Clay Boykin
Men - Values - Deep Connection - Personal Growth
“Clay Boykin has created a spiritual blueprint for men around the world… Clay’s book Circles of Men contains rich insight into the struggles and challenges of being a compassionate and spiritual male in today’s western culture.”
Jeff Bullion – Spiritual Fitness Coach
Connecting Compassionate Men Around the World
2019 – Workshops & Engagements (Links)
- Mon 7pm – Austin, TX – Men’s Circle (ongoing)
- Jan 5 – Wimberley, TX – Avalon Mystics Sweat Lodge
- Jan 10–25 – Cairo, Egypt – Shamanic Tour
- Jan 27-31 – Meru, Kenya – Men’s Retreat (Postposed due to civil unrest.)
- Feb 17 – Dallas, TX – Unity Church
- Feb 18 – Lawrence, KS – Men’s Circle Launch
- Feb 19-20 – Baldwin, KS – The Light Center
- Feb 22 – Austin, TX – Seton Cove
- Feb 24 – Austin, TX – Methodist Church
- Mar 13 – Austin, TX – A&M Breakfast
- Mar 15-17 – Austin, TX – Men’s Retreat – Non Denominational
- Mar 19-24 – Seattle, WA – Gender Equity & Reconciliation
- Mar 29-31 – Austin, TX – New Story Festival
- May 6-10 – United Nations Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns (CSVGC)
- May 17-20 – New Orleans, La – Annual ZMR Awards
- Jun 10-15 – Seattle, WA – Gender Equity & Reconciliation
- Jun 17-21 – Kansas City, MO – Global Unity Peoples Convention
- Jun 22 – Wimberely, TX – Summer Solstice Celebration
- Jun 30 – Temple, TX – Unity Church – Sunday Service
- July 11- Aug 8 – (Webinar for both men & women) The New Compassionate Male: Being Relevant at the Speed of Change
- July 16th – Austin, TX – 7:30PM – Trinity Episcopal Church – Gender Equity & Reconciliation Introductory Presentation
- Aug 11-31- Kenya, Africa – International Peace Initiatives
- Sept 19-22 – Abiquiú, NM – Ghost Ranch – Men’s Retreat
- Oct 3-7 – Atlanta area – Unity Men’s Retreat
- Nov 16 – Seattle, WA – The Alchemy of Our Compassionate Wisdom and Power
2020 – Workshops & Engagements (Links)
Past – Workshops & Engagements (Links)
“A wonderfully powerful video worth pausing for. I am blessed to be engaged with this organization of compassionate human beings.” – Clay
Clay Boykin, Author of Circles of Men; A Counter-Inuitive Approach to Creating Men’s Groups. – Interview by Chuck Robison, founder of the “What If It Really Works.”
I will be leading my first young men’s workshop in Kenya in August 2019, The New Compassionate Male, and am seeking your support to defray some of the costs of travel and other related expenses. Longer term the intention is to obtain grants to fund ongoing projects such as this to expand this critically important work.
To Contribute via Facebook: Kenya, Young Men’s Retreat
– or _
To Contribute via GoFundMe: Kenya, Young Men’s Retreat
Young men in Kenya are caught in a patriarchal system that perpetuates the cycle of rape, assault, forced prostitution, physical abuse, killing and other violence towards women in local communities. The Circles of Men Project, together with Kenya-based organization, International Peace Initiatives, are collaborating to educate young men through intense and compassionate workshops that prepare them to jointly confront gender disharmony and heal the profound wounds around gender, sexuality, and relational intimacy.
This workshop is closely linked and coordinated with Gender Equity and Reconciliation International, an important organization founded twenty-seven years ago in the U.S. and has a growing presence in Kenya, South Africa, Australia, India and several other countries.
Working with men in the areas of spirituality, mindfulness, compassion and gender healing is my calling, and I am grateful for your consideration in support of this critically important work.
Ghost Ranch, Abiquiú, New Mexico – September 19–22, 2019
Register Now: Men and Spirituality – G190933
Gather with other men in a safe contemplative setting to experience the true power of conscious vulnerability, and the healing alchemy of deeply connecting with other men seeking answers along their spiritual path. Then learn how to take your experience home if you wish and extend the conversation to engage like-minded men.
