Alf Ackerman
The Sacred Path Retreats have given
me more success in business and a better relationship. Like most
men, I had many women friends and few men friends when I first
came to men's work. Typically, men tend to be competitive around
each other and so do not trust each other very much. Robert Bly
has said, "Men give energy to women and children but they get energy
from other men." At these retreats and in my semi-monthly group
I feel understood by men in ways women and children cannot provide.
This is essential and as I continued to learn when and how to
trust men in a supportive, noncompetitive setting, I gained more
personal power as a man in the world. This has given me a deep
sense of what it means to be a strong, confident and productive
man as well as a sense of leadership in my community. Naturally,
this has made me more successful in business and I was surprised
and quite pleased to find more happiness in my relationship.
Phil Dichter
As I approached age 50, I was emotionally
shut down and scarred from childhood, carrying around the unresolved
baggage of 2 marriages, 2 other long term relationships, and
a score of other illicit and inappropriate ones. I was a virtual
sexual addict. I realized that I needed a change of life course.
I had no safe place from which to explore my unhappiness. I was
too embarrassed and too ashamed to discuss any of that with either
my parents or any of the women in my life and to my male friends,
my past was almost a badge of courage, something to be admired
and joked about. The Sacred Path Retreats offered me a safe place
to openly express my feelings, examine and explore my shame,
grieve for those I had hurt (including myself), and, if necessary,
cry. The community of men who make up the Sacred Path are a brotherhood
that I rely on, as I strive to become the man I seek to be.
Richard R. Be Low
Freedom To Be
Dear Dr. Stephen Johnson ~ I commend
you and The Men of the Sacred Path for co-creating a safe and sacred
space for individual expression, regardless of the personal perspective
that each of us expresses with the group.
As an anthropologist, student
of spirituality, father, lover, brother and gay-identified man,
I have always been very comfortable discussing my opinions and
presenting my Self at every gathering, meeting, retreat, and
interaction that I have experienced with this organization.
My experience of the Men on the
Sacred Path is that they consciously strive to empower one another
to demonstrate and celebrate diversity in all of our manifestations
and expressions. I have been honored by my fellow members of
this group, I have developed life-long associations and friendships,
I have been positively provoked and inspired by my shared experiences
and interactions with The Men and I am honored to be considered
part of the family.
Know that you may always refer
prospective individuals to me for exploration and candid discussion
related to my perceptions of the multiple benefits of exploring
the potential that our group offers towards the evolution of
all humankind.
Matthew Burke
I go to Sacred Path Retreats to regenerate my soul that has become brittle
from too much exposure to the getting and spending of the world. It's like
going to a mountain spring where the healing waters wash over the wounds
of the soul and refresh my spirit. A Sacred Path Retreat is a deep well
of authentic masculinity.
These retreats have offered new
perspectives based on the wisdom of elders...from ancient times
to the present day. I have learned how to be honest with myself
and with others. The experiences at these gatherings have helped
me clarify my own life path and have brought home the meaning
of William Shakespeare's advice: "Know thyself". All
relationships in my life have grown deeper and richer as a result
of the time that I have given to myself by attending these semi-annual
retreats.
The first time that I went to
a Sacred Path Retreat I felt nervous and skeptical. I had been
invited by a friend and I had no idea what I was getting myself
into. My friend and I ended up leaving halfway through the event.
But the storyteller at this retreat had told a story that resonated
deep within me. I ended up going back to the next retreat six
months later and I have been going back each year for the last
seven years.
I found my authentic voice in
the company of men, and for that I am forever grateful to the
men of the Sacred Path.
Jay Berger
I go to the sacred path retreats because I am searching
for better ways of knowing who I am and what is it all about
anyway. I have an experience of cleanliness at every retreat
I have ever attended. Usually something happens to me or
within me that breaks through that place somewhere between
my heart and throat where I hold emotions. It comes out in
the form of crying and I feel sooooo good, sooo refreshed,
soooo clean when I am through. It is better than a hot shower
after a cold camping trip. It is so thorough and I feel all
blockage is once again unclogged.
