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We were gathered, a circle of men, on the slopes of Maui in the
wet warm morning of Hawaii. We were all attending a week long camp
in Sacred Dance and this was men's day. So, of course, we pulled
out all of the men's dances.
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Then one of the leaders of the gathering of men offered a traditional
walk that was intended to be an attunement to our manliness. It was
called the 'Ram Walk", after the Hindu God.
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He puffed out his chest, took a fierce look upon his face, a martial
attitude to his posture, held his arms strong and angular down, the better
to show muscle strength, and walked stiffly in a circle.
We all followed suit. It all looked rather hilarious.
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Then a second leader stepped forth and politely, without deprecating
the first leader's movement, suggested that perhaps there was also another
way to attune to the inner qualities of our manliness. This person
assumed a stance soft yet with integrity. His left hand, the hand
of power, he held in a loose fist as though holding a bow, the bow of Peace,
he said. His right hand he held softly upright before his heart.
This, he said, was the arrow of Truth. As he walked the gait was
slow, unpretentious and aware of the surroundings, the footsteps each feeling
the earth beneath with a gently held balance.
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This second walk has stayed with me for over two decades as a simple
and deep way to pass beyond the veils and chains that our modern society
encases men within and to truly feel that eternal and balanced man that
I am.
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