The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine

by Matthew Fox

It is no secret that men are in trouble today. From war to ecological collapse, most of the world’s critical problems stem from a distorted masculinity out of control. Yet our culture rewards the very dysfunctions responsible for those problems.To Matthew Fox, our crucial task is to open our minds to a deeper understanding of the healthy masculine than we receive from our media, culture, and religions. Popular religion forces the punitive imagery of fundamentalism on us, pushing most men away from their natural yearning for spirituality and toward intolerance and domination. Meanwhile, many men, particularly young men, are looking for images of healthy masculinity to emulate and finding nothing.To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Grandfatherly Heart to the Spiritual Warrior. He explores archetypes of sacred marriage, showing how partnership becomes the ultimate expression of healthy masculinity. By stirring our natural yearning for healthy spirituality, Fox argues, these timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to reinvent the world.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Psychology, Theology, Philosophy

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Timothy James "Matthew " Fox is an American priest and theologian. Formerly a member of the Dominican Order within the Catholic Church, he became a member of the Episcopal Church following his expulsion from the order in 1993.
Fox has written 35 books that have been translated into 68 languages and have sold millions of copies and by the mid-1990s had attracted a "huge and diverse following"

Reviews

[Meg Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been cut in half. Though insightful and overall interesting, very repetitive. With only a few exceptions (ex. the chapter on Icarus and Deadalus), read as a dry research paper. You'd be better served reading a summary than the book itself.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have numerous shelves full of books written specifically for women. These resources encourage women to let go of unhealthy societal expectations, learn to love themselves, and to embrace their inner goddess.

What I realized as I began reading The Hidden Spirituality of Men is that I don’t have any books written for men or about the masculine parts of us all. What about my husband, my son, and my grandson? Doesn’t the world give them unrealistic messages that “real men” don’t show their emotions, that “real men” are supposed to be dominant at all times, and that “real men” are defined by what they drink or what sports they like to watch? Don’t they also need to look within to find and accept the real them?

The Hidden Spirituality of Men opened my eyes. Caught in my own struggles, I hadn’t really considered the male perspective. I didn’t think about the depth that is hidden or why men believe that they need to do so. I hadn’t realized that just as the roles of women have been distorted so have those of men.

[Tracy Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read lots of books about women's spirituality. Really enjoyed reading this book about the possibilities for men. Very interested already in Fox's Creation Spirituality -- an expansive mix of not-Christianity-but-Christ-consciousness and a nature /cosmos centered spirituality arising from ancient /indigenous cultures. I truly enjoyed the way this rolled out archetypes that could support a more healthy, modern male spirituality. The Divine Feminine plays a big part in Fox's cosmology and his invitation to all of us, male and female, is to the sacred marriage of dualistic opposites in all of us. For myself, I long for the day when qualities -- strength, compassion, assertiveness, receptivity -- don't get labelled as gendered at all, but we aren't there yet. I fear that as long as men have to be encouraged to tap into their "feminine side", patriarchy will continue to be use labels like "a real man" or expressions like "man up" to shame boys when they express emotion or don't like sports, etc. Nonetheless this book is pointing in the right direction and I really enjoyed it for the most part. A little too long. Interviews weren't always additive and I began to skip them. Overall -- two thumbs up. Made me want to go back and reread "Original Blessing" and pick up "Creativity."

[Christine Christman · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOT for men only. Matthew Fox struck gold again with this wonderful look into the archetypes for male spirituality that has encouraged me toward a healthier balance of masculine/feminine in my own life and in my world view. I didn't agree with everything he described, but many aspects of the archetypes rang true and his perspective on masculinity brings hope for a true masculine spirit which has been so wounded by patriarchy.

[Shaan Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to re-read for myself periodically. To remind myself of the challenges, the difficulties, the power and the humility in the search for myself.

I can highly recommend this book for giving a language to some of the hidden workings of the psyche - not just the male - and also putting forward some eye-opening and deeply poetic quotes. Some which have deeply resonated with me personally.

"There is no name for God which is God, or which tells the whole story."

[Les · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had this tome been half as long it might have been twice as good.

The ten "metaphors" of the title -- more properly Fox's take on Jungian archetypes--can't be sustained without a good deal of rhetorical padding, quote-mining, repetition, and generally ginning up arguments out of some thin spiritual and sociological ground.

I suspect that ten, being perceived as a "masculine" number (in contrast the the "feminine" 3 x 3=9) became Fox's target as he set down to write this book. Ironically, then, in a critique of the purported patriarchal need to dominate the feminine, he numerically dominates the feminine. The result is a bloated assemblage of related ideas that overlap but never quite coalesce. Too often, what might have been a valid insight into some aspect of western culture sinks under grab-bag of gratuitous references and out-of-context quotes by authors famous and otherwise. The short quotes degenerate into mere decoration, and the longer ones are too often too long. All fall into the same anodyne writing style. And lists, many lists, as if a weak argument is bolstered by a recitation of authors who said something kinda-sorta like that.

