Path to Spirit

I’d like to share a bit of my personal history that led me to put together the PATH to SPIRIT training…

In May of 1986, Bill Kauth, a social worker and dedicated to create a men’s training, invited me to attend what is now called a “New Warrior Training Adventure” or “NWTA”, originally called the “Wild Man Weekend.” He asked me to, “Come and play…” which sounded a bit paradoxical. Then a friend of his, Ron Hering, himself another pioneer, also called me and explained more about their new venture and how the “Wild Man” was a central part of this unusual training. Being naturally curious but also doubtful, I encouraged a number of my clients, who I judged “needed” this kind of training, to attend. I judged that as for myself, “I didn’t need it”. Thinking of myself as a self-assured psychologist, I questioned what could these guys teach me? A year passed, at which time the last in a line of my clients to attend the training convinced me, with a sense of awe, that I actually DID need the NWTA, and that he witnessed some “miracles” there. His experience convinced me to attend the New Warrior Training where other “sales jobs” about these weekends didn’t work.

The NWTA I attended in April 1987 was an eye-opener to say the least! It challenged my skeptical, always questioning, and analytical mind. I initially feared that somehow they would see through that I was a fraud and covering up my true feelings. Of course, not being in my true feelings, I was a fraud. Without getting into the details of my experience, I came out of the weekend changed forever… My hair stood on end… I looked forward to challenges everyday… I had an edge and a mission… The shame I had felt since childhood seemed to slowly disappear… My experience of “wild man” energy was pretty aggressive. Walking past a downtown Chicago alley, I would dare some mugger to come out and challenge me. I was revved up and stripped for action. But where was I going? I knew that I had the right energy. But where was the ground that I needed to stand on to step into my leadership?

Then in May 1987, Ron Hering again convinced me to attend the 1st “Spirit Warrior” Weekend at Haimowoods, a retreat center in rural Wisconsin, the same place I attended the “Wildman Weekend”. (This was before the ManKind Project, New Warrior Chicago or any other MKP Center was founded.) At this particular weekend, the same men that staffed my weekend pleasantly greeted me. I felt invited, totally accepted and not challenged, to engage in a battle, like at the NWTA. I questioned myself, “is this what real New Warriors are like?” They assigned me a room and gave me a journal to write down all of the purposes in my life and what I basically wanted to accomplish in life. I wrote and wrote page after page. I couldn’t believe how deep and grounded I felt, how accepted I felt. Stepping into the great mystery of the warrior journey now became possible. This journey was calling out to me and I needed to trust deeper spiritual truths within me to make it happen.
“Creating New Centers and new programs”

It was this settling experience of the SPIRITUAL WARRIOR weekend that forged me to go forward to start the New Warrior Network Center in Chicago along with Mike Greenwald who attended the “Spirit Warrior” Weekend and John Perrin. It also moved me to be part of starting Centers in Houston, Indianapolis, Washington D.C., Windsor-Detroit and Denver. Somehow it was believing in the great mystery of the “movement” and believing in the possibilities that it would happen that shaped my intentions. Spirit was moving through me and others at an alarming rate.

Yet, ultimately my mission went beyond the NWTA, the training itself, and extended to “creating a community of men to mentor men in mission”. My concern was more about what happened to men following the NWTA than what happened at the training itself. NWTA stood on its own and really didn’t need any help. But I watched as men still struggled in their lives during and after their initial I-group experience. It was the men who had finished the training that needed more mentoring… and more trainings.

Fast forward to 1995, my second wife, Sarah, had just died of cancer. My kids had just gone off to college. In the place of these voids, we somehow (in retrospect, “by the grace of God”) put together a new Center at the Mural Building on Ashland and North Avenue in Chicago. We were expanding the New Warrior message into mentoring programs. I kept asking myself, “What did men need to be successful in the world?” Even though I eventually led close to 100 NWTA Weekends, I realized, inspired by thinking back to my Spirit Warrior Weekend, my mission wasn’t just leading more NWTA’s. My mission was to mentor men to be successful in the world… to be better fathers, husbands, and prosperous in their careers and business. Each man needed to leverage his gains at the NWTA and maximize them in expanding their vision through taking charge of their lives and stepping into the great mystery.
“The Beginning of the Path to Spirit Trainings”

To be successful in life in being good partners, fathers, lovers and in their careers, men needed to be committed at a deeper, more spiritual level that went beyond learning to grow into mature masculinity. We began questioning, “what does it take to step into mastery in our lives?” The answer that came up was, “how could I attain mastery in my life if I didn’t get beyond my ego and trust a higher source?” Then I remembered how centered I was taking on my spiritual mission. So, along with Rob Ahrens and a number of other men, we put together the 1st PATH to SPIRIT training in 1996. And now over 575 men and women (mostly men) have attended P2S.

