Men's “Work”
– a mission greater than ourselves By
Craig Lane
Men have
protected tribes, families and societies for thousands of years. Women too of course. But since men tend to embody the Sacred
Masculine more than most women, this speaks to the inner masculine, not just
men. But a shadow of the masculine has
been running the world for far too long in my opinion. The Sacred Masculine misdirected can be
destructive, generate unnecessary pain and suffering, does not listen to the “correct
voice” inside, and not collaborate through community and culture.
What is a
mission?
Something
greater than ourselves. Some goal or
large project we may not see the finish of, but we begin, plan, and nurture
this mission throughout our lifetimes.
This is what used to be educated into young men before they were called “men.” They had to prove they could pass through
these portals of temptation, restriction of all things not necessary to life,
and pass the tests of the elder men.
Not just for
men, but for women?
My last
girlfriend loved the idea of all the things men do in private sacred circle,
and found none of the women's circles she attended or researched used these more confrontational models.
And for good reason. The Sacred
Feminine gives birth, creates, takes in the waste of the world and digests it, is
dark, still, and Mysterious. So this
part is not meant to go out and overcome challenge. But women can develop their sacred Masculine.
How have we
been led to follow the laid out path?
There is
evidence that our education is a form of programming. Programming that we take on and limits
us. If you look around at the media, and
its portrayal of the worst of humanity’s traits, like greed, lust, violence, war, getting
whatever you want at other’s cost, etc….
What I am
asking is to look more deeply, and ask “what is my authentic self, my authentic
voice say?”
How can we
discover if it might be best to find another way?
I ask ALL my
clients this question, “How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? What is the first thing you notice upon
waking?” If we cannot say we wake happy,
ready to face the day and its challenges, and cannot say, "I would live this
life even if there was no payment for my service to society," then we might want
to look at the make we want to leave on this place called Earth.
Inner
alchemy shows us, for thousands of years, a path laid out by elders and teachers of those wishing to evolve consciously. These steps we all seem to go through, though the timing and sequence varies – separation, burning
out the crap, seeing what must be let go of, bringing it back together,
fermenting it to new life, distilling out the by-products of this process,
squeezing the sponge, then letting go and “letting God.” Not only that, but spiritual teachers (often
referred to as gurus in the East) almost all point to a need for a death of
sorts, a death I call the stripping away of identity with form, with the outer
world of illusion. The movie of life is
not real in a sense. Once we see through
it, then we can more effectively live in it!
What does it
mean to have a mission?
It means we
are operating in a larger field of awareness. We have resources at our disposal of the
entire universe when we let go, and surrender.
My teacher once said, “Reality is a hunter, looking for a moment of
vulnerability.” When we allow ourselves
to become open and in a “container” of a mission and its support, then we must
also be open to changes in the mission as reality unfolds around it. These changes will be more evident if we
operate in a larger field of awareness. And The Hunter can have access to us.
What gets in
the way?
The societal powers of "shoulds," unconsciousness, and the matrix of illusion that keeps us from seeing the true
world we abide in. See for yourself. Enter through the doors the wise ones point to. Do you have
the courage to find out?
What does alignment with our goals feel like?
There are words spoken in ancient languages that better speak to this. But I will say, it feels satisfying, edgy, at times a lovely neutrality, and a nakedness seems to come. Can I be stripped naked and seen for what I am? Symbolic of course, though I love nudity also!
How can one
get support and be supported?
Come to The
Masculine Mission support group. This is
dedicated to helping men (women can also join) find their mission, or a small
mission, that one step of, or a larger piece of, can be completed within a
year. Or sit in groups like sat sang, go
to yoga and meditation, eat healthier, be more honest and real with yourself is
primary though.
You can contact me about this at