The New Compassionate Male: Being Relevant At the Speed of Change
July 2019 – Interactive Webinar Series
* Open to both women and men *
The world needs more spiritual men.
What is in a man’s heart? As a man, you are the only person who truly knows, and the likelihood is that you protect what’s at your very core from other men and perhaps the woman or partner in your life. But it is within your heart where your deepest questions are left unanswered. Fear of being vulnerable or shame keeps us from connecting with another man, yet it is only when we open our heart that these questions get answered. The world does need more spiritual men. Men who are awake to know there is power for good in vulnerability, having compassion for oneself and having compassion for others. Creating sacred spaces in the world, both physical and virtual, for men to learn from one another how to connect with the highest good in their hearts is what I do.
Interview at Unity Church of the Hills, Austin, Texas
Circles of Men Project Website
Circles of Men synthesizes, in an easy and down to earth way, what we have learned over a period of six years and more than 20,000 collective man-hours spent connecting with one another in a non-judgmental, safe, and contemplative environment. We draw from the life experiences of academics and tradesmen, gay and straight, married and divorced, men in their eighties and men in their twenties, men of all colors and nationalities, and men from all religious, non-religious and spiritual traditions.
In Circles of Men, you will find insights on how we have come together—what we refer to as the Twelve Secrets—practical suggestions, thoughts on leadership, a robust list of unique topics, and much more, all so that you will be able to start a circle of your own.
With this book, Clay Boykin has created a spiritual blueprint for men around the world. Not only does this book provide a detailed guide for starting and maintaining a men’s group, but it also contains rich insight into the struggles and challenges of being a spiritual male in today’s western culture. Clay’s authenticity, honesty, and vulnerability make this an endearing read for both men and women trying to understand male or masculine spirituality. Told through his experience, Clay shares a story we can all relate too. It is rich with practical and personal insight that helps break down the complexity of the human spirit. I especially enjoyed the testimonials from those who have had the opportunity sit amongst Clay and experience this counter-intuitive process. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about their own spirituality or someone wanting to start their own group
The world needs more spiritual men and raising consciousness among men is Clay Boykin’s calling. Clay has recently dedicated his next twenty years to creating circles of men around the world who gather, physically and virtually, to engage in contemplative conversations on the over-arching theme of male spirituality.
Using his thirty-eight years as an organizational change agent, and with his deeply held principles of servant leadership, Clay founded the Men’s Fellowship Network. Since 2012, over 20,000 collective man-hours have been invested in exploring the divine masculine and divine feminine essence within every person.
Clay’s recently published book, Circles of Men, examines how men come together in a contemplative setting to learn about vulnerability, cultivate trust, hold space, explore the many religious and spiritual traditions, and learn from one another’s life journey.
Recently, Clay accepted a volunteer position as Assistant Director of Compassionate Austin, and is developing an initiative for the Charter for Compassion focused on Men and Boys.
It was an enriching time at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. It was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.
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Karen Armstrong
The Parliament of the World’s Religions seeks to promote interreligious harmony, rather than unity. The problem with seeking unity among religions is the risk of loss of the unique and precious character of each individual religious and spiritual tradition; this understanding is key to our framework.
Interreligious harmony, on the other hand, is an attainable and highly desirable goal. Such an approach respects, and is enriched by, the particularities of each tradition. Moreover, within each tradition are the resources (philosophical, theological and spiritual teachings and perspectives) that enable each to enter into respectful, appreciative and cooperative relationships with persons and communities of other traditions. (Source: Parliament of World Religions website)
Susan Hawkins
Joyce & Ken Beck
Rahul Dubey
Karen Armstrong
Compassionate Austin is a growing grassroots movement united to promote, strengthen, and celebrate compassionate action in Austin, Texas and surrounding communities.
Compassionate Austin is a local organization associated with the Charter For Compassion, a worldwide organization founded by Karen Armstrong.
Three Lessons of Revolutionary Love – Valarie Kaur
https://youtu.be/5ErKrSyUpEo Valarie Kaur - Activist, lawyer, filmmaker Valarie Kaur is a social justice activist, lawyer, filmmaker, innovator, mother and Sikh American thought leader who founded the Revolutionary Love Project -- a movement that envisions a world...
A Rhythm For Change
Sometimes people look for the quick fix–that one thing that will suddenly change their life. More times than not, the more we look for that one quick fix the less often we find it; or the quick fix turns out to be a traumatic life-changing event that is not what we...
