Igniting the Fire of the Sacred Masculine
Beloved,
Last Thursday and Friday, I attended a retreat sponsored by Illuman.org, the men's spiritual support group I have been part of for the last nine years. Illuman was founded by Franciscian fryer/theologian/author Father Richard Rohr. The retreat took place at Shrine Mont, in Orkney Springs, Virginia, the camp and retreat center owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. It's situated in a beautiful mountain setting located on the West side of the Shanandoah Valley between Harrisonburg and Winchester, approximately and hour and forty-five minute drive from Washginton, D.C.
Men came from from all across the United States and Canada for the retreat called, AWAKEN: Igniting the Fire of the Sacred Masculine. We were led by two gifted guides: Sean Harvey, author of Warrior Compassion: Unleashing the Healing Power of Men, and Gareth Higgins, author of How Not to Be Afraid.
Sean invited us to imagine a new kind of masculine strength, one shaped not by dominance or stoicism, but by compassion, honesty, and love. Drawing on his own journey from Wall Street in New York, to attending seminary, to working alongside the military and law enforcement, he spoke about healing the wounds men often carry quietly, and about finding courage through tenderness.
Gareth, who once lived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, now in Asheville, North Caolina, and is the founder of the annual Wild Goose Festival, shared his own deep wisdom about fear, how facing it gently and truthfully can open the door to compassion. Through stories and faith, he reminded us that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but love practiced right in the middle of it. Gareth is a master storyteller and he teaches others how to be effective story tellers. His presentation was rooted in story and featured some beautiful poetry.
Together, Sean and Gareth helped us remember that awakening the sacred masculine means living with open hearts, building real brotherhood, and bringing compassion home to our families, churches, and communities. As Sean puts it, “When men heal, the world heals.”
Over the years I have been deeply touched by many mature, spiriaully grounded, loving men, who have helped me to be a better man, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. My work with this amazing group of men has also made me a more compassionate priest and pastor and has given me a language of love that has inspired my preaching and teaching. I am grateful for those relationships.
Rooted in the Christian tradition, Illuman is a diverse community of men seeking a deeper spiritual journey. Our members come from many walks of life, including different races, a variety of religious and non-faith backgrounds, political perspectives, sexual orientations, economic circumstances, and careers. Even so, we recognize that Illuman still consists largely of older, middle-class white men in the second half of life.
As a community, we want that to change. We’re intentionally working to broaden and deepen our diversity by reaching out to men of color and to younger men through a new initiative called Radical Belonging.
I’d be thrilled to see men from St. Luke’s learn more about Illuman and consider joining us in our work of “men transforming men through a power greater than ourselves.” Interested in learning more? Shoot me an exmail (johnball0450@gmail.com), or give me a call, 240-434-2998. I will be happy to tell you more about it.
Faithfully,
John +
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