My guest today is once again Stephen Jenkinson, a culture activist, teacher and author, and principal instructor of The Orphan Wisdom School, co-founded with his wife Nathalie Roy. He has Master’s degrees from Harvard University (Theology) and the University of Toronto (Social Work).

The School, though now formally closed, has made an incredibly significant mark on my life and Stephen continues to tour and teach all over the world. I’ve had the wild good fortune to have collaborated with Stephen in numerous ways, including producing the short film Lost Nation Road, as well as being part of the team architecting The Scriptorium - an Orphan Wisdom online archive.

His most recent book Matrimony: Ritual, Culture and the Heart’s Work, is the subject of our conversation today.

In a time when many couples are opting out of marriage altogether, sensing that the modern wedding has often become a hollow performance, Stephen offers a different perspective. He suggests that “wedding” and “matrimony” are not interchangeable at all. One is largely engineered so that nothing really happens; the other, when approached as a deity, can be an alchemical ritual, where vows are enactments and blessings might bind all who attend with real consequence.

Through personal stories from the trenches, Stephen reminds us that matrimony, at its core, is a radical act of citizenship: a cultural undertaking where love is asked to nourish more than the couple themselves, and where village emerges from the willingness to place life at the center.

LINKS

* Stephen Jenkinson Official Website

* The Scriptorium

* Matrimony - Ritual, Culture and the Heart’s Work

SHOW NOTES

* 00:01 — Ian introduces Stephen Jenkinson and frames the conversation around his new book Matrimony: Ritual, Culture, and the Heart’s Work.

* 00:02 — Stephen names the modern wedding as a hollow performance engineered so that “nothing really happens.”

* 00:03 — Ian describes matrimony as a radical act of citizenship where love is asked to serve culture, not just the couple.

* 00:05 — Stephen recounts learning to understand death as a deity, a presence requiring etiquette and literacy.

* 00:06 — He draws the parallel: matrimony, too, is a neglected deity — an ancestral presence asking something of us.

* 00:07 — Ian speaks about how witnessing Stephen’s ceremonies reshaped his understanding of what a wedding can be.

* 00:08 — Discussion of village-making: thresholds like death and matrimony as visitations where culture has a chance to appear.

* 00:15 — Stephen distinguishes ritual from celebration and explains why most weddings are not rituals at all.

* 00:16 — He clarifies the differences between weddings, marriage, and matrimony — three undertakings often collapsed into one.

* 00:17 — Exploration of the etymology: matrimony rooted in mother — the repertoire of mothering culture.

* 00:18 — Matrimony as a repertoire of culture-mothering, not dependent on having biological children.

* 00:41 — Stephen describes “the sacraments of trade” and how ancestral presence is elevated in a true matrimonial exchange.

* 00:42 — Ian reflects on death and matrimony as moments when life, not the individual, is placed at the center.

* 00:51 — Ian describes how village-mindedness appears through threshold events: birth, death, love, and the guidance of community.

* 01:04 — Stephen shares what it meant to be a “spirit lawyer” for matrimony, serving the deity rather than the couple.

ADDITIONAL EPISODES

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My guest today is Miki Dedijer, a writer, ecologist, and mentor devoted to the ancestral arts of belonging, fatherhood, and grassroots initiation.

In our conversation, Miki invites us to look at the crisis facing young men and the absence of meaningful adulthood in our time. He speaks to the ecological and emotional consequences of failing to initiate the young, how untempered fire in boys becomes turmoil in families, and how communities have lost their memory of what it means to guide the next generation.

Together we explore initiation not as an event, but a cultural responsibility. Miki shares how rites of passage serve life itself, how they awaken responsibility in parents and mentors, and how inviting others to help mature a child becomes its own act of initiation.

We touch on the longing that erupts when boys are unmet, the loneliness of a culture without elders, and the courage required to guide a child into a larger story.

Miki reminds us that initiation is not about control. It is about stewarding a young man’s genius back into the world. It is a return to the village, a remembering of our place in the weave of life, and an invitation to rebuild the cultural vessels that once shaped humans capable of serving a cosmos greater than ourselves.

Register for an upcoming webinar: FROM SCREENS TO SOUL: Raising Embodied Young Men (Dec 2)

You’ll learn how to help steward your sons toward this deeper connection — how to anchor them in their bodies, nurture their love of the living world, and prepare them for future relationships that are grounded, heartfelt, and capable of holding real intimacy. This webinar offers parents and mentors a way to guide boys toward a young manhood shaped not by algorithms, but by aliveness.

