Some about Nic Tovey’s journey: At 22 I experienced what was to be my first great initiation into life. On a regular drunken night out with my brother and a friend, acting like a fool, I was forcibly removed from a night club whilst being punched and kicked.
A few hours later I was in hospital after collapsing with massive internal injuries being told I might die. Thankfully my injuries weren’t as severe as initially thought and after a week in hospital I was discharged with a nice big scar from sternum to pubic bone but without a spleen.
While my physical body miraculously adjusted to its spleenlessness, what started to become apparent was some dramatic internal changes that had occurred. I did not see and relate to the world in the same way I was used to; My self-confidence was shattered, I could not handle any hint of conflict or violence even on TV, I was unable to cope with the slightest stress, and I couldn’t sleep. My previously solid self-identity had crumbled in a heap. I was confused, angry and really scared… Complete story: http://www.nictovey.com/about-nic/
Nic Tovey is a Relationship, Intimacy and Sexuality Coach, who wants to help people experience a rich, joyful and authentic experience of life through their relationships, their love life and their life’s work. Nic has a background in psychotherapy and has done a lot of work with youth and men to help them develop their emotional intelligence and relationship skills. He now focuses on his work as a Relationship Coach where he offers a range of programs to help individuals and couples develop and reignite the passion, intimacy and love in their relationships.
On the program, What if it Really Works, Richard Tarnas provides a wonderful perspective on these changing times from an archetypal astrological perspective. Richard’s way of distilling the macro view of where we are at this moment in the cosmos down to how humanity addresses the global challenges of the coming years is fascinating. It was an honor to be a guest in this conversation and to produce this episode for Karen and Chuck Robison, the creators and co-hosts of What if it Really Works
Richard Tarnasis the founding director of the graduate program in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies(CIIS) in San Francisco, where he currently teaches. Born in 1950 in Geneva, Switzerland, of American parents, he grew up in Michigan, where he received a classical Jesuit education. In 1968 he entered Harvard, where he studiedWestern intellectual and cultural history and depth psychology, graduating with an A.B. cum laude in 1972. For ten years he lived and worked at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, studying with Stanislav Grof, Joseph Campbell, Gregory Bateson, Huston Smith, and James Hillman, later serving as Esalen’s director of programs and education. He received his Ph.D. from Saybrook Institute in 1976 with a dissertation on LSD psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and spiritual transformation. From 1980 to 1990, he wrote The Passion of the Western Mind, a narrative history of Western thought from the ancient Greek to the postmodern which became a best seller and continues to be a widely used text in universities throughout the world. In 2006, he published Cosmos and Psyche:
Intimations of a New World View, which received the Book of the Year Prize from the Scientific and Medical Network in the UK. Formerly president of the International Transpersonal Association, he is on the Board of Governors of the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. In addition to his teaching at CIIS, he has been a frequent lecturer at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, and gives many public lectures and seminars in the U.S. and abroad.
Wherever you are in the world, I invite you to join us every Monday evening, 7pm-Central Standard Time, for a safe contemplative men’s circle conversation on the overarching theme of compassion.
You will find this to be a safe place to learn how to connect head and heart, a place where there is no judgment and no one is going to call you out or try to fix you. Try us “one time in a row.”
I thoroughly enjoyed my 36-year career in international finance. During that time, I had the honor of serving for six years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of a children’s welfare operation in central Kenya. Based on that work, I was presented a Global Volunteer Award by Bank of America.
Since I retired from my professional banking career, perhaps the most rewarding endeavor has been composing my first book, Hope and a Future: Life, Survival, and Renewal on the Streets of an African Slum, which chronicles the true story of a street boy, John Maina, who lived in the slums of Nairobi. Eventually, John and I became so close that in an African sense, we are now father and son. On its launch in April 2020, the book rose to the rank of #1 Hot New Release among Amazon’s African biographies. In conjunction with its publication, I created a public charity, Little Boost Children’s Fund, whose mission is “Giving vulnerable kids a little boost.” All proceeds from the book go directly to the fund.
I hold academic degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics from Cornell, Oxford, and Johns Hopkins and continue to enjoy a wide range of intellectual pursuits, especially early Christianity, and modern history.
My wife, Linda, is a classical pianist, an award-winning filmmaker, and now runs a tour company offering a unique “Women’s Journey to Kenya.” We are proud parents of two sons—Lars, and his wife, Brei, are environmental scientists, and Nils, is a professional jazz drummer. Linda and I live north of Chicago on the edge of the Kettle Moraine forest in the southern lakes region of Wisconsin. We share our home with five cats, who graciously allow us to serve them.
