Joseph Campbell said “Follow your bliss.” But what does this mean? How do we connect to this deep calling and this inner knowing of what to move towards?

He says “by bliss I mean the deep sense of being in it, and doing what the push is, out of your own existence. There’s something about the integrity of a life… and the world moves in and helps.”

It’s clear to me that this is about our individual calling. One that no one else can define. And it is the action in life that is guided and called for from deep within our being. What’s also clear is that this calling coincides with being in alignment with who we are.

I spent 17 years of my life unconsciously out of alignment with who I was. And so what I thought was my bliss, a call toward filmmaking and storytelling, was not yet deeply founded.

The age of 23 to 40 were the years of two long term relationships that were completely out of alignment because I was out of alignment as a man. I called in relationships with two women who became my teachers, not my life partners.

Perhaps these challenging times were exactly what I needed in order to truly follow my bliss later in life and serve others in a good way, when I was ready. I may never know for certain. But, honestly, I feel like I do know.

For men with a masculine essence, as David Deida stresses, finding our bliss is about finding our purpose.

During those challenging years, I had a purpose and a passion, but I was still not in alignment within my troubled relationships. As a consequence, I was not able to be in integrity with who I was deep down. I had a masculine essence, but I was not masculine.

For me now, I don’t understand masculinity that isn’t in the context of being connected to that place deep within, and also being in alignment with my true nature and highest self; which, for me, requires an alignment with something much bigger than myself. For me, it’s an alignment and ongoing connection and humble relationship with my heart and with our Source (aka the Universe or God or, my personal favorite, Creator).

Masculinity is inherently an energy that is archetypal, which means it is universal and a part of the mystery of human existence and the divinity of the cosmos. These energies are not unique to any one individual, or even to our species. We are carriers of these expressions of life and of God that in turn carry us through our individual and collective challenges. And it’s these energies, wherever they may lie on the continuum of masculinity and femininity, that illuminate our passion and purpose in life. They serve both us and others. As a man, whether as a partner or father or leader or warrior or storyteller, my masculine energy informs me and serves both me and those around me. My purpose now is to stay humble and connected to an inner and outer Spirit, and to be of service in a good way to my family, community and future partner; as a leader, provider and much more. It is also to utilize the gifts I was blessed with, particularly the gift of storytelling.

However, to follow the bliss that radiates from my heart I first had to find my heart, develop a relationship with it and respond to it. This is ongoing work for me and an ever-evolving relationship. This is The Way as I see it for men. The way toward healthy masculinity.

What is becoming clear to me, is that healthy femininity does not seem to require the same direct alignment and connection with our Source. To be specific, a connection that is held with reverence and even dog-like loyalty. The kind that supports the call to war if required.

The feminine seems to be about connecting to Mother Earth, and children, and community. Of course, Mother Earth is a manifestation of God, and so it is all aligned, but where femininity is more connected to the life around us, masculinity is connected directly to Source to provide structure, direction, and overarching purpose. If truly in alignment, this always connects to the wellbeing of the feminine and ultimately the well being of children and community.

To be aligned in a good way, the feminine needs the masculine. It is required. And those women with a feminine essence, who are wanting to preserve their calling to carry this energy and to share it with their family and community, they are calling for it loudly.

Many women are cultivating masculine energy before it is their time to do so, because the world they see is a threatening one. And they do not sense that they are safe and truly looked after in a way where the feminine can emerge and be present. Because the feminine is vulnerable. It is vulnerable externally and internally.

And so, yes, there is an internal call happening in many men and women to return to a heart-centered and also archetypal path of alignment within themselves and within relationship. But there is also an external call. I, for one, am calling for men who identify as masculine, to learn how to cultivate their inner strength as well as their outer strength. To get to know their hearts, their fears and anger and to learn how to grieve for themselves and for the men (and women) who came before them, but did not allow this for themselves. This is the path to our deepest truth, to knowing our call or bliss, and to our Source.