Though quoting broadly from world-wide spiritual traditions, Fox never gets past his own white, male, Roman Catholic perspective. Honor and shame are the underlying concern of the early chapters. (Raised as I was in the Protestant tradition, fixation on the honor-shame continuum seem rather quaint; humiliation is what keeps me up nights.) Later chapters, attempting to meld current discourses on matriarchy and patriarchy, are informative but hardly groundbreaking. Some "insights" are quite banal: Young people are not entering nursing due to a cultural shift toward healing professions, health care is where the jobs are.

As other reviewers have noted, the work at times feels like an academic exercise. Five pages worth of discussion are too often stretched to 20 or more -- likely in the service of that patriarchal task-master, ego.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

In einer Zeit, die von Genderdiskussionen und der Annahme geprägt ist, dass das Geschlecht komplett konstruiert sei, war ich schon länger auf der Suche nach einem Werk, das zumindest versucht dem Geschlecht eine Identität zu geben. In diesem Fall, dem männlichen Geschlecht. Denn wie auch immer man zu den Themen steht.. Eine Identität verleiht dem Ich eine gewisse Stabilität und ein Selbstbewusstsein. In Sachen Geschlecht und Mann, durchaus etwas, das ich vermisse.

Im Ergebnis des Buches bin ich etwas zwiegespalten, da Matthew Fox auf der einen Seite sehr viel relevantes zu dem Thema zu sagen hat, er aufgrund seines Hintergrunds aber zu spirituell und US-bezogen argumentiert. Das heißt im Kern sagt er viele richtige Dinge, die auch streckenweise sehr spannend zu lesen sind. Er verliert sich dann aber in einer Konstruktion, die all seine Erkenntnisse innerhalb des Westküsten-Buddhismus einordnet.

Als Leser, der außerhalb dieses Spektrums agiert, muss man sich seine Antworten entsprechend selbst suchen. Dabei hilft die Analyse, die streckenweise sehr trocken geschrieben ist, mehr aber auch nicht.

Was uns aus Deutschland heraus daran noch interessiert, ist, dass wir seit Jahren händeringend nach einer Erklärung für das Gebaren im Silicon Valley suchen. Eine Beschäftigung mit dem Westküsten-Buddhismus ist hierbei hilfreich. Fox ermöglicht einen gewissen Einblick und man kann auch erkennen, welche kulturellen Muster hier miteinander verschmelzen.

[Max Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I liked it more than I thought I would. It got to be a little repetitive and long winded at points. It needed a little more editing. While I may not agree with every word, Fox presented me with some new ways of thinking about various topics like sexuality, community, and creativity. I am thankful to come to understand his outlook on life, and I believe the world would be a better place if we thought like Fox.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book by the great Matthew Fox. He offers fresh and innovative insights and great wisdom to help us awaken are hearts to more compassion and prophetic action in our daily lives. I had many Aha! moments while reading this book. A great read for anyone living on Earth at this crazy time.

[Jake Freedle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the ideas presented here. I think we need more books that connect men to our spirituality. This book reads like a term paper. It was hard to keep turning the pages. Great content, painfully boring delivery.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good to read for insight into the masculine archtypes and for an understanding of men's spiritual issues.

[Elizabeth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hidden Spirituality of Men by Matthew Fox is a phenomenal exploration of metaphors to awaken and heal the masculine.
There are many beautiful morsels of wisdom within these pages. Some of my favorites discussed the differences between soldiers and warriors, delved into the intersection of spirituality and sexuality, shared accounts of the divine within each of us, touched on the healing power of breathwork, and explored the marriage of the divine feminine with the sacred masculine.
At the end, there are lists of practical ways to awaken and reflect on each metaphor/archetype. I love that.
Highly recommend.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Fox has never written a book that I haven't liked - and this one is no exception. This is not a book to be read in a single sitting but rather a book that is best read a sentence or two at or a paragraph at a time. Taking time to reflect on what he has written.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected a lot from this book, but it was a nice expansion on the evolving idea of archetypes of the self and their shadow. This book is a fine companion to King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Robert Moore.

[Reanee Spratt]

I love Matthew Fox and thanks Mati as I have nto read this one yet.

[Ralph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to put this one down before finishing. Very far out there, and not compelling enough to keep reading.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant and comprehensive. It greatly expanded my understanding of and compassion for both men and women.

[Yanick Punter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all interested me but parts of it are fascinating. Inspirational.