CENTER HERE AND NOW / WORKSHOPS / April 2019 / 13.04.19 - 14.04.19

THE ESSENCE OF MASCULINITY BEYOND
MYTH AND MODERNITY

Have you also wondered who you are as a man, who you want to be, what´s your purpose as a man in this life? How to integrate your instinctual power with your love, sensitivity and passion for living and creating a life with more meaning and purpose?

Living in the 21st century as men, we see that life has become so intrinsically complex and diverse as never before. Modern life gives us more and more opportunities and ways to live, while at the same time it offers less guidance and orientation.

Many men struggle to integrate their strength and ability to take clear positions in life with a growing sensitivity and capacity to take more complex perspectives.

We invite you to a series of workshops for men devoted to discovering and awakening of the masculinity, reaching the essence of Being a Man. The classes will be facilitated by excellent and experienced teacher Gregor Khushru Steinmaurer.

This workshop is a preliminary, basic module. The next advanced modules will be held periodically and you can take part in them in any order.

 

Qualities like decisiveness, purpose, strength and clarity in action and presence are often marked as masculine qualities. When we look into the present state of the world and ourselves, it becomes clear, that men have difficulty accepting and living these qualities. This often results into either pretended excess of masculinity and dominance or a rejection of masculine energy, a passivity and submissiveness.

As men we also long for love, emotional connection and the right to be gentle, loving and sensitive. Many have learned in childhood that male power is destructive and has no place in relationships, yet in adult life discovering that something is lacking in the polarity of intimate relationships.

Many men carry a deep - and often unconscious - insecurity and confusion about themselves as men – struggling to find out what to do. As a result, men often feel we have to choose – depending on the context – between these different aspects in ourselves. We have to either hide our power or our heart. We have to mask either our sensitivity or our instinctual drives, our wild energy or the vulnerable openness.

In this seminar and weekend, you are invited to bring all of You into this safe space with other men. You are invited to a space where you don’t have to choose but can bring all of your aspects into contact with other men.

In this seminar men have the opportunity, to come together and looking into what it means to be a man, beyond stereotypes and conditioned roles. Together we can inquire how we shaped and often unconsciously inherited our ideas and beliefs around masculinity from our fathers, peers and the collective beliefs of society, and what is actually the essence of this energy.

In this weekend we will explore the main dimensions of every man´s life:

The relationship with other Men

• How is my contact with other men?
• Do I view other men as friends and support, or as competitors and or even dangerous?
• We will explore together how to come in deeper contact with other men, find trust, create new friendships and make other men a support for your own growth as a man

The relationship with Women

• How is it with Women for me?
• Is it easier or more challenging than with men?
• What do I really want in relationships?
• We will explore the basic dynamics in male-female relating, and learn how to be more confident, clear and open in the connection with women

The connection to my Purpose as a Man

• What am I here for?
• What do I really want in life?
• What motivates me to grow and go further in life?
• We will explore the importance of having a connection to a bigger purpose in life as a man, and how to bring more meaning and fulfillment in everyday life.

 

This weekend will provide a safe and supportive space for men who feel the longing to bring more clarity, love and awareness to their lives.

It is for those who are willing to take on the new hero´s journey as a man in modern times.

It is for men who know that we can be more clear, grounded, loving, focused and awake as men.

Methods that will be used during this workshop:

• Active and Silent Meditations
• Breath Exercises
• Body Work
• Somatic Experience
• Primal Therapy
• Family Constellations
• Rituals
• Transparent Communication
• Group Dynamics
• Self-Inquiry
• Sharing of experiences amongst Men

Accepting our masculine qualities can enlighten our own life journey and enables us also to be beneficial to our beloved ones and the entire world.

Schedule of Gregor’s workshops and lectures in 2019 in Poland:

13.02 - Lectures in Warsaw, free admission:

• 17:00-18:30   Family Constellations and Working with Transgenerational Trauma - How to work with the Past to create a new Future.
• 18:30-20:00   What it means to be a man - The essence of masculinity beyond myth and modernity.

15-17.II - The right to Be – Embodiment and Integration through Constellation and Trauma-work (Warsaw).

2-3.III - Being a Man – The journey to an awakened masculinity – The essence of masculinity beyond myth and modernity. Workshop for men, Basic Module (Warsaw)

13-14.04 - Being a Man – The journey to an awakened masculinity – The essence of masculinity beyond myth and modernity. Workshop for men, Basic Module (Warsaw)

29.V-2.VI - Intensive workshop for men: Fire of the Awakened Masculinity, Module I (Nowe Kawkowo)

22-27.X - Training for Life, Module I, facilitated together with Komalą Amorim (Nowe Kawkowo)

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ARTICLES OF GREGOR KUSHRU STEINMAURER:

Growing up – The stages of Maturity for Men

Growing up is a big process for everybody, and maybe even more so for Men.

