Nov 30, 2020
#186:
One of my favorite books of 2020 – and now one of my favorites of all time – is Glennon Doyle’s book Untamed.
It’s a book written for women so most men will never pick it up, which in my mind is a tragedy, because so much of it speaks to the inner power that we all have that goes untapped…because we’re afraid of what comes with that power.
The opening story takes place with Glennon taking her daughter Tish to the zoo to see a cheetah named Tabitha.
After a few minutes of observing the cheetah, Glennon’s daughter Tish asks the zookeeper “Isn’t Tabitha sad…doesn’t she miss the wild?”
The zookeeper replies “No Tabitha was born here, she doesn’t know any different. She’s never even seen the wild. This is a good life for Tabitha. She’s much safer here than she would be in the wild.”
The zookeeper’s quote landed like a gut punch:
Suddenly, I felt like Tabitha – the caged Cheetah – behind a wall of invisible bars and assimilated to living a life of safety, as defined by someone other than me.
How can I, or how can you, ever feel the full force of your power and strength…when that strength is behind bars?
I suppose if the #1 game you want to play in life is one of safety, then your metaphorical zoo is a great place to live. The bars certainly keep other predators out.
But I’m here to live the Great Man Within Me. The Great Man doesn’t do bars.
One of the Great Man’s greatest allies is the Wild Man, the primitive, untamed part of ourselves that gets locked up at an early age and for many men, never resurfaces ever again.
You know you’ve felt your Wild Man calling if:
I know all of these feelings…and I’m tired of stalking the periphery of my life, feeling discontent (which is a line from Glennon Doyle’s book).
If you’ve ever felt the same, then this episode of Awakening the Wild Man Within You is right up your alley.
Our guide for today’s discussion is the filmmaker, Ian MacKenzie.
Who is Ian MacKenzie?
In today’s Episode:
Ian’s Resources
Ian’s Website: https://www.ianmack.com
Ian’s Podcast: The Mythic Masculine
Ian’s Film: Love
School
Books Referenced
Untamed by Glennon
Doyle
Iron John by Robert
Bly
Women Who Run With the Wolves by
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Dancing in the Flames by Marian
Woodman