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elder profile
Jim Taylor 
Weaver and Wisdom Elder           
Jim Taylor
 
I've been on a determined search for meaning since I was six years old and still scared of the dark. That was the year that I

promised myself that I would never live like my parents. Both abusive alcoholics, their chaos

had spilled over with every drink creating a thirst in me for something more. Two years later....

 
 Read More >

reflection

Brad Kuluris

Convener and Wisdom Elder

events
about illuman
Illuman is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose vision is to see men transforming men and, through them, families and communities for generations to come.  Our mission is to engage those seeking a life-long journey of spiritual transformation. 
 

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Welcome to the first Drumbeat issue in 2014. While we've not visited your inbox, rest assured that we've been busy. In this edition you'll find updates on:

  1. Illuman 2014 Conference
  2. Illuman - a statement about who we are
  3. Soularize 2014 (open to initiated men only)
  4. New Offering for Initiated Men: be an Initiator at the upcoming Arizona MROP
  5. Upcoming Men's Rites of Passage for 2014 

And don't forget to check out our Elder Profile and Reflection features.

  

1. Illuman Conference 2014

Illuman conference Nove 7-9 2014
 
 
 
Save The Date:

November 7-9, 2014

  

The Hyatt Regency Tamaya

Bernalillo, New Mexico

  

Registration opens 

April 1st on the Illuman.org website

 

Being a Generative Man:

Water in the Desert

  

  • Moving beyond Stagnation: Men Coming Alive
  • Learning the Way of Council: Listening to all the Voices
  • Energizing the Next Generation: Old and Young Men Together
  • The Fourfold Path: Recognizing, Awakening, Nurturing, and   Claiming
    •  

    Speakers include (L to R):

    Speakers

      

    Belden Lane, backpacker, storyteller, and writer in spirituality (Author of The Solace of Fierce Landscapes and forthcoming "Backpacking with the Saints") 

     

    Adrian Scott, British poet from Sheffield, England (Author of The Call of the Unwritten and Arriving in Magic)

      

    Fr. Richard Rohr O.F.M., founder of Men as Learners and Elders (Author of Adam's Return, Soul Brothers, From Wild Men to Wise Men, and On The Threshold of Transformation)

     

    2. Illuman - Who Are We?

     

  • We are men transforming men through a power greater than ourselves.
  • We are seeking a life-changing spirituality.
  • Our primary concern is inner work that makes a difference in the world.
  • We are fed by the wisdom traditions of forgiveness and radical inclusivity.
  • Our work recovers traditional patterns of male initiation, affirms a masculine path to healing, reveals the true and false self and honors the path of descent.
  • We do this work through the power of ritual, image, story and council.
  • These are our five touchstones:

    • Centering - we are men grounded in the power of the here and now.

    Gathering - we are men who listen deeply to each other's stories.

    Connecting - we are men who choose another to walk with - shoulder to shoulder.

    Releasing - We are men who let go of the ways that no longer serve us.

    Serving - we are men who honor the earth and serve the whole human community.

  • We seek to form future generations of men who will restore these practices - serving to build a world that celebrates the beauty of all beings.  
    •  
    3.    Soularize 2014

     

    This event will precede the annual conference and starts on November 5th and concludes on November 7th (the conference begins at 4:30 PM). In previous years, suggestions about how to make this event better were:

    • Don't restrict who can attend and
    • Make this about my/our spiritual journey (and less about business)

    So this year's event will be:

    • Open to all initiated* men affiliated with an Illuman Chapter or interested in having a relationship with Illuman.
    • All about your/our spiritual journey.

    It will also see us launch a new way of being with each other: The Illuman Way of Council. Initiated men who attend this year's Soularize will have an opportunity to engage in our usual activities of contemplative prayer, ritual, personal time and small groups (all in the spectacular environment provided by our venue in New Mexico). And all of these activities will be based on learning and integrating the Way of Council into our individual and collective work.  This promises to be a rich experience for initiated men.*

     

    *While there are many forms of initiation, for the purposes of Illuman, a man is considered initiated if he has attended a Men's Rites of Passage.

     

     

    4.  New Offering for Initiated Men: be an Initiator at the upcoming Arizona MROP

     

    We are pleased to announce a new opportunity to our initiated men. If you have ever wanted to return to an MROP, here's your chance with the Illuman Initiator Program. This pilot program will be held in conjunction with the April 2014 MROP in Arizona. The pilot program is not the repetition of an MROP experience, but is designed to give an initiated man the opportunity to deepen his understanding of initiation while inviting or sponsoring another man to attend the MROP. Click here to learn more about the program. If you are interested, please contact us at [email protected]. Please know that we have a limited number of spaces available in this pilot program and they will be offered on a "first come first served" basis. 

     
     

    5.  Upcoming Men's Rites of Passage for 2014

     

    Are you interested in attending an MROP, or do you know someone who wishes to attend? Here's our 2014 schedule:

    • April 23-27, 2014 - Aravaipa Canyon, Arizona
    • June 18-22, 2014 - Ober�sterreich, Austria
    • July 23-27, 2014 - Perth, Scotland
    • August 6-10, 2014 - Princeton, Illinois

    For contact information, click here.  

    WE ARE ILLUMAN:
    "WITHOUT US GOD WILL NOT.
    BUT WITHOUT GOD, WE CAN NOT."
    Fr. Richard Rohr
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