Most of us have been raised by Mother and very often we didn´t receive much from Father about what it means to live as a man with awareness… as a conscious man!

We are longing for more fulfilling lives with more freedom, success, a greater impact in life, and doing what our masculine heart calls us to do. But we also all know, that very often we fall short of these wonderful visions. We stay afraid, we hurt ourselves and others, we drown in our sorrows, or we perform and pretend to be more invulnerable, impenetrable and capable than we really are.

To learn to really grow up as a human being, as a man, is a grandiose journey that requires the spirit of a hero.

Modern life is complex and demanding, old role models are wasted, and new options confusing or distorted. Moving away from the comfort of the child, that can blame others and the world, that can hope and dream that someday someone will recognize my genius, or that someone magically will pay my bills, sort out my relationships, and acknowledge my uniqueness as a man, can be a painful journey.

We meet our laziness and old wounds. We need to part from long cherished dreams, and embrace the fullness of responsibility which can bring lasting freedom. Not freedom from demands and challenges, but freedom from being ruled and dominated of old habits, outgrown patterns, and walking the path of surrendering to learn, practice and embodying to become a full, conscious and awakened man.

In this journey we need a supportive and at the same time challenging environment that enhances your growth and movement towards full awakening as a man.

We need to work with the collective understanding of the stages of growing up: Childhood – Teenage – Maturity – Wisdom.

We need to get a real reflection of where you are standing, what is your personal vision and what are the patterns and habits that hold you back from fully stepping into your masculine energy, so that you can show up more fully as a man in your life in all dimensions – relationships, sexuality, business, career, vocation and spirituality.

We need to learn how to face fears, old wounds, embracing the child within in an empathic and supportive way, rather than dissociating and disconnecting from it. We need to learn how to contain and guide the teenager in us, which can create havoc if uncontained or isolates from life and people, and we need to explore together what it really means to fully show up as a man – embracing fears, but not being dominated by them, in order to find out what truly moves and touches your masculine core.

In the following article we find a very interesting concept of the development of a man and his role:

What it means to be a man?

A call for an integral perspective on masculine roles

In all the ancient cultures and traditions, we meet the idea of the development of human consciousness through different stages. Many traditions created their own wisdom teachings that inform us about the development of mankind towards its potential. Many times, as it is the case with the chakra system, we also receive a profound map for the journey.

Everything that lives, from plants to humans to complex systems (such as cultures, cities and organizations), moves through specific stages of development, and we see this evolution also in the specific expression of masculine roles.

In this article we want to use the map of the chakras with a reference to the integral model of Ken Wilber, to describe the most important roles of masculinity.

This is a historical overview over the development of these roles, but even more a description of the most important archetypical energies that still exist in every man. Every human being, and therefore every boy, moves through these different stages on his journey towards the fulfillment of his inherent potential.

It can be fun and enriching to use the mirror of these stages, and to ask oneself: „How am I with this particular energy in my life?” “Am I able to feel the positive qualities of a certain stage as well as the shadow elements?”

If you pay attention to your body, your feelings and your internal comments while you are reading the descriptions, it can become an exciting journey through your own development, bringing more awareness to hidden potentials, dusty corners in your psyche and possible resources for your future.

Root Chakra – Red – The archaic magic Stage “The man as Hunter - Warrior”

At the very beginning of our evolution, we meet a man who clearly represents the archetype of a “real man”. A man is a man! It´s as simple as that! He is aware of his physical power and the urge to dominate that comes with it. He follows mainly his instincts and internal drives, which compel him to survive and procreate in the literal jungle of our ancestors, which is a territory not governed by rules or morality, but by the rule of force.

A man in this stage represents the archetype of the Hunter - Warrior. His strength comes from his connection to the body, which has its strongest expression in the root chakra. Being a man or not is not a philosophical question, but simply a biological fact. A simple look is enough…

The sexual expression of the warrior is very energetic, vital and straightforward and this also limits his perception of the feminine towards the biological act of procreation.

Modern cultures nowadays leave very little space for such “red” or instinctive energies, and we find those stages only in ritualized forms on sport fields, boxing arenas or in the inner-city ghettos of big towns or war zones.

Activities like Martial Arts, Competitive Sports or Wilderness Training can allow modern men to connect to this archaic strength again, without having to abandon a civilized life-style.

The contribution and quality of this stage lies in the physical vitality and presence, which can support the instinctual parts of our nervous system to relax and regain balance, while unhealthy fixations of this energy can explode into uncontrolled aggression and (also sexual) violence.

Sacral Chakra – Orange – The mythological Stage “The man as Ruler and Family Man”

Due to the increase of human population on earth, the pressure to find new structures of social organization increased, and men started to institutionalize their physical dominance over women, and established patriarchy as a “God-given” order.

