Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Return of the Sacred Masculine

At this annual season of honoring the great leader and martyr, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it seems fitting to remember his spiritual mentor as well, Dr. Howard Thurman, who, among other things, visited India with his wife in 1935 and spent time with Gandhi. He did so much to infuse the black community in the US with a philosophy of non-violence while offering a solid creation spirituality philosophy for all of us.

The question we will pose in this workshop is this: How do King and Thurman instruct us today in understanding more deeply what the real masculine means? How did they incarnate in their persons as well as in their teachings the messages of the Sacred Masculine?

This question is of vital importance for our survival as a species and the survival of the planet as we know it today. It is of importance to women as well as men, to our professions and institutions as well as to individuals. It is clear that many authoritarians and wannabe authoritarians and those who follow them are involved in a toxic and deadly masculinity. What alternatives do King and Thurman offer us?