Healthy Masculinity Across Borders (and how to help Ukrainian refugees)
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March 2022
Sandia Mountain
In this Drumbeat...
Conveners Corner w/Mark Infusino

Healthy Masculinity Across Borders and How to Help Ukrainian Refugees

Reminder to Update your Interests and Communication Preferences

Help Illuman Reach More Men!
Upcoming Events:
  • 2022 Men’s Rites of Passage
  • Young Men’s Rites of Passage (ages 19-29)
  • First Rites of Passage (ages 12-14)
  • Gifts of the Enneagram Retreat
  • Men, Grief & Solitude - Lenten Retreat
  • A Father for Generation Alpha
  • M.A.L.E. Anon
By Mark Infusino,
Co-Convener of Illuman SoCal

"It startled me, in my conversation with Dave, how unhelpful it was to discuss the MROP experience using 'God-language'."
Illuman Virtual Council
Consider joining us and inviting a friend to an Illuman Virtual Council!

See the complete virtual council schedule and learn more about the program.
Ukrainian refugees finding safety and support at a retreat center run by Illuman partners in Prague.
Read below or click here to learn how you can support them directly.
Healthy Masculinity Across Borders
(and a way to help Ukrainian refugees)

Just as many parts of the world gained cautious optimism that we might be turning the corner on COVID-19, the war in Ukraine erupted, destroying lives and property, and forcing over a million Ukrainians to flee for their lives. Collectively, we’ve begun to realize that it is not only Ukraine that was attacked, but also our fragile emerging experience of peace among the world’s great powers.

Many of the men of Illuman, our families, partners, and communities are asking: Why? What is ours to do in response? We experience fear, outrage, anger, compassion—all at once....

[Click here to continue reading]
Don’t Forget to Update Your Info and Communication Preferences!

Last month we sent a link with a request for you to update your personal information, interests, and communication preferences (i.e., how often you want to hear from us and about what topics). Your response is very important! This information will help us improve the way we communicate with you and better understand what resources would be most relevant to your spiritual journey.
Click Here to Update Your Info & Preferences

Help Us Reach More Men!

Illuman is focusing on outreach and visibility, and we need your help. Last month, we began by sending the Drumbeat to any brothers connected to our local Chapters who weren’t already on our newsletter list. Welcome to our new readers! We also invited each reader to share their areas of interest with us so we can ensure that what you see from Illuman better suits your own needs and interests.

As the next step, we are inviting you to engage with us on social media. Currently, Illuman relies on Facebook to inform, educate, and promote our work. Our first ask is to Like our page if you have not already done so. If you do not use Facebook, please consider creating an account here and then Liking us. I joined Facebook purely to further Illuman outreach and you can too....

[Click here to continue reading]
Join Us for These Upcoming Illuman Events
Men’s Rites of Passage
Illuman’s signature event, this 5-day, 4-night experience awakens men to the adventure and mystery of their own masculinity, their deep spirituality, their potential for leadership, and their life’s purpose. The MROP builds on the classic patterns of male initiation through simple and moving rituals and teaching. 

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.

Southwest MROP
April 27 - May 1

East Coast MROP
May 3 - 7

Pacific Northwest MROP
May 25 - 29
Click Here for All of the Upcoming 2022 MROPs
Young Men’s Rites of Passage

July 20–24, 2022

Princeton, Minnesota
We are looking for young men who are ready to move fully from boyhood to manhood. Young Men’s Rites of Passage is 5 days/4 nights of formal male initiation for men ages 19–29. The program 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 you will be out in nature and engaged in ritual, drumming, Council, elder talks, silence, and solo-wilderness time.
Learn more and register
First Rites of Passage: Forty Hours in the Wilderness
 
June 3–5, 2022

Salem, Missouri

First Rites of Passage is for middle-school-age boys and their fathers or male elders, introducing them to Illuman’s Rites of Passage. This weekend experience will include bonfires, storytelling, Native American legends and lore, rituals, and time apart in rugged Missouri wilderness at Shannondale, deep in the Ozarks.
Learn More
THE GIFTS OF THE ENNEAGRAM

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
The Gifts of the Enneagram Retreat will provide numerous opportunities for exploration of this system of spiritual wisdom, whether you are new to the Enneagram or have been using it as a tool in your spiritual practice for years. Foundational information will be shared for each type to set the stage for deeper conversations. All that is required for participation is a willingness to be present in your body, have a curious mind, and bring an open heart.

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.

Learn more and register
Men, Grief & Solitude
An Online Lenten Retreat for Men

Saturday, April 2

9 AM - 1 PM CDT
This on-line retreat invites men to explore the importance of solitude as a vehicle for coping with loss, set in the context of differences in styles of coping and grief. Daniel Duggan (pastor, chaplain and educator) will lead this Lenten experience. He is author of Men, Grief and Solitude: A Different Perspective available through Amazon.
Learn more and register
A Father for Generation Alpha
(Summer Session)

A 9-week online cohort for Fathers and soon-to-be Fathers

Tuesday evenings starting June 28th
Two Time Options: East Coast: 9–10 PM EDT; West Coast: 8–9 PM PDT

Designed to meet new dads at a moment when life has initiated them into fatherhood. Meetings are just one hour each week. If you are a new or soon-to-be dad, then this course is for you! If there is someone like this in your life who might be interested in our journey together, please share this with them and encourage them to join us!
Learn more and register
M.A.L.E. ANON

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.
Learn more and register
About Illuman
Illuman: Journey Together
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. 
Learn More ➡
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Please also remember Illuman in your estate planning. Contact us at dca@illuman.org for more information.
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Without us God will not,
but without God, we cannot.
~ Fr. Richard Rohr ~

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