The mythological stage intends to govern the challenges of human life through the formation of education and moral convention, which led to ruling by the “grace of God”. Patriarchy allowed men to pass on their accumulated power to the son, and so the archetype of the king got established. The king is at his best aware of his role and responsibility, and serves with integrity and devotion, while knowing that his power is only bestowed to him by a “higher authority”.

This stage is called mythological because it created all the big epics and heroic myths in order to give authority and structure to the world and transmit the value system of its culture. When this stage is taking myths as literal truth it creates our well known pictures of a God with a white beard sitting somewhere above the clouds in heaven, which even in our modern societies stubbornly remains a prevalent belief, and gives rise to all sorts of fanaticism.

A real man therefore is a pious, honest and good man who protects, respects and honors his family (this can also be represented by any group, nation, religion, gang, club, etc…) and if possible also embodies some heroic qualities!

When our modern life has little to offer to young men while they are in the search of their inner mythic hero, they often turn towards organizations or groups that provide them with clear rules and shared values, such as the military, sports clubs, religious movements, street gangs, etc…

In the sexual context this stage of development can either make a man rigid in his relating with women, acting only from his sense of authority and dominance, but it can also be the beginning of sensuality and a deeper contact.

The safety and clarity of a committed relationship can open new places of vulnerability and deeper intimacy. It can include sensitivity into sexuality and the authentic impulse from the masculine to protect and care for the feminine. (Which we all have seen in thousand forms of the classical story where the male hero rescues the princess/woman from the dragon or any other evil character)

The gift of this stage is the ability to lead while being guided by higher principles, yet human history is full of examples where this went downright into fanaticism and violent oppression.

Solar Plexus – Yellow – The rational, individual Stage “The doer and man of action”

If we want to see a classical picture of the man in this stage, we just need to pay a short visit to the Wall Street or into the management department of big companies. We are meeting a man who is rationally educated and defines himself through his achievement and performance (which many times is measured by his bank account), and also in the way of how much freedom and individuality he feels in his life.

This rational stage started its success story in modern history with the onset of the western enlightenment and to a large extent through the increasing importance of rational science and industrialization. Suddenly it wasn´t that important anymore how much one could manage with physical force, but how much more I could move and make happen through intelligence, clear calculation and ingenuity, making others do the hard labor.

The rational man freed himself from the tight clutches of mythological worldviews and social classes and elevated himself to the highest pedestal in existence. The individual man is born, and he is in constant search for the highest, the farthest and doesn´t fear any challenge, be it with a business competitor, a technical or philosophical problem, or the highest mountain peak of this world.

A real man is defining himself in this stage through his actions, his success (in the Wall Street, with women, in sports, personal development,…), and how much recognition he earns with it.

The biological domination over women, which is prevalent in all the earlier structures, starts to fade in this worldview, as women are also able to fight for their place amongst men through exceptional achievements. In a masculine dominated world, full of competition and fighting, this often have forced women to leave behind their more gentle and feminine qualities.

The positive aspects which we can harvest in this stage are the will to act and manifest assertiveness and an incredible ingenuity. On the other side of the coin, we are staring right into the scary face of capitalism with its cruel denial of any inner values and the reckless exploitation of resources.

In the context of relationship and sexuality, the rational man can be very performance driven, and ranks the quantity of how often, how long or with how many, over the inner world of feelings. While it brings new freedom also into relating and sexuality by leaving the tight grip of morality and social norms behind, it can fall into an “anything goes” mentality and gets addicted only to the excitement of sexual energy. If the excitement fades, a man will try to find help in sexual gadgets, performance tricks or the constant chase of new partners.

Heart Chakra – Green – The pluralistic, egalitarian Stage “Man as Peacemaker”

This is probably the best known picture of contemporary men nowadays. This is the man who changes diapers, shares the car, and separates the accounts. For the first time we are meeting a man, who is interested to integrate his interior world of feelings into his life and relationships. One might even say: „A man is what he feels”!

This is the stage that developed dominantly in the 60-ties, where revolution came with a song, a bunch of flowers and slogans for gender equality and world peace.

The most important values in a generally more feminine oriented stage all revolve around equality, human rights, the sharing of experience and the refusal of hierarchies and basically any distinctions, either biological or social.

This developed as a counterforce to the radical flatland of scientific rationalism in the modern stage, and brought a real renaissance of culture, aesthetics and the exploration of the inner domains of the human experience.

In the relationship between man and woman the common aspects in both are highlighted and all distinctions are seen as barriers to real equality and therefore peace and harmony between the sexes, and even the world. In extreme views those physical polarities are seen only as a result of social conditioning, and therefore masculinity becomes something that one should work to overcome on the way to true equality.

