Basecamp for Men E131: My Favorite F-Word

https://episodes.castos.com/5e90c1501eded1-24910673/bad38a33-d504-4512-8107-da6e1bd820d1-220322-BASECAMP-EP131-TONY-SOLO-FREEDOM.mp3

E131: My Favorite F-Word   E131 Introduction This episode is dedicated to all who love freedom in all of its glorious colors. And a special thank you to Jason Hoyt who writes beautifully about civics….

Basecamp for Men E125: The Authenticity of Men

E125: The Authenticity of Men with Special Guest  Dr. Eric Hansen

 

E125 Introduction

One of the shadows of growing up as an American man is the manbox we have all been cultured in. Part of the messaging from the manbox is to be stoic and self-reliant at all costs. Never let men (or women) see you asking or seeking support. Never speak of your struggles is the message that men internalize. It seems a bit absurd now as I write this.

When I was brought into the tribe of men through a powerful initiation called the New Warrior Training with the Mankind Project, I saw something entirely different. I saw powerful, authentic men who spoke of the full spectrum of the male experience. The struggles and challenges that we all face without all the macho posturing that comes with the manbox. I also saw men that were emotionally expressive but they didn’t seem wimpy or weak. Quite the contrary. These men were emotionally truthful, comfortable in their skin, and skilled at relationships of all sorts. And I wanted some of that for myself.

The initiation and the work changed my life. I did episodes about this in the early days of the show. If you go back to that first season (particularly those first dozen episodes) or read my book, you will hear my testimony and gratitude for this work and the men who lead and participate in it.

My guest today is the man who brought me into this work. One of my early mentors. He guided me onto the path that would alter the course of my life for the better. I have been thinking a lot lately about mentoring. How do we better mentor the younger men? How do we meet them where they are and honor their gifts and their brilliant and offer the wisdom that we carry as the older generation? How do we see them with fresh eyes?

The topic of mentoring and elderhood is one we will be diving a bit more into as season four unfolds.

Eric Hansen Bio

My guest today is Eric Hansen. Eric has been a leader in the fields of economic development and men’s work.

He has travelled the world MANY times over as the President of Economic Transformations Group for the past 23 years. And he has been leader on dozens of trainings for The Mankind Project. Eric has also staffed a number of these trainings in Folsom Prison with the Inside Circle. Bringing healing and transformation to the men who reside there. Here is my interview with Eric Hansen.

E125 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our conversation with Eric. The film we were speaking about is called The Work and it is a powerful expression of how men’s work can transform lives, no matter the circumstances.

And lastly, if you find the show valuable and would like to support us, please consider a small monthly donation. Any donation is greatly appreciated and you can do that at the donation tab at www.basecamp-podcast.com . Thank you listeners.

 

Basecamp for Men E123: The Kybalion

E123: The Kybalion with Special Guest Ronni Thomas

 

E123 Introduction

If one is to be a seeker of Truth, you will inevitably find yourself in a forested maze, so to speak. Truth is looking for us and is embedded in myth, the Western mystery schools, esoteric and occult topics, and things like conspiracy theories where the seeker will rub shoulders with all sorts of characters. Some for us and some against us.

I used to think I was looking for “the Way”. As I have aged, I realize that I was always looking for MY way. My way of interpreting the data, speaking the Truth with courage, helping others understand what is happening to us. And my way of being in the flow and helping to ready ourselves for what is coming.

I believe there is great value in looking at the deeper patterns that are showing themselves to us. Can you be in conversations that are a bit uncomfortable? Ones that take you out to your edge of understanding? We are all being forced to our edges and this is how the Divine intended it to be. Let’s go meet our guest (from Brooklyn) and unpack some esoteric ideas.

Ronni Thomas Bio

Ronni Thomas is a Brooklyn based artist and filmmaker most known for his web series The Midnight Archive, his 2014 film Walter Potter the Man Who Married Kittens and the AMC digital series The Broken and the Bad which is a documentary compendium to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. His most recent film, The Kybalion released early this year is a surreal documentary expansion of the 1908 text of the same name. Here is my interview with Ronni Thomas.