This may be one of the most important conversations we can have when discussing patriarchy. Does “patriarchy” imply men? Are men wounded by the patriarchy soaked into our cultures? Are women contributing to the patriarchal society? This loaded conversation will be held in a safe and sacred manner, between friends, while inviting all voices to be heard. We will be conducting breakout sessions as well to further your experience.
Sande Hart – Mother, Daughter, Wife, Sister and Aunt, and grandmother. – I serve as Founding Director of the Charter for Compassion Women and Girls sector, Founder and President of the women’s interfaith organization S.A.R.A.H., Past Chair of the United Religions Initiative for North America, and co-Founder of Alchemy Productions. – A certified Compassionate Integrity Trainer, I am passionate about leading people to a new understanding of who they are through the lens of compassion and compassionate action, and the role they contribute to the world around them. With a strong emphasis on personal awareness and self advocacy, I developed the 18th Sustainable Development goal with the intention and expectation that we will wake up to our personal responsibilities to be stewards of our planet and those we share it with. – With a strong commitment to elevating women and girls by providing dialogue and circle experience, my workshops and productions provide opportunities for weaving relationships, and being in service to the divine feminine that is rising strong in our world right now. – I speak and conduct workshops on a variety of topics relating to community building, women and girls, and kids activism through service. – Paying attention to patterns in community and community building, it became clear that, with some thoughtful adjustments that seem to be easily missed, and some safeguards in how leadership teams work together, we could accelerate and leverage the highest vision and success of any given group.
Ann Smith loves to teach circle facilitation and the New Leadership and Organization based on Circle Principles. She is teacher/learner, mentor, coach, illuminator of Divine Feminine, advocate for women’s equality and empowerment, author and community organizer. She speaks from forty-years of experiences where she has listened, observed and learned from women around the world. She is co-founder and director of Circle Connections, Millionth Circle Convener, Regional Coordinator of Gather The Women Global Matrix, Co-Associate Companion of Happehatchee Chapter of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross and SARAH Advisor. She is married with two daughters, three grandsons and one cat. She lives next to Everglades nature preserve in Naples, Florida.
Patricia Fero was born for these times. She is a passionate woman who has dedicated her life to igniting the collective feminine in planetary awakening. Her capacity for clearing her own internalized patriarchy and fierce listening are the magic she brings to every setting. The author of four books, Patricia has shared her wisdom through writing. Her first, Mining for Diamonds shows how people can use adversity to create resiliency. What happens When Women Wake Up? is a roadmap for clearing internalized patriarchy. Her third book, Sacred Marching Orders, describes the new energy of the solar feminine. Marianne Williamson’s endorsement reads: “Women owning our power and using it collaboratively is what our planet desperately needs. Sacred Marching Orders is a call to women to channel our passion into the healing of the world.”
About: S.A.R.A.H. – Spiritual and Religious Alliance for Hope is an organization of women of diverse cultures, faiths and beliefs, is committed to making a positive and meaningful difference in the world by advancing solutions that end all forms of violence disproportionately impacting women and girls. To that end, our aim is to help women recognize self-awareness and personal agency through our programs and initiatives. We focus on cultural and systemic violence, and all of our practices promote circle principles which are rooted in our leading core values. We provide tools and skills to help and support women and girls through scholarship, education, mentoring, and a platform for their wisdom and voices to be heard. Led by an Advisory Council and small volunteer staff, we listen carefully to our network of Sisters around the world. then respond respectfully with creative solutions through technology and in collaboration with others who share our vision.
The Myth Salon recently hosted Clay Boykin and his producer, Dennis Tardan, who are in search of the new compassionate male. It is no secret that centuries of patriarchy and a skewed sense of masculinity bear much of the responsibility for steering humanity away from the nature and the deep feminine. Male empowerment has formed the foundation upon which our current cultural and political conditions rest. Clay Boykin and Dennis Tardan believe that amidst the turmoil in the world the new compassionate male is emerging as the new archetype. While much of their work may focus on transforming males and the masculine, the core values and principles evoke the relational qualities of the deep feminine. Based in Austin, Texas, they are engaging thought leaders who have developed conversations with enlightened people of all stripes and we are deeply privileged to have had them at The Myth Salon this month to explore this new paradigm.
Pannel:
Clay Boykin is in Search of the New Compassionate Male. His book: Circles of Men: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Creating Men’s Groups, was published in 2018. He has dedicated his next twenty years to making the world a better place by empowering men to cultivate and integrate the divine male and divine female essences within, and live a life centered on compassion and serving the greater good.
