Our Mission
We are a center for experiential education, rooted in the Gospels, encouraging the transformation of human consciousness through contemplation, and equipping people to be instruments of peaceful change in the world.
Letter from Matt Sholler | July 2011
Dear Brothers,
We have a number of exciting things to share with you this month.
First up is our Saturday, August 6th webcast, "Soul-Centering through Nature" with Fr. Richard and Bill Plotkin of the Animas Valley Institute. The webcast marks the beginning of what the Center for Action and Contemplation hopes is a deeper, longer-term relationship with Animas. As Richard has said, "It's remarkable how Bill and I have arrived at very similar conclusions in our work. We just followed different paths to get there!" Check out Richard's reflection this month on Bill's work as it relates to the Gospel and the natural world.
We are also very pleased to announce the creation of the first MALEs Council of Elders, a key step forward in defining the decision-making process for charting our sustainable growth, especially as it relates to our regional communities. The Council members' bios are included in this edition.
In another area, MALEs would like to thank all the readers who responded to last month's online Drumbeat survey. We received a lot of robust feedback about ways in which we can strengthen the Drumbeat's content moving forward. Among some of the insights we gained from the survey were the following:
- 76% of our respondents are age 46 or older
- 87% are white (non-Hispanic or Latino)
- Many readers expressed interest in knowing more about what's happening in the international MALEs community.
- The most requested topics that readers would like to see given greater coverage relate to contemplative practices and resources; sprituality and sexuality; and social justice.
While we value our current community of readers, we certainly have some important work to do to continue evolving the Drumbeat so that it speaks to a more diverse circle of people, something very much in keeping with our vision of reincorporating initiation into Western cultures within five generations.
This month, we're introducing a new section called "Men In Profile," which highlights individuals who are leaders in MALEs across the globe. Our kick-off profile features Gerry Moore, a founding member of MALEs Ireland.
Finally, remember that registration is still open for two U.S.-based Men's Rites of Passage coming up in September (New York) and November (Texas). For our Australia-based brothers, the next MROP "down under" is scheduled next month, in August. Please visit our On the Horizon section to find out what's happening "in your neck of the woods."
Peace and Fire,
