Illuman Blog

From Soularize to AWAKEN, From Tamaya to Shrine Mont

Each year, Illuman hosts a gathering of men, typically in New Mexico and historically called Soularize. This year’s gathering marks a new beginning, with a new name, AWAKEN, and...

The MROP as a Spiritual Pilgrimage

For men going through a crisis or change and looking for something to give them perspective, I have often recommended going through a Men’s Rites of Passage. If they are interested,...

Remembering Bishop David O’Connell

Bishop David O’Connell, a native of Ireland with a heart for marginalized people and humanity’s needs, was murdered on February 18, 2023 in his home in a Los Angeles suburb....

Introducing the Illuman Content Sharing Library

The Illuman Content Sharing Library is a new online tool that will facilitate a process of content sharing, especially for articles that men discover and want to share with other Illuman...

One Man’s Rites of Passage

Note: To help you engage new men in conversation about considering an MROP, we will...

Young Men Wanted

by Joel Blunk, Illuman Weaver As the story goes, in 1914, farmed explorer Sir Ernest...

How to Speak With A Man About the Rites of Passage

If you haven't yet experienced the Men's Rites of Passage (MROP). please consider one of...

Adam Bucko — On How to Approach Other People

Fr. Adam Bucko spoke at the Illuman Watering Hole in December. He shared how a....

How to Talk About Illuman

by Jim Burns, Illuman Board Member Many men have told me some version of. "Illuman...

Soccer as a Metaphor for Secular Religion

In 2014, Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo Boff wrote a piece with the title “Soccer as a Metaphor for Secular Religion. It was a reflection on the 2014 World Cup that...

Sadness by Dean Robertson

Sadness Sadness settles in like a ground fog. It penetrates all the little cracks and...

Attendees of the Wild and Precious Life Writing Retreat (Jan 2023)

The in-person Wild and Precious Life writing retreat was held in Beavercreek, Ohio, January 6-9....

A Blessing for the New Year

Beannacht A Blessing for the New Year On the day when the weight deadens on...

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

This past year, 2022, marked ten years since Illuman was first incorporated, birthed out of...

Images of Soularize: Awaken

Over 260 men from across the US, Canada, Mexico, and as far away as Australia, gathered on the Tamaya Pueblo in New Mexico, November 3-6, 2022, for Soularize: Awaken, Illuman’s...

Awakened at Soularize

by Jim Burns, Co-Convener, IllumanDC As with the Men's Rites of Passage, words are often...

Soularize Experience

Soularize Experience by John Hamlett They came by car, bus, train and plane from near...

Poetry from Soularize

We were blessed with poetry this year at Soularize. Each session began with an offering...

Going Deeper: Illuman Cohorts

There is no suuch thing as inner work resulting in personal transformation without serious self-examination...

Illuman Founder Richard Rohr Steps Back from Public Ministry

Fr. Rohr speaks at Soularize This past Thursday, the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC)...

Illuman in Brazil?

by Bob Juarez & Giovanni Perez, Illuman Wisdom Elders It's happening! Illuman en Español is...

Report on Retiro Nuestras Heridas

by Bob Juarez & Giovanni Perez, Illuman Wisdom Elders At the end of an extended...

The First Latvian MROP: Brothers Without Borders

by Terry Symens-Bucher, former Illuman Board Chair On August 24, 2022, fifty-one initiates and an...

The Spiritual Practice of Council

by Jim Burns, Illuman Communications Council Chair We help create men through the listening we...

Passion Circles - Current and New

Illuman recently launched a new kind of Virtual Council that we are calling Passion Circles ...

What Is Healthy Masculinity?

by Steve Hicken, Illuman Board Chair We've all heard about, spoken about, and pretty much...

Mental Health and White Privilege

This article is offered by Glenn Siegel, MD, an emeritus Illuman Wisdom Elder and current...

Following the Wild Goose toward Healthy Masculinity

by Mike Clawson, Illuman Administrator What do men need in order to be more whole...

If this is what the center is like, what’s it like on the edges

At the end of 2005 my spiritual director said to me, ”I want you to consider going to see Fr. Richard Rohr when he speaks at Holy Family in Inverness.” Now I had heard of...