Dennis Tardan is an interviewer, communication coach and documentarian. For more than 40 years, Dennis has worked as a television interviewer and documentary producer and corporate communication coach for companies such as Shell, Farmers Insurance, ConocoPhillips, Siemens, Rice University and many others.
Dana White is a graduate of Occidental College and the University of Southern California, Dana White received his PhD in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2003. His dissertation is titled “Re-Imagining Work: Awakening the Call of Right Livelihood.” He currently serves as a contributing faculty member at Pacifica and as a reader on numerous doctoral dissertation committees.
David HuffPhD, Mythology and Depth Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute in California. He is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer. His photo “We paid at the pump until there was no more” was a finalist in the inaugural Canon Imagin8tion Project with Ron Howard.
Dennis Patrick Slattery, Ph.D. is core faculty, Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria California. Pacifica’s unique faculty of distinguished scholars and inspired teachers attracts artists, writers, musicians, film-makers, animators, game designers, teachers, psychologists, pastoral counselors, executives, lawyers, and life-long learners who seek to understand and express the depths of the psyche, and whose lives and careers have been substantially enriched—and often radically transformed—by the power of myth.
Seina Matthews, PhD, Clinical Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute. Clinical Psychologist specializing in Life Span Issues and Personal Transformation using a psycho/spiritual approach to help people find their authentic self and life purpose. Published “Soul Transformation: Engaging the Invisible Actor Within” 2012, a self-help book for the general population and “The Transformational Power of Voice” 2010, an academic book that contends that voice is the oral expression of soul. Keynote Speaker on Engaging Your Transformational Power!
Will Linn is a Philosopher-Storyteller with a Ph.D. in Mythology and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is the Founding Chair of the General Education Department at Hussian College — a new film and performing arts school named by Variety as a top international film school in 2019 and 2020 — where he teaches courses in myth, story and philosophy. Will participates in documentaries and series as a topic expert on myth and media. “Memory: Origins of Alien” premiered at Sundance before a nation-wide theatrical release in 2019. In 2020, he will be featured in a documentary on mythic landscapes and a series on great myths. Will has served as an editor and director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation as well as a creator and host for the Santa Barbara News-Press radio series, “Mythosophia.” He has presented and taught across continents and California for communities like Esalen, Pacifica Graduate Institute, the Philosophical Research Society and Ojai Foundation.
Vorris Nunley – Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University. Professor Nunley is interested in rhetorical and Critical theory, public pedagogies and composition, visual culture, neo-liberalism and African American expressive culture. His work addresses the intersections of rhetoric, space, and episteme (knowledge). Informed by work in literature, rhetoric (traditional/ethnic/gendered), cultural studies, and critical/feminist geography, Professor Nunley argues for the existence of a strand of African American rhetoric and knowledge he refers to as African American Hush Harbor Rhetoric (AAHHR). Recently, his work engages neo-liberalism as a public pedagogy and how it commodifies, produces, and mediates the construction and reception of masculinity/femininity, Blackness, the communal, and excess. He is currently the Professor in Residence for the Honors Program.
Zaman Stanizai, Ph.D., Political Science, University of Southern California; M.A., Linguistics, University of Washington. Zaman has a doctorate in Political Science and completed his postgraduate studies in Islamic Mysticism (Sufism) and Islamic Gnosticism (Erfan). He has taught at Kabul University, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles, and several community colleges in Southern California. His of areas of specialization are: Islamic Studies; Sufism; Theosophy; Political Philosophy;and Poetic Expression in Mystical Thought. He currently teaches: Islamic Traditions.
If you're looking for clarity or just need a fresh perspective, I'm here to help. Click here for a complimentary 20-minute 1:1 chat. No pressure, just a conversation to see how I can support you on your journey.
Nic Tovey is a Relationship, Intimacy and Sexuality Coach, who wants to help people experience a rich, joyful and authentic experience of life through their relationships, their love life and their life’s work. Nic has a background in psychotherapy and has done a lot of work with youth and men to help them develop their emotional intelligence and relationship skills. He now focuses on his work as a Relationship Coach where he offers a range of programs to help individuals and couples develop and reignite the passion, intimacy and love in their relationships.
California, studying with Stanislav Grof, Joseph Campbell, Gregory Bateson, Huston Smith, and James Hillman, later serving as Esalen’s director of programs and education. He received his Ph.D. from Saybrook Institute in 1976 with a dissertation on LSD psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and spiritual transformation. From 1980 to 1990, he wrote The Passion of the Western Mind, a narrative history of Western thought from the ancient Greek to the postmodern which became a best seller and continues to be a widely used text in universities throughout the world. In 2006, he published Cosmos and Psyche:
Special Guest: 
