In Search of the New Compassionate Male

The other day I shared a clip from this conversation. Here is the full episode.

“There is a revolution taking place, right now, and it is time for us all, who have been interested in these ideas, to get to work at making the world better for us and those around us.” – Christopher Howell

 

Guest – Christopher Howell – [email protected]

Creator – Clay Boykin – http://clayboykin.com

Producer – Dennis Tardan – https://dennistardan.com

Christopher Howell brings a bigger than life message about our world today in the New Compassionate Male podcast episode with, creator, Clay Boykin and producer, Dennis Tardan.

As a gifted and compassionate teacher in Austin, Texas, Christopher Howell works one-on-one and in groups utilizing adventure, movement, breath, guided-imagery, fun and humor, as education tools for self-exploration and increased aliveness. His adventures are more experiential than cognitive.

He has served as a Trainer and Instructor for Global Relationship Centers, a teacher for Austin School of Massage Therapy, Owner of the Center for Health Resources, Facilitator for the Men’s Fellowship Network Retreats, founder of Yoga Hike and number one cheerleader, for his wife of 25 years, Korey Howell.

His commitment to this work extends extends beyond the learning opportunities and into our communities.  For it is recognized that the more alive, empowered, loving and mindful our participants are, the more they work toward improving the quality of life for their friends, families, communities and eventually the world as a whole.

How can I go in Search of the New Compassionate Male and sidestep racism. On May 25th, at the same time as we sat in our men’s circle contemplating the topic of Aspirations, George Floyd was murdered. When I learned about it the next morning I wondered to myself what George Floyd’s aspirations were. I learned later that his second grade school teacher found a project of his where he aspired to become a U.S. Supreme Court Judge. This is an excerpt of a conversation with Renée Yaworski on the evolution of the MFN Circles of Men Project.

For more on Clay’s unique form of men’s circles check out his book on Amazon: Circles of Men: A Counter-intuitive Approach to Men’s Groups.

The other night my dear friend, John Fleming, along with my producer, Dennis Tardan, and I recorded a deep, passionate and meaningful conversation stemming from the murder of George Floyd. In this episode John shares a bit more about his life and the launch of Conscious Conversations in Austin, Texas.

I consider John to be an example of the New Compassionate Male standing in his truth with an open heart, and his message is powerful.

Friday night my dear friend, John Fleming, along with my producer, Dennis Tardan, and I recorded a deep, passionate and meaningful conversation about the murder of George Floyd and racism in America. I consider John to be an example of the New Compassionate Male standing in his truth with an open heart. His message is powerful and needs to be heard. A word of caution, you may be triggered by some of what is shared. I invite you to listen to this excerpt in its entirety. Additional excerpts will follow in the coming days.

 

 

John Fleming is a Prayer Chaplain and a true servant leader and volunteer at Unity Church of the Hills in Austin Texas. He is on the music team, is a Prayer Chaplain, and he is part of the Pastoral Care Team. John is Director, Advocacy and Partner Relations – Survive2Thrive Foundation | Staff Staff Services Officer at the Texas DSHS/Vital Statistics Unit.

 

 

 

 

Message: “Celebration Sings the Lords Prayer”

“My work is to assist you[men] in reminding women that you are trying. And if we don’t give you a space to show up in your authenticity, then what was the work for?”

Donna Mills is a community advocate, healer, professional speaker, embodied wellness practitioner, and Center for Partnership Studies Practitioner. Donna is also a Charter for Compassion Ambassador for women and girls. Previously, Donna served as the Board President of Rural Roots in Moscow, Idaho.  She brings a wealth of experience to Civic Engagement Alliance, and we look forward to utilizing her skills in facilitating community education workshops. In Coeur d’Alene, Donna Mills works professionally as a holistic health practitioner for her business HumanWell.

For more on this and other related topics visit:

Website – In Search of the New Compassionate  – https://clayboykin.com

Podcast – In Search of the New Compassionate Male – https://blubrry.com/new_compassionate_male/

Book: Circles of Men  – https://www.amazon.com/Circles-Men-Counter-Intuitive-Approach-Supporting/dp/1722976217

On-line Talk Show: A Reasonably Spontaneous Conversation with Dennis Tardan  – http://reasonablyspontaneousconversation.com

Today, Alfredo Gomez is a compassionate male, but life growing up was tough. Born in Mexico into a family of twelve children, Alfredo struggled to cope with an aggressive and angry Federale father; the equivalent to a Texas Ranger. In this podcast, Alfredo shares about how he coped at home. He talks about his family’s move to Texas at age twelve where he experienced racial discrimination in school for the first time, suffered severe anxiety, and came dangerously close to committing suicide. How he grew up managing his own anger with life, then bringing his best to the world, is a heart warming story worth pausing for.