LINKS

* Miki’s Official Website

SHOW NOTES

* 00:09 Miki describes where he is and the seasonal mood on the west coast of Sweden.

* 02:52 His early work as an environmental journalist and the shift toward quieter, place-based stories.

* 04:38 Moving from grand narratives of saving the world into intimate, relational, land-rooted life.

* 12:28 The pine tree story and how tending the land taught him the meaning of belonging.

* 17:04 Entering fatherhood later in life and wanting his sons to grow up rooted in place.

* 18:24 Burnout as a turning point that reopened childhood vitality and led to cultural mentorship.

* 21:39 The guiding question: how do we steward children well through life’s stages?

* 24:07 Recognizing and honoring childhood stages long before adolescence arrives.

* 26:32 Why initiating teenagers may be the most ecologically responsible act we can take.

* 27:15 How asking others to help mature a child initiates the adults themselves.

* 31:05 What happens when a culture fails to initiate its boys.

* 37:15 The tensions Miki encountered guiding his own sons and how conflict became tempering.

* 54:04 Why integration after a rite of passage is essential for families and community.

ADDITIONAL EPISODES

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I’m pleased to share this #mini episode with Maria Souza, a Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator, and founder of Women & Mythology.

As we name in the conversation, we’ve known about each other for some time and appreciated each others’ work from afar. Just as Robert Bly’s ‘Iron John’ is the book that ignited the mythopoetic men’s movement, so too, does Clarissa Pinkola Estés’s book ‘Women Who Run With The Wolves’ occupy that position for women.

Maria shares how her journey with myth began has evolved into her podcast, along with courses that bring mythopoetic depth into the lived experience of women today. We touch on iconic stories like La Loba, Seal Skin/Soul Skin, and La Llorona—each a mirror of feminine initiation, creativity, and soul recovery.

In this tradition, myth isn’t escape - it’s a way of waking up, a path to gather the scattered bones of the psyche (and culture) and sing them back to life.

LINKS

* Women & Mythology Website

* Women & Mythology on Instagram

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SHOW NOTES

* 0:00 — Ian welcomes Maria and introduces a dialogue on Women Who Run With the Wolves as a counterpart to Iron John in the mythopoetic tradition.

* 1:17 — Maria recalls her studies with Martin Shaw and her search for stories that speak directly to women’s initiatory paths.

* 2:41 — Early book study circles evolved into her first myth-based teaching course.

* 4:46 — Contextualizing Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ book: a 30-year creation published in 1990, still resonant due to its timeless archetypal themes.

* 7:13 — The book quickly became a global bestseller, sparking women’s groups and soulful discussion circles.

* 10:01 — Myth gives women a language to “wake up” to their inner and outer experiences, offering deep recognition and practical insight.

* 11:49 — Stories like Seal Skin/Soul Skin, Baba Yaga, and La Llorona reveal key initiations around creativity, intuition, and integration.

* 21:15 — Ian reflects on the power of La Loba’s “singing over the bones” as a metaphor for enlivening the psyche.

* 29:48 — Maria describes her “Year of Myths” immersion—one myth a month as a practice of ongoing maturation.

* 34:36 — She shares her next creative focus: introducing Brazilian myths and under-told folktales to her community.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themythicmasculine.substack.com/subscribe

“Eros is not something you get from another person. It’s the aliveness that rises when you are fully in your body.” - Victor Warring

My guest today is Victor Warring, a somatic educator and founder of Rewilding Eros - a body-centered path to reclaiming our natural erotic intelligence.

In our conversation today, Victor invites us to look deeply at the condition of modern men: domesticated human animals, cut off from the wild currents that once shaped our bodies, relationships, and souls. He names how much of our struggle with intimacy, desire, and disconnection is not personal failure, but the inheritance of a culture that has forgotten the way of village.

Together we explore the meaning of Rewilding Eros - how centuries of colonization and conditioning have constricted men’s vitality, and how we might return to a more embodied, enlivened masculinity. We speak of civilization and desire, patriarchy and the loss of community, the tyranny of the dyad, and the hunger for wholeness that haunts the modern man.

Victor reminds us that Eros is not merely sex, but the living current of aliveness itself - an invitation for men to reclaim their erotic sovereignty and rejoin the flow of life.

LINKS

* Rewilding Eros - Victor’s Office Website

* Rewilding Eros on IG

* Book - Monogamous Mind, Polyamorous Terror

SHOW NOTES

* 00:55 — Opening with embodied presence to reveal the importance of grounding in sensation before exploring sexuality and intimacy.

* 02:50 — Rewilding Eros framed as reconnecting to the deep, natural erotic intelligence that lives in the flesh, not the mind.