The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men
https://youtu.be/FZXetyCfzXU This 30-minute talk is thought-provoking and worth pausing to watch. Does a socially just society require a radical feminist overhaul of dominant patriarchal structures? Dr. Robert Jensenis a professor of journalism at The University of...
Babbitt or Biss
“I’ve never done a thing I’ve wanted to do in all my life.” – Last line in the book: Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis Babbitt (1922), by Sinclair Lewis, is a satirical novel about American culture and society that critiques the vacuity of middle-class life and the social...
About the Monday Night Circles
I invite you to pause a few moments and let me share a little about our counter-intuitive approach to the men's spiritual circles in the Men's Fellowship Network. https://youtu.be/W5Nni68f9wo Check us out: Monday Nights, 7pm at Unity Church of the Hills - 9905...
The Magic of Believing – Claude M. Bristol
Claude Bristol is a name not often heard these days, yet his message on the power of believing is timeless and draws on the teachings of Buddha, Jesus, Phineas P. Quimby, Mary Baker Eddy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and others. The Magic of Believing (1948) - Claude M...
Gender Reconciliation – All Sexual Orientations/Genders/Races
The Gender Equity and Reconciliation process seeks to heal the profound wounds around gender, sexuality, and relational intimacy. It brings together people of all sexual orientations and genders to jointly confront gender disharmony to reach healing reconciliation....
Holding Space At 11:11
I invite you to set your phone to chime every day at 11:11am. Then, at that time pause a few seconds to energetically, mentally or spiritually, send a good thought to someone, or send a text, or give them a call. This tradition was started a few years back in our...
My Personal Mandala
Mandalas take on countless sizes, shapes and forms and are a tool for gaining perspective, expanding thought and relaxing the mind. This excerpt from The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell provides an excellent description of how a mandala works. Excerpt from the Power...
The Golden Rule
"...every single one of the major world traditions has highlighted -- has said -- and put at the core of their tradition what's become known as the Golden Rule. First propounded by Confucius five centuries before Christ: "Do not do to others what you would not like...
Triangulation
Triangulation is a manipulation tactic where one person will not communicate directly with another person, instead of using a third person to relay communication to the second, thus forming a triangle. It is also a form of splitting in which one person manipulates a...
As a Man Thinketh – James Allen
https://youtu.be/_addFJ1s_sY https://youtu.be/61d9DKDrMT8 https://youtu.be/Cit5ozj4JY4 The age-old maxim: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" might well be considered one of the "open" secrets of the universe. Some might ask: why should it be considered...
2018 Parliament of World Religions
I hope to have the opportunity to meet you at this year’s Parliament of the World's Religions. It was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to...
Ram Dass – Loss of a Child
Ram Dass wrote a letter some years ago to a family who had lost their young daughter, Rachel. Although he wrote it to these two parents specifically, everything in this letter applies to anyone who has lost a child. Dear Steve and Anita, Rachel finished her work on...
At the Heart Of Leadership
Organizations change. They have to in order to address the changing needs of those they serve; the end customer, the stakeholders and the employees. We’ve heard all our lives that “change is inevitable” – “change before you have to” – “the only constant in life is...
Finding Your Voice and Learning to Lead
Back in 1990, as I was beginning to find my stride inside Motorola, we were faced with many large changes on a corporate-wide basis. These were not product changes, although there were plenty of those as well. These were changes that sought to speak to the essence of...
Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout
After his wife died, Rick Rigsby was ready to give up. The bare minimum was good enough. Rigsby was content to go through the motions, living out his life as a shell of himself. But then he remembered the lessons his father taught him years before - something insanely...
Of Glory and Humility
When one conjure up images of General George Patton (portrayed by George C. Scott) in the epic movie, Patton, one can easily think of glory, but what about humility? Much has been written about Patton and his complex nature. Among other virtues, some say he was a man...
Emotional Intelligence
What Is Emotional Intelligence? - Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. It is generally said to include 3 skills: 1. Emotional awareness, including the ability to identify your own emotions and those...
Ikigai – “What do you wake up in the morning for?”
What do you wake up in the morning for? What is your reason for being? How many times in your life have you asked yourself this question? Ikigai (生き甲斐, pronounced [ikiɡai]) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being". Everyone, according to the Japanese, has...