My life has changed allot since
I began attending retreats. I am much calmer. I love life more
than I could have ever imagined. I am much more honest with myself
and those I care about in a kinder way. I still have my moments;
but I am more aware of them when they occur and I can bring myself
back to a center point easily. I am way more aware of what is
important in life and spend much more time in that space. I believe
I am more of the world rather than in the world.
I was scared when I went to my
first retreat. I thought it was going to be a weekend of group
psychology. When I began meeting people who had been to men's
workshops I started hearing about ritual, ceremony and stuff
I didn't want to really participate in. I still feel less then
comfortable participating in the muck; but I push myself to be
part of it because I love the camaraderie of men. It really gives
me a place to grow and be loved and it constantly tests my integrity
and challenges my own dogma.
Steve Branker
After several years of attending personal growth
workshops and seminars that were primarily run and operated
by women, I felt a strong desire and need to develop and
strengthen my relationship with other men. I then came into
contact with Stephen Johnson and the L.A. Men's Center and
have been attending the Sacred Path Retreats since 1990.
Over the years, I have found the
retreats to be personally challenging and rewarding. Some of
the many retreat highlights include mystery, rituals, ceremonies,
drumming, laughing, crying, poetry, storytelling, reverence and
irreverence, getting to know and spending time with a diverse
arrangement of men, developing and maintaining significant camaraderie
and friendships, and being removed from my family and workplace
for a period of time in order to rest and recharge.
Some of the many personal benefits
that I have received as a result of attending the Sacred Path
Retreats include: being able to heal past childhood wounds from
my father and telling him prior to his death in June 2000; being
able to forgive my mother for her part in these wounds; finding
appropriate ways to effectively deal with my anger and rage;
straightening my love and commitment to my wife and daughters;
witnessing the personal growth, development and strength of numerous
other men attending the retreats over the years; developing more
understanding, compassion and trust for other men; and having
the opportunity of providing my personal insights and healings
for these other men.
A reader of this may wonder: "Why
would you need to keep attending these retreats after so many
years? Haven't you learned enough by now?"
My answer to this is simple. Life
is an ongoing process that is full of changes and challenges.
The Sacred Path Retreats provide me with an opportunity to meet
these changes and challenges, to face them head-on, and benefit
from the help and encouragement of other men that might have
already faced some similar challenges or are in the process at
that time. It's good to know that I have a "safe-place" to
go for guidance and assistance and I don't have to go through
it alone. Therefore, I continue to return to the Sacred Path
Retreats as a personal gift to myself.
The Sacred Path Retreats provide
men with a "win-win" situation. There is always something
that someone can learn and gain from attending the retreats.
The men attending the retreats are under no pressure to perform.
The Sacred Path Retreats are "built for men and the men
continue to come".
Zoran Windrich
WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS THE SACRED PATH WORK MADE IN
MY LIFE?
Sixteen years ago I allowed myself
to explore paths to my heart, lead by a women. That's when I
learned that there is something very alive deep inside of me.
I learned how to listen to that forgotten passionate voice inside.
Those days were so profound, they opened doors inside I didn't
know existed. When the door of trust with my peers cracked open,
the Sacred Path appeared.
In 1992, a close friend Steve
Branker invited me to my first Sacred Path retreat. He said there
is a place where my concerns as a man, husband, father, provider,
and son can be expressed, listened to and honored. Today, those
words of encouragement created a foundation that supports my
castle where the King, Warrior, Magician and Lover reside. The
castle is a work in progress, I'm constantly remodeling, upgrading
and repairing my castle with the worlds best crew - men.
I have discovered, when we get
together, outside of our roles, we become caring, concerned,
creative, and passionate about life. We create a synergistically
passionate experience for others and ourselves. That passion
has affected my business, relationships with men and women and
it has transformed me into somebody I'm proud to be. My relationships
with my spouse, parents and children, have become deeper, more
meaningful. My friends, that come to the retreats and seminars
are just like my extended family which I never had. The experience
is transformational affecting the foundation of the house where
our strength as men resides. It should be prerequisite for every
man, young, old, gay, straight, single, married, tall and short.
See you on the Sacred Path.
In brotherhood,
Zoran
