Men + Mythology:
A Four Week Group Seminar
with Kwame Scruggs, Ph.D.
Saturdays, May 1, 8, 15 & 29
10am - 11:30 am PDT / 1pm-2:30pm EDT
Sessions will be hosted online + Recordings will be provided for two-week access.
Kwame Scruggs, Men & Mythology, Salome Institute, Men’s Group
This is an opportunity for men from all backgrounds and ages to explore life experiences together through myth. In this group, spanning four Saturdays in May, mythologist Kwame Scruggs, Ph.D. will guide participants in self-inquiry, listening, and sharing within a group environment through myth and drumming.
In each session, Kwame will share a portion of a myth, working through it piece by piece from start to finish. Throughout each gathering, participants will be invited to bring their understanding of the story to life. Whether vocalizing their reactions in group or silently in a notebook, participants are encouraged to reflect on their own life as an epic tale, with trials that can take our whole being to overcome. This unique, proven, and timeless process is designed to increase awareness of one's "life behind the life" and promote a sense of connection and empathy.
Kwame has been guiding youth and men of all ages through self-inquiry via mythology for over twenty years. He was introduced to the healing properties of myth through the work of Michael Meade, with whom he has since worked through Alchemy Inc. half a dozen times. Kwame is adept at using mythic stories to guide participants into a greater understanding of their place in the world, activating the knowledge that provides the impetus for living with meaning and purpose, becoming the heroes in our stories.
This May seminar series is open to new participants and anyone who participated in our February group. Kwame will select a new myth for personal exploration in a community environment.
The first three sessions on May 1st,8th, and 15th will be 90 minutes long. After a one week break, the final session on May 29th will be 2 hours.
We’ve made a few updates to the structure for this group since the last gathering:
There is now a community page. Some people had hoped for more between-session engagement with the men in the group. This time around, we have a password-protected community page for further discussion and sharing off zoom.
Portions of myth will be shared following gatherings. Kwame shares a portion of a myth each week with the group and invites responses. After those Saturday sessions, some men had hoped to be able to sit with the myth for more personal contemplation and study. We’ll now post each week’s portion of the myth on the community page following session.
Recordings will last for two weeks. For maximum accessibility as well as confidentiality, we record all sessions but set the videos to expire (and they can never be downloaded). This time around, videos will last for two weeks to allow time for catch-up.
About Kwame Scruggs, Ph.D.
Kwame Scruggs has over 20 years of experience using myth in the development of youth and adults. He holds a Ph.D. and MA in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Kwame also holds a MS degree in Technical Education with an emphasis in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Akron. In 1993, he was formally initiated into the Akan System of Life Cycle Development (an African-based rites of passage).
Kwame is the founder of Alchemy Inc., a non-profit organization in Akron, Ohio that has used myths to engage adolescents since 2004. In 2012, Alchemy was one of 12 programs to receive the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award by President Obama’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities. Alchemy was also the backdrop for a feature-length documentary, “Finding the Gold Within.”
He has taught and lectured widely, including various Jung Institutes nationwide. In 2020, Kwame received the Association of Teaching Artists (with Lincoln Center Education) Innovation in Teaching Artistry award. Kwame is a board member of the Joseph Campbell Foundation.
Register:
Scholarships & Discounts: It is important to us that this material be accessible. If finances would prevent you from joining us, please send an email with a short note. We would love for you to be able to join.
Online Attendance: Links for Zoom sessions will be made available to all registrants via email at least one day prior to the first session.
Recordings: Sessions will be recorded for those registrants unable to attend live. In order to protect confidentiality, recordings will expire two weeks after each gathering.