MROP Homework

For some the quest to find themselves and what they are called to do, or at least find what honestly feels right, can take most of their life. A least that’s how it has felt for...

Befriending the Darkness and the Light

Written by Bill McElroy

Befriending the Darkness and the Light
Salvation
As the arch of the sun’s daily trek across the sky
slips lower and lower to the South
following...

Notes on the Journey…

When I was first introduced to Richard Rohr’s writings several years ago, it was like a whole new world opened up to me. As I read more and more of his books and the daily meditations,...

My Journey of Illumination So Far

It is aptly titled a journey as I certainly find myself in the middle of a quest that would make even Frodo and Bilbo nod approvingly in quiet, Hobbit admiration. But although I have...

Grounded and Centered in the Tapestry of Life

I received a sympathy card from a good friend after our only daughter, Elizabeth, died in 1998. The first time I read the card I wan’t sure I liked it, but I kept returning to...

IN-MI Elder Profile: Nick Simons

In most of the bars around Elkhart and Mishawaka my grandfather was notorious for his drinking and fighting. On his way out of one of the many bars that he was being permanently banned...

Keeping the Edges Hot

I am grateful to Richard Rohr for his counsel to men to “Keep the edges hot.” Those words are present in many of his writings. They are now an important shared reminder...

To be…or not to be…

This question, asked by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, seems to be the question men often ask when they discover their inner world of spirituality. In other words,...

Getting Away, Seeing Life Larger

One of the things I appreciate about Richard Rohr’s writings is that they help me see things from a different perspective. It’s so easy to get stuck inside the same day-to-day...

We are all powerless…

At the monthly men’s meeting I attend, part of our ritual is to share something we are powerless over. Telling a bunch of guys “I am powerless over…” is hard....

The Journey of Illumination – Practice in Focus

CENTERING PRAYER
“Show Up and Observe”
by Jack Given
Yahweh, as the name of God, was thought to be unspeakable but was, some maintain, to be breathed. Yah–weh...

Soularize 2018 with Bill Plotkin

Inhabiting Our Unique Psycho-Ecological Niche
Thursday, October 18–Sunday, October 21, 2018

Conveners Corner with Mark Infusino

Conveners Corner – March 2022
By Mark Infusino, Co-Convener of Illuman SoCal

Help Us Reach More Men on Facebook!

We need your help spreading the word about Illuman. Illuman uses Facebook to inform, educate, and promote our work. If you are on that platform, please Like our page if you have not...

Illuman’s Best-Kept Secret: The Initiator Program

The Illuman Initiator Program seems to be one of Illuman’s best-kept secrets. I participated in the east coast MROP Initiator Program this May because I’m a co-Convener...

Remembering Your Rites of Passage

I just finished my own Rites of Passage.

It seems strange to write this, since I’ve already been working as the Illuman Administrator since last November. For months,...

A Ukraine Refugee Fundraiser Update

Back in March, we offered you an opportunity to support Illuman brothers in the Czech Republic who are caring for refugees from the war in Ukraine. For the past several months these...

Fire

The following was offered by Illuman NorCal Convener Joe Gabaeff at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri.

The Work that Reconnects: An Oracle 2022 Update

A few weeks ago, just over thirty Illuman leaders gathered at Trout Lodge in the foothills of the Ozarks for our annual leaders gathering, which we’ve dubbed “Oracle”...

Prophet in Alaska

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

Water Poured

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

The Hudsons and the Scotts

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

I am made of Stardust

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

Easter Morning in Wales

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

It’s Just Grief

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

falling in front of us

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

‘Let’s See’

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

Gifts for Grandfather: Potosi Oracle-2022

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

Healthy Masculinity Across Borders (and a way to help Ukrainian refugees)

Just as many parts of the world gained cautious optimism that we might be turning the corner on COVID-19, the war in Ukraine erupted, destroying lives and property, and forcing over...

We want to know about you

Specifically, we want to know how Illuman can better support your personal and spiritual development. To that end, we invite you to follow this link to update your interests, information,...

Introducing the New Illuman Administrator

Originally published in the January 2022 Drumbeat.

At the end of 2021, Brad Pickel, our beloved Illuman Administrator for the past 8 years, stepped down from his role. It’s...

