Mythopoetic men's movement is a term used to describe organized group self-help activities for men conducted by various organizations and writers in the United States from the early 1980s to the 1990s. The purpose of this activity is to foster greater understanding of the forces, such as industrialization, affect the role of men in modern society and how these changes affect behavior, self-awareness and identity. The group activities used in the movement are largely influenced by ideas derived from Jungian psychology, for example, Jung's archetype, from which the use of myths and fairy tales derived from different cultures serves as a way of interpreting the challenges men face in society.
Groups formed during the movement of mitochond men usually avoid political and social advocacy that support therapeutic workshops and wilderness retreats, often performing Native American rituals such as drums, chants and sweat. These rituals are organized to facilitate the personal growth of the participants (most often middle-class, middle-aged men) with the aim of which is to connect spiritually to the lost, "in" or inner masculine identity. The most famous motion text is Iron Arm: The Book of Men by poet Robert Bly, who argues that "male energy" has been diluted through modern social institutions such as industrialization, separation of fathers from family life through work outdoors, and feminist movements. Bly urges men to restore the pre-industrial conception of masculinity through spiritual friendship with other men in men's meetings alone.
Video Mythopoetic men's movement
History
The term mythopoetic was coined by professor Shepherd Bliss in preference for the term "New Age movement". Mythopoets adopts a common psychological self-help style inspired by Robert Bly's work, Robert A. Johnson, Joseph Campbell, and other Jung writers.
Sometimes mistakenly referred to simply as the male movement, which is much broader, the mitopoetic movement is best known for the rituals that occur during their encounter. While largely in the public eye during the early 1990s, the movement went more quietly in The ManKind Project and independent spiritual psychology practitioners.
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Tenets and practices
According to sociologist Michael Messner, mythopoets believes that the rise of urban industrial society "traps people into the straitjackets of rationality, thereby dulling strong emotional communiations and collective spiritual transcendence that they believe men in tribal societies usually enjoy". The movement sought to restore a "deep masculine" to the man who lost it in a more modern lifestyle.
Other causes claimed by supporters for the loss of "deep masculine" include:
- Men are no longer friends who celebrate their masculinity together. Instead, they have become competitors in their workplace.
- Men spend more time in their homes with women than men (in non-competitive terms outside of work). Excessive interaction with women generally leaves men unaware of their internal masculinity.
- Feminism brings attention to the 'feminine voice.' Through this, the martyrs feel that their voices have been silenced (though Bly and others are careful not to blame feminism for this).
- The separation of men from their fathers makes them not really initiated into adulthood, and is a source of emotional damage.
- Men suffer further emotional damage due to feminist accusations about sexism. Men should celebrate their differences from women, rather than feel guilty about them.
- Men are not advised to express their emotions. Male disrespect is epidemic and does not match their "masculine" nature.
The mythopoetic male movement spawned various self-help groups and workshops, led by writers such as Robert Bly, Michael J. Meade and Robert L. Moore. Among his most notable supporters is the Bly poet, whose book Iron Man: A Book About Men (1990) spent 62 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list, becoming an exegesis of the story of "Iron John" by Brothers Grimm. A group of men from the professional class resigned from their beloved women to join in spiritual rituals that emphasize homosexuality, with the ultimate goal of recapturing the parts of their disappearing masculinity called "deep masculine."
In the mythopoetic movement, the desire to be spiritual and male is also a factor in the way the group understands the nature of gender and the relationship between the sexes. Mythopoetic movements tend to regard gender as a biological reality, "embedded" into the souls of men and women. This gender essentialism is consistent with Jung's philosophy underlying the movement. Mythopoetic men thus speak of the need to restore "deep masculinity," to distinguish what they consider to be the genuine or mature masculinity of troubled, toxic masculinity from immature men.
Since most men no longer perform masculine rituals, mythopoets asserts that men have mutated into a destructive chauvinist, hypermasculine, or, in the opposite direction, have become too feminine. Mitochid people perform rituals at these meetings, which are meant to mimic the tribal society when men start boys into very important natural human beings. The movement emphasizes the importance of incorporating several generations of men in the ritual, so that men can learn about the masculinity of the older and wiser.
The hallmark of early mitopoetic movements is the tendency to retell myths, legends and folklore, and engage in their exegesis as a tool for personal insight. Using frequent references to archetypes such as those drawn from Jungian analytical psychology, the movement focuses on issues of gender roles, gender identity and health for modern humans (and women). Proponents are often involved in telling stories with music, these acts are seen as a modern extension to a form of "new age shamanism" popularized by Michael Harner at about the same time. This movement seeks to empower people by equating archetypes with their own emotions and abilities. For example, Michael Messner describes the concept of "Zeus energy" as the emphasis of "male authority accepted for the good of society". Beliefs about the emotional system based on the archetypes of great people, mythopoets strive to channel these characters in themselves, so that they can release their "male animals". The group mainly analyzes the archetypes of King, Warrior, Magician, Lover and Wildman.
Some academic work comes from the movement, as well as the making of various magazines, continuing the annual conference based on Robert Bly's vision for creative communities such as the Minnesota Men Conference and the Great Mother and Father's New Conference, and nonprofit organizations doing related work such as the Mankind Project and Multicultural Mosaic Micheal Meade Foundation. Mythopoetic practice among women's groups and feminists is more often seen as part of a more general "female spirituality".
Politics
As a self-help movement, the mitopoetic movement tends not to take explicit stances on political issues such as feminism, gay rights or family law (such as divorce, domestic violence or custody) preferring to stay focused on emotions and well-being psychological. Because of this neutrality, the movement became a site of social criticism by feminists, and is often characterized as anti-intellectual and apolitical.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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