Teamwork
Teamwork. Pile driving with a tambourine... Not a hammer... https://youtu.be/cFb0nLCKypg
The Power of Song
Can culture hold a people together and song save a nation? These short video clips gave me pause, and nudged me to reflect upon the many solemn blessings of our freedom, often taken for granted. Oh, that we hold ourselves to a higher purpose through these trying...
It’s the Culture
COO to CEO - "Why are things not clicking? We've got the Vision, Mission, Strategy, Tactics, Objectives, Game Plan, Goals, Funding, Talent, Technology, Economy is up, Tasks/Action Items... but we don't seem to be getting anywhere. What did we forget?" Often times...
What is Consciousness?
What is consciousness? What is the link between consciousness and our brain? How does consciousness affect our mind, and how does it shape our lives? Is consciousness separate from our brain; like a radio that receives the signal? It's a well known fact that the...
Maya Angelou’s Top 10 Rules For Success
She was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She's best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. She was respected as a spokesperson for black people and women, and her works have been...
Intuition vs. Instinct
The subconscious mind can make roughly 10-million observations in any one setting, whereas, the conscious mind can only keep track of about 100. This means that 99.999% of the observations you make you are not consciously aware of. Intuition can be described in...
The Root of Fear
“There are only two emotions: love and fear. All positive emotions come from love, all negative emotions from fear. From love flows happiness, contentment, peace, and joy. From fear comes anger, hate, anxiety, and guilt. It’s true that there are only two primary...
Perception is 9/10th of the Law
Back in the early 1990's, on the first day in my new position as Marketing Director, one of the first things I learned was that our division was not permitted to grow to more than 4% marketshare; this because the entire corporation lost money one quarter due to the...
Steps to Being Awesome
Get cape. Wear cape. Fly... We have all experienced moments in our lives where everything just comes together in some almost magical way --whether playing music, participating in a sport, or just getting totally absorbed in a project. These moments are timeless,...
Celebrating Our Nation’s 240th Anniversary
While the below comments offered by Lynn Grabhorn may be stated a bit to the extreme, they do bring some good points to light, and the audio is relevant and timeless. Lynn Grabhorn - "We may have been taught, and therefore have believed, that we live at the mercy of...
The Man In The Arena
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives...
Don’t Aim at Success
“Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than...
Inspirational – Steve Jobs
INSPIRATION | Follow your heart "Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by DOGMA, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, and most...
Servant Leadership – It’s More Than Kumbya
Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined...
Sarcasm, Really?
Sarcasm: The use of irony to mock or convey contempt... Anyone who has suffered from the sarcastic remarks of others will not be too surprised to learn that sarcasm, "a cutting remark," comes from a Greek verb, sarkazein, that literally means "to tear flesh like a...
10 Forgotten Truths to Help You Get Through Hard Times
WRITTEN by MARC CHERNOFF http://www.marcandangel.com/2014/06/01/10-forgotten-truths-to-help-you-get-through-hard-times/
The Face Painter’s Face
It was time for our annual division picnic; employees, families, pets; food, drink, games and hanging around the picnic benches. Fun for all. I assigned myself to be the photographer for the event. Very much the wanna-be pro I knew that if I took a lot of photos some...
Enabling Others To Act
Enabling others to act is one of the five principles of leadership called out by Jim Kouses and Barry Posner in their book, The Leadership Challenge. One aspect of enabling others to act is knowing how to delegate, but it is much more and is deeply intertwined with...
Servant Leadership and the Marine Corps
Marines who have paid the ultimate price by giving their lives for fellow Marines and the mission have best exemplified the "sacrificial mode" of Servant Leadership. It is embedded within the context of the core values of the Marine Corp’s rich heritage of personal...
The Leadership Challenge
Whether in uniform, suit or jeans these practices stand the test of time, and yes, a spiritual male can be on top at work. Leadership is not about personality; it’s about behavior—an observable set of skills and abilities. The “Leadership Challenge” by Jim Kouze and...
Servant Leadership, An Oxymoron?
Believe it or not, Servant Leadership is a concept that is as old as time, and is one often misunderstood and thought of as an oxymoron in a parochial sense. The term “servant” is generally defined as a person who performs duties for others, especially a person...
