Nature-based leadership programs that support men through the doorways of life that are not clearly marked.
The Natural Passages Program
Natural Passages is a one year male initiation program. It is a program that enables the core integrity of the man to surface. It is designed to awaken, develop, and nurture the essence and fullness of being a man in today’s world. Our focus is developmental. We seek to invoke the unfoldment of mature masculine energies. Our goal is specific. We seek to assist each man to find his place in the world. Our hope is honorable. We seek to fill the void of mature men that can stay within the center of whom they are regardless of circumstances. Our dream is selfish. In helping you to find your place in the world, we envision your helping others to do the same. Therein, we can build community and make a difference in the world.
Indigenous cultures refer to medicine as the essence of the person, place or thing. In our terms it is the essence of being a man as a spiritual, physical, mental and emotional being. In today’s society it is not always clear what it means to be a man. Moreover, it is not always clear how to be a man, nor is it always clear how to be the authentic self, fully present, regardless of circumstances. It seems that we have forgotten the essence of being a man, the medicine of being a man.
Rite of Passage—The Hero’s Journey
In prior times, the creation and development of medicine of men were done through various forms of initiations, now more commonly called Hero’s journeys. These journeys were structured rituals and ceremonies that brought the boy/man face-to–face with the boyish attitudes and beliefs that no longer served the evolving man. These rituals and ceremonies were designed to ignite the deep masculine energies that would enable the boy to let go of the boyish ways that tended toward self–centeredness and move toward family and community responsibilities.
MoMen Return Retreat
The MoMen Return weekend is a return to where we started. It is an exploration into the four principles of presence. The focus is to delve deeply into the relational next steps of the four chambered heart, the four phantoms of fear and the resulting shadow behavior. Dynamic exercises will be provided to support an inward journey and then the opportunity to share these private stories with each other. The intention of the weekend is to take advantage of the wooded area of the Pebble Ledges. Living in tents, we will have the magic of solitude, the comfort of the surrounding forest, and the support of the community of other MoMen. Woven into the fabric of the weekend are experiences that support personal and interpersonal explorations of whom are you as a man in today’s world.
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star" —Nietzsche
A book by Herb Stevenson
Thoughts is a story about how thoughts create our realities. It is a fun and exciting spiritual journey about the awakening process of an individual whose world is turned upside down when he meets this strange person named DocKnow. It is whimsical and piercing in the ponderings evoked as the pages magnetically draw one into a exploration of the inner world that creates the meaning making perceptions of the outer world.
Natural Passages Interviews on Video
Hear what participants in the program have to say.
Developing Your Natural Talent To Lead
Read the article and interview about the Natural Passages Program with Herb Stevenson in ALN Magazine.
Four Principals of Leadership
Listen to Herb Stevenson talk about the Four Principals of Leadership in these short interviews.
Falling Leaves
Music and lyrics written and performed by Jeff Endemann, a participant in MoMen 2006. The song was inspired and written during a MoMen weekend.
The complete CD is available for purchase www.jeffendemann.com