GREEN MAN RISING: Recovering the Wild Masculine
An Online Intensive with Sean Donahue
June 21 - August 1
Sliding Scale $150 - 200
The face of the Green Man, leaf-bearded god of regeneration, appeared etched in stone churches throughout Europe well into the early modern period. The stories surrounding him have largely vanished, but he is widely understood to represent the irrepressible virility of the wild -- its rebirth in spring from the seeds that fall from dying plants in the fall, and its survival in the face of attempts to contain it and push it back. And he represents the vital force of the wild masculine -- before patriarchy bound ideas of masculinity to ideas of violence and domination.
Any attempt to transform our culture has to take into account the need to redefine and reshape masculinity, to provide channels for masculine energy to flow that meet and match and dance with the incredible strength of the feminine rather than seeing to subjugate it.
In this intensive, we will work with myth, magic, poetry, and direct experience of the living world to re-imagine masculinity and reclaim our own relationship to the wild masculine within us and within the people around us.
This class is open to people of all genders, sexes, sexualities, gender identities, and gender expressions. We will strive to create an environment of respect and openness where it is safe to take risks and to try on new ideas and identities.
To apply e-mail greenmansean@gmail.com by June 15.
A note on payment:
This class is offered on a sliding scale. The higher end of the sliding scale is intended for those who are regularly able to afford "extras" like restaurant meals, concert tickets, and yoga retreats. If enough people are able to pay at the higher end, I will be able to afford to offer partial scholarships to passionate students who cannot afford even the lower end of the sliding scale.
If you are interested in this course and cannot afford even the lower end of the sliding scale, please contact me and we will endeavor to make an arrangement that is fair to all involved.
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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Sean Donahue is an herbalist, poet, activist, and witch committed to healing and transformation through connection with the living Earth.
As an herbalist, Sean works primarily with the wild plants of the forests and fields of New England. He views the plants as teachers, helping the body, mind, and spirit learn to correct imbalances that stand in the way of health. As a teacher, poet, and ritualist, Sean works to connect people with their own wild nature and with the life of the world around them. As an activist and journalist he has documented the human and environmental impacts of U.S. policies in Latin America, organized against nuclear power and nuclear weapons, trained hundreds of activists in techniques of nonviolent resistance, helped military families tell the stories of how the war in Iraq impacted their lives, and advocated for the rights of medical marijuana patients.
He believes that personal, community, and cultural healing are all deeply intertwined with the healing of our planet.