Real Men Know Healing

Let me just say upfront that I'm kind of sensitive to the "Real Men" attitude. Hyper-masculinity has never been my thing; it squashes the idea of manhood into a little box that's far too limited for my tastes, and invalidates everything that falls outside of it as weak, bad, toxic, or wrong.

That's not good. It's not healthy, and it's definitely not "Manly." It's what children do in their playground power struggles. So, yeah, no thanks. 

All that being said, hear me out, because this is important. 

Real men know healing.

They know healing for others...

Through kindness. 

Through deep listening. 

Through caring. 

By taking care of their health. 

By taking ownership and apologizing when they're wrong. 

By loving deeply enough to know when to let go, and having the courage to do it. 

By telling people how they feel. Openly, honestly. 

By telling a difficult truth with compassion; having the hard conversation with an open heart. 

But even more importantly, they know healing for themselves...

Through self-love, rather than ego stroking. 

Through deep reflection and contemplation. 

Through the ultimate acts of service; Expecting nothing in return. 

Real men know that the greatest gift they can give isn't pent up aggression, but freedom of expression, and they take it seriously enough to look deeply into themselves to heal the parts that say it's not ok to be who I am, how I am, as I am. To unwind the stories that say it's not right to show weakness or vulnerability; It's wrong to let other people in. 

They know that the path to true freedom lies in healing the parts of themselves that are trapped in paradigms of a by-gone era. They hold dear the willingness to grow and evolve along with the courage to do what's necessary. The strength to follow through, even though they may fail many times over.

Healing is part of Self-Mastery, and any man who calls himself a real man must be on his path of self-mastery. Not MY path. Not the other guy's path. His own path. Respecting himself and his brothers every step of the way, not because of what they DO, but because of who they are. Human, and therefore innately valuable by nature. 

Real men know healing, because healing is the bridge to everything he desires and everything he can be. 

Heal, and know that you are Gods. 

Love, 

The Mystic Next Door

P.S. Need some help with healing? Start here.