Oceans and storms, we move through as men.
Oceans and storms, we move through as men. Men are the wheel, and we are the movement of what a man is. "Femininity can never bestow masculinity." John Eldredge.
We are the ones who can define what a man is and is not, what a man should and shouldn't be. To move into a journey that will involve brothers, friends, elders, you must seek out the time of men you believe bring value to their community, tribe, family, friends. An elder with experience in the life of many things we as men look forward to embarking.
We are here for our people, but we are not here for society's defining traits of what a man is, for they change it like the weather. What will a youth of 17 moving into manhood know about the world he is to enter, and who will tell him about men? Social media? What is he supposed to believe to know about himself doing tiktok dances and repeating opinions about man's shortcomings? Who will tell him how to act accordingly and inform him of the long history of man's failures and triumphs. Will the mob tell him? The mob is fickle and will leave him hating being born a boy and growing into a man.
Tribes from all around the world had a period of "Ashes" they called it; other tribes called it something else; the name is not as important as what happened to the boy during this time.
Rober Bly in Iron John writes of ashes as a time for the ego-bound boy to die, leaving the mother behind and entering his place with the men of the tribe or community. Bly writes the elders would cover the boy in dark ashes on his face or his whole body to signify the dead and to remind the boy of the inner death about to come. He would then be alone in the dark for days and be introduced to his dead ancestors' spirits. During the boy's time in ashes, he would crawl through a tunnel symbolizing his rebirth and receive a new name from the men of elders…To read the rest tap the link in the bio.
Just one form of "Ashes" there are many in different cultures, but the intention is to introduce the boy into the world of being a man and the separation from the mother. Many young men don't receive the "Ashes" from their family or their community. They seek out a tribe that will provide it for them and clarifies that you are now different; you receive a new name.
Young men join the military, join gangs, join any community close by that has a ritual initiation, and are now clearly a part of something and are now seen as men. They give you a new name. There are grown men who have not gone through "Ashes" if you want to know more about it and check out Robert Bly's "Iron John." Seek Knowledge & Grow Strong.