Podcast was produced by Rod Haden who hosts his own fantastic podcast: Caterpillar GOO

All is not what it appears to be. The dynamics beneath the surface may surprise you. Dennis Tardan, Renée Yarworsky and Clay Boykin explore this question from varying perspectives. For a man, fear of being laughed at often lies just below the vibrato; for a woman, it’s likely to be fear for her safety including fear of being killed.

Preview:

 

Full Length:

 

 

For more on this and other related topics visit:

Website – In Search of the New Compassionate  – https://clayboykin.com

Podcast – In Search of the New Compassionate Male – https://blubrry.com/new_compassionate_male/

Book: Circles of Men  – https://www.amazon.com/Circles-Men-Counter-Intuitive-Approach-Supporting/dp/1722976217

On-line Talk Show: A Reasonably Spontaneous Conversation with Dennis Tardan  – http://reasonablyspontaneousconversation.com

Mend-ing

BY: Dr Nancy Gahles, DC, CCH, RSHom(NA), OIM

…my heart broke wide open as I felt the pain and the woundedness in men that I hadn’t given much thought to…

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” This is the custom that I was brought up to practice when one had transgressed upon another. It is an act of contrition in the Catholic religion. One confesses that they are ‘heartily sorry’ for the offense. Breast beating the words of contrition “ through my fault, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault”. Only the priest has the authority to forgive you and to mete out a punishment to you. You must perform an act of penance after your confession.

The patriarchal authority always bothered me. It brought up feelings of inadequacy in me, a sense of weakness, and dependency. It bred a sense of learned helplessness in me that went deeply against my grain.

I was a good girl. A smart girl. A kind girl. A fun-loving girl.  Yet I was being trained to doubt that and to be watchful for any misstep lest, when I die, I will be judged by the All Powerful Man, who could, at his Will, send me to the Eternal flames of hell to suffer mercilessly forever.

 Fortunately, my father, (earth father not the one who Art in heaven) was a progressive man, a Women’s Libber, as we called them back in the day. I was one of 5 girls and he taught us that we could be anything we wanted to be and encouraged higher education as a foundation for intelligence, right thinking and decision making based on your own inner authority.

My father, son of a blue collar worker, went to college and law school on the GI bill. He studied with the Jesuits. The key Jesuit values permeated the way in which he lived his life. The Jesuits are an apostolic religious community called the Society of Jesus. They are grounded in love for Christ and animated by the spiritual vision of their founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola; to help others in all things. Cura Personalis is a Latin phrase meaning having concern and care for the personal development of the whole person. Another key value is Men and Women for and With Others. This value embodies a spirit of giving and providing service to those in need and standing with the poor and marginalized. One is encouraged to pursue justice on behalf of all persons.

 I grew up in a small neighborhood where the Church was the center of our schooling and our social lives. I attended an all girls Catholic High School where academic excellence prevailed. I recall these facets of my upbringing because they were exactly that . Facets of my upbringing that shone crystal clear after I attended a webinar on Gender Reconciliation where Clay Boykin, author of Circles of Men, a leader in the field of male spiritual development, spoke. My heart broke wide open as I felt the pain and the woundedness in men that I hadn’t given much thought to. There were some men, I knew, who had expressed their vulnerability and the ability to be emotional. There were many others who were emotionally unavailable, emotionally abusive and downright domineering .

Truth be told, my life as a woman from puberty on was at the behest of men. They had the power to ask you on a date, to take you where they wanted to go, to hire and fire you, to promote or demote you.  The society I grew up in was controlled by men. A woman in my day learned quickly how to be wily, to subjugate her needs in order to be a good girl, desired and wanted by a man.

Women in my day objected to this status and were encouraged to rise above this culture. We were the rebellious bra burners . We didn’t need men. We were self sufficient. We went to college, became professionals and beat the pants off those men. In the pursuit of equality, we emasculated any who got in our way. It was war. I was a warrior. Kill or be killed. Either you eat the bear or the bear eats you.

When I heard Clay speak,

Brecia Kralovic-Logan posed a very interesting question in reference to men and compassion. “What if the young men mentored the older men?” – Brecia is an artist, author and champion of creativity. Over the last 30 years she has taught thousands of art workshops at schools and colleges; art organizations; international, national, and regional conferences; museums; and at her studio. Kralovic-Logan’s award-winning artwork has been exhibited nationally and is in the permanent collection at the Ventura County Museum of Art and History, as well as private collections.Kralovic-Logan has been a speaker for International events including art conferences, women’s conferences, and peace conferences.

She is the author of the book: The Spiral of Creativity- Mastering the Art of a Spirited Life. She is currently the founder/ director of the Women’s Woven Voices: an international, collaborative art project that promotes the empowerment of women through writing, weaving, and sharing their stories. Lean more about Brecia and her work at: https://breciacreative.com

 

Join us as we go “In Search of the New Compassionate Male.” Perhaps you have a story, idea or message that needs to be shared. Contact me at: http://clayboykin.com

Check out Circles of Men: A Counter-Inuitive Approach to Creating Men’s Groups by: Clay Boykin on Amazon