“The Next Step…”
In my opinion, the New Warrior experience was originally intended to be a TWO-WEEKEND Training Adventure! The founders, (Hering, Kauth and Tosi) intended to offer the 2nd weekend officially as the “next” step — through a spiritual retreat. Actually, it was initially a great success. They filled about 3 trainings. Then, somewhere during the expansion of NWTA and its many Centers, the “Spirit Warrior” Training disappeared. I think it lost its energy because the SPIRIT WARRIOR training got disconnected from the ongoing thrust of the Centers and the NWTA. Most of the emphasis in MKP became getting men to the NWTA and financially supporting the Center.

“Why Attend a Path to Spirit Weekend Now?”

We understand that the mission to become the man that you were meant to be is incomplete unless your spirit is on track with the higher calling of the KING. We do “this” work in the NWTA to complete the calling of our manhood. But we need to answer the call of SPIRIT and how we can be “born of Spirit”. We need to ask, “What is Spirit calling me to be?” Typically when we can’t answer that question, much of our warrior energy is dissipated into just “doing more of the same”. We have watched men trying to achieve great heights and still continue repeating their same “winning” formula over and over again.

Perhaps you hear the call of Spirit… You are ready to be challenged and go deeper… You would like to complete what you started at NWTA… Your mission is calling to expand out into the universe… You are looking for more satisfying love in your relationships… You want to get your emotional and physical life unstuck and moving foward… You want to get out of the rut you are in to find true success…

What you are looking for may be at the PATH to SPIRIT TRAINING on March 26-28 at Camp Pottawatomie. Remembering when you were “called” to the NWTA, what are you being “called” to NOW? The P2S training maybe the investment you need for your future and for your success in life.
Here is what others are saying that personally captures the essence and the experience of “P2S”:
“I cannot say enough about Path to Spirit and the work David is doing. I believe Path to Spirit is the perfect next step for men who have done their initiation work. I am a graduate and a great advocate of “MKP”. My Warrior weekend changed my life. I will forever be grateful for the organization, and the dedicated men who serve there. My I-Group experience was helpful, yet I soon came to realize the limitations of addressing my base “ME” needs and began my search again to continue my developmental journey getting beyond “ME”. I became acutely aware of the “topping off” effect of the I-Groups. Through another Warrior brother I was introduced to David Lindgren who came and led a process in our I-Group that ultimately led to my “Path To Spirit” experience. “
– Glenn Barker, Gorrilla, Aurora , Illinois
“Adding new high-quality processes to a group’s repertoire helps long-established groups avoid stagnation by remaining energetic and ever evolving. New processes uncover old wounds in new ways from new angles yielding new insights and new tools for personal growth and efficacy. Building upon “Warrior” processes, P2S processes expand outward from I-statements out to a somewhat more relational approach and consciousness—relationship of self: to others, to work, to success, to higher power, to the world. To that end work toward surrender, acceptance, forgiveness, and thankfulness”.
– Tim Goldich, Gorilla For Real, Chicago, Illinois

“Before dawn on the cusp between Winter and Spring I found myself trudging through the snow with my fellow pilgrims as we were lead to our morning taskmaster. Scott was a rather skinny fellow who had the nerve to guide us through a rigorous session of yoga followed by an obnoxious discussion about healthy lifestyle choices.
There I sat, age 44, extremely overweight and out of shape, huffing and puffing and wondering what any of this had to do with my spirituality.
When I caught my breath I volunteered that I had once cared about my body but hadn’t exercised in twenty years. Diet and exercise were reserved for those who were vain and I had matured beyond that. After all, wasn’t I giving up a precious weekend to find a spiritual path?
Then “yoga man” asked me how I felt and I wanted to cry.
Slow but sure something stirred. Three months later I began eating with greater awareness. Ten months later I ran my first mile. Two and a half years later I ran my first marathon. Eight years have passed now and making healthy lifestyle choices is still a priority. Its part of my spiritual journey, along with meditation, prayer and making myself vulnerable to change.
More happened that weekend than I can begin to share in a few words, more than I actually comprehend. So last Fall when I learned that Path to Spirit was being rekindled I jumped at the chance to sign up. What a blessing. I don’t think running more marathons this time is my direction. What I I do hope for is to show up in the more mundane things which make up the fabric of my life, like returning phone calls, doing what I say I am going to do and being an honest man.”
– Michael Burns, Haiku Bunny Rabbit with Samurai Sword, Chicago, Illinois
Come trudge through the snow and make your own journey.
Spring is just around the corner.
PATH TO SPIRIT, March 26-28 2010

One of the beautiful aspects of the P2S training is that it has allowed us to experiment and not be beholding to standards that might be passed by for newer ideas.  In that spirit, I want to continue to add/subtract from our Outline.  And one of my clients who most likely will attend the October training informed me that I would enjoy a song that has been put out on the internet via Utube.

And you know the song, “STAND BY ME”.  The utube site gave me goosebumps in bringing people together.  Then I got this vision of having us use live instruments on Sunday sharing with the Pilgrims our version of Stand By Me and connecting with them.  Then continuing it with the additional admonition to share it with pictures of their loved ones before they departed on Sunday. 

