 |
"I am honored to represent the Southern California region, birthplace of the Internet, Disneyland, Hollywood, In-N-Out Burger, and the Beach Boys."
|
|
|
|
Consider joining us and inviting a friend to an Illuman Virtual Council!
Visit our website to see the complete virtual council schedule and learn more about the program.
|
|
|
|
Happy New Year! For this first 2022 edition of the Drumbeat, we are highlighting a significant transition happening in Illuman. At the end of 2021, Brad Pickel, our beloved Illuman Administrator for the past 8 years, stepped down from his role (see our November 2021 Drumbeat for Brad's personal reflection on his time as Administrator).
It's my pleasure now to introduce the new Illuman Administrator, Mike Clawson.
Mike will be supporting Illuman with general administration, event management, and marketing and communications—areas in which he has extensive experience. Most recently, he co-founded the New Story Festival, creating transformational events for creativity, spirituality, and social justice in Austin, Texas and online. He also holds advanced degrees in religion, has been an adjunct instructor at several seminaries and universities, and, before that, was a church pastor in the Chicago suburbs. He and his two teenage daughters live in Austin, Texas.
Mike began onboarding with Brad at the beginning of November, and assumed full responsibility for the Illuman Administrator role on January 1st. Even though Mike has been drinking a bit from the firehose these past couple of months, he's proven himself a quick learner and is settling into the position well.
The Board is grateful and excited to have Mike in this role and looks forward to all the great work he'll do with it. Welcome Mike!
We also wanted to use this Drumbeat as an opportunity for Mike to introduce himself. Read on below!
Chris de Lastic
Vice Chair, Illuman Board of Directors
----------------------------------------------------
Greetings men of Illuman,
It’s an honor for me to be taking over this administrator role from Brad Pickel, whose shoes will, indeed, be very hard to fill. When I first learned of the position from a friend at the Center for Action and Contemplation, my first thought was, “Wow, what a perfect fit!” Not just in terms of my skills or experiences, but because the spirit and purpose of Illuman—fostering the kind of inner work that makes a difference in the world around us—resonated deeply with my own personal vocation to work at the intersection of spirituality and social change.
My Journey to Illuman
Illuman’s particular focus on cultivating healthier, more spiritually grounded forms of masculinity has been a major part of my own personal journey as well. As a youth pastor and then founding pastor of a new church in my mid-twenties, I found myself struggling with ill-fitting expectations of what it meant to be a man—from society, family, and especially the church—even as I attempted to guide and mentor other young men myself. The models of masculinity I was given appeared trivial to me and, in some ways, even toxic, yet I didn’t know any alternatives. From my adolescence in the northwoods of Michigan, “manhood” had seemed a superficial thing, merely about sports, guns, cars…and excluded anyone who wasn’t interested in these things. Meanwhile, the evangelical subculture in which I was raised offered a similarly superficial spirituality that cared more about controlling behavior and reinforcing patriarchal norms than any deeper matters of the spirit. As a result, I struggled for years to relate to other men (and to my own inner self), lacking the spiritual language or emotional tools to even diagnose what was missing.
Thankfully, after a move to Austin, Texas in 2008 to begin work on my PhD in contemporary religion, I had the great good fortune of falling in with a group of men who introduced me to spiritual teachers like Richard Rohr and to the ManKind Project, a men’s work organization very similar to Illuman. Through their influence and example, I discovered a far more life-giving version of masculinity than I had previously known. Here were men who went deep, both spiritually and emotionally; men who learned how to be vulnerable and authentic with each other; men who balanced the King archetype with the Lover and the Warrior with the Magician; men who didn’t define themselves over and against women, but who embraced and cultivated both the masculine and the feminine sides of their nature; men who celebrated rather than shamed the beautiful complexity of gender identities, expressions, and sexualities. Thus began a journey of personal growth and radical transformation that continues to this day: a journey that has now led me to you fellow travelers here with Illuman.
Our Journey Together
This journey we are on together through Illuman inspires me and gives me hope for the world, despite the increasingly anxious times in which we live. In truth, my path of spiritual growth over the past three decades has coincided with a growing awareness of and engagement with the deep needs of the world. Matters of racial justice, gender equity, and LGBTQ+ inclusion directly impact my dearest friends and immediate family. Meanwhile, the pandemic exacerbates a sense of isolation and disconnection, our fragmented political landscape heightens feelings of dread and dismay, and the escalating effects of climate change present a looming threat to our entire way of life.
And yet it seems to me that many of these challenges stem, in large part, from exactly the kind of unhealed, toxic masculinity that I experienced in my earlier life, and that Illuman works to transform. This means that the work we do as Illuman to cultivate self-awareness, emotional vulnerability, authentic relationships, and radical belonging might just be one of the very things the world needs most right now! We are privileged, then, to be in this moment, with this enormous opportunity to help tip the scales back toward healing, wholeness, and collective liberation.
That’s why I’m excited to be a part of helping Illuman evolve and grow into this potential. I believe that Illuman is at the cusp of even greater impact in the world and in the lives of hundreds and even thousands of new men. I’m looking forward to seeing what impact it has in my own life as I get to know you all better, serve alongside you, and experience Illuman’s transformational practices for myself.
Let’s go!
