About the Book
While women have forged ahead in the workplace and society, men are finding themselves increasingly marginalized, socially, professionally, economically — enough so that one book on bestseller lists recently has been titled The End of Men. This has led to calls for a men’s movement and courses are being taught, but they are failing to find traction among men. The reason should be plain: where once Iron John stood as an archetype, along with the King, Warrior, Lover and Magician, those roles have become sadly outdated. The old archetypes of manhood no longer apply.
In this book Jim Pathfinder Ewing, author of six books on energy medicine and Native American spirituality and mindfulness, outlines why the current courses on men’s empowerment are failing and offers a new way of looking at male roles that predates the modern era. It is a “back to the future” approach to manhood that actually is better suited for the male psyche, having existed for thousands of years in all parts of the globe. Modernized, this “survival kit” for the male gender can revitalize male and female relations on a more balanced and time-honored footing. This book serves as a self-help manual for men, a guide for men’s retreats, and a primer for wives, daughters, mothers and female friends to help the men in their lives adopt a healthier way of living in balance with a society that is rapidly shifting its roles.
Other books on this topic repeat tired stereotypes of the “king,” “lover,” “warrior,” “magician” and similar shorthand versions of men’s roles; but those roles no longer hold much value in today’s society. In a society where women have more education and higher earning capacity than men, a woman can be “king.” Women no longer sit idly waiting to be awakened by a Prince Charming; they are active lovers, emancipated from the Sleeping Beauty archetype. If men try to adopt outdated “lover” roles, they find themselves alone, even pitied. Women are warriors, and magicians, and welders, firefighters and CEOs. An “Iron John” who wishes to retreat into what he is taught is his strength in masculinity — the wild man of ancient times — will find himself alienated and out of step with reality. Conversely, if men try to adopt feminized versions of men’s roles, they will find themselves equally marginalized. Women don’t need men to be women. Nor do they need men who patronize them. This book teaches men how to be men in a new (yet time-tested way) by reevaluating how they were brought up and determining which behaviors are suitable for adopting, and which are suitable for rejecting.
In "Redefining Manhood", the author rejects what he terms outdated male archetypes that he asserts are no longer valid in our rapidly changing society. Rather than "Iron John" and "Wild Man," he sees men who are compassionate, rational, intuitive and judicious in their use of force. They do not traffic in fear and anger as means to a self-serving end, promoting patriarchy and domination, but see the world as a place of competing choices where responsibilities are shared and impacts of behavior are carefully assessed. Our Western society has been out of balance since Roman times, he says, while Native American and other indigenous societies adhered more closely to a natural way of being. In the writer's view, no longer is being male a ticket to be thoughtless, wanton, ignorant or unflinching in projecting indiscriminate power. He is no longer a King, unless one assumes he shares the crown; he is not a lover any more than his partner with whom he shares intimacy; and he must not allow himself to be a warrior, which in a constant state of war warps our sense of society and social obligations, unless he chooses to be and the social good demands it. He recognizes that peace, not war, is the natural state of humankind, that all human beings, regardless of roles or social stature, are stakeholders in the future of the planet, along with all the other beings of the earth, and that living in balance is the way of all nature.
The focus of the book is not, however, to create new archetypes, but to help individuals define themselves based on spiritual and commonsense principles that have guided humankind in societies around the globe for thousands of years. This is not so much the "new" male, as the new incarnation of the male as men have been in previous times before our world got so out of kilter, in harmony with women, elders, children and other men as responsible stewards of their world.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Introduction — The Child is the Father
Chapter One — Needed: A New Model for Our Sons, Grandsons, Selves
Chapter Two — Compounding the Problem: Our Dysfunctional Society
Chapter Three — New Archetypes for a New World
Acknowledgements
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
About the Author :
Jim PathFinder Ewing is an award-winning journalist, workshop leader, inspirational speaker and author in the fields of mind-body medicine, organic farming and eco-spirituality. He has written about, taught and lectured on Reiki, shamanism, spiritual ecology, integrative medicine and Native American spirituality for decades. He is the author of six books (Findhorn Press) on the spiritual aspects of food, sustainability, shamanism and alternative health.
