Men’s Group: The Work Beneath the Surface

 A rite of becoming. A reckoning with strength. A return to the forgotten fire.

This Isn’t Just Group Therapy. It’s Soul Work.

“You must not cling to your boyhood any longer—it’s time you were a man.”
The Odyssey, Book 1

 This 8-week men’s group is not about fixing—it’s about remembering.
You’ll trace the arc of a myth that’s older than history but shaped by your life: a descent into what’s buried, a confrontation with your shadow, and a return with the tools to live more fully.

Each session weaves story, silence, discussion, and symbolism. This is not academic. It’s embodied. It’s ancestral. It’s yours.


From Wildman to Wound: The Descent

The first half of the journey moves downward.

Linocut-style image of a glowing sword in a forge surrounded by fire and sparks. The sword stands upright without a pommel, symbolizing raw energy and untamed potential.

Week 1 – The Wildman (Iron, Fire):

This week awakens what has long been buried beneath conformity, shame, and performance. The Wildman is not the enemy — he is the primal spark we’ve ignored. Together we explore where we’ve hidden our fire, how chaos has become numbness, and what it means to reclaim instinct as sacred. This is the beginning of descent, and the sword is still unformed, burning in the forge of our lives.

Linocut-style image of a sword resting on an anvil with sparks rising from its edge. The sword has no pommel, symbolizing discipline and strength being shaped into form.

Week 2 – The Warrior (Copper, Earth):

Power is not enough — it must be directed. This week invites men to confront how they fight, what they defend, and who they become in conflict. We hammer the raw metal of our instincts into something usable. Discipline is not about repression; it’s about shaping strength with intention. Here, the sword is being forged on the anvil of restraint.

Linocut-style image of a sword descending into still water with mist rising around it. The sword has no pommel and symbolizes restraint, clarity, and moral focus.

Week 3 – The Steward (Tin, Wind):

The Steward directs passion toward purpose. Here, the sword is tempered — cooled in the waters of responsibility and integrity. This week we explore what it means to use strength not for conquest, but for care. We consider legacy, service, and the quiet moral decisions that shape our character. This is the turning from power to protection.

Linocut-style image of a completed sword standing upright on dark ground, missing its pommel. The setting is quiet and somber, symbolizing readiness, sorrow, and inner weight.

Week 4 – The Wounded Self (Mercury, Water):

Before we can truly descend, we must face what wounds us. The Wounded Self doesn’t demand pity — it demands presence. This week is a reckoning: with failure, regret, betrayal, and pain. The sword is now formed, but incomplete — a mirror more than a weapon. We begin to see that healing is not a return to how things were, but a turning toward what is real.

Alchemy of the Soul: The Return

The second half is the Great Work—alchemy of the self.

Linocut-style image of a lone man descending into a cave holding a sword overhead. The sword catches faint light while the cave looms dark, symbolizing shadow work and inner descent.

Week 5 – Nigredo (Lead, Water):

The descent becomes literal. This is the belly of the whale, the cave of initiation, the grave where the false self begins to die. Men carry their swords into the dark not to fight, but to illuminate what’s been buried. Together we name the addictions, patterns, and lies that live in our shadows. This is the blackening — the beginning of the Great Work.

Linocut-style image of a sword sheathed at a man's side in a boat under the moon, with a feminine figure nearby and a sea creature stirring beneath the water. Symbol of sacred union and balanced forces.

Week 6 – Albedo (Silver, Air):

This is the week of sacred balance. We explore the feminine within the masculine — not as softness or surrender, but as wholeness. Men begin to carry the sword differently: not unsheathed in violence, but secured in trust. The sea stirs, the moon rises, and the feminine joins the journey. We practice inner union, where direction and depth begin to align.

Linocut-style image of a man with a sheathed sword receiving guidance from a wise figure in a temple. The sword reflects light, symbolizing wisdom, discernment, and inner alignment.

Week 7 – Citrinitas (Gold, Earth):

The man now enters the arena. He has walked through fire and shadow — now he must act. This week explores what roles we play, what masks we wear, and how to live wisely in a world of demands. The sword is sheathed, present, respected. We look at alignment: how to match the self with the world, and how to let the inner guide become the outer compass.

Linocut-style image of a radiant sword with a stone pommel planted in the earth on a mountain. A man kneels behind it in prayer, symbolizing sacred integration and the culmination of transformation.

Week 8 – Rubedo (Philosopher’s Stone, Fire):

The sword is planted in the earth. The man kneels — not in defeat, but in reverence. This is not the end of the story, but the first moment he can carry it well. Rubedo is not perfection; it is wholeness. We close the journey not with mastery, but with integration — where wound and strength no longer compete, and presence replaces performance.

This is for Men Who...

“Where a man’s wound is, that is where his genius will be.”
—Robert Bly, Iron John

  • Are stuck in cycles of anger, disconnection, or performance

  • Feel adrift after loss, betrayal, or major life shifts

  • Have done individual work but still feel something’s missing

  • Crave depth, myth, and embodied masculine integration

  • Want to show up for others without losing themselves

The Next Cohort Begins Soon

Spots are limited. Each group is closed and intimate—built on trust and shared courage. If this speaks to you, add your name below. You’ll receive an invitation when the next group is forming.

All messages are submitted securely through Psychology Today. Please use this form to express interest in therapy or the men's group.