Masculine Embodiment

Fireside Strummers
This is what I’ve been up to….
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How I Clear My Mind and Center Pre-Workshop

There’s this beautiful trail I can ride to from my house and the end of it is where the lava flow meets the train track.

I’m grateful to the stewards of this land and to the great mother.

Each week I ride this trail before I facilitate my Masculine Embodiment Facilitator calls. It clears my head and calms my nervous system. How do you prepare for big moments?

⭐ CLIENT LOVE ⭐ 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙐𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝘿𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙉𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣.

Prior to being my client Andrew Anunciation aka was a nomadic world traveler, attending festivals, workshops and ceremonies. In 2020 everything came to a grinding halt for Andrew (thanks COVID). With no more plane tickets, events or travel plans Andrew had no choice but to look at himself and ask himself some serious questions: What was he going to do with his life? Was he showing up in alignment with his calling? It was in this deep self reflection that Andrew awoke to the knowing that he needed to dive deep into men’s work so he could share his gifts with the world.

Andrew and I met in San Diego where the seed was planted that we would one day work together. I was so thrilled when he called and said he needed a coach. I told him the timing couldn’t be better as I just launched my business mastermind for men. He was a perfect fit.

There were challenges and blocks around the price of the course as he had never invested so much into himself. Today with a smile on his face he says
“I'm glad I did it. I said yes, because there was a sense of knowing that I was going to receive help. Andrew Belinsky knows what he is doing. He has the experience!”

Now Andrew is running his own successful online course and sharing his knowledge and cocoa ceremony gifts with the world. The word he uses to describe stepping into his purpose is “exhilarating.” By sharing his medicine with the world, he is transforming lives and in turn leaving a legacy on humanity.

As a star student of the Masculine Embodiment Facilitator, I see huge growth and impact in his future and I’m beyond stoked for him and all of the people he positively impacts with his work.

In Humble Service,
Andrew

“Nice try, fa99ot!”

The three men continued walking by me, laughing all the way down the busy city sidewalk.

I’ll never forget this encounter. I was 28 and I had just had a fun night downtown in San Diego.

I was walking back to my car (probably more like skipping) when I noticed three men up ahead walking toward me. One of them raised a hand to give me a high five and when I went for it he took his hand away.

And then he hurled the slur and they laughed.

A pit immediately formed in my belly. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream at them, “Guys, that’s messed up!” I wanted to let them know, “WTF, I’m not even gay.”

As a skinny, sensitive boy and a victim of bullying, this was not the first time I was the target of abuse and certainly not the first time using homophobic slurs. But it was the first time in a long while.

Growing up, I know I didn’t have it nearly as rough as other boys who were more effeminate, skinny or artistic than me. I really felt for them, during high school in particular. It was brutal for them, especially in the more rural and conservative towns.

Though homophobia (and transphobia) runs rampant in Western culture, it is not always the case in other parts of the world. When I lived in Korea I witnessed so much brotherly love and platonic man-to-man intimacy and it made my heart overflow.

Yesterday while at a friend’s house, we walked arm-in-arm down his driveway to go see our daughters playing. He said, “This is just like we used to do in India.”

Remembering our true nature as affectionate men is a crucial part of what we do with Masculine Embodiment Facilitator. Whether it’s eye-gazing, chest tapping, massage or contact improv, our facilitators bring through the brotherhood medicine in a safe and consensual way.

I find it a bit sad that brotherly love must be retaught to men in modern times. I am encouraged to know that the men's work movement is creating spaces to remember that it is a good thing when men love men, regardless of their race, shape or orientation.

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It’s Memorial Day and I am thinking about the First Nation and indigenous people all over the world. I am grateful to the military personnel who has served here or abroad to keep this country safe AND I reflect on colonization often as I am reminded of it everyday--living in Bend, Oregon in a predominantly white neighborhood where every street in my neighborhood is named after an indigenous tribe. I live on Choctaw Road.

My ancestors are holocaust survirors and settled here in America a century ago. At that time, the roads and reservations were already built and so we had no direct hand in the forced removal of the original people of this land. However, this doesn’t mean I am free from responsibility or that I am not an oppressor.

I cannot change the past, but I can change the future. The path to justice and freedom for all is just that, a path. It is a lifestyle and requires consistent work. It isn’t fun, nor is it pretty. But what we have done to this Earth and its indigenous peoples is an atrocity.

Today I humbly speak the native name for the Deschutes River: “toowarnihyooks”. I give thanks for the life it provides to my family and our community. I also recognize that the Warm Springs Reservation (including Paiute and Wasco tribes), whose people were forcibly removed from this area. These people live downstream and essentially live in a constant state of drought because of how much we consume.

