In SMG 2.0 we all began with Mankind Project as a model for doing the transformational work in our meetings and at least initially for the form of the meetings themselves, following their model for an I group.

Later we adopted and incorporated David Deida’s work principally by requiring the reading of Way of the Superior Man. Deida’s work has given us more guidance or direction to our understanding of what masculinity is.

Recently I have come upon another source for inspiration in our work as men, Dr. Robert Glover. Glover is a psychiatrist that gravitated to men’s work. He spent 6 years writing his book No More Mr. Nice Guy. It is the culmination of work he has done personally and in his No Mr. Nice Guy men’s groups.

He has been leading these groups for many years, often 3 nights a week and clearly has vast experience with the work. From my reading I find what he has to say foundational to the work we need to do as American or Westernized men. Much of the book I found as familiar, the work I have been doing for the last 2 years and in many ways took me further.

The metaphor I have for reading the book is like reading the travel guide after the trip and realizing 1. how much easier it could have been if I had the guide book and 2. I want to go back and catch the sites I missed. I am recommending this book to all of the men in SMG 2.0. It talks to many of the concepts that we already use, and some ground we already cover and I believe that it will clarify and focus the work we have to do, particularly for the men who are joining the group and new to the work.

One particular awareness I received from the book was the idea of monogamy with mother. I became aware of my essence in my childhood being married with my mother. No masculine influence ever came in to sever this connection, the purpose of traditional rite-of-passage experiences. As a result I can see how I have looked to women for my affirmations. This has showed up in all my relationships with women, and of course women would tend to affirm my feminine qualities and values. By severing this connection with mother and being in the presence of men I am now receiving my encouragement and affirmations from men and expressing my masculine with the women in my life. I am more confident, expressive and powerful.

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Eleven men from the SMG came together to form the Creation Tribe, a sub group of our larger three-circle group. The Creation Tribe builds on the healing work of our circles to support men in creating conscious lives of passion and purpose. Each man, teamed with a partner and with the help of Basecamp collaboration software, works towards dreaming in the life he wants and then sets goals to create/live that life. Each partner and the larger group supports the man in reaching those goals. The group formed and led by Owen Marcus and Wayne Pignolet weaves the teachings and processes of many diverse sources to produce a group that help birth each man’s dreams.

Form a co-ed training in male-female relationships this past November the groups learned about Alison Armstrong’s work.  Alison through her seminars teaches men and women about how our biology can affect our behavior. Her fun DVDs inspire both the women’s and men’s groups to sponsor the community showing of her DVDs. We are planning to offer more of her DVDs to the community with the hope of forming a couple’s group and possibly bringing her to Sandpoint.

William Heller, a founding member recently attended with his wife Diane Rich and CharTossi’s couple’s workshop in the Bay Area. Rich is a co-founder of the Mankind Project. William is now organizing our community to sponsor Rich and his wife coming to Sandpoint. William is also leading a team to do the entire MOS (Men of Service) at a New Warrior Training Adventure sponsored by the MKP (ManKind Project). This team would do all the cooking at the training at Rock Lake, B.C. in June.

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