http://www.masculinejourney.ca/

BECOMING A MAN:

How a man finds a centre of strength within himself

The Fullness of Life… Navigating the Masculine Journey

This seminar examines the development of men from boyhood to adulthood: the bond with mother, boyhood desire, the need for affirmation, dealing with wounds, and the blessings men are born to give and receive.   We’ll look at how fathers can nurture the healthy development of their own sons and daughters, as well as the hearts of their wives, friends, and employees.   Men can reclaim their strength and live the lives they want for themselves and their families.   See also, below: The Masculine Journey for Faith Groups.

Masculine Journey for Parents and Educators:

This keynote or workshop examines the key developmental stages of the masculine journey and how adults can support boys in their development.   We’ll talk about the importance of the mother-son bond, separating from mother and the crisis of independence, the desire for affirmation, and the need for a father or father figure.  We’ll also discuss strategies for nurturing confidence and self mastery in boys and how to engage them in school and family life.

For Women Only:

For many women, dealing with men can be a mysterious – and frustrating experience!  After a fight, for example, many women want to talk things through, while many men need time to sort out their feelings before talking.  This and many other issues can make relationships a real ‘battle of the sexes.’  When women understand the key themes of the masculine journey, they can better understand the men in their lives.  Topics include: relating to men (especially their husbands and fathers), learning to let go, and a boy’s need for masculine affirmation.  We’ll also discuss the commonalities and key differences between the masculine and feminine journeys of growth.

Healing the Wound: How a man can find healing from life’s wounds

This workshop explores how men can find healing from traumatic past-life experiences.   Topics include: adolescence and childhood wounds, fragmentation verses wholeness, the need for affirmation, creating safety, respect, empathic listening, grief and the cycle of masculine growth.  A look at how failure to come into self-acceptance can lead to a schism of thinking and feeling, addictive behavior and neuroses.

The Masculine Journey for Faith Groups:

From Genesis to the New Testament, sacred scripture has much to say about the masculine journey.  The decline of traditional religion in the West has devalued many of the signposts of maturity in Western Culture.  Lacking significant symbolic religious rituals for maturity (Bar Mitzvah’s, Confirmation, etc.), our post-modern culture marks coming of age by acts such as getting drunk, losing one’s virginity, going to high school and university, finding a job, or getting married as hallmarks of maturity.  These things cannot tell a person who he is.   Fundamentally, the masculine journey is one of finding one’s true identity – something that is a physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual process.   For an adult male to reclaim himself as a man, a very certain spiritual listening is necessary for true healing of the inner self to occur.

This keynote or workshop is a reflective experience on how a spiritual practice can develop the ability for men to listen for the quiet voice that calms the spirit and contradicts the mistaken identity of ‘unfinished men.’

Patrick O’Connor is an international speaker, storyteller, and retreat leader of men through his ministry, Navigating the Masculine Journey. He has worked in radio, TV, and business development for over 25 years.  He has belonged to “Rattlebone,” his men’s group, for over 13 years.

For 12 years, he has been a Big Brother to ‘Alex.’  Patrick has a black belt in Zen martial arts and meditation from the Canadian Rockies Zen Martial Arts Centre in Canmore, Alberta.   Patrick was associated with the Cistercian Monastery of Our Lady of the Hockley Valley (now closed), near Toronto, Ontario, for 9 years.

His passions include hiking, hockey, golf, cycling and writing.  He makes his home, with his Peruvian Princess wife, Ysabel, in beautiful Banff, Alberta, Canada.

Patrick has worked with:

  • Brewster Travel Canada, Banff, Alberta
  • Time and Space Programs, Melbourne, Austraila
  • Men Alive!, Brisbane, Australia
  • Marcelin College, Melbourne, Australia
  • Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.), Toronto, Ontario
  • Ontario Family Studies and Home Economics Educators Association of Ontario
  • Mankind Project International,
  • Open Doors Fellowship, London, Ontario
  • Six Nations Reserve Schools, Ohsweken, Ontario
  • Scholastic Canada
  • Grand Erie DSB
  • London District Catholic School Board
  • Wellington District Catholic DSB
  • Huron Perth Catholic DSB
  • Thames Valley DSB, London, Ontario
  • Family Studies Leadership Council, Ontario