E123 Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed our time with Ronni Thomas. I look forward to keeping track of him and his future projects and hopefully having him back on Basecamp later this year.

For Ronni’s work and to find his latest film The Kybalinon, go to  themidnightarchive.com .

In terms of the esoteric classic, The Kybalion, I highly recommend The Kybalion: The Definitive Edition by William Walker Atkinson writing as Three Initiates. Introduced and Edited by Philip Deslippe.

Basecamp for Men E119: The Road Forward

E119: The Road Forward with Special Guest Christian Elliot

 

E119 Introduction

Hello listeners. We are finishing up season three and my sound editor Chris and I will be taking a short holiday break. We have today‘s episode and then a season wrap up/preview of 2022 and what Basecamp for Men will be up to in the coming year. The break will be short. We will be back with a new episode to start off season four on Jan 11th.

This will give me a chance to catch my breath and not have a Tuesday deadline breathing down me neck each week. It was always my plan to run seasons. 40 or so episodes before taking a short hiatus. The break between season one and season two was long. Many months as we built the new platform etc etc. I never actually took a break between season two and season three. We simply announced a new season and kept on recording. This upcoming break is more what I had in mind. Just a few weeks to breathe. I am very much looking forward to season four and what we will be covering.

This weeks episode is one of my favorites of the entire season. My guest today is not only holding space for all of our views, he is helping to create the more pro-humanity narrative that we are all instinctively looking for, whether we realize it or not.

Christian Elliot Bio

Christian Elliot is a husband, father of five, and a certified personal trainer, health coach, and nutrition expert. He has a Masters of Divinity and since 2003 has logged over 15,000 hours of one-on-one coaching. He and his wife Nina run TRUE Whole Human, a high-touch, personal-coaching practice where they help clients radically transform their health and keep it that way. Here is my interview with Christian Elliot.

E119 Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. I learned a lot by talking with Christian and I am really looking forward to his Sovereignty Project in 2022. His excellent writing and content can be found at his website www.truewholehuman.com or his blog www.deconstructingconventional.com

Lastly, if you find Basecamp for Men a valuable resource on your Hero’s Journey, please consider a small monthly donation at www.basecamp-podcast.com Thank you listeners!

 

Basecamp for Men E118: Entangled in Myth

E118: Entangled in Myth with Special Guest Dr. Anne Baring

 

E118 Introduction

One of the things I see that can really assist us on this Great Awakening is to keep having conversations with the wisdom keepers. The ones who have done more inner work than we have or are a bit further along. I think this affirms our Soul‘s Journey.

Which myths and modes of seeing the world will best serve us? How does each of us “serve the Grail” so to speak. It is these questions lived in each heart that will ultimately heal the Wasteland that we find ourselves in. We are not living in hopeless times, far from it.

There has never been a better time to be alive. And I don‘t mean because there are opportunities to get rich. Really, who cares about that when the inner and outer Wasteland is so evident all around us and desperately needs our attention.

No, there has never been a time when so many of us are receptive to Divine intervention. Open to the magic of transformation and alchemy. When so many of us are experiencing a deep awakening of our collective mythic imagination or epinoia as the Gnostics referred to it as.

There has never been a time when the Grail myth was so close to completing IT’S mission. That’s right. I have it heard said many times over the last couple of years say we are living in biblical times. I can certainly see and appreciate this perspective. However for me, I would say that we are living in mythical times. That the culmination of our great search for truth and meaning as a collective is about to enter an exciting new chapter.

To quote my guest today:

“What is being born in the collapse and dissolution of the old mythologies- the old belief systems which have divided instead of uniting humanity- is a recognition that we do not live in a dead, meaningless universe but within a Sacred Cosmic Order.”

I couldn’t agree more. Let‘s go have another enlightening conversation with wisdom keeper and author Anne Baring.