Where Are the Conscious Men?

Tough call, isn’t it? What defines ‘conscious’ anyway – who’s to say? By what definition can anyone judge this inquiry by … especially when it comes to men. I must say, I have an admittedly biased view in this. I was brought up through the Goddess ranks 20 + yrs ago, first coming in contact with Her voice in 1992 while living in Asheville and later in Sedona in ’96. Both of these places were (and remain) hot beds for the Goddess consciousness coming onto the planet at this most pivotal time in history.

I, like a few men there, were welcomed into the women’s circles, both as observers and co-participants in the ceremonies that took place. As men we held an innate, complimentary role, however, we hadn’t significantly developed our own inner feminine awareness and hadn’t fully delved into our own masculine mysteries as a result. We certainly hadn’t learned to face our Shadows yet and claim our own actualized masculinity which in turn, would allow us to call forth to embrace our feminine natures, empowered in our in consciousness and above all, in safety and trust.

I learned a man can’t really learn of his conscious feminine qualities unless he sees it outpictured on display in a conscious woman. He can get an interpretation from another man who’s been exposed or developed this awareness, however, unless you see and feel it direct, it’s just not the same. I’ve also learned, women really can’t awaken their conscious masculine energy until they witness it living large, actualized in a man. And this has been the topic of many disgruntled women I’ve spoken with over the years. I’ve been privy to conversations where out of exasperation, frustration and not just a bit of anger, the women asked – Where are the conscious men?!

Women, as we know, have been challenging their inherited roles in America for many decades now. At the turn of the last century, the Suffragette Movement (in hopes of getting the right to vote) began the new ball rolling – the Second World War forced women to enter the work force, filling the jobs vacated by men fighting overseas and finally in the 1960’s, getting the birth control Pill, shifted, changed and blew up the entrenched, old paradigm, long established role orientation that has defined our planet’s collective sense of gender function and purpose.

Remember that old bumper sticker: The Goddess Is Loose and Magic Is Afoot? I do. Over the years, I’d seen it on a number of my friend’s cars - all women, mind you. As a man who chose to challenge my own paradigm, my own entrenched patterns inherited from my father’s generation and the collective, masculine mass (un)consciousness, I’ve had my significant obstacles to overcome. As all conscious women and men know - of those who’ve actually done their primary, self-discovery work – there’ve been no blueprints, no roadmaps readily available. There’ve been no Idiots Guide To Awakening Your Sacred Feminine/Masculine at a bookstore nearest us.

Nope. Not at all. We’ve blazed the trails, cut the path and become the living maps ourselves, each step of the way. Believe me, I hold no claim over and above anyone else out here in his respect. We’re all doing our best, however that happens to look. And yet, as I live in NYC and have passionately written on this bog, it sure is mightily frustrating seeing so few men wake the fuck up to something other than themselves, over and over again.

I’ve had my own heated conversations with a number of my conscious women friends, complaining and lamenting over the lame state of awareness here. Of course, I’ve got to believe there must be many men in the NY, metropolitan area who qualify, who are actualized in this respect. There have to be. I mean, this is a huge-ass city – with millions of men walking about, right? And yet, there appears to be a silent stigma still in play … I’ve noticed that the men who qualify are now able to speak Heartfully with the conscious women in their lives, however, have yet to build the link with other men in this same Heart conscious way.

Why is this, I’ve often wondered? I think in order to be fully present and available with another man, a man who’s vulnerable or hurting or our seeking assistance is still too much of a leap for most of us to take. I sense it will require men to become even more present and available to our own vulnerability or pain of perceived weakness.  Here we will have to be even more generous in our forgiveness of ourselves, once and for all.

I believe we’ll have to become even more present in our empowered Heartspaces, centered and awake to the common bond we all share – our history, our struggles, our pain and most important, our Hearts. Having had my own sizable slice of woundology to attend to, my own nasty, Heartbreak karma to heal, I know this is a really tall order, inside and out. I know the perils of willingly opening the previously locked and crusted shut doors of my own Heart. In fact, you gotta be a fool to risk this … and yet, in the priceless words of Anais Nin: And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. 

I sure wonder what it will take for us men to blossom with the strength, power and grace we were born with … because the world sure needs men to step up in this way. Big Time. In this respect, I truly believe our planet’s survival depends on it.

Thank You &

Love To Us All ~

PS I invite you to share these posts with anyone you feel would benefit and if you feel inspired, to write your feedback insights through the ‘Comment’ key on this blog. Also, please check out my work, Heart Tantra - The Attunement Session - on my web site heartantra.com. I offer in-person sessions here in the NYC area and absentee or long-distance work if you don't. Always Blessings On Your Way!