{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"EP 243: Eating the Shadow \u2013 Mythopoetic Men\u2019s Work, the Lover Archetype, and Repair in a Villageless World with Ian MacKenzie","description":"In this episode, Kimberly speaks with Ian MacKenzie, filmmaker, writer, mythosomatic guide, and host of The Mythic Masculine, about what men\u2019s work looks like in 2026. A fellow Orphan Wisdom scholar, Ian traces the mythopoetic lineage back through Robert Bly\u2019s Iron John, Carl Jung, and Marie-Louise von Franz, and describes how discovering Bly\u2019s book in his late grandfather\u2019s study set him on this path alongside his film work on feminine archetypes (Amplify Her). They talk candidly about the cultural moment \u2014 the \u201cRape Academy,\u201d the Pelicot case, the question of where the men are, and why the issues that feel omnipresent in some circles remain invisible in others curated by algorithm. Ian unpacks the medicine of mythopoetic men\u2019s spaces: how men can \u201cput down the masculine pole\u201d when others hold the container, why porn functions as a \u201ctoxic mimic\u201d of intimacy, and how the shadow we exile grows hostile and acts out. They explore the lover archetype and erotic rites of passage rooted in his time at the Tamera community in Portugal, the \u201croad of ashes\u201d and why real men\u2019s spaces are composed of \u201cfailed heroes,\u201d and how to tend rites of passage for our own children by building real relationships with other men long before adolescence. The conversation closes on accountability and repair in a \u201cvillageless\u201d culture, erotic leadership, and the inaugural Cascadia Men\u2019s Conference.   Bio Ian MacKenzie is a filmmaker, mythosomatic guide, and the founder of The Mythic Masculine - a platform devoted to stewarding the soul work of men. For two decades, Ian has tracked the emergence of imaginal culture - from the fires of Burning Man to the streets of Occupy Wall St - amplifying the voices of visionaries, artists, and wisdom keepers working toward a more regenerative world. A 15-year scholar of the Orphan Wisdom School, and a four-time pilgrim to the Tamera peace research community in Portugal, he has dedicated himself to expanding the terrain of what men's inner work can be: weaving ritual, ancestral story, and somatic reclamation into a living path toward sovereign purpose. He is the co-founder of The Deep Masculine Journey, a 12-week initiatory program for men, and the host of The Mythic Masculine podcast. His films include Sacred Economics, Occupy Love, Amplify Her, and The Village of Lovers. He lives on Vancouver Island with his partner and son.   What He Shares The mythopoetic lineage of Bly\u2019s Iron John, Jung, von Franz and finding the book in his grandfather\u2019s study in his mid-30s How exploring feminine archetypes through Amplify Her opened the question of masculinity for him Why the \u201cwhere are the men\u201d moment is so confusing for men who want to speak but fear getting it wrong The \u201chungry ghost\u201d pattern: what happens when men locate all their Eros and vitality in women Porn as a \u201ctoxic mimic\u201d (Caroline Casey\u2019s phrase) of real intimacy and reciprocity \u201cPutting down the masculine pole\u201d how men can finally fall apart when others hold the container \u201cEating the shadow\u201d creating space for men to reveal trespass and explore real repair Erotic rites of passage and the lover archetype, drawn from his time at Tamera The \u201croad of ashes,\u201d failed heroes, and the difference between olders and elders Tending rites of passage for our kids and why a parent is \u201cdisqualified\u201d from leading their own child\u2019s Accountability and repair in a villageless culture, and the vision behind the Cascadia Men\u2019s Conference   What You\u2019ll Hear What \u201cthe mythic masculine\u201d means and where the mythopoetic tradition comes from Whether the erotic is \u201cfeminine\u201d  anima, animus, and locating aliveness inside vs. outside How algorithmic bubbles make the same cultural crisis omnipresent for some and invisible for others The critique of men\u2019s work as apolitical self-improvement  and the Mankind Project\u2019s stance Dyads, Forum, and psychodrama as practices for meeting the shadow The \u201cdogs in the basement\u201d story. Shadow, ancestors, and what we exile What an erotic rite of passage weekend actually looks like, and the core wound it surfaces A hard, honest exchange about campus assault and what real accountability could look like Erotic leadership, deep attunement, and meeting a partner stepping into her own fullness Details on the Cascadia Men\u2019s Conference \u201cCourting the Divine Spark\u201d Resources: Main Website: http:\/\/themythicmasculine.com Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ianalexanderm\/ Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ian.mackenz\/ ","author_name":"Sex Birth Trauma with Kimberly Ann Johnson","author_url":"http:\/\/www.kimberlyannjohnson.com\/","html":"