For more information see his website: http://www.blueskywaters.com
Review :
“Jim Ewing goes creatively beyond Jungian psychology in helping us look at at worn out archetypal patterns of manhood and points to some alternative helpful models drawn from the more heart-open and earth-honoring indigenous cultures of America. This book is not a mere theoretical doctrine or system of masculine psychology, but a series of meditations on manhood in the 21st century... what it means to be a man, and what kind of man is needed today, in an era where women are rightfully taking their place and sharing authority with men.”
— C. Michael Smith, Ph.D., author of Psychotherapy and the Sacred, and Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue
“Because of this book, I will guide my son wisely and lovingly. Thank you Jim! You have blessed us indeed.”
— Steffany Barton, RN, author of A Pocketful of Angels
What is a man's role in a changing world? Award-winning journalist, inspirational speaker and author Jim "Pathfinder" Ewing allows the readers in his seventh book, "Redefining Manhood" (2015 Findhorn Press.) to answer this question for themselves.
In this book, Ewing rejects outdated male archetypes, developed during Roman times, and creates a new, more giving paradigm based on the past civilizations and societies.
He does that structuring the book in three parts: The first chapter explains that he wrote the book due to man's muddled and confused role in modern society. The second explores how our view of men and men's relations with others have become skewed. He does this through an exploration of Roman history and the history of early Christianity. And the third chapter "delves deeper into obsolete archetypes and suggests traits that should be emphasized in male development."
I worked with Ewing for nearly 15 years when he was the editorial writer for The Clarion-Ledger. I watched his journey as a father, husband and a man. And I'll admit, there have been times when I've disagreed with Ewing politically (and he with me). But like his editorials, Ewing's arguments and observations in "Redefinining Manhood" are backed up with thoughtful research.
His ideas are relevant for the times.
Since the 2008 Great Recession, men have been laid off at a higher rate than women. Women are breaking the glass ceiling and are storming the corner office. So a paradigm from "Mad Men" doesn't exactly work in today's changing world. With easy access to the Internet, societies are changing more rapidly than ever.
Ewing grounds his ideas in societies from the past. He looks at Native American societies where being a warrior wasn't a full-time occupation. Where women were land owners and leaders. He tells of early women in the church and how their leadership played a big role. Ewing paints a picture of what a new world could be like.
He also tells personal tales where he learned lessons form personal experiences. Knowing his family, I particularly liked hearing about his Greatest Generation father and mother. But I also enjoyed the story of his lawn mowing business and how a simple white lie came back to bite him many years later in the form of Karma. Ewing also tells warm stories about his own son and grandson. The stories add heart and humanity to his research.
But what I enjoyed most about the book was Ewing's practical exercises at the end of each chapter. He introduces he reader to the concept of "The Power of Recapitulation," which allows a person to "release past emotional baggage and disengage memory looks to create new ones based on positive emotions." It allows you to master who you think you are.
He has lists of questions so you can answer who your role models are and what behaviors you maintain that mimic these models. The exercises open your eyes to habits and behaviors that control you.
That's a good way to describe "Redefining Manhood." It opens your eyes. You may not agree with everything you read, but you will agree that Ewing makes a spirited argument for his ideas and observations.
And his ideas definitely make you think. We live in changing times. Ewing suggests that men should move away from the "men are dominators" model to a more giving and thoughtful one instead.
In this book, Jim Pathfinder Ewing renounces what he calls outdated male archetypes and talks about a new, compassionate, judicious, and intuitive male archetype that is now prominent across the globe. No longer does being a man mean being thoughtless, ignorant, or unruly in the use of power. Ewing aims at helping individuals define themselves based on spiritual principles, not societal expectations.
