The Wild Heart of the Masculine Psyche

Does the Wildman have a corner office in your building?

Have you invited him up out of the basement and into the boardroom?

Or is his brand of look you in the eye, direct communication and bold creativity too risky?

Forget about High School images of drinking hard, driving fast and sexual conquests, those are the cultural lies he’s been forced to live with. The Wildman is an essential aspect of every one of us, man or woman, young or old. He lives in our guts and our hearts and he’s responsible for our enthusiasm, our creativity and our spontaneity. Yet his primal passions have been co-opted by our culturally limited masculine models, sending him to our shadows where he often wreaks havoc in our lives. Unacknowledged, his only venue for expression—and express he will, whether we like it or not—comes out unconsciously through our addictions. Would you rather go to a movie to watch Bruce Willis kick ass, or get yourself out on a basketball court? Do you find yourself ogling the young beauty in the elevator rather than honoring your mate with your passion? If you’ve been yearning for more zip in your life, you might just try getting to know the big guy. You’ll find him amenable.

Through the power of myth, we engage with the wild man where he lives, deep in our psyches, then using self reflection and journaling we enliven our personal imagery of him, and finally we claim his presence in our lives through group dialogue.

We address aspects of:

• The wild man’s essentially natural and risky habitat—no insurance policies on him

• Our culture’s attraction and repulsion of him

• Our youthful yearning for his company

• Parental terror of his stealing our children

• What he has to offer us as an ally

This workshop is designed for men and women who desire to rediscover and reclaim our inner wildness at every energy level. Past participants have described a renewed sense of vitality and mission in their lives. Spousal support is universal.