Dear Friends,

Summer is upon us, a season when some look forward to things like vacation time near or far, or a change in weekly work schedules. For others, summer represents less of a change in our daily lives, perhaps due to economic necessity. Whatever your particular circumstances may be, I urge you to find opportunities for "centering" moments spent outside, in Nature, in areas far removed from the hustle of your day-to-day work schedule and other obligations.

I recently spent 24 hours camping on the Embuto Trail in the Sandia Mountains here in Albuquerque. In just 90 minutes of travel by car and on foot, I found myself in a high-desert wilderness that made me feel transported much farther away. It was a wilderness with an evening wind that breathed through the trees and pulled me back from the frenzied pace of my work week. That night on the trail reminded me of a poem by Canadian poet, novelist and playwright Alden Nowlan:

Sacrament

God, I have sought you as a fox seeks chickens,
curbing my hunger with cunning.
The times I have tasted your flesh
there was no bread and wine between us,
only night and the wind beating the grass.

Nature-based spirituality and other issues relevant to men are presented powerfully in the CAC's upcoming edition of our quarterly magazine Radical Grace. This issue will focus on men's spirituality, with articles and poetry touching on themes concerning grief, sexuality, the divine feminine, desert spirituality and so much more. Go online today to purchase your copy. Download this sample article on men and grief by Rob Jones, founding director of Men Transforming Men Australia.

The power of wilderness-based connection with our True Selves figures prominently into our cornerstone program, the Men's Rites of Passage (MROP). Click here to learn more about upcoming Rites taking place on August 11-15 at the Pilgrim Park Retreat Center in Princeton, Illinois, and on November 10-14 at the CYO Camp and Retreat Center in Occidental, California. Overseas, MROPs are also scheduled in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Scotland.

The CAC recently took another exciting step toward making our own property to the west, Red Mesa, a place for experiential, nature-based programs that help to restore the soul. Read more about it!

In other news, we welcome summer intern Priya Sabindran and volunteer Barry Duncan to the M.A.L.Es central office for project work through August. We're pleased to have their energy and passion for men's work! You might also enjoy Richard's Father's Day homily.

To close, I want to let our readers know that starting with this June edition, The Drumbeat is taking on a slightly leaner format. This means content for specific sections like "Recent Event Spotlight" or "Featured Resource" may appear every other month. Our intention here is to continue presenting you with the most compelling content possible while we stick to our schedule of releasing each issue a few days before the 30th of each month–the day we encourage all of us to mark our spiritual journeys with contemplative practice, service to others, or wilderness wandering.

 

Peace and Fire,

Matt Sholler
Men's Work Manager