What we’re about
In every man's life, questions of meaning and purpose and 'am I on the right path' inevitably arise. But they can't honestly be answered without evaluating one's own authenticity, willingness to be vulnerable, responsibility, accountability, risk tolerance, needs, and genuine desires; and how all of that all jibes with actual choices, patterns of behavior, positions one takes, reactive stances, and priorities with time.
"When I look into the mirror, like it or not, what do I see?"
· What’s the truth behind saying I’ll do something, then doing something else?
· What’s the truth behind my reactivity?
· What’s the truth behind my actions not matching my desire?
· What’s the truth behind me repeating behavior that doesn’t serve me?
· What’s the truth behind working hard for nothing truly important to me?
We've been meeting the 1st and 3rd Tuesday evenings of each month to navigate this ground as a group. However, we've been on Zoom for a while - since COVID. Hopefully soon, we'll be meeting back in person.
In circle, we explore what is working and not working in our lives in depth. With our own and group reflections, we may begin to see things in new ways, learn more as speaker and listener, start to realize ways which seem more authentic and our own, and find actions that support us being a more active and vital participant in our own lives.
Revealing truth about beliefs, emotions, behaviors, judgments and patterns takes risking and trust. Each meeting, we create the safe, strictly confidential, judgment-free, no advice-giving container needed to hold whatever it is that men have going on.
Accountability, honesty, shadow, integrity, anger-aggression, shame-toxic shame, sexuality, developmental edge, responsibility, soul’s purpose, responsibility, life mission, sexual shadow, and other subjects may arise.
Why a group? Within a group, a man can go further than by himself. “A hunting party sometimes has a greater chance of flushing Love and God into the open, than a warrior all alone.”- Hafiz. It’s also a great place to get the honest, authentic feedback we need to understand how we impact others.
Our roots go back to 2007, the Mankind Project’s (MKP) New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA) (https://mankindproject.org and http://mankindproject.org/new-warrior-training-adventure/), and the Hero's Journey Foundation’s Men’s Journey (https://herosjourneyfoundation.org and https://herosjourneyfoundation.org/journey/the-mens-journey/ ). Our group is open to any man of good will.
We’re not a therapy group, advocacy group, religious group, anti-religious group, social group, MLM group, or a resource for someone’s ego drive to out-compete, beat, dominate, or “win” some illusory game of life. We follow no guru or charismatic leader. We are men who support in one another what needs to be healed and made more clear, vital and meaningful, all in-service of living more authentic and truthful lives.
We can begin only from exactly where we are, and we welcome all of what that is.
David
Organizer, Men’s Circle for Authentic & Truthful Living,
aka Atlanta Men’s Circle
