Men’s 3 day workshop 7th -9th March – Delhi

The men as in the ancient times would be sent into the Forest to explore their true nature; primal, sexual, nurturing, and to explore all those archetypal stands, that sadly have become debased by civilized stereotyping.

The young men were sent out with the Male Elders to explore the true nature of themselves, reflected and taught by the forest herself. They would return from this Hunt of the Male Soul, marked with the sign of the Hunt and battle, returning with the spoils and prey of that Hunt that once again sets their place as The Lightning Bearers of the Tribe.

It is important to understand that the ceremonial journey is one of slow regression through the stories to that primal soul, which is hunted and brought back.

In this redemption process, there is a descent into the assumed shadows of male identity, an identity most often overlaid by social perspectives current modern masculinity, which has become blurred if not vilified.

When the first man sees his reflection, and then looks around him, it is assumed he sees himself as different and this frightens him. The truth maybe that he sees his reflection and is afraid of what he does not know. He dreams a world not to find solace in, rather to hide from himself, creating a world in which he can receive the affirmations of himself. However, what he receives is everyone else’s assumptions and perceptions of what he should be. He is afraid of himself, and clothes himself in the adjectives of pleasing others; strong man, good man, bad man, brave man, losing sight of being simply the man, and in that loses the sense of being male; the first ancestor was r a male energy, which challenged and changed creation, where has he gone?

Without the initiation rites of true nature, male identity, the song of the male soul has become a reflection of societal expectation and prejudices.

The true Katabaic Quest was that of the unknown, the unsung hero, who is sent to retrieve the impossible, through many dangerous and despairing actions, challenges, and confrontations. Only on his return from the darkness, his song sung and applauded by other men, can he take his rightful place in male society and by default all society, now devoid of doubt, fear, and the depressed feelings, which may have or has given rise to the concept, perhaps even the actuality, of masculine toxicity, not just outwards, however inwards to the self. 

Redeeming the Male soul, co facilitated by John-Luke and Sushant, is a true Katabaic Quest, to find and redefine the threads which weave our manhood, through 13 archetypal Stands, without self-judgement, shame, guilt, and thus retrieving the An’N, the song which sang each of us into being, that we could be the men we were called to be. At the same time to detoxify or recycle the shadows which hide and oppress our male soul.

The Ancient Ones sang songs, the songs of man, and these songs descended to earth, perfect, with intention, purpose and potential, the songs contained no apology, no shame, no guilt, they were songs of creation, direction, guidance, assertion, and power. So powerful that those songs, those male souls, those men, began to fear. And that fear was projected onto other men, and thus through generations, men have feared each other; not good enough, not strong enough, not rich enough, so many ‘not enoughs’. By this that journey of heroes, rather than a celebration of true nature, becomes a trial of competition. This ‘not enough’, becomes a toxin which surrounds the ideal of men, that they get hidden in the shadows of expectation.

Together we are going to take this katabaic journey, not to prove our worth, rather to have the worth proven to us; we are all necessary heroes, we just fear that.

The journey is going to be tough, it requires honesty, vulnerability, surrender, never forgetting we are not alone in this. Being brave, likely means we are going to get wounded and hurt; it is that bleeding which proves we are true men.

Venue

Zorba the Buddha – 7, Tropical Dr, Ghitorni, New Delhi, Delhi 110030, India

FEES: Rs10000, includes lunches and refreshments

Each day starts at 9.30am and ends at 5.30pm.

Zorba can offer overnight accommodation upon request

12 places available

To register please complete and submit the following form. A Rs1000 is required on confirmation of registration