explores some of the themes more deeply. Read The Days The Earth Stood Still.

The post Between Panic and Presence: Navigating Change in the Midst of COVID19 appeared first on IAM.

Episode 11 of The Mythic Masculine | Listen on your favourite platform

My guest today is the venerable Michael Meade, author, mythologist, and storyteller, who was a prominent figure in the first wave of the mythopoetic men’s movement of the 80’s and 90’s. Michael was right in the center of it – sitting alongside legends such as Robert Bly and James Hillman.

By the mid 90’s Michael moved away from the men’s movement, and founded the Mosaic Multicultural foundation, a non-profit dedicated to education and cultural healing, working with at-risk youth, returning veterans, prisoners, and youth involved in gang life.

Over the last few years, I’d met Michael at a few public gatherings, and have long desired to sit down with him to understand what happened back then, and what the current mythopoetic wave can learn from his perspective.

Just a note: This episode was recorded in late January, at Michael’s studio on Vashon near Seattle. This was before the coronavirus lockdown, and therefore of course, we don’t speak to this topic. At the same time, in our conversation we cover many other rich areas, including those early days of the mythopoetic men’s movement, the problem with codifying archetypes like king, warrior, magician, and lover – and the heart of men’s work, which for Michael, has always been about journey of the soul.

LINKS

• Michael Meade – Mosaic Voices Official Website
• Michael Meade on Twitter Michael Meade on Patreon

SHOW NOTES

Early days of the mythopoetic movement
Sharing between cultural traditions
Authenticity and leadership
Maps of masculinity, king warrior magician lover, are they still valuable?
The soul defies codification
What is gender
Being a man is becoming your authentic self, not a prescribed role
The youth are not young right now, a condition of self
Elder is not a person it’s a condition
Elders needing to stand up and say this is wrong, offer up sacrifice
Question in the end, did you become yourself?

The post #11 | The Fall and Return of the Mythopoetic Men’s Movement: Michael Meade (Mosaic Voices) appeared first on IAM.

It contains many decks with varying degrees of classes and comfort depending on where you are situated. There are a privileged few who are above deck, enjoying a degree of wealth and opulence unreachable by the rows below. More people are somewhere in the middle though most are clustered throughout the bottom decks, fending for with what little they have to survive.

This ship is barrelling through the ocean, consuming a myriad of sea life and coral and leaving a trail of garbage and pollution as it steams forward. Up ahead, shrouded in the fog, a massive ice berg lies in wait. The captains of the ship are unable to see through the mist, nor are they very interested in the presence of danger, as they are convinced their safe passage is certain. Manifest destiny.

A growing number of those on the ship feel that something is wrong, and a few bold activists attempt to alert those above decks to an impending danger, but largely to no avail. It appears everyone, no matter what class and skin color, are headed for certain calamity, and much of life is being taken along with them.

Until…

Read the full essay on Medium

The post Essay: The Days The Earth Stood Still appeared first on IAM.

Episode 10 of The Mythic Masculine | Listen on your favourite platform

We live in wild times. So much has changed since I published my previous episode of this podcast. A global pandemic is now sweeping the world, with country after country imposing severe lock downs and many people retreating into isolation.

In Canada, we are just beginning to feel the impact, and the future is deeply uncertain. Which is why I am deeply honoured to share my conversation today with my friend and beauty maker Day Schildkret.

Day calls himself an impermanent earth artist, who has developed quite a following with his practice of Morning Altars – gorgeous mandalas that he builds through foraging for natural materials in each place that he goes.

In fact, I highly recommend pausing this podcast and visiting his Instagram to see this beauty for yourself.

In this episode, we begin with the obvious – speaking about the coronavirus that has now overtaken the public imagination. We explore his own roots as a young Jewish boy that was almost killed in a bombing in Israel, before coming out as gay in New York City and claiming his sexuality for the first time. And finally, we make a plea for the willingness to craft beauty in a time of fear, as a way to court life back into the center of the spiral.

LINKS

Morning Altars – Official Website
Morning Altars on Instagram

SHOW NOTES

The eye of the story
Journey of the spiral from the center to the outside and back again
The origin of morning altars
The radical nature of impermanent art
The importance of play in regards to beauty-making
The relation between conduct and being a conduit
The surprising etymology of the word ‘museum’
Choosing to become orthodox jew at 13
Almost getting blown up at bus stop in israel
Going back to new york and exploring as a gay man
Culture of cruising for gay men
Queering masculinity
The willingness to make beauty in a time of chaos
Beauty courts life
What does place eat?
The etymology of ritual, to count rythm, find our way back into the rhythm of life
The importance of marking experiences and thresholds in the fabric of life

The post #10 | Queering the Pandemic – Day Schildkret (Morning Altars) appeared first on IAM.

Episode 9 of The Mythic Masculine | Listen on your favourite platform

Today I’m happy to share my conversation with Adam Jackson, one of the three co-fathers of the Sacred Sons men’s organization that has been making waves these last two years.

I was introduced to Adam when I attended their Sacred Sons convergence in San Diego last October, and was impressed with the way they stewarded 200 men over two subsequent weekends into realms of connection, healing, and empowerment.

In this episode, I speak with Adam about the recent birth of his second son Holland, along with the birth story of my own son Oryn. We explore the importance of not losing yourself as a new father, how he uses ritual to stay connected with his partner, and why the return of the Father archetype is so needed in modern culture.

