Pedro L. Rodriguez is a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor in a New York State Correctional Facility, His life mission through his vocations has been to encourage, empower, and equip men in their life and faith journey. He is also a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach, and Certified Spiritual Life Coach. He was involved in full-time Christian ministry for 21 years as a pastor of three churches in New York City and also worked for a well-known International Ministry, based in New York City, where he was the Assistant Program Director, Spiritual Mentor and Bible Teacher.
He has been involved in Men’s Group / Men’s Work since his youth. Beginning with:
A social Christian Club in High School, known as The Seekers
Men’s Home Bible Study Group in the late 1980’s for three years
The Promise Keepers in early 1990’s
Men’s Christian Fellowships
Men’s Spiritual Retreats
A weekly Spiritual Men’s Group for two years.
A Recovery Self-Help Men’s Group which he started and facilitated for three years.
Therapeutic Treatment Men’s Groups.
Created and facilitates two Facebook private men’s groups called Latino-Hispanic Men’s Group (October 2017) and The Men’s Book Club International (October 2018)
Most recently he has formed an in-person Men’s Group, called the Circle of Men based in Upstate New York in July 2018. He continues to lead and facilitate that Men Circle bi-weekly.
Websites:
Circleofmencny.com (Site scheduled to be launched on 2/16/21)
In high school track I was not much of a sprinter so I never learned just how to pass the baton, and on the rare occasion when called upon in practice to fill in and run with the relay team, I sometimes fumbled or dropped it. What I did learn was that I had endurance. I would run the half-mile, the mile, and later in life, the marathon. (I ran one in a row.)
In the early spring of 1999, the day before the Motorola Austin marathon, I drove the route and came up with twenty-seven words that became mantras dedicated to each of the 26.2-miles, each representing something or someone special: faith, hope, love, courage, Mother, Father, vulnerability, compassion, etc.
The following morning the energy in the air was palpable as the starting horn blasted and we all took off; a sea of bobbing heads, and the arms, torsos and legs, and the feeling of being one with the people around me. I clocked just under 9-minutes the first mile; a respectable pace, but too fast for me for the distance. With each mile marker there were people cheering, live music playing, and hands reaching out with cups of water; all a reminder to slow down and pull the next word from my small fanny pack and begin the next mantra.
Eventually, behind the thinning tail of the pack I crossed the finish line on Auditorium Shores. A finisher’s metal was handed to me to place around my own neck, as well as a thermal blanket to wrap around myself like a centurion’s cape.
Now, almost every day when I drive downtown across some portion of the route I reflect on the word for that mile of the race and, for a moment, I feel it all again; the excitement, the heart pounding, the pain and fatigue, the humbling pride; another memory turned metaphor to reflect upon.
Today, it’s hard to believe that after almost nine years, almost 450 weekly gatherings, and over 20,000 collective man-hours invested in the overarching topics of male spirituality and compassion, it’s time to pass the baton.
Nothing is going away, the circle, the network, the connections, holding space for one another, it will all continue. But, for me the change is a bit scary to say the least. At the same time, I am excited to share that a seasoned team of guys is picking up the baton and bringing fresh energy to our Monday contemplative circle. I will still be involved, participating and facilitating from time to time, but this will enable me to increase my focus in two key areas:
First, my podcast, In Search of the New Compassionate Male. It is resonating with more and more thought leaders around the world. They are surfacing to join the search and I want to continue to provide a platform for them to be heard.
Second, I will be investing more time into my Life Skills Coaching which I am offering to both men and women. This, to help fund the Search.
I believe that during this incredible time if change, the New Compassionate Male is emerging as the new archetype. I have witnessed it within our circle and within myself, and it is being confirmed with each podcast episode.
I am truly grateful and blessed to be on the path with so many heart-centered and compassionate men and women, and I am looking forward to our collective, and unfolding future; somewhat of a marathon ahead perhaps, but one filled with excitement, if we choose.
Life Skills Coach, Clay Boykin, speaks about the unique and counterintuitive approach of the Circles of Men Project he launched in 2012. The Project has grown into a global network of men seeking to find the compassion within themselves and a aim for a higher level of consciousness. – Clay works with both men and women to help them find their true essence and support them in finding their true purpose and developing life skills for living out that purpose. [email protected]
Kirby Hiscox, Clay Boykin and Dennis Tardan have a conversation about the origin and evolution of the Circles of Men Project and In Search of the New Compassionate Male. Where does a man turn for support when he is stuck and isolated? Where does he go to learn trust in other men or to find his center? These questions burn within most men at some point in life. The Circles of Men Project launched in 2012. It is a weekly gathering of men in a safe space where on one is judged or fixed.
