Mindfull this morning of the powerful change great men bought into our world through the good works of Robert Bly, John Herald Lee and many more. They were the "older men that held the ground for us younger men to make their glorious mistakes." Here is the festival that bought most of the change for men like myself, I never got there, but these conferences created the spark, and here in Australia we started our own groups and conferences, flying by the seat of our pants. Its was reading Iron John: A Book About Men, and more importantly listening to it over and over as Robert played his Bouzouki and said "We are leaving this time now......" I will never forget the world it opened up for me. It got me hugging my father, and being a father these days, it taught me to hug my kids, my male friends, and never to forget the vulnerability inside a man, and the importance of supporting each other to feel it, and find strength from it.
It was from opening for John Lee when South Pacific Recovery bought him out from Texas that got me into a pivotal mens group. Bill Woods was there, and he invited me to the first meeting of men at South Pacific, it was dark, we met in the foyer sitting in a circle, with the clients upstairs, Earl Cass,Wes Taylor, Bill Woods, Myself and Rick Lucknell. We all just spoke from the heart, I had been on the recovery road I think about 8 years, and at the end of the meeting, when the rest left, Bill shook my hand, and said "Son, we need to get you a job here". It started something, thats all Im going to say, something big.
Been seen by older men is so important, to be acknowledged, the seeing, it was powerful for me to receive, and no as I sit at 50, I need to be mindful to do some seeing myself. Thank you Bill, John , and Robert for the seeing.
http://www.minnesotamensconference.com/
