I’ve got a profound episode for you today. My guest is Bill Plotkin, one of the most genius and inspired visionaries of our time that you’ve likely never heard of.
He’s the author of a few books that have rocked my world, most notably, Nature and The Human Soul.
When I first read Nature and The Human Soul some years ago, I felt like I’d discovered a sacred tablet with the codes to living every stage of life well.
Through his work spanning 5 decades as a depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and founder of western Colorado’s Animas Valley Institute, Bill has led thousands of women and men through nature-based initiatory rites-of-passage, and from his work he HAS brought back a vigorously detailed map of the stages of human development, from birth to death, including the specific tasks that are required for someone to complete if they are to psychologically progress from one developmental stage to the next, like from late adolescence to early adulthood. Building on Carl Jung’s work, and the work of countless other brilliant hearts and minds spanning a myriad of human cultures, when I read Bill’s work, I understand more clearly the adventure of my life, the story arcs that have played out, the excruciating bottoms I’ve hit at critical and pivotal moments of my life, and what the real tasks of the different stages of life are that, if I don’t accomplish those tasks, then I don’t truly grow or evolve, even though my body may age.
A major theme he explores in his work, which we talk about in this episode, is the overwhelming lack of true adults in the modern world, and the state of humanity as being currently made up largely of people stuck in adolescent ways of thinking, being, and doing.
We also talk about a critical phase of the life journey, The Journey of Soul Initiation, an experience undertaken between adolescence and adulthood, and a prerequisite for any human to step into true adulthood, and sadly a journey our culture does not support, and in fact actively discourages.
Soooo much to explore here. Bill is one of my beloved elders and teachers, I encourage you to listen to this entire episode, get Bill’s books. If you have or want kids, Bill’s work can help you understand what your own children need to experience at different stages of development, if they are to become truly healthy adults.
So let’s get going. I start off our conversation with a personal story of something that happened to me after I got out of the military, and we take off from there into a profound conversation, which is still but a short stroll on the tippy top of the massive iceberg that is his life’s work.
Near the end, before he gives us insight into how you can move further in the direction of your own journey of soul initiation, I ask Bill whether he has hope for humanity, given culture’s resistance to creating mature adults. His answer will surprise you, maybe frighten you. He does have hope, but not in the way you might think.
So, definitely stay tuned all the way through to the end of this episode of Men, This Way …
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