Sacred Archetypes of Modern Masculinity: The Green Man

That which is within the planet is within you.

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Archetypes are recurrent symbols that offer spiritual advice to men and women as we travel the journey of life. This is the third in a 12-part series, in which this ancient wisdom is made relevant both to ecumenical (book) religions and to the non-spiritual as well through real life examples and everyday application.

While I highly encourage a spiritual path, as it feeds the soul, this wisdom will resonate regardless because it is within our bones and sinew as men. Twelve is a very significant number in spiritual circles. There are 12 months, 12 signs of the Zodiac, Jesus had 12 disciples, 12 indicates a complete cycle.

As we complete our cycle through the archetypes, we will experience the ancient wisdom offered to us around manhood. Whether you are gay, straight, bi, curious, confused, trans, married, unattached, looking, or fearful, this wisdom has the power to meet you where you are and help you experience the slice of divine that is you, as a man.

The Green Man Speaks

Study nature in all her beauty and her ways. From her you come and to her you will return. Your dominance of her is never assured; enjoy the struggle with her, for that same struggle is within you.

This archetype describes our primal connection with nature. It is important to stay connected to the planet Earth, which feeds and sustains us. Our connection with Earth is ultimately a connection with self. When we stay connected with the environment around us, our senses can become sharper and our awareness increases. I can experience litter as just a piece of garbage for someone else to deal with at a later time. Or, when I am connected to the grass, the trees, and the animals, that piece of garbage is an affront to my home.

Imagine I came to your home with some food and drink and just left the old packages on your living room floor. That act makes it seem like I am not connected to you or our relationship. Now think about the Earth. Since mankind came out of Africa, we have been dependent on our connection to nature to survive and flourish. Especially in early hunter-gatherer societies, the Earth has given us everything we needed to survive, thrive, and flourish. Why now would we treat the Earth so badly when it has, and continues, to give us everything we need to survive as a species?

Growing your connection to nature helps you develop your own mindful connection to the world around you. When you are fully present in the world you can do great things. Problems seem to not press as much and the whole planet can become your support network. Your mindful relationship with nature can help you understand your relationship with your partner, your children, even co-workers. You can touch into that energy when you need it to steady yourself emotionally or psychologically. When the planet is on your side amazing things can happen.

Envisioning The Green Man

The Green Man may evoke the image of a man in a loin cloth (or less) running around the forest, talking to small animals, and hunting food with a makeshift bow and arrow. The reality has more to do with being in balance with nature. It involves an awareness of and a connection to natural objects.

We find this archetype in literature. There is an excellent book that I’m sure many young men have read entitled Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The novel is about a teenager who crashes in the Canadian wilderness with little more than a few survival supplies and a hatchet. He survives in the wilderness for two years, feeding, clothing, and sheltering himself alone. It is an inspiring story of how one young man can survive against incredible odds and work in harmony with his natural environment using only what the earth gave him.

The archetype is also present in media. This idea of mankind against nature has been popularized in shows like “Shark Week” and other nature shows where a group of people (usually men) are going out into nature to see if they can use their wits, equipment, and abilities to survive certain, unpredictable situations. No one exemplifies The Green Man archetype more in these popular conceptions than Bear Grylls. Not only can he help you survive being dumped from a helicopter in a national forest, but his connection to nature and her ways is what really sets him apart.

Modern mankind in nature is often romanticized. “Living off the grid” and getting away from artificial civilization is seen as man’s only option for a personal connection with nature. The call is undeniable—in our bones, our sinew, our psyche. To deny it is to lose a part of one’s manhood. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to cultivate your relationship with nature and with the nature of yourself without feeling like you must isolate yourself from society in the process. The following are three ways to do that: connect with nature, connect with your natural self, and improve yourself.

Connecting with the Green Man at Home

If you are feeling ungrounded or distant, it might be time to play in some dirt or mud. The Green Man calls us to use a basic chore like yard work as a form of meditation to increase our relationship to the Earth and its mysteries of germination, growth, and renewal. If you don’t keep a garden, now may be a time to start. Even if you only have flower boxes or a small kitchen/herb garden, you can use that as a part of your spiritual practice. The Earth is alive and vibrant, and we can experience the spectacular natural joy in our lives.

