King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine Chapter Summary & Analysis - The Crisis in Masculine Ritual Process and Masculine Potentials Summary

The Crisis in Masculine Ritual Process and Masculine Potentials Summary and Analysis

The authors claim that it is vital that a man undergo ritual initiation into the structures of manhood in order to be a fully realized mature male. Men who do not have this opportunity seemingly cannot pull all the facets of themselves together in order to live as a full emotional, physical and spiritual man. The rites of initiation seem to go back all the way to the Cro-Magnon man who drew cave paintings of man hunting and conquering all types of animals and then performing primeval rituals. Anthropologists agree that these cave paintings were created by men to show young men the mysterious world of male responsibility and masculine spirituality.

The authors believe that it is fundamental to human beings to desire to move from a lower form of experience and consciousness to a more consolidated and structured identity. Young men want to move forward into adulthood...
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