Why you should join our men's gathering
If you’re reading this, then it’s probably for you
If you identify as male, then this message is probably for you. If you know in your heart that you are on a Hero’s Journey, but you are doing it without a map, then this message is for you. And if you feel like your primary relationship is often standing in the way and not propelling your journey, then this message is most certainly for you. I’m sharing it for you and I’m sharing it for myself, too.
Let us be gently, but firmly, guided by our shirt collars
Let me begin by telling you a story about my grandfather, Thelbert Miller. This story was relayed to me at his funeral. A woman who was a friend of the family, with a young child, came to my grandparents for help. Her husband had moved out and refused to offer any support, so the wife and daughter had lost their home and had no place to stay. My grandparents took them in and my grandfather asked some details about where the husband worked and when he would be paid.
That Friday my grandfather met the husband at his workplace and greeted him in a friendly tone. “Bill, I heard you’ve had some trouble getting your child support payments to your wife and daughter.” The man stammered uncomfortably, then my grandfather continued, “Don’t worry about it. I understand that seeing your ex-wife can be awkward, so I’m going to give you a ride to the bank and take that child support money to her myself, come hop in.” My grandfather then proceeded to guide him gently, but firmly, by his shirt collar into the car and did just that.
Needless to say, he never missed another child support payment and, though I don’t know what was going on in Bill’s heart, I have to imagine that he felt some relief after being kindly and firmly guided into doing the right thing.
Camaraderie and Accountability
Sometimes this is exactly the thing we men need from one another. We don’t just need friendship and support, we also need accountability. We need someone who cares enough to tell us when we are wrong and how we are to make things right. Camaraderie and accountability are both things you can expect from this gathering of men, here to support one another.
How does it work?
I have been leading groups for over 15 years and I am constantly amazed by the alchemy that can happen when people truly show up and allow themselves to be seen and heard. This can be supported by ensuring safety and confidentiality. It can also be catalyzed by a framework that intentionally connects us on a level that transcends status, and ego, and any of the things that fool us into thinking that we are inferior or superior to one another.
Something new each week
Embedded into each of our gatherings are the fundamentals of the framework I have used for many years to help people navigate change. We will explore these powerful concepts through interactive processes using everything from conceptual poetry to tactical worksheets.
If you’re still reading this, then it’s definitely for you
If you have read this far, then this gathering is for you.
If you would like to experience the full range of human emotion, that is your birthright, then this gathering is for you.
If you would like to understand why you are often the greatest barrier to your own progress, then this gathering is for you.
If you would like to bring back the Elixir to your family and your community at every step of your Hero’s Journey, then this gathering is for you.
I hope you will join me and the rest of your brothers as we journey and heal together.
Elements
Some of the elements you can expect to find
Camaraderie
Men often struggle making and keeping friends. This gathering creates the conditions for the deep connections through conversation and even ritual, that create lifelong friendships.
Spirituality
You don't have to be religious to benefit from acknowledging something bigger than yourself. By relinquishing some of our illusion of control we can see our role, our relationships and our world more clearly.
Accountability
Holding one another accountable for being the best husbands, partners, fathers, and family members we can be, is an act of love. This type of accountability can help us recognize and interrupt the patterns that are holding us back.
Why this work is important
As men, we learn early how we should show up around our peers and family members. We learn that some parts of ourselves are not safe to share with the world. We internalize this way of being and then we turn around and police our male peers. Look back to our fathers, grandfathers and we see varying degrees of the same thing: Men living their lives with both their joy and grief limited, narrowed down to a pathetic spectrum. We compress our big feelings so tightly, we may not realize we are poised to pass on our limited range of being to our own children and their children.
But what if we could be the ones to break this cycle?
I find that, as men, our most direct path back to being fully human is through our grief. This isn't an easy pathway, but the wholeness it can reveal makes the journey worthwhile. This wholeness is then reflected in our relationships, our marriage and our work. Part of my own grief work is writing poetry. I wrote this poem, Healing the Prometheus Tree with a desire to put into words the opportunity we have as men to heal ourselves and the wounded Patriarchy, of which we are both benefactors and victims.
If you are ready to join a men's gathering that will help you break this cycle, register below.
Register for a weekly gathering
Where: Collective Path Wellness
8500 Shoal Creek Blvd
Building 4, Suite 114
Austin, TX 78757
When: Wednesdays 6:30-8pm
Cost: $40 per session. Please contact me if cost is a barrier to attendance.
Our Approach
Some of the tools we will use in our gatherings
The Half-LitPath
Our collective imagination is limited by binary thinking. The Half-Lit Path lets us navigate skillfully between two seeming opposites to find our path of transformation.
4D ChangeModel
This model helps us understand why change is so hard and also gives us a roadmap for understanding these four universal stages. We begin with Discernment and we end with Discovery.
Elixir atEvery Step
The Elixir, or reward, we seek on our Hero's Journey is not found at the very end, when it is often too late. We must bring back the Elixir to our families and community at every step.
Frequently Asked Questions
This gathering is for anyone identifying male who would like to experience more wholeness in the presence of other men - both through support and accountability.
I believe that we can all benefit from acknowledging something higher than ourselves. All that we ask you to bring is an open heart and a listening ear.
You are not required to attend every week, and the purpose of this group is to create community which requires us to show up together as fully and as often as possible. Come as you are able.
About Me
My name is Daniel Hope and I believe that we are all vulnerable heroes finding our way forward on a collective path. As a student and teacher of the Enneagram and the Hero’s Journey, I have developed my own approach that combines these frameworks with my training as a therapist.
My wife and I have been married for almost 25 years and our relationship has taught me more about love, growth and our divine purpose than any other source. I love working with couples as we journey together through the challenging and rewarding work of relational healing. We have 3 children, all in different stages of development, from kindergartner through college student. We raise chickens on our tiny North Austin urban farm.
I have spent my career developing and facilitating leadership and spirituality programming in healthcare and other organizational settings. This work has shown me the interconnectedness of the spiritual, clinical and vocational in our work and healing.
Daniel Hope, MA, LMFT Associate
Supervised by Gena St. David, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT-S
About Me
My name is Daniel Hope and I believe that we are all vulnerable heroes finding our way forward on a collective path. As a student and teacher of the Enneagram and the Hero’s Journey, I have developed my own approach that combines these frameworks with my training as a therapist.
My wife and I have been married for almost 25 years and our relationship has taught me more about love, growth and our divine purpose than any other source. I love working with couples as we journey together through the challenging and rewarding work of relational healing. We have 3 children, all in different stages of development, from kindergartner through college student. We raise chickens on our tiny North Austin urban farm.
I have spent my career developing and facilitating leadership and spirituality programming in healthcare and other organizational settings. This work has shown me the interconnectedness of the spiritual, clinical and vocational in our work and healing.
Daniel Hope, MA, LMFT Associate
Supervised by Gena St. David, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT-S
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