* 04:45 — Men’s struggles around desire and intimacy understood as symptoms of domestication, not evidence of personal failure or inadequacy.

* 06:20 — Patriarchal systems teach men to control themselves and others, while simultaneously cutting them off from their own vitality.

* 08:55 — A wider historical and evolutionary view shows our current way of living is the anomaly, not the baseline of human experience.

* 10:53 — Cultural norms become invisible, shaping what we think is normal in relationships, sex, and masculinity itself.

* 12:55 — Wildness reframed as authentic human expression that is often more attuned and less harmful than “civilized” behavior.

* 16:00 — Sexual disconnection emerges in captivity; when context limits freedom, erotic life withers — just like animals in a zoo.

* 19:20 — The drop in desire inside long-term relationships is tied to isolation and stress, not a lack of attraction or compatibility.

* 20:00 — The nuclear couple becomes overburdened when expected to meet every relational and erotic need without communal support.

* 23:10 — Secure attachment has roots in village life where many caregivers hold the child — not a single partner doing it all.

* 27:15 — When relationships are held in a wider web of kinship, Eros can breathe again and love becomes less pressured and more alive.

* 32:40 — Erotic sovereignty arises from within; Eros is not something we get from others but something we generate by being fully alive.

* 36:55 — Eros includes sex but extends far beyond it into movement, creativity, and the embodied flow of everyday life.

* 39:20 — Pornography becomes a substitute when men lose access to their own erotic source; healing means coming home to the body’s desire.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themythicmasculine.substack.com/subscribe

An audio version of my long-form essay that explores my encounter at the 40th Anniversary of the Minnesota Men's Conference in 2024. For the full references and links to supporting interviews, check out the essay on Substack.

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My guest today is Jonathan Stensland, a poet and long-time collaborator and friend of Robert Bly.

This conversation was recorded in 2024 at the 40th anniversary of the Minnesota Men's Conference. Speaking from the banks of the Saint Croix River, Jonathan offers a unique insider's perspective on four decades of men's work.

In his early 20s, Jonathan was involved with Bly as he worked on his seminal book ‘Iron John’, through typing-up handwritten pages, revisions, and countless conversations- a process he describes as practically like quilt making. His relationship was deeper than professional collaboration, as akin to a godson to Bly and his wife Ruth.

In our conversation today, we explore the origins and evolution of the mythopoetic men's movement, from its roots in Robert Bly's poetry about fathers and grief. We delve into the power of men gathering around the goodness that exists in the marrow of masculinity.

He speaks to the movement's influence on broader culture, and the morphogenetic field that made new ways of being available to men everywhere.

We ask: What does it mean for a 40-year tradition to cross from the wilderness into culture? How can we broaden the spaces where men can do the necessary soul work of maturation?

And what mythic stories might guide the next chapter of this work?

You’re invited to join the 41st Fall Conference Oct 7-12, 2025 “Men Who Stand Atop the Old Mound of Miracles”

Catch the companion conversations to this episode:

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My guest today is Miguel Rivera, a seasoned ceremonialist, musician, and ritualist.

This conversation is a two part series recorded in 2024 at the 40th anniversary of the Minnesota Men’s Conference. Miguel is a longtime facilitator to the conference where he has played a pivotal role in guiding men through transformative experiences.

Miguel's journey began in the vibrant cultural landscape of the 1980s, where he was drawn to the path of healing through indigenous medicine and becoming a Sundancer. His involvement in the men's movement began with an invitation from Robert Bly in 1992, where he suddenly found himself at the heart of a cultural force that sought to reconnect men with their inner selves and the sacred.

The Mythic Masculine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In our conversation today, we delve into the transformative power of men's gatherings and the role of ritual in healing and initiation. Miguel shares his experiences of how these ceremonies amplify healing and create a sense of belonging and brotherhood.

We also discuss the challenges faced by modern men, including the "lone wolf syndrome" and the importance of finding older men who can offer guidance and mentorship. Miguel's insights into fathering and the necessity of creating a safe and nurturing environment for the next generation are both poignant and profound.

We ask: what is the legacy and evolution of the mythopoetic men’s movement? How can modern men find their way back to a sense of community and belonging in an increasingly isolated world?

You’re invited to join the 41st Fall Conference Oct 7-12, 2025 “Men Who Stand Atop the Old Mound of Miracles”

Also don’t miss my interview last year with conference organizers Walton Stanley and Ben Dennis.

