Through the winter, the Sandpoint Men’s Group continued to stay busy. We did our winter solstice Sweat Lodge in a snowstorm with single digit temperatures. We first needed to dig out the Lodge and fire pit from 3′ of snow from previous storms before we could Sweat. No problems though as it was plenty warm inside the lodge. We are hoping the snow will be melted for our spring equinox Sweat.
Eleven men from the SMG came together to form the Creation Tribe, a sub group of our larger three-circle group. The Creation Tribe builds on the healing work of our circles to support men in creating conscious lives of passion and purpose. Each man, teamed with a partner and with the help of Basecamp collaboration software, works towards dreaming in the life he wants and then sets goals to create/live that life. Each partner and the larger group supports the man in reaching those goals. The group formed and led by Owen Marcus and Wayne Pignolet weaves the teachings and processes of many diverse sources to produce a group that help birth each man’s dreams.
Form a co-ed training in male-female relationships this past November the groups learned about Alison Armstrong’s work. Alison through her seminars teaches men and women about how our biology can affect our behavior. Her fun DVDs inspire both the women’s and men’s groups to sponsor the community showing of her DVDs. We are planning to offer more of her DVDs to the community with the hope of forming a couple’s group and possibly bringing her to Sandpoint.
William Heller, a founding member recently attended with his wife Diane Rich and CharTossi’s couple’s workshop in the Bay Area. Rich is a co-founder of the Mankind Project. William is now organizing our community to sponsor Rich and his wife coming to Sandpoint. William is also leading a team to do the entire MOS (Men of Service) at a New Warrior Training Adventure sponsored by the MKP (ManKind Project). This team would do all the cooking at the training at Rock Lake, B.C. in June.