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In traditional cultures, boys knew what it meant to be a virtuous man.
If you were a boy of one of tens of thousands of wilderness dwelling tribes, you knew it was to become a hunter and protector.
In traditional Jewish culture, it meant you would master and memorize the texts of Talmud and Torah over years of study to become a respected scholar.
If you are a boy growing up today, what code would you feel compelled to live by?
Well, you would probably mimic your father in some ways and reject him in other ways.
Apprenticeship, mentorship, rites of passage, they are all sorely lacking today.
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You might model your swagger or cadences or choices based on a favorite teacher at high school, or more likely, a celebrity or video game avatar.
Beyond that, what about your Personal Code?
Should you be “Looking Out for #1”? Repeatedly ripping off your workers (4000 lawsuits) like the author of The Art of the Deal?
Should you be building, in the worlds of one of our outstanding teachers, Charles Eisenstein, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible?
Even if that were your goal, what personal values would you have to develop to pursue that dream well?
Who would you turn to?
How would you get their attention?
And how would you apprentice to that man you admire?
Apprenticeship, mentorship, rites of passage, they are all sorely lacking today.
In a sense, as men, we are always in a process of self-examination and self-refinement, seeking wisdom from elders and mentors.
The boy lives within us asking how can I be a better man? How can I know myself better?
How can I clarify my center, my purpose?
How can I make my life mean something of value?
Each of our teachers in today’s sessions explores this question from a unique perspective.
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I first met Eli Buren, featured in our first session, when I was producing large-scale workshops for the author, David Deida. Eli was a lead Workshop Facilitator (fancy word for “badass”) with Deida – and already running his own successful embodiment workshops and experiences.
He is, as I witnessed then, a man of obvious and palpable depth and presence, gravity and deep care for how people choose to live.
In our session, he demonstrates how you can come into your power swiftly and steadily and be felt as a deeply trustable and grounded man no matter where you go.
Go here to watch Eli Buren’s Session on Embodiment and Trustability here
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Our next session is a new friend and you can actually witness my delight in getting to know just how deep, thoughtful, fun, wildly informed and passionate this man is.
Dr. Mark Schillinger, DC, is a chiropractor and an expert in male rites of passage initiation and family unity. He founded the non-profit, Young Men’s Ultimate Weekend, a non-religious wilderness rite of passage for young men ages 13-20 and created a program called Challenging Teenage Sons, which produces programs for parents and their teenage sons that help them have more caring and cooperative relationships.
Additionally, Mark created of the RIGHT Way®, a self-help method of personal growth that guides people to discover their own authentic life philosophy and transform it into a productive and positive—and happy!—life.
Of the many gems Mark drops in this session, I think you’ll find his distinction between self-esteem, self-respect, and self-reverence particularly enlightening and helpful.
Also, pay attention to his enumeration of “The Five Virtues” he teaches in his own men’s courses.
As he says so rightly, “Know your virtues—and perform a daily behavior that supports cultivating each virtue even 1% every day.
It is a powerful and beautiful path Mark lays out in this session.
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Go here to watch Mark Schillinger’s Session on Developing a Personal Code of Virtue here
I first met the teacher of our Third Session of the Day, I believe, over a decade ago, in a hot tub in Arizona, along with some luminary Tantra teachers and Tantrikas.
It was a conference on Enlightened Sexuality, and since that day, Destin Gerek has created program after program for men to get in touch not only with their sexual energy in ancient ways of breath and energetics but also conceptually.
In fact, this session offers some of the best advice I’ve ever heard on how to “attune to a woman’s body energy” both in bed and in the world.
Pay special attention to how he describes how to handle #MeToo stories and emotions. To me, he’s got the right approach, and he’s clearly put a lot of thought and experience into it.
Go here to watch Destin Gerek’s Session on Skillfully Attuning to a Woman’s Body and Reality here
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Enjoy all three of these thoughtful, enlightening teachers.
The Inspired Man’s Summit—even after we close down our initial run—will be available in future, so please click through and get the chance to learn from these 30+ Wise Men.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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