Four Mighty Ones are in every Man; a Perfect Unity Cannot Exist but from the Universal Brotherhood of Eden, The Universal Man, to Whom be Glory Evermore. Amen.
William Blake, The Four Zoas

Recently I've read a book called called King, Warrior, Magician and Lover by Robert Moore and Douglas GIllete. The book got me thinking. Has anyone read the book? If you did, please share your thoughts. I want to know what you got out of this publication. If you didn't, I highly recommend that you do! It is not a lengthy book yet it contains plenty of interesting ideas, or as we would say, food for thought.

Before I share with you some of the principles and ideas retained in my memory, I must note that as much as it is interesting and trustworthy matter you should always read with a grain of salt. Even though some of the ideas seemed far-fetched I couldn't help my self but to think about questions like: "Is magician or a lover more dominant in me? Is my warrior fighting under the right banner? Does the king want his lands to prosper or is he a tyrant bullying his people? Is my inner magician using his powers to help others or to deceive them?"

I know questions sound silly but in the end of the series I'm sure you'll ask yourself something similar.

Human psyche it's not a simple entity and most certainly isn't deductible to one psychology book. Nevertheless we can still learn something about ourselves if we put away our earthly boundaries and face for a moment a new way of thinking, no matter how implausible it seems.

The book is about four fundamental configurations that build mature male (and female) psyche. The configurations are called archetypes and they were first presented on a C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and are now widely influential in the men's movement. It is author's belief that they play important part in understanding the inner self. This book is first in the five part series explaining the theoretical model for human psychology and spirituality.

The goal of the book is to provide simple and understandable source of information about masculine psyche.

Introduction

In 21st century, we are facing a great crisis in masculine identity. Scientist of all kind are trying to understand the patterns and explain how does it affect us personally and society as a whole. Why is there so much gender perplexity today? The difference between masculine and feminine essence is becoming more ambiguous. We can look at modern families and see clear examples of it. More and more families are affected by disappearing father who consequently destroys his children's ability to fulfill their own gender identity. But pointing it out isn't enough. We have to try to explain the crisis. Let's look at the two other factors that authors of this book consider as very important.

Alkira-Kiuma Ceremony or the Tossing Ceremony of the Aranda Tribe (1904)

First, the ritual processes for initiating boys into manhood have mollified. Today, a kid turns 18(21) and from now on he is considered as an adult. What does the boy know of being a man? That's why in traditional societies a Boy and a Man psychology exists. Through the time, this rituals have been abandoned and have been diverted into, as authors call it, pseudo-initiations. As a result, we have the Boy psychology dominating the society. It's everywhere and it's easy to spot. Weakness and passivity, violent acts, abusiveness of both genders, inability to be effective and creative in one's own life and to embrace the joy and goals of others, often bouncing from aggressive to passive pole.

Patriarchy is the second factor. Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold primary power. In the domain of the family, fathers hold authority over the women and children. Because of how the patriarchy looks like today, some feminists state that masculinity in its roots is essentially abusive and that the love and care can only come from the feminine side.

I will cite the authors here because there is no point in rephrasing such a beautiful thought:
"Patriarchy, in our view, is an attack on masculinity in its fullness as well as femininity in its fullness. Those caught up in the structures and dynamics of patriarchy seek to dominate not only women but men as well. Patriarchy is based on fear- the boy's fear, the immature masculine's fear- of women, to be sure, but also fear of men. Boys fear women. They also fear real men."

In other words, it's not that we should abandon the patriarchy, it is not the problem. We could as well be matriarchal society. What is important is that we are in the need of masculine energy. But the real one, mature masculine. When you are calm and connected with your masculine roots you don't need to act out abusively, threaten and disdain others. How many of you can relate to situation where a superior in the office can't withstand how good you are? He is no more than a frightened boy.

Serious lack of mature men drives the global crisis of survival we face as a species. Our hazardous and unsteady world promptly needs mature men and mature women if we want to continue to live on this planet altogether.

As the society stopped cherishing rituals which would transfer Boys into Men, it is up to each of us to (with mutual help and support) to explore and discover the roots of masculine energy that lie within us.

Authors hoped that their book will contribute to succession of this task, and for me, it really did help.
Stay tuned for the next part where I'll write about what does it mean to develop from Boy Psychology to Man Psychology.

Have a nice day!