Richard Rohr - On the Threshold of Transformation: Daily Meditations for Men

P ART 1
The Male JourneyNature, Mythology, and the Bigger Story

P ART 2
The Male in Culture and SocietyGod, Power, and Shame

P ART 3
Soul Work for MenAnger, the Shadow, Initiation, and the Path of Descent

P ART 4
The Paradox of TransformationChange, Suffering, and Freedom

P ART 5
Male Archetypes and the Integrated ManKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover

I approached Richard Rohr almost two years ago with an idea for a book about male spirituality that combined wisdom from all of Richards work. I suggested to Richard that we mine his audio sets, his books, notes from his talks, unpublished materials, the daily meditations from the Center for Action and Contemplation Web sitevirtually all his work that touched upon the journey of the male soul.

Richard was intrigued by the idea and encouraged me to pursue the project. He graciously gave me access to everything I asked for and needed. Previously, Ive had some success selecting and compiling the wisdom of spiritual teachers. However, this project came out of an intensely personal desire to share and understand more deeply the transformative nature of Richards work that Ive found so life altering for many years.

In the mid nineties, much of what we think of as the modern mens movement had lost its energy and gone underground. Richard Rohr came along quietly with a model of male spirituality that was theologically sound and psychologically astute. He blended the great Christian spiritual tradition with the profound insights of psychology, mythology, and anthropology. He then orchestrated the creation of the Mens Rites of Passage, a transformative experience for men of all ages. This initiation process is based on decades of Richards study and centuries of human wisdom.

Shortly after I started work on this project, a series of misfortunes descended on me that would challenge your credulity if I were to list them. A friend suggested that I change my name from Joe to Job. I laughed, but he wasnt kidding.

Thus, I lived this book as I worked on it. I can assure you, this material is field-tested. I used the wisdom you will find within these pages to navigate the most difficult time in my life. I am a better man now than I was before. I cant say that it was good that calamity came upon me and my family, but I can say that good has come out of it.

Ive seen how Richards work has helped many men. Ive also experienced firsthand, during the difficult period of putting this book together, the gift of Richards wisdom in transforming pain and tragedy into gift and blessing. I know you will find much in this book that will help you on your journey. I should warn you, thoughthis is not a daily devotional. In fact, its more of a daily confrontational. Its not inspiring, at least not in the sentimental sense of the word. It is truthful and brave and invites us to be the same.

Richard urges men to change, and he tells us that change is hard, that suffering is involved, and that the work required is taxing and difficult. But dont get the idea that a mans journey is only a miserable slog. Theres a gentle, encouraging spirit in much of what Richard says here, and its there because Richard knows that on the other side of suffering lie wholeness and fruitfulness. And more important, hes not just a voice cheering from the sidelines. Hes up around the bend, scouting the terrain, beckoning us to follow.

Richard shows men how to accept, and not rage at, the inevitable wounding of life. We can make our suffering holy by moving it into sacred space. He shows us how to look at the shadow and not be frightened by what we see, but rather to respect and even befriend what we find there. He pleads with us not to pass on our pain or inflict it on others, but rather to listen and learn from it.

Richard offers a bracing vision. On a mans journey, everything has its place. Our failures, heartbreaks, defeats, and victories; our wounds, dreams, and passions; our stops and our startsall have a place in our story, and all have a place in our transformation from shadow men to real men. Everything has meaning, and everything belongs.

This book is an invitation and a guide. It really helps. I know. Plunge in and see for yourself.

Blessings on the journey,

Joe Durepos

Woodridge, IL

April 2010

W e are getting used to the troubling news reports of men killing their fellow workers, wives, children, or their entire families. Of course, we are appalled, and suspect that such a man must have been drunk, on drugs, or mentally ill. Often thats the case, but more often the reason is probably even deeper than these apparent addictions or illnesses.

I have no exact statistics, but I assume that these crimes have been on the increase since the recent economic recessionloss of jobs and all the insecurity and fear that goes with it. I surely would not want to blame such behavior on these factors only, but let me also suggest a few others at a deeper level. Men as a class appear to be at risk, maybe even at high risk.

We certainly see this in the return of many soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. Last year I was invited to give a retreat to the Army Chaplain Core, and they are genuinely overwhelmed by the highest incidence of post traumatic stress disorder among their men and women. Edward Ticks influential book, War and the Soul, makes the case that many men were seeking some kind of initiation in joining the armed forces, only to be massively disillusioned.

After twenty years of working with men on retreats and rites of passage, in spiritual direction, and even in prison, it has sadly become clear to me how trapped the typical Western male feels. He is trapped inside, with almost no inner universe of deep meaning to heal him or guide him. Historically, this is exactly what spirituality meant by losing your soul. It did not happen later or after death unless it first happened here.