The Green Man also speaks to our sacred duty to protect this great plenty and to do what we each can to reduce damage to the dynamic place that is our home. You can do little things like recycle, recreate your yard to cater to bees, plant trees, or even carpool or take mass transit to work. All of these things help Gaia, the soul of the earth. Working within the earth helps us reconnect with the planet that keeps us all going.

You, Naturally You, Are Spectacular

The Green Man also calls us to fully experience our natural selves and desires and to free ourselves from the unnatural (and in some cases unjust) world in which we find ourselves. The Haitian-American artist, Basquiat, encouraged people to live naturally. Do you have to style your hair or keep up with trends, or are you fine the way you are: body and all? Maybe even that weird skin thing that you don’t like. It’s your body and it’s beautiful in its natural way.

Your natural body, the electro-chemical machine that is the product of thousands of years of trial and error, is truly amazing. Think about all the things it does all day everyday. Your body right now is taking in the light that allows you to read this. Your brain is recognizing letters and words and creating meaning from them for you. Cells are regenerating. Your immune system is killing viruses and bacteria. Your digestive system is providing nutrients and delivering them to the parts of your body that need them. When we get too tied up in counting abdominal muscles or flexing to see if we can see our lats, we sometimes fail to appreciate all the amazing things our body is doing, including the most involuntary of functions: breathing.

One of the keys to unlocking the deep spiritual meaning in this archetype is to learn your own natural urges, and, rather than try to repress them or deny them, work in harmony with them. When you work in harmony with your natural self (and don’t harm others) then you get to discover your own personal, powerful truth. When you live your truth, many problems, lies, negative people, and problems fade away and don’t torment you because you have your own powerful and spectacular truth.

The Green Man Takes Care of Himself

Modernity has created a growing pressure for men to work out, be ripped, and become super fit. Among younger men phrases like, “Do you even lift?” have entered the mind as an unfair measure of masculinity. Magazines are selling it all the time. However, the Green Man asks us to be healthy while celebrating our bodies. In this strength, our sacred ability to create life and our ability to work with nature thrives. Too often society views the male body as disgusting and disposable.

Hugo Schwyzer here at GMP wrote an excellent article about society’s perceptions of the male body. When boys hit puberty we’re growing hair, we have skin issues, and things are changing all the time. The oil, sweat, and changing landscape of our form has led everyone from little girls to artists to praise the clean lines, curvature, and comparative simplicity of the female form over the musculature, structure, and functionality of the male form. Among gay men, this an object of desire, but as Hugo points out, “We lack a language of desire for the male form.” The Green Man reminds us that not only is the male beautiful in its form and function, it is wondrously sacred.

The Green Man challenges us to love our wonderful and dynamic selves—to harness that power for the benefit of all around us. When we love our bodies, we are able to love our partners and children in a way that is deeper and more meaningful. This can even resolve relationship issues. Shifting your attitude about your own body can solve a myriad of insecurities and enhance your relationship and sex life with your partner.

The Green Man also tells us to eat in a natural way that gives our body what it needs. This can be hard but delicious. There are a variety options to avoid the drive thru window including meal services or simply preparing food in advance. Your body is sacred—find your own way to experience the beingness /existence of that.

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Ultimately, the Green Man reminds us of a singular idea: your body, the vessel with which you interact with nature, is sacred. This sacred connection between your natural body and nature at large must be tended and fostered in order for you to take advantage of the power of the planet. This archetype implores us to walk in a forest. Listen to the language of the trees. Stare out across a plain and watch the grass move like the ocean. That which is within the planet is within you.

The Green Man is one of the most familiar and easy archetypes to tap into, so see what you can do this week to harness this archetype and leave your ideas in the Comments section!

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Image credit: CarbonNYC [in SF!]

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