Trans Masculinity and the Stewardship of Men's Work: A Guide

We have reached the final episode of the series:”Trans Men: In Their Own Words”.

This conversation began with Episode #1, looking at the collective cultural moment with The Seed and the Soil. We explored how trans folk represent a trickster figure, troubling the psychic architecture of the binary many of us were raised with. We talked about the urge to ‘monster’ the other, but we also looked at the history of how gender has been used as a tool of social control.

In Episode #2, we moved past the intellect and into Stories of Transition. My guests shared the intimate vulnerability of their own journeys - the grief, joy and reckonings that bind us all in the search for a place in the Book of Life.

And now in this final episode, Emmanuel, Kanoa, Lev, and Aliko move beyond individual stories to examine the architecture of men’s work. We address the faultline currently trembling modern men’s spaces: the tension between a masculinity fixed in biological certainty and one defined by collective stewardship.

“There is a larger paradigm shift in men’s work: the realization that men’s circles aren’t just for healing and brotherhood. These circles are now impacting our greater world in this time of transformation. The call is to show up in the world with the skills and the willingness to grapple that we develop in these spaces.

From an eco-political-spiritual perspective, [men’s work] is being asked to move beyond the internal process into an external one that serves the entire collective. This is why conversations around transness and color are surfacing. We have to ask: what are we doing as men with our healed bodies in a world under great collapse?

It is not enough to just sit in a circle and heal myself; I need to know how to move my authentic self into this collapsing world. This is the overarching transition putting men’s spaces at the edge of so many vital conversations.”

- Emmanuel H Brown

For men’s work facilitators, this conversation serves as a guide for understanding how and why to consider including trans men, as well as the broader transition of men’s work itself. We are tasked with moving from a narrow focus on ‘personal wellness’ toward the regeneration of culture - calling forth a masculinity that is aware, regulated, and in service to thriving life.

You can find the full guest bios & links to their work on the Series Page.

I’d love to hear your comments & reflections below.

Heads up, if you are a man seeking to explore the mythopoetic path, you are invited to check out The Archetypal Compass. This mini-guide is designed to help you navigate the internal archetypes of the soul, providing a map for those ready to move beyond personal inquiry and toward a more conscious stewardship of their lives and the world.