Journeying the Underworld

It's been just over 2 months since I moved up here to Byron Bay, and ever since landing in the area, I've been going through what many would describe as the Byron Initiation.

As this land is full of obsidian, and is highly fertile and feminine in nature, the energy here is extremely open and expansive. Because of this, my body has naturally began to open and release years worth of tension and armouring.

Due to the intense nature of this process, I've found myself in a deep 2 month journey of the underworld, and in all honesty its been a very heavy and watery ride.

As I'm now beginning to make my ascent back above ground, I'm being called to share some of the challenges and gifts I've received over the last couple months.

Around the time I made the decision to move up here, I had a very vivid dream come through, where I was in the middle of the ocean surrounded by a whirlwind of wild waves and alligators coming up from the deep around me. As I reflected apon this dream, it soon became clear to me that I was about to come in contact with some very ancient and unconscious parts of myself.

Sure enough, as the wheels of my relocation began to set in motion, my emotional body began to release some very old and dense memories. As this process took place, I noticed a range of old stories and conditioning begin to come into greater light throughout my intimate connections.

Over the years I've noticed that when I begin to descend into the darker depths of my psyche and emotional terrain, I often find myself meeting this process with resistance and self judgement.

I've also found that this resistance and self judgement is often accompanied with a deep undercurrent of shame, which often then leads to closing myself off from the world around me and any healthy forms of support and connection.

After working with and sitting alongside many brothers over the last few years, it's become quite apparent that there is a large number of men in the collective, who also experience this disconnection and shame when they're in times of adversity and challenge.

One thing that I found to be really supportive for me through out this recent process was the vast amount of brothers who reached out to see how I was and to offer their presence in my transition and relocation.

With a high percentage of these brothers being men I worked with in Melbourne last year, it's been directly evident that these support networks have brought me great aid whilst going through this recent journey.

In my experience, brotherhood caries a profound medicine for those going through challenging times and personal healing. It holds space for each of us to share whats been arising, and to receive the support required to be able to continue to move forward through adversity and transition.

As important as personal downtime and self reflection is, I've found that without a good balance of healthy support and connection around me, healing can often take much longer than necessary.

As the collective field continues to shift through sexual healing, and integration of it's personal power and sovereignty, as well as opening into greater vulnerability and heart centred connection. Many of us find ourselves on the edges of what we know and feel to be true and safe.

Because of this, male suicide is at an all time high. Just a couple weeks ago, I opened up Facebook and saw that a fellow yogi brother from Bali, had recently taken his own life. As this news landed in my system, I noticed a cold and heavy jolt go through me. A tenderness then followed as I felt myself open into greater empathy and love for this brother and the challenges he must have been going through.

If you're a brother who's going through big personal shifts, then I encourage you to reach out to those around you, find a regular Men's group where you can share your journey and receive the medicine and guidance that is seeking you, because it's always seeking you, the healing, connection and support we all crave and need, is always in the field around us, it's just waiting for us to step towards it and allow it in.

If you're in Melbourne, then the deeply present and loving Lear Hodgkins has taken the reigns of our Monthly Men's group there, he'll be holding the next group on February 20th at Second Story Studios.

South Melbourne also houses Chris Kelly who's been working deeply with medicines and ceremonial wisdom for a number of years now. He is also holding men's groups South of Melbourne.

Adelaide is holding Shea Callaghan, who is about to bring through some of his deep knowledge and wisdom, in some up coming workshops and groups.

As well as monthly men's sweat lodges down south SOTEMS South Australia

Sydney has Seth Lawrence who's been been a great pillar for men's work over there, and is holding some great spaces for the Men in Sydney.

Perth holds a number of power house brothers, offering profound work; Simon HeartSchool who is one of the countries leading body workers and men's sexuality coaches, a dear brother who I hold a great amount of respect for.

Tim Morrison is also creating huge waves over there as well, with his immersive journeys into the different Masculine archetypes, as well as sound, medicine and breath journeys.

If you're in the West, be sure to check these two out.

For the brothers up here in Byron Bay / Mullumbimby, I'm excited to be working with a number of special brothers in the area, and will be offering open monthly men's group at Temple Byron early next month, more details to come shortly.

If you're wanting to learn how to hold your own regular group in your area, then reach out and let me know, as I've been helping a number of brothers in learning how to set up and hold group spaces via skype. This is something that I'm deeply passionate about supporting!

For those that are seeking greater support and integration around their Masculine, Tyran Mowbray (The Hairy Healer) and myself will be running a number of full day Masculine Integration workshops throughout Byron, Gold coast, Sydney and Melbourne in the next couple months. These workshops will be set up to help bring greater integration between our Primal Power (Dark Masuline) and our Presence and vulnerability (Light Masculine) which will open space for each of us to step into deeper individual agency and communal connection with those around us.

If there was a key lesson and piece of gold that has come through for me in this recent journey, it has been the importance of truely being open and vulnerable with those around me.

The times of the "Hard & Stoic" Man are beginning to collapse, and we've come into a time now, where open, real and authentic relating are being recognised as not only qualities that are more trustable and relatable, but also ones that bring about greater respect and admiration.

None of us can do this alone, and in truth we aren't meant to. The time has come for the brotherhood to come together, and rise as one.