Western culture has in many ways lost conscious relationship with the forces of initiation, so many of us are unconsciously dragged along into initiatory trial after initiatory trial without context, without the container of the community or the elders to hold us and imbue our experiences with meaning and sacred purpose. Without the anchoring of communal ritual we become untethered from the cosmos and the wheel of time that connects us to the eternal.  In this episode, Molly Mitchell-Hardt interviews friend, educator, speaker, facilitator, and Rites of Passage guide, Nicky Wilks.  They discuss: The impact of lack of ritualized rites of passageThe fatherhood initiationThe necessity of male rites of passage due to the lack of physiological markers and the reliance on cultural markers that we are lacking in modern lifeThe need for mentors, elders, community in becoming a fatherNicky's work with rites of passage and the father-child bondThe importance of mythology and story to give us context in our livesThe male identity in the modern contextFire-keeping as a portal between the physical and metaphysicalAnd much moreFind Nicky Wilks: Follow Nick @nickywilks. Find out more about Nicky and his offerings on his website. Find out more about Journeymen on their website and on instagram @journeymen. Follow us @mollymitchellhardt This podcast was produced in association with Channel the Sun by Kevin Joseph Grossmann.  Musical stylings by Kevin Joseph Grossmann. References: Michael Meade Dr. Arne Rubenstien Super Great Kids' Stories