Two podcasts and an essay

Some places you can hear and read me elsewhere

I wanted to let you know about a few other things which were just made public, places you can hear me speak or read my words.

The Elements of Man

First of all, my essay “The Elements of Man: a Mythic Framework for Masculinity” has just been made public at ABEAUTIFULRESISTANCE.COM. It was first published at Another World, the supporters’ journal for Gods&Radicals Press.

That essay is written with an eye towards fixing a deep problem within leftist, feminist, and especially “woke” movements. I think most men have sensed this problem for a long time: there is no “good way” to be a man within those movements, only a never-ending list of ways to be a “bad” man. It’s a problem many women have also pointed out, especially mothers who watch their sons struggle with being painted as inherently toxic, violent, and oppressive just for what genitals they were born with.

But rather than trying to argue too much about what this is all doing to men, the essay instead presents a mythic elemental framework men (and women) can use for understanding both the many ways there are to be a man, and how those ways can be misunderstood when ideology is prioritized over physical bodies.

For any man, the relentless criticisms of masculinity without corresponding guidance as to how to be better creates a sense that maybe there is something innately and unavoidably bad about being a man, that being a man itself is the problem. In such a situation, there are then only two options. The first is to live always with a sense of Christian guilt for being a man, constantly apologizing for who you are. Or there is the second option, one many male friends of mine have made over the years: ignore all the criticisms, and seek out ideological frameworks where masculinity is seen as neutral or even celebrated.

You can read that essay here. Includes a link for a downloadable .pdf if you prefer reading that way.

Empires Crumble 25: LAND

The latest episode in the podcast on magic, history, politics, and culture that Alley Valkyrie and I do has gone public today as well. This episode is on land, its history, its meaning, and its politics. The discussion is based off of Alley’s upcoming course (Land: Loss & Reconnection) as well as my recently published essay at Another World (“Being Pagan: Connecting to Land”).

You can listen to it in many, many ways. It is published through Soundcloud and you can subscribe to it through iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher as well. If you would like to also watch the video of it, you can either see it on Another World, my Patreon, or the Empires Crumble Patreon.

Emma Kathryn and I on Comradio

Emma Kathryn and I were interviewed by a group of UK socialists for their podcast series. It was honestly a bit of a strained interview for me, as their questions felt a bit doctrinaire and pushy. I suspect they were a bit disappointed the neither Emma nor I really gave them the answers they were hoping for, since our work is more earth-based and pragmatic.

Still, it’s worth a listen, especially to hear Emma talk. I really love her work, as there is really no one else who has so successfully combined personal liberation, magic, and political understanding in such an accessible way. The link for that is here.