For many men who are centered in this stage, this can create a confusion with their own sexual identity, and for some it even leads to a dogmatic denial of anything masculine, because male energy gets solely identified with everything that is dominating, violent and oppressive from the previous stages. This naturally creates conflict in a man with his biological instincts and in moments when life is calling for decisiveness and clarity in action.

In love relationships this brings a more sensitive and empathic quality into play, where equality and individual decision making are held high. On the downside this can lead to a depolarization between the sexes, where lovers turn into friends or colleagues, and the primordial beauty and power of two energetic poles is forgotten.

On the other hand, we probably all agree, that all the values of this stage were greatly improving all of our lives, and some become so natural in a short time now that we already take them for granted.

Throat Chakra – Light Blue – The integral Stage “Man as an integrated being”

The latest development in the collective evolution of humanity is often called a leap, rather than another step, because it enables a new consciousness.

While the previous stages are often caught into fighting over who is right and wrong, integral consciousness enables us to see the overall development of our evolution and integrate the positive qualities as well as the shadows of each of the stages.

It perceives the sequential unfolding of these stages where each one is necessary for the emergence of the next. We see that we are the product of everything that had come before, and therefore can contain and integrate all of these different perspectives in a meaningful way.

With this leap in consciousness we see a return of interest in the polarities of the sexes and all the differentiations that comes with being human. In the outer world this manifests in the immense possibilities of our information age, the global village, and new technologies. To be able to navigate in such a complex world, one needs a flexible consciousness which is capable to think and act systemically and in global terms.

The man of the integral age is passionately interested to be able to integrate in himself as many different qualities as possible, in order to face life always in the most appropriate way. He is not imposing his fixed ideas onto life but is rather drawing from a rich set of experiences and perspectives when responding to situations.

This means he can listen and feel into others, is able to take on the lead if needed, knows about his place in a larger universe, and is not shying away from applying his physical strength if needed.

A woman is not anymore perceived just as equal, but also as divinely different, and therefore in her femininity radiant and attractive. What makes someone attractive is not the same-ness, but the differences, which are revered and respected alike. Mutual growth is not only coming from respect but even more through the conscious friction of differences which invite a constant learning and integrating.

In terms of sexuality this man is not limited anymore by one way of loving his partner, but at best has integrated the qualities of all previous stages and skillfully serves the moment for the deepest experience of love and wisdom.

(The article only describes the collective evolution of human consciousness as it has developed so far. In this system this goes up to the 5^th chakra. The higher chakras are still in our future and we don´t know yet what roles will develop from there)

The terms “integral” and “integral consciousness” which are used in this article are based on the writings and teachings of Ken Wilber and other Integral Pioneers. More information about Integral Theory and Ken Wilber, you can find amongst other resources at
www.integrallife.com

The terms of developmental stages used in the article (Archaic – Magic, Mythic…) were described in this form for the first time by the German philosopher and pioneer of the study of human consciousness Jean Gebser.
 By now there are many more systems that track the development of consciousness, values and capacities in adults and collective systems (a prominent and very profound example is “Spiral Dynamics”). Even though there are differences in details, all of them share the overall arch of the evolution of consciousness.

The System of the Chakras has its roots in the tantric teachings of Hinduism and describes a map of subtle energy centers and stages of consciousness in the human experience.

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Details of the workshop

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ACCOUNT NUMBER:	13 - 14 April 2019 (Saturday – Sunday)
WE BEGIN:	13th  April at 10 AM
WE END:	14th April at 4 PM
PLACE:	Warsaw
WORKSHOP PRICE	640 PLN
CONTACT:	Jacek Towalski, tel.: +48 602 219 382 Maja Wołosiewicz - Towalska, tel.: +48 606 994 366, Office, tel.: +48 662 759 576 e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.tuiteraz.eu
HOW TO REGISTER:	Please register by email at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (giving your first and last name, phone number, the name and date of the workshop). Only after receiving an email with confirmation of your registration, please send a deposit in a week from registration. No payment within 7 days will cancel the registration. Please do not pay deposit before receiving an email confirmation of the reservation of your place in the workshop! Please pay 200 PLN deposit to “Tu i Teraz” to the following account with description: "Deposit Gregor 13-14.04.2019”. Refund will be available only within two weeks after a payment is made! In case of refund, the 20 PLN administration fee will be deducted from the deposit. The deposit cannot be transferred to another workshop. Two weeks prior to the event, the deposit will not be refunded.
ACCOUNT NUMBER:	Tu i Teraz BANK PKO BP 92 1020 3541 0000 5502 0206 3410 BIC (Swift): BPKOPLPW IBAN: PL92 1020 3541 0000 5502 0206 3410