Kirby was along side of Clay when Clay launched the Circle in April 2012 with a dozen men. Since then the Circle has almost a thousand men locally and from around the world. Over 450 Monday evening gatherings have taken place since the launch.
In our search I run across some wonderfully compassionate men. Julien Oomen is one such man. It was a pleasure to have him on my podcast. Julien Oomen is an Amsterdam-based musician who draws inspiration from spiritual ceremonies.
The larger part of his songs is triggered by the trainings and ceremonies of Ralph Nelissen of The Potential School who invites him to assist musically. While being a witness to the transformational process of many men and women, Julien moves closer to his own center of stillness. From that stillness, words and music come like waves.
In July 2018, Julien released “Oase Sessions I “, followed by “Oase Sessions II ” in April 2019.
A new full-length album, Both Sides Of The River, was released in December 2020.
For this record Julien saved up the songs in the past two years that were specifically triggered by trainings, workshops and ceremonies within the realm of men’s work. The songs touch on beautiful movements that are already happening: men coming alive in their fatherhood, or in brotherhood through men’s circles; in self-realisation and in knowing that there’s an alchemy in each human being that goes beyond binary notions of the “feminine” or “masculine”.
For live shows Julien often teams up with his partner Lenneke van Staalen, a master of (northern) Indian classical music on violin, who comps him in his songs as well as playing mesmerising improvisations. Other collaborations include Pernilla Kannapinn and Diego Nicolás Rodriguez.
Julien lives with his partner and daughter.
Next to music and family life, he devotes his time to Refugee Company and Stichting de Vrolijkheid, two organisations that further the socio-economic well-being of refugees through art, network, traineeships and soft-skill trainings.
With his longtime buddy Robin Block, Julien hosts a monthly Men’s Circle.
The men’s circle is about brotherhood: the realization that every man is a brother – and human being first – who roams around in the very same field that we call life, often with similar questions, goals and challenges. What can we learn from each other? How can we tap into our shared wisdom and support each other, even as complete strangers only meeting for the duration of one single men’s circle?
Together we create a space for each man to take his place and share his experiences; from a genuine desire to grow and inspire one another. Sometimes we work with a specific theme, but more often just with topics that come alive in the group during the circle. The circle helps you to step out of your daily routine, and to explore your views and choices in connection with others, sometimes in depth, sometimes humorously and playful.
Sharing experiences and listening to others already amounts to a lot. But besides sharings we will also do meditative and physical exercises to further integrate some of the insights attained in the circle, and to connect the head to the heart and body.
You’re most welcome to participate! Apply by sending an e-mail to men’s circle: [email protected]
Vince A. Di Dato – Earthian. Constantly thirsty of knowledge and always trying to learn Compassion. Don’t ask me where I come from. Ask me where I want to be and where I want to go. Share a bit of my way, if you like: traveling Life in good company is always more interesting. “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit”.
Strategy Designer, General Director of XERDAN Ltd. in Malta and 1st Captain of the Italian Army Special Reserve. He begins his career as Architect and Designer, mainly working on sustainability in industrial productions. He won the Compasso d’Oro in 1987 among many other important recognitions and prizes; his projects have been published and presented internationally, also at XVII Triennale di Milano and at Centre Pompidou in Paris. Later on, he re-oriented his activity towards systems analysis and their interconnections, until the most recent development of the
In June 2018, his Italian translation of Richard Buckminster Fuller“Operating Manual of Spaceship Earth” has been published by Il Saggiatore. He is now working on a new version of Sun-Tzu: “Vital Startegies, The Competitive Methods in the Vision of Life” and he collaborates with several magazines and media around the world.
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Pedro L. Rodriguez is a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor in a New York State Correctional Facility, His life mission through his vocations has been to encourage, empower, and equip men in their life and faith journey. He is also a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach, and Certified Spiritual Life Coach. He was involved in full-time Christian ministry for 21 years as a pastor of three churches in New York City and also worked for a well-known International Ministry, based in New York City, where he was the Assistant Program Director, Spiritual Mentor and Bible Teacher.
Today, it’s hard to believe that after almost nine years, almost 450 weekly gatherings, and over 20,000 collective man-hours invested in the overarching topics of male spirituality and compassion, it’s time to pass the baton.