Not sure about you, but it really grabbed me.

Later,

David

Yo Brothers,  NOTE these changes…

Next P2S training:  OCTOBER 30-NOV. 1   at POTTOWATOMIE?

1st Staff Meeting:  WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 place?  TBA – reason – not sure the size of the space needed; most likely my office.

FACILITATION TRAINING:  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 and SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13.  Optional:  attend both days or just one.

2ND STAFF MEETING:  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21

NOTE:  I AM CALLING THE STAFFING TEAM SO THESE DATES ARE NOT CAST IN STONE, CONTINGENT ON THE CONSENSUS OF THE STAFF.

BLESSINGS,

DAVID

JUST COUGAR

312 415-7455

In preparing for our next P2S training, we have the luxury and even the necessity of rethinking the meaning of the training and what makes the P2S training so distinctive.
In preparing for the meeting with the MKP Leaders at our 25th anniversary, I met with Robert Moore and got stimulated to reread his “Facing the Dragon” book which is on grandiosity. He basically says in the book that we individually and collectively in groups have to “get over ourselves” in terms of either indentifying or projecting our grandiosity. And grandiosity comes from not distinguishing the Self from what Moore calls the Great Self (g_d). Moore suggests that we need to recover from something, otherwise the grandiosity will take over. Since beginning this work, I had to embrace this idea or be overcome with grandiosity not only from my own flirting with greatness but from dealing with other’s projections. Thus, the renaming of my animal name to Just Cougar. I am grateful for that transformation as I can focus of distinguishing between my stupidity and my strengths.
So where does that lead us? Well, the men’s work needs to begin with dealing with how we identify with the masculine. I get from Moore’s work when he says that humanity needs “Humanity Anonymous”, meaning that everyone has to deal with narcissism and grandiosity. It’s the basis of how we look at ourselves. So the men’s movement and the NWTA is really “Men’s Anonymous”. That is, the NWTA is at root finding our real masculine selves in exploring the “shadow” side of our masculine nature. And the substantive part of that process is exploring our “little boy” shadow and how our fathers were absent. The NWTA focuses on how the constellation of the 4 archetypes depend on coming to grips not having enough “fathering” and feeling powerless as a boy. It is in that search for the deeper masculine and a relationship with the inner father/King that we embark on finding our real power.
The NWTA provides this masculine fathering and mentoring that men sorely miss. We realize the need for male companionship and to be loved by men guides us in finding our mission and deep power.
So how does this relate to P2S? In thinking of the weekend and revisiting its meaning, I recalled that most men in the Dilemma Building exercise usually pick a woman to which they have a conflict. And then I started thinking just how conflicted we are as men with women. They are both the bane of our existence and the prize that we pursue. And what is the basic origins of this need? MOTHER. Most of us want and really need the acceptance and affection of women but it started with our mothers.
Whereas, the NTWA focuses on “father-loss”, the P2S work often gets even deeper and earlier to “mother-loss”. Most boys have deficient nurturing by mothers to develop the inner masculine. We don’t get touched or consoled as much as girls. And then when we get older, we project this royal need for mothering on to, guess who? WOMEN. We end up needing their love.
So then I got thinking that the “Breath Work” exercise needs to start with generating focus and energy on the “mother-loss”. For those of you who attended the “Path to Mastery”, you may remember the “Pleading for Mercy” piece. We had the men plead for their parent’s mercy in terms of “where were you when I needed you, mom (or dad)? Anyway, the Breath work energy needs to go deeper into the unconscious of feeling disconnected from mother. We have focused on men finding a love object in the Breath process and when they touch is an element of shadow.
Now I see the NWTA as dealing with the “royal” masculine side. We have always referred to the distinction with NWTA as it deals with the “yang” energy and P2S deals with the complementary “ying” energy. In dealing with “energies”, we stayed away from the masculine/feminine comparison and just stayed with energies.
Yet, the NWTA is getting men to find their masculinity without being caught up with identifying or projecting their grand(iosity) masculinity or with the masculine God. And P2S appears to focus on not projecting their feminine need on to the royal woman and owning that incompleteness in our psyches of needing nurturing through the royal woman.
We all know just how devastating and damaging not facing this dragon can be. We either over-identify with needing women or we can dis-identify with this need. Either way, we are left with this need to complete ourselves through the feminine.
So perhaps, we have something here whereby we have the holy compliment to the NWTA and can market it as such.

The Bridge to Transformational Divorce

Click on the link above and watch this video for a concise introduction to a new service offered to men in divorce. It is an invitation for men to take this once in a lifetime opportunity to do the deep work necessary to carry them across the bridge from where they are now (over the dangerous and troubled waters of their relationships with women) to the other side – a place of true transformational change where they can reclaim their life as a man.

If you are a man or know a man who is in desperate need of this service, call David at +1 (847) 859-2562. Thanks.