About Illuman

GET TO KNOW ILLUMAN

MEET OTHER MEN COMMITTED TO BECOMING BETTER, MORE AUTHENTIC MEN

Illuman exists to help men do their inner, spiritual work to become healthier and more authentic human beings. We do this work through our Men’s Rites of Passage, Council Circles (both in-person and virtual), national gatherings, and local chapter offerings.

Founded in 2012 by the Franciscan mystic and teacher Richard Rohr, we are non-denominational, interfaith, and spiritually inclusive, welcoming all male-identified persons to our work without regard for your religion, race, ethnicity, class, education, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that might make you feel excluded.

Illuman offers...

Transformative Inner Work

Illuman provides opportunities to do the ‘inner work’ of personal growth and spiritual transformation in the company of other men. We utilize rituals, story, contemplative practices, and a small group framework known as the Way of Council to help men explore the things that matter most.

A Liberating Environment

In Illuman
Men can speak without being shamed.
Men can express their emotions freely.
Men can find healing from traumatized and toxic forms of masculinity.
Men can rediscover their authentic selves.

Support & Brotherhood

Illuman allows men to discuss the real life challenges of the various roles they play – son, father, grandfather, partner, provider, nurturer, lover, friend. Men support one another as they journey through life’s toughest challenges and transitions, forging deep and lasting friendships with other men.

Contemplative Spirituality

Illuman emphasizes contemplative spiritual practices and unique ritual experiences more than conceptual teachings. Through story, image, nature, rhythm, and stillness, Illuman creates one-of-a-kind opportunities for men to explore the deepest parts of their inner-selves.

We seek to form future generations of men who will restore the practices of natural, ritual, image, story, and council - building a world that celebrates the beauty of all beings.

We are transforming men through a power greater than ourselves.

We are seeking a life changing spirituality.

We are fed by the wisdom traditions of forgiveness and radical inclusivity.

We recover traditional patterns of male initiation.

We affirm a masculine path to healing that reveals the true and false selves and honors the path of descent.

We do this through the power of nature, ritual, image, story and council.

• Centering

  We are men grounded in the power of the here and now.

• Gathering

  We are men who listen deeply to other's stories.

• Connecting

  We are men who choose another to walk with – shoulder to shoulder.

• Releasing

  We are men who let go of the ways that no longer serve us.

• Serving

  We are men who honor the earth and serve the whole human community.

As a fellowship for men’s spirituality, we welcome men from all parts of the world: of African descent, of Asian descent, of European descent, of Latin American descent, of First Nations descent in this land and abroad; native born and people of mixed and multiple descents and all languages. We say welcome.

We welcome men on all parts of the continuum of gender identity and expression, without prejudice about sexual orientation, living status, whether sexually active or celibate, and everyone for whom labels don’t apply. We say, welcome.

We welcome people with all physical abilities and challenges. Those living with any chronic medical condition, visible or invisible. We say welcome.

We welcome people who identify as activists and those who don’t. Mystics, believers, seekers of all kinds. People of all ages. And all who make it possible for us to participate in this work. We say welcome.

We welcome all emotions: joy, fear, grief, contentment, disappointment, surprise, and all else that flows through us. We say welcome.

We welcome our families, biological and otherwise. Those dear to us who have died; our ancestors and the future ones. The ancestors who lived in this land, in this place, where these buildings are nowwe honor them through this work that we are undertaking. We say welcome.

We welcome brothers who feel broken, lost, struggling; who suffer from self-doubt and self-judgment. We say welcome.

We welcome the plants, who sustain us and give us our very life. May they be safe, may they be protected, may they be honored. We say welcome.

The world of earth, of rocks, stones, and sand, the foundation upon which we stand, may all these be safe, be protected, be honored. We say welcome.

The world of water, that courses through the veins of every living thing, and sustains the earth upon which we depend for our very survival. May it be safe, protected, be honored. We same welcome.

We welcome all beings that inhabit this earth, human or otherwise: the two-legged, the four-legged, winged and finned, those that walk, fly, and crawl, above the ground and below, in air and water. We say welcome.

adapted from the Diversity Welcome at trainingforchange.org

Illuman is an organization incorporated in the United States of America with a global influence. Our purpose is to support men in their spiritual journey.

We stand in solidarity with those who are outraged by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others. We stand in solidarity with those who protest these injustices and work for racial equity. We are grateful for those who have acted for justice. We are grateful for the number of leaders and organizations who have spoken forcefully against injustice and racism. We grieve with our neighbors who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and have suffered from racism, white supremacy, and classism. In our gratitude and grief, we make the following acknowledgement and commitment:

We acknowledge that we live in a nation created by the enslavement and genocide of peoples, the taking and destruction of their lands, and the justification of these acts by White Supremacy, the Christian Doctrine of Discovery, the Divine Right of Kings, and Manifest Destiny.

We acknowledge that many of us continue to benefit from this history, while others of us continue to suffer from its injustices as evidenced by many cases of documented police brutality that go unpunished. Some of us experience both the benefits and the suffering.

Through grace and humility, those of us who have benefited from white privilege invite healing as we ask forgiveness for the actions of our ancestors and for our present-day failures.

With their help we commit ourselves to transform rather than transmit the trauma.

To All Illuman Brothers, we reclaim the collective transformative power that comes from men standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with each other and with those who suffer. Our primary concern is inner work that makes a difference in the world and we recognize that work must include opposition to all forms of racial injustice. We are fed by the wisdom traditions of forgiveness and radical inclusivity. For us, the two are inseparable. We acknowledge that repentance, reparation, and restoration are necessary in the Illuman community and commit ourselves to the work of affirming a masculine path to healing the personal and historical trauma that keeps men separated and alienated from each other. That healing requires us to educate ourselves about white power and privilege and its impact on Illuman and our communities.

To our Illuman Brothers of Color, we acknowledge that we are overwhelmingly a community of white, middle-class men. We commit as a community of men to do our work. We commit to creating space for you to find the support and safety you need. From the clarity gained through our acknowledgement and grief, we commit to work with you to address and to remedy the source of your pain. We commit to listen to and learn from the experience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and to support the leadership from those communities. We commit to opposing racist attitudes and actions we find in ourselves and in our communities.

To our Nation and the World, we say the powers of racism and white supremacy have been present from the very foundation of our nation and continue to cause suffering and alienation. They thrive in an atmosphere which denies that our wealth and our privilege derive in large part from the genocide and enslavement of peoples. We Illuman brothers commit ourselves and our community to the work of witnessing, acknowledging, and healing the trauma caused by these injustices.

Adapted from the Canticle Farm liturgy, https://canticlefarmoakland.org/

ILLUMAN LEADERSHIP

FROM THE BOARD, WISDOM ELDERS, & CONVENERS TO MARKETING, DEVELOPMENT, & MORE

Click below for a complete listing of the leadership and various councils and boards that comprise the Illuman organization