Mike Clawson
Illuman Administrator
|
|
Join Us for These Upcoming Illuman Events
|
|
The Men’s Rites of Passage (MROP) retreat is Illuman’s signature event. This 5-day, 4-night event helps awaken men to the adventure and mystery of their own masculinity, their deep spirituality, their potential for leadership, and their life’s purpose. The MROP is a deeply prayerful and soulful experience that builds on the classic patterns of male initiation through simple and moving rituals and teaching. Each day includes group prayer, major teachings on central masculine spirituality themes, quiet time for reflection, and small group sharing.
If you or someone you know is interested in attending an MROP, there are several coming up in the next few months, and a total of six this year. Click on the links below to find out more about the ones nearest you.
|
|
Winter Online Retreat presented by Illuman of Minnesota
Saturday, January 29th, 8:30am - 3:00pm
|
|
Dr. Michael Obsatz, Professor Emeritus of Macalester College, will present three short talks about Men Reclaiming Wholeness Through Storytelling at this one-day online retreat. Mike has been working in the areas of Men’s and Boys’ Recovery and Wholeness since the 1970s. He is an author, filmmaker, men’s group facilitator, father, grandfather, and supporter of equal rights and dignity for all.
His short talks will explore the following areas:
Men and Loss, Grief, and Depression
Overcoming Toxic Male Socialization Messages
Healing Shame and Abandonment Trauma
Spiritual Connection and Storytelling
Self-Love and Self-Compassion
Cultural Norms, Values, and Addiction
The Healing Power of Elder Wisdom
From Human Doing to Human Being
This retreat encourages meditation, quiet time, individual reflection, group discussion, and connection to nature.
|
|
Discussion of Matthew Fox’s book The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
2nd and 4th Mondays of each month throughout 2022
|
|
|
In this year-long discussion of Matthew Fox’s book The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, we will explore ancient and new masculine images that allow men breathing room to be our best and deepest selves; our wild and fierce selves; our gentle and loving selves; our soaring and mystical selves; our prophetic, sharing, earth-loving, cosmic, and expansive selves; our generative, creative, compassionate, fatherly, and wise selves; our gay, straight, bi, pan, or asexual selves. In short, our true selves….
We will meet the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month throughout 2022 (starting January 10th). We will explore one chapter of the book each month we meet.
|
|
The JOI Retreat is open to all men who are on a path toward maturity.This experience will focus on the core principles of 12-Step programs: Surrender, Descent, and Community. Initiated Men or people who acknowledge and are challenged by living into the “Five Hard Truths” are familiar with these principles.
The retreat will be held from 3pm Friday, February 11th till Noon, Sunday, February 13th, 2022 at Fort Parker State Park in Mexia, Texas. Cost to attend is $75.
|
|
A 9-week online cohort for Fathers and soon-to-be Fathers
Tuesday evenings at 6pm PST/9pm EST starting March 1st
|
|
This online course/community is designed to meet new dads at a moment when life has initiated them into Fatherhood. In meetings of just one hour each week, we will drop keys of Wisdom, starting with “What it means to be a Man,” moving to “Living in Relationships,” and then to “What it means to be a Father.” We end with an overview of Men’s groups that dads may want to follow up with.
If you are a new or soon-to-be Dad, then this course is for you! Or is there someone like this in your life that might be interested in our Journey together? Then share this with them and encourage them to join us!
|
|
2nd Wednesday of every month
(held virtually on Zoom)
Hosted by Illuman of New Mexico
|
|
M.A.L.E. ANON is a fellowship of men who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to find spiritual solutions to their common problems. It is open to all men of any description, any background. Anybody who identifies as a male is welcomed, including those in transition. Men in M.A.L.E. ANON gain great relief from attending meetings and great recovery from working the 12 Steps. Therefore, attending meetings and working the steps are essential to our program. We believe that the 12 Steps offer a blueprint for becoming better human beings and better men and that changed attitudes can aid recovery.
We meet on Zoom the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 6:30–8:00 PM MST (8:30 EST & 5:30 PST).
|
|
A RETREAT IN ST. MARY’S CITY, MARYLAND, APRIL 1-2, 2022
Co-Sponsored by: Illuman DC and Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Mary’s City
|
|
Led by former Illuman administrator Brad Pickel, this weekend retreat will provide participants with opportunities to explore a mature spirituality through a deepening into the wisdom of the Enneagram. Through teachings and experiential opportunities, participants will be invited to explore the path to self-healing and wholeness using the Enneagram as a map and guide.
|
|
Visit our online shop and pick up an item to show your support of Illuman!🎗
|
|
Be sure to visit Illuman's Online Shop where you can order t-shirts, hats and other Illuman logo items. Every purchase helps support our work!
|
|
Illuman is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose vision is to see men transforming men and, through them, families and communities for generations to come. Our mission is to engage those seeking a life-long journey of spiritual transformation.
|
|
Your support in all forms, including prayer, service, and money, is met with gratitude and a commitment to honor your gifts by using them to support men on their spiritual journey.
|
Please also remember Illuman in your estate planning. Contact us at dca@illuman.org for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WE ARE ILLUMAN:
Without us God will not,
but without God, we cannot.
~ Fr. Richard Rohr ~
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