LINKS

• Essay – Sacred Sons and the Rise of the Embodied Masculine
• Sacred Sons Official Website
• Adam Jackson – Instagram

Show Notes

Birth stories of his son Noah & Holland
Drinking aya medicine
What was your role as a man during the birth?
Why Fatherhood comes later
How not to lose yourself as a father
Masculine nurturance not the same as monther
Medicine of the father is to invite in the world, to be more confronting
How has your fathering shown up in your life
Story about his father, breaking the karmic chains link by link
Necessity of the fatherhood blessing
The return of the fatherhood archetype with sacred sons
Patriarchy and aspiirational models of fatherhood
Difference between control and container
First families instead of dictators, partnerships at the helm
Ritual and ceremony as connection to your partner

The post #9 | Fatherhood Is the Medicine – Adam Jackson (Sacred Sons) appeared first on IAM.

Episode 8 of The Mythic Masculine | Listen on your favourite platform

I’m pleased today to share my conversation with visionary philosopher Charles Eisenstein. He is the author of numerous books, including the recent Climate: A New Story.

I first came across Charles’ work over 10 years ago with his book The Ascent of Humanity, where he articulates the deep story of separation that lives at the heart of modern civilization. From there, he wrote Sacred Economics, which inspired me to reach out to him and collaborate on a short that to this day remains one of my most popular films.

Since then, I’ve been privileged to call Charles a friend and ally in weaving the story of re-union – what he calls: the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.

A few years ago, Charles developed his own interview series exploring the new story of masculinity. In this episode, I learn what he brought back from his journey, how he understands the role of the true king, and humanity’s coming initiation to cross the threshold from Mother to Lover Earth.
A technical note: the lower quality of my audio recording becomes better about halfway through the episode.

LINKS:

Charles Eisenstein – Official Website
Sacred Economics – Short film

The post #8 | From Mother Earth to Lover Earth – Charles Eisenstein appeared first on IAM.

Episode 7 of The Mythic Masculine | Listen on your favourite platform

Today I’m happy to share my interview with Pat McCabe, an indigenous grandmother, activist, artist, and ceremonial leader. She is an international voice for global peace, and someone I seem to continually cross paths with at new paradigm gatherings around the world. I suppose we’re following the same song lines.

Recently on Facebook, I asked others to speak about the value of men’s work, and Pat wrote an intriguing response where she named her own explorations into a “thriving life” paradigm – and a new narrative for the sacred masculine that is longing to be born.
In this episode, I learn more about her personal journey with spirit, how she integrated her rage as a woman on this planet, and the deep prayer she holds for men to connect once again as functional members of the Hoop of Life.
By the end of our conversation, both of us are in tears. I wish the same for you.

LINKS

Pat Mccabe’s Official Website
Support the Mythic Masculine

The post #7 | Thriving Life & A Prayer for All Men: Pat McCabe (Woman Stands Shining) appeared first on IAM.

Episode 6 of The Mythic Masculine | Listen on your favourite platform

Eamon Armstrong is the host of his popular podcast Life is a Festival, promoting adventure and personal development through the lens of festival culture.

I first met him as the Prince of Parties when he worked for Fest300, where he got to travel the globe and report from world’s best festivals. It was at Rainbow Serpent in Australia where he happened to attend one of my first talks on masculinity and love. We bonded soon after, and kept in touch after returning to our home places.
A year later, Eamon and I returned to Australia where we offered a series of talks on the subject of mature masculinity – we were a great combination. I brought my experience and knowledge and he offered his playfulness and vulnerability. Plus, he made me just a little more fabulous.
More recently, he has experimented with stand-up comedy, exploring the conversation around men’s work with a poignant irreverence. Up next, I’ve included a short clip before we dive into our conversation.
LINKS:
Life is a Festival – Podcast

The post #6 | The Boy Hero Must Die: Eamon Armstrong (Life is a Festival) appeared first on IAM.

Episode 5 of The Mythic Masculine | Listen on your favourite platform

Benjamin von Mendelssohn is a longtime resident of Tamera peace research village in Portugal, which for the last 5 years has been the focus of a documentary I’m co-directing titled Love School. Benjamin is co-leader of the Global Love School, as well as the director of The Grace Foundation which aims to heal our collective relationship to money.

I first met Benjamin actually in my own kitchen, back when a friend asked on his behalf for a place to stay for a stop on his North American tour. At the time, I didn’t know much about Tamera, though we said hello and I continued on with my day. It was a year later in 2014 when I encountered Benjamin again at the Findhorn community in Scotland for The New Story Summit- he was attending as a speaker along with a few other Tamerans from his community, and it was then I recognized they were carrying an entirely different field of being.

I was invited to Tamera to make a short film about their research in healing love and sexuality, and in 2015, after my marriage ended, I knew it was time to visit. That journey began a love story with the community and a deepening relationship with Benjamin who I am now grateful to call a friend and a mentor.

In this episode, we discuss his first experiences coming to Tamera, what he had to unlearn as a man, and why truth in love is the foundation of a healed culture.

LINKS

• Tamera – Official Website The Grace Foundation
• Love School – Official Website

The post #5 | A Culture of Love Beyond Patriarchy: Benjamin von Mendelssohn (Tamera) appeared first on IAM.