The Male Journey
Male spirituality has an ancient lineage. Throughout history, communities around the world have devised ceremonies and rituals to honour the transition from boyhood to manhood. The purpose of most of these rituals was to help young men 'die' to their younger sense of self, and 'find' the mature, deeply rooted and integrous sense of their true manhood. In today's cultures we have lost almost all these rituals; instead we are increasingly addicted to consumption, acquisition, status, and material success as badges of our worth. We are in danger of losing sight of the deeper purposes of our lives, of our connections with the natural world and with mystery, and of our place in the universe.
The roots of our approach lie in the Judeo-Christian traditions, and draw upon the perennial wisdom teachings of many spiritual traditions from the ancient, eastern and western worlds. During the 1990s, this work of male initiation was reinvigorated by Richard Rohr at the Centre for Action and Contemplation in Alberqueque, New Mexico, and through Richard's extensive writing and publishing; this became the MALESs - Men as Leaders and Elders - programme. More recently, Illuman, a not-for-profit organisation has been established in the US to take forward this important work. Here in Britain, The Male Journey is the network of men that promotes this work, organises events, and coordinates other activities and resources. Male Journey Ireland is our brother network in Ireland.
We welcome enquiries from people interested in the work of The Male Journey, in our forthcoming events, and in developing consciousness around male spirituality. We are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Our registration number is 1163767.
As a charitable organisation, we welcome donations from those who support our aims and ethos. Please click How to Donate.
The names below show who is currently serving The Male Journey in various roles. We refer to these men as 'stokers'. You may already have the contact details of a particular man. If not, please send us your message using our contact form.
Distributed leadership team:
Website stoker: Daniel Gains
MROP 2022: Stephen Ashton (convenor), with team including UK and Irish elders
YMROP 2022: Peter Fishpool
Journey of Illumination stoker: Jonny Grant
Mentors: Robert Davidson
International/European: Pete Bruckenwell
Local men's groups: Stokers and convenors for the network of local groups available here
Charity Trustees:
David Townsend, Kevin McNally (chair), Stephen Ashton, Tim Lyttle, Joel Bubbers, Francis O'Leary
Treasurer: Mark Thornthwaite
Board compliance advisor: Patrick Ryan