I commit to continue using my white privilege to lift up those who have been marginalized by white supremacy and to teach my daughter by example how to do the same. This work must be done across all sectors of our life and that is why in my men’s group we practice tithing to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and at all the events hosted on my family’s land we donate a portion of the proceeds to Warm Springs. It’s a small act, but it’s something. What if all businesses did this?

On a day that honors the sacrifices others have made for us, how are you owning your privilege?

You don’t need to be rich, a land owner or of royal descent to embody King energy. King energy is not a title, but a mindset. To fully step into the power of the king archetype you can start by getting your life together. Master your schedule, be impeccable with your agreements (remember- your word is gold), get clear on who you serve and sit at your throne with benevolence and strength. A great king holds powers with humility and grace knowing they are the hand to shelter and protect the people of their kingdom.

How do you embody your inner king?

In Service,
Andrew

The moment I’ve been preparing for my entire adult life.

Tonight 10 men gather up to begin my 3-month training Masculine Embodiment Facilitator.

Another program filled!

These men represent 3 continents, 5 time zones and a variety of walks of life. They are fathers, war veterans, musicians, yogis, medicine men, fire fighters, and more.

The one thing we all have in common is we feel a deep calling to gather men up to become more of who they really are.

By the end of this program all 10 of these men will be offering their healing retreat, signature workshop and epic 1-on-1 experience that unearths the truest versions of masculinity.

I’m excited to lead these men to step into their authentic leadership; excitement being a combination of fear and joy. This tingle and tension in my bones is how I know I’m on the right path.

I’m humbled to have the honor to guide these men through the challenging and exhilarating experience of sharing one's work with the world. It’s not for the faint of heart and it requires courage and resilience.

I look forward to sharing with you the fruits of our collective unearthing and empowering.

I’m stoked to report: the Brotherhood is alive.

In Humble Service,
Andrew

A message to the men choosing to do the messy inner work,

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐧, 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

This is the time to assume a new form.

This Spring you emerge from the cocoon.

This Summer you fly.

We will meet you skyward.

3 spots remain in the Masculine Embodiment Facilitator Training. Join men from across the globe who are rising into their purpose and choosing to serve their people with their soul gifts. DM me to apply.

In Service,
Andrew

Was Luke Skywalker ready to become the voice of the resistance? No.

Was Harriet Tubman ready to become the leader of the rebellion? No.

Were your mom and dad ready to be parents? No.

NO. None of them thought they were ready.

None of them thought they were ready. These men and women, real and fictitious were simply courageous enough to lean into the fear and accept the responsibility of becoming who they were born to be.

"I'm not ready doesn't fly." "I'm not ready" means "I'm too scared."

Rise up, my brothers and sisters. Take the leap. Enroll in the course. Take out the loan. Set the date. Speak your desire.

This is our time. Together we rise.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝟒 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏. 𝐃𝐌 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬.

In Humble Service,
Andrew

Being Married Is Hard

My wife and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. We just got back from a magical two-night stay over in Mackenzie Bridge, OR. We dipped in hot springs, hiked in the forest and even slept in. (Thank you grandma for being with our toddler)!

While we do still find exciting times together, we are out of the “honeymoon” phase. The candle that we lit together on our wedding day no longer blazes consistently. It is now a delicate flame that requires consistent tending to.

The challenge of staying passionately connected as intimate partners, coparents, housemates and entrepreneurs sometimes seems too heavy to hold. The further we go in life together, the clearer it is how society sets marriages up to fail.

The prevalence of divorce and domestic abuse is an epidemic in Western society. Both run rampant in my family.

Let me be clear, I’m not against divorce. In fact I believe sometimes it is the best and safest option for a couple.

What I am against is using divorce as the easy way out. I’m against divorce before doing deep inner work with a therapist and/or coach. I’m against divorce before cleaning your own life up and taking a sober look in the mirror. I’m against divorce before trying couples counseling for many months.

Because true, long-lasting love, the kind that has a strong enough foundation to withstand the wear and tear of love, the kind that you can build a family and a legacy on, takes work. It gets boring and the passion wanes. On top of that, the person you married sometimes evolves into a completely different person.

Love is not for the faint of heart!

My Queen, I stay committed to doing deep work, on my own and in partnership with you. Thank you for all of the great relationship book recommendations. Thank you for showing up to counseling with me. Thank you for giving me time to go on my men’s weekends. Thank you for doing your inner work alongside me.

Here’s to many more years (and lifetimes) together evolving as humans, in service to creation.