wisewords Reframing Personal Priorities
Craig Hamilton Explores the Gender Gap in Spiritual Growth by Kim Childs
C
raig Hamilton is a writer, radio host and work-
shop leader devoted to helping people evolve their consciousness for the greater good. The former managing edi- tor of What is Enlight- enment? magazine, Hamilton went on to found Integral Enlight- enment, an online education program for those on a con- temporary spiritual path. Since then, thousands of people have participated in his courses and workshops, and the vast majority have been women. Natu- ral Awakenings asked Hamilton for his insights on this trend.
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What’s behind the gender imbalance in personal growth and enlightenment circles? Two years ago, I hosted a summit called The Way of the Evolutionary Man that included a discussion about why more men aren’t drawn to partici- pate in these kinds of things. One of the main points made was that, while many Americans have focused on cre- ating equality for women in the last 50 years, there hasn’t been a comparable men’s liberation movement. I know that some would say,
“Why do we need that? Men are already the ones with the most power, freedom and privilege.” Yet it became clear during our discussion that men do not have freedom when it comes to choosing among valued social roles.
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com For example, a
woman can feel valued whether she pursues a professional career or something else that we might call a path of the heart, such as follow- ing artistic passions, working for a nonprofit or serving as a teacher. But if men do such things, they risk losing value among women. Traditionally,
women have wanted
to be with men that are more economi- cally successful than they are. If a man decides he wants to be an artist or a spiritual practitioner or follow what we might label a higher calling, he’s stepping out of traditionally validated activities for men. So the reason that more men aren’t putting more time into their personal growth could be that they’re not being valued for that.
What might it take to shift
this phenomenon? If women want men to join them on paths of personal and spiritual growth, they might need to start in analyzing the part of themselves that says, “I want a man who makes more money than me, is successful and able to be the family provider.” Many women want their men to be conscious, sensitive, reflective and capable of profound inti- macy, plus be a good provider. I’ve heard from some men that feel seriously pained about this. A few said that they always wanted to be, for example, a musician or a teacher, but
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