Fred Sugerman's Message on the Upcoming Retreat

The Sacred Path Retreat is coming this Oct 23 -26. This is the twice-a-year gathering of men that you know (or may not know) that I attend; I have been on staff for six years now. It's 3 days of Council embodied by the Community's Circle and Talking Stick; we use fire, create ritual, eat good food together, and participate in smaller groups we call "tribes," where much of the best that happens, happens. The hilltop in the Malibu Mountains overlooking the coastline we commune on is phenomenal.

What does it mean to be a "good man?" How do I and how do I not interact with men? When I first stood in the middle of 90 guys, holding a talking stick, I realized that I had never done anything like that before. It felt like 90 Fathers/Grandfathers were putting their complete attention on me, which was highly uncomfortable and intimidating. After I lived through it, I realized it was one of the single most healing experiences of my life; I realized that my vulnerability, feelings of inadequacy, and underlying sense that I have not and will never live up to my Dad's expectations or desires does not make me less than a man. Over the years I have witnessed hundreds of men courageously put themselves into this situation, and speak of every normally-unspoken experience, fear, predicament, circumstance and life event imaginable. As you may guess, it all comes down to the ever amazing fact that we are all so different... and Soooo the same.

I do movement, Christo does drums, Ed Munter does songs and chants and sound, a great man named Strong Bear does Story, Timothy Aguilar does his Shaman-Man thing and last, but not least, my Friend and Mentor, Stephen Johnson holds the space. Stephen attended USC in the 70's when a lot of our current cutting-ege modalities that help to create non-rational ways of Being and shift consciousness were born. He knows a lot and is a great model for Power and Fluidity in leadership.

With love,
FLS