Are we in a renaissance of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement?
Also, the strange history of toxic masculinity.
A few months back, I was contacted by GQ journalist Daniel Penny who was exploring “the return of the mythopoetic men's movement.” We jumped on a Zoom call and I answered his questions as best I could.
He reached out recently to share the final article had been published, and while it did not include a direct quote from me, I had some helpful influence on piece “The Strange History of “Toxic” Masculinity.”
Here are a few excerpts with some additional commentary:
For almost a decade, we’ve been living under a cloud of toxic masculinity. It’s a term that seems to be everywhere, used to describe everything from Ken’s subplot in Barbie to the motives of mass shooters.
Certainly, the presidency of Donald Trump has made toxic masculinity an easy catchphrase for op-ed writers and undergraduate essayists, but the term was coined long before Trump–not in the classroom of a women’s studies professor or via Twitter hashtag, but over 40 years ago—by the Mythopoetic Men’s Movement.
Largely forgotten today, the Mythopoets were a hugely influential hippie-adjacent collection of male therapists, activists, writers, and healers led by the poet Robert Bly. From Bly’s books and retreats, ideas about tapping into our primal “Wild Man,” discovering “a male mode of feeling,” and especially reckoning with “toxic” masculinity became part of the American vernacular.
I would contend with idea that the Mythopoets have been “largely forgotten” - rather, like any blooming cultural impulse, it can change form. That said, I was surprised that it took me until I hit 35 to encounter Bly’s book Iron John almost a decade ago.
It was that mysterious encounter which inspired me to produce The Mythic Masculine podcast, with the mission of seeking out figures from the mythopoetic heyday (such as Michael Meade & Martin Shaw) and finding out exactly what happened.
GQ journalist Daniel continues in his article:
According to Bly, the solution for male malaise lay in the mythic past and getting in touch with one’s inner “Wild Man.” This became the central metaphor of Bly’s 1990 bestseller Iron John: A Book About Men, which argues that the stresses of 9-to-5 jobs and demands of domestic life require men to suppress their inner Wild Man. Either they succeed in caging him and become emasculated “soft males,” or the Wild Man escapes in fits of rage and violence—what the Mythopoets called toxic masculinity.
This feels not quite accurate. In his book, Bly makes the important distinction between the domestic man and “the savage man” which best describes the cold-blooded men who shoot up a shopping mall and other acts of ruthless violence. These are men who have lost (or never developed) the capacity to properly feel and express their emotions, nor have they learned to grieve.
And without the ability to grieve, as Stephen Jenkinson says, what you get instead is grievance. Suddenly, an enemy is required to receive this unbridled rage, whether immigrants, women, or other “soft men.”
The Wild Man, on the other hand, is instead the primordial being that lies at the heart of the masculine psyche, just as the shaggy rust-colored beast lies at the bottom of the pond in the Grimm’s story where Bly found his inspiration.
You can listen to poet & author Sophie Strand and I discuss the historical and contemporary role of the Wild Man in our interview.
You’re also welcome to take my online course: Iron John: A Mythic Story About Men.
A MYTHOPOETIC RENAISSANCE
Since first reading Iron John, and the often paired companion book King, Warrior, Magician, Lover, I would make the case that we are in a new era of the mythopoets.
Men’s organizations like The Mankind Project, inspired by the first wave in 80’s, have continued to his day. Sacred Sons is one of the most popular contemporary offshoots, riding the wave of social-media savvy, mixed with somatic healing practices (breathwork & plant medicines), with the style of a hip Burning Man theme camp. You can read my essay about attending their convergence in 2019.
In a somewhat darker tone, the influence of Iron John can be found in the shadows of the manosphere as well as the storming of the US capital a few years back with the Qanon Shaman as an icon of that mythic moment.
To me, this shows that “mythopoetic thinking” can be applied by any individual or group - and in fact, reveals the deep longing at the heart of the human experience, especially for men, to be part of a grander narrative.
Capitalist modernity has failed to provide such a narrative for men, and in the vacuum, many have stepped in to offer their particular brand. I personally trust the weathered eldership of Bly over the stern intellect of someone like Jordan Peterson any day.
Too often I feel critics of the mythopoetic movement remain on the surface with the easy caricature of “naked men beating drums around the fire” - which was easy shorthand to ridicule men back in the 80’s and still to this day.
I consider myself taking up the torch from these towering greats such as Bly, Malidoma Somé and Michael Meade (though thankfully Meade is still among us), all while remaining grateful for the trove of wealth that has been bequeathed to us youngers coming up in their wake.
This fall is the 40th anniversary of the Minnesota Men’s Conference, a gathering began by Robert Bly, which I plan to attend for the first time. I’m very curious to experience the current state of affairs, as this feels the epicenter of mythopoetic action, at least from its original roots.
THE DEEP MASCULINE BEGINS SOON
For men who are drawn to this “work of the soul,” I’m please to announce my next online program drawing from the depths of this work: THE DEEP MASCULINE.
This will be my second cohort, in collaboration with Deus Fortier, and all men from anywhere in the world are welcome to apply now.
The term “toxic masculinity” is not without usefulness, but like other words such as “racist” and “woman,” it is at risk of losing its meaning and relevance at the hands of those who misappropriate it. The GQ author disqualifies himself in many ways, including when he makes the vapid statement that toxic masculinity is at the heart of American culture. Clearly, he hasn’t spent much time in several other cultures that come to mind immediately.
Additionally, it is a mistake, I think, to use the term in any political context. The “storming of the U.S. capital” is an event whose narrative is volatily challenging already without the introduction of mythopoetic terminology.
Finally, I take exception to the pitting of Bly vs. Peterson. JP has crusaded for young men in particular as very few others have, and not to the exclusion of women, on the contrary, has never advocated for anything but the transmutation of aggression and shows his own vulnerability in his honesty, compassion and emotions.
Keep up the great work, Ian.
There seems to be a deep-rooted suspicion of mens work. The mainstream media can't stop describing this stuff as "woo woo," probably reflecting a poor understanding of mens work in rnd broader society.