MEN’S GRIEF WORK

bell hooks names in her book Will to Change that “the first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. If an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem.”

It is time. Time to do the beautiful hard work of creating space for grief. To welcome tears, to address the trauma and grief lodged in our bones. It is time to end cycles of pain and war perpetuated by men. To be with the ancestral patterns of our lineages that caused hurt. We will gather to use grief as a tool to welcome greater connection and healing between men. To plant the seeds of healing and wholeness in our lives, our relationships, our communities, and our world. We will gather to offer our tears to replenish the well of masculinity. To reimagine how men can relate to one another. To create space for our sorrows to be welcomed, witnessed, and befriended in service of belonging, community, and kinhood.