ADDITIONAL EPISODES

Check out these conversations for more on the history of the men’s movement.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themythicmasculine.substack.com/subscribe

Recently I spoke with Adam Lewis, co-founder of MANCAMP, a Canadian gathering dedicated to “the celebration of masculinity.” (Disclosure: Adam is also a mentorship client of mine).

Now entering its second year, MANCAMP emerged from Adam’s experiences organizing raw and elemental camping trips with small groups of men in the wilderness. What began as paddling into Algonquin Park has grown into a vision of 150+ men coming together for a weekend of transformation, brotherhood, and celebration.

Adam shares the story of how MANCAMP was born—first as a seed of inspiration, then through the alignment with his co-founder Geoff ‘Rawa Larden, and finally in the inaugural gathering last September that drew men from across Ontario.

Despite the (sometimes) chaotic organizing of a first-year festival, the event sold out and left lasting ripples in the lives of the men who attended. From deep heartbreak to profound breakthroughs, Adam recounts stories of men who returned home more grounded, more alive, and more connected to their families and communities.

In our conversation today, Adam and I explore the ingredients that shape the container: archetypal frameworks drawn from King, Warrior, Magician, Lover and a roster of diverse facilitators, as well as sweat lodge, ecstatic dance, shared meals, and the sober presence of men choosing to lean into the work, together.

The medicine found in connection and brotherhood itself becomes the initiatory field.

I am honored to join as a speaker at this year’s event, taking place September 18–21, 2025 at Merkaba Acres in Ontario.

Use my promo code below for MYTHIC20 for 20% off the ticket price.

Get full info & tickets here http://mancamp.ca

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My guest today is Darren Silver, a rite of passage guide, ceremonialist, and storyteller.

With nearly two decades of experience, Darren has devoted his life to ritual, wilderness living skills, and guiding transformational experiences across the world.. An apprentice to the old myths, he weaves the power of the natural world, vision, and community in service of regenerative culture.

Darren’s path began in the forests of Virginia and later deepened through the teachings of Tom Brown Jr. From these roots, he cultivated a lifelong devotion to vision, animacy, and the mysteries between humans and the more-than-human world. His journey led him to wilderness therapy, guiding quests, and the practice of divination as passed down through the lineage of Malidoma Somé and Carter Brown.

The Mythic Masculine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In our conversation today, we explore the initiatory dimensions of blood rites and the sacred hunt, and how encounters with mortality awaken a man’s power and responsibility. Darren shares stories of divination as a way of orienting one’s soul, restoring ancestral connection, and realigning with the genius each of us carries.

We look at the role of wilderness rites of passage in breaking the spell of modern isolation, how vision arises both as daily practice and as life-altering encounter, and why ritual remains essential for men seeking to live in right-relation with themselves, their communities, and the living world.

Together we ask: What do blood rites reveal about masculine initiation? How does divination open a dialogue with the unseen? And in an age of rupture, how might men return to the wild conversation that remakes us whole?

LINKS

* Courting the Sacred Hunt - Men’s Initiation Program beings Oct 1st

* Darren’s official website

ADDITIONAL EPISODES

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My guest today is Daniel Waite Penny, a journalist and cultural critic whose recent work investigates the connection between masculinity and the climate crisis.

He’s the creator of NonToxic, a podcast exploring men and sustainability, and co-creator of Carbon Bros, an investigative series made in collaboration with Drilled.

Here’s an overview of the series:

You’ve heard it from cable news pundits, Democratic strategists, and your favorite YouTuber: young men swung the last U.S. election for Trump. Understanding what’s driving “the manosphere” and how to reach the young men in its grips is on everyone’s mind right now, but we’re zooming in on a different corner of it: the intersection between male grievance culture and climate denial.

Why are men less likely than women to believe in climate change, or take personal or political actions against it? What does their reluctance to deal with the climate crisis have to do with men’s shift to the right in general? And what can be done to reverse it?

Daniel and I first connected years ago when he interviewed me about the mythopoetic men’s movement.

In our conversation today , we return to the themes of men, meaning, and the cultural forces shaping our times. We trace the strategic targeting of men by fossil fuel interests, the rise of the manosphere, and the appeal of dominance-based narratives offered by figures like Trump and Tate.

The Mythic Masculine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

We ask why so many men resist climate action, and how the deeper hunger for belonging, nobility, and story has been misdirected. We explore the absence of an inspiring masculine vision within progressive politics, and what might be possible if men were invited into a role of protection and stewardship.

Would love to hear your comments below!

For men who wish to join me in-person, I have one more Awakening the Wild Erotic weekend Aug 22-24 on Vancouver Island. Otherwise, men from all over the world can take the Deep Masculine journey.

ADDITIONAL EPISODES:

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