The coming of age of an adolescent should be taken far more seriously than it currently is, at least in most western countries. An elaborate 18th birthday party may be fun, but does not equip anyone with what is necessary to lead a balanced life.
As a homeopath, I am always on the look-out for naturally supportive systems, that I can’t provide. One of my patient’s had a problem with her growing teenage son. Although he was also a patient of mine and was doing well on his particular treatment, I felt there were aspects outside my expertise that he needed.
I had recently been reading and learning about the different energies and roles men have from women. In traditional cultures, the men go through an initiation rite when they come of age. Whilst modern man has been quick to ridicule this idea, actually it serves as an invaluable service. The Masai ritual of an adolescent boy slaying the lion actually represents the surrender of the boy to the lion. Take that further, and he surrenders to life, to the meaning of life, to the bigger picture. In that moment, he becomes a man.
In a single instant, he matures.
Modern, western adolescent boys don’t have this incredibly important ritual. So instead, they use up this energy in often destructive, ways. No, I am not advocating that boys go out to slay lions. But I am advocating that they need to participate in some form of initiation ritual, that is sensitive to them, as an individual, as well as to the current environmental situation.
Not only is the coming of age, essential for the maturity of the individual, I feel it is also essential to the maturity of the planet. Only when people are mature, can the planet thrive and support us. At the moment, the majority of men are still acting as irresponsible teenagers. They have never really grown up. They never went through a coming of age ritual. Just look at the world situation.
For some reason, women are more connected to the earth and her rhythm than men are. Certainly most women are currently out of balance because they have been so controlled and dominated by the ‘teenage’ men. But I believe we will naturally re-balance our nature, when the men truly come of age.
I know there are mens groups out there and I fully support what they do in principle, but I wanted to know a bit more of what they do to feel I could recommend them. So, for this particular family, I went searching on the internet. I came across a project that I have little knowledge of and certainly no affiliation with, but it looks so interesting, I wanted to pass it on. I would welcome your feed-back, especially any personal experiences.
The Mankind Project is a global, non-profit, non-religious organisation that empowers men to be themselves, rather than what society (or their family, religion, culture, etc) wants them to be. According to their website, their vision is where men stand tall and proud to be men, secure in their role and deeply committed to nurturing one another, their families, their communities and their planet. Their cores values are authenticity, accountability, integrity, community, service and inclusivity.
Wow! I want to join a WomanKind Project with these values!
I suggest that all teenage boys and men need this support, this initiation. It’s challenging being a male today. We all need help navigating through our lives. And whilst good homeopathic treatment is invaluable for a balanced health care on many levels, the coming of age, especially for men, needs more specialised support.
Remember, you don’t have to be a teenage boy to benefit. You can ‘come of age’ at any age!
For other areas of natural health, can I help?