Love and Gratitude for Time Well Spent

A farewell from the previous Illuman Administrator, Brad Pickel. Originally published in the November 2021 Drumbeat Newsletter.

Find out what happened at the Illuman Leadership Meeting

April 6th – 10th, Bob Colaresi and I traveled to Oracle, AZ for the annual Illuman (Formerly MALEs) Leadership Meeting. Personally, while I had attended most of these meetings...

Men’s Rites of Passage for 2019

Below is a listing of the Men’s Rites of Passage opportunities for 2019.
Learn more about the Men’s Rites of Passage Program on our MROP web page.

Gratitude Day with Jared Adams

Gratitude Day – Saturday, November 23, 2013
9 – 1 PM, St. Paul’s Hall, Carmelite Spiritual Center, Darien, IL

Reflections from a Father for Gen Alpha

by Sergio Lopez

Last October, just a few weeks before my thirty-fifth birthday, my wife surprised me with the incredible news that, after twelve years of marriage, we will finally...

The Enchanted Mirror

A poem by Michael Whitman
(Written at Soularize 2017 and the “Do I Matter” retreat 2017)

IN-MI Elder Profile: David Wenger

One day in middle school we were given an assignment to design our own tombstone. This assignment had a lasting impression on me as I can still picture the room and the chair with a...

Facing Our Fear

Thirteen years ago, our seven-week-old Siamese kitten dealt with fear the first time she met our 80-pound yellow Labrador retriever. She ran away as fast as she could for about three...

Be Not Afraid

More than any phrase in the Scriptures, I can identify with this one on my daily walk. I have been a priest for over 35 years and while I love the ministry, as an introvert, I am pushed...

Soularize 2015 Report

I was blessed to be able to travel to New Mexico in November with 180 other men, fellow travelers on the spiritual journey, to gather for Soularize 2015. As I reflect back on my experience,...

…getting involved in the men’s spirituality.

As I began getting involved in the men’s spirituality movement several years ago, one of the big aha moments for me was when I learned about the male archetypes. Robert Moore...

IN-MI Elder Profile: Mike Whitman

It is my honor to introduce myself as one of the elders for the Indiana/Michigan M.A.L.E.s chapter of Illuman. Life began for me in 1947, in Flint, Michigan. I am the oldest of nine...

The Journey of Illumination – Practice in Focus

GATHERING
“Regularly look for support and accountability with other serious brothers”
“Do not absent yourself from the gatherings of the brethren” –...

From the IN-MI Convener

Reflecting on the past three months, I am grateful for new connections that have been made between men in our chapter—by taking time away to retreat with each other, and by taking...

Unmet Needs. The modern musician’s cologne

Reflections on a MROP
So I’ve been pondering, since laying down music so the seed could die, a lot of how the kingdom is so counter-intuitive to our way of thinking. More...

Almost 9 Minutes

ALMOST 9 MINUTES

(REMEMBERING MEMORIAL DAY 2020)

By Michael Whitman

The Enchanted Mirror

A poem by Michael Whitman
(Written at Soularize 2017 and the “Do I Matter” retreat 2017)

IN-MI Elder Profile

In this brief autobiographical profile, I’m not going to offer the traditional narrative. Instead, I’ve selected a few themes that I hope will speak to you, my Brothers,...

MROP – 2 years later

Dear Brothers…
Part of our preparation for the MROP was, no doubt, a cocktail of prayer, anxious thoughts and playing out all sorts of ‘hypotheticals’ to see if...

Sadness and Joy

Sometimes I find myself wondering if this “Men’s Work” is real, but not today. My 19 year old son is leaving home tonight for Nicaragua to do a year long service...

Reflections on MROP // Rick and Ed

Rick Eby – Goshen, Indiana
MROP – September 18-22, 2013
Krislund Camp near Madisonburg, PA

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, June 20 – July 1, 2016

For Initiated men and their significant others.

Click here to download Brochure and Registration Form PDF

Whirling

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

The Call of Night

Each evening at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri, we gathered around “Grandfather Fire” to offer gifts of poetry, story, drumming, movement, and...

In the jug of your wound…

The following was offered by Illuman Board Member and Wisdom Elder Ned Abenroth at Oracle 2022, our leaders gathering held in Potosi, Missouri.