the braille of a man’s heart is not so different from my own

September 1, 2010 by rachel

I wrote “How the Men Want to Fly!” more than a decade ago, and every so often it asks to come into the light of day — to honor the men who struggle mightily with the notion of what it means to be strong and manly and vulnerable and free. This one’s for you, guys, as well as for your own Inner Divine Feminine and the Inner Divine Masculine that lives within every female body. Sorry, I lost track of […]

Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, men, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: divine feminine, divine masculine, divine union, masculine, surrender

what there is to love about a man: arms, indecision, prayers

June 2, 2010 by rachel

Here are three pages from my out-of-print book, What There Is To Love About A Man (Sourcebooks, 2000). Learn more about the book in the right-hand sidebar; learn more about a man however you are able. These words are for women, too: it’s all about the balance and union within. Arms Yes! to the right to bare arms. Sunned and weathered arms, farm arms, hot and spicy arms swaying to a Latin beat. Arms presented in tank tops and muscle […]

Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, men, personal growth, prose poetry • Tags: masculine

the 7 words of well-being for men (redux)

May 18, 2010 by rachel

The ground is shifting under the feet of us all, but perhaps even more so for men determined to release themselves from old ways of being. Someday, the gender distinction will likely prove itself irrelevant. Until then, this feels like a good time to revisit this post, which first appeared in April 2008 and again in February 2009. Even though my books and writing may be labeled “for men” or “for women,” these distinctions often reflect publishing-world realities more than […]

Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, men, personal growth, transformation • Tags: empowerment, masculine, men's work, personal growth, words

what there is to love about a man: conflicts

April 6, 2009 by rachel

Excerpt from my out-of-print book, What There Is To Love About A Man (Sourcebooks), which honors and celebrates masculine qualities of body, mind and spirit. Used and imperfect copies can be found here and there on the Internet, if you feel like digging. How can I show you who I really am, when I don’t even know myself? How can I share with you my vulnerable side, when everybody told me I had to be strong? What if I want […]

Categories: health/healing, men, personal growth • Tags: body mind & spirit, change, inner conflict, life, masculine, men, personal growth, transformation

the 7 words of well-being for men (redux)

February 16, 2009 by rachel

The ground is shifting under the feet of us all, but perhaps even more so, for men determined to release themselves from old ways of being. Someday, the gender distinction will likely prove itself irrelevant. Until then, this feels like a good time to revisit this post, which originally appeared in April, 2008. *    *    *    *    *    *    *    * Even though my books and writing may be labeled “for men” or “for women,” these distinctions often reflect publishing-world […]

Categories: body mind & spirit, health/healing, inspiration, men, personal growth, prose poetry, spirituality, transformation, word of the day • Tags: awakening, body mind & spirit, consciousness, empowerment, eros, healing, hero's journey, higher consciousness, inspiration, life, masculine, men, men's groups, prose poetry, sanctuary, spirituality, transformation, truth, voice, wisdom, word of the day, words, work

what there is to love about a man: tears, treasures

December 24, 2008 by rachel

A pair of Words of Well-Being(tm) from my book, “What There Is To Love About A Man,” which, alas, is currently out of print. Used or imperfect copies are available here and there on the Internet. Just a heartfelt collection of waxings poetic by a woman honoring and celebrating masculine qualities of body, mind and spirit. Glorioski! Imagine that! Tears Who first planted the idea that real men don’t cry? They tense and tighten every muscle,  hundred-weight pounds of pressure […]

Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, love, men • Tags: body mind & spirit, inspiration, life, love, male, masculine, men, prose poetry, tears, treasures, VanGogh, Vishvarupa, Weeping Man

what there is to love about a man: tenderness

June 20, 2008 by rachel

When a man tends not to be tender, chances are he’s pretending. Does he think we don’t notice those quiet moments when he is gentle as a fawn? Does he imagine the nurses were too busy to hear him whisper so softly into his wife’s ear during her thirty-fifth hour of labor? Could he actually believe they all looked the other way when he held the young boy’s hands close in his own, and slowly told the news it was […]

Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, love, men, personal growth • Tags: body mind & spirit, gentle, inspiration, love, masculine, masculinity, men, personal growth, tenderness

what there is to love about a man: scent

June 6, 2008 by rachel

Musk and moss and a pine forest sunrise. Red-walled canyons and grass freshly mowed and sheets warm from the dryer or never washed at all. Diesel and motors, paper and wood and ink and feathers and bone. New leather, old leather, leather that his great-uncle wore to war. Bread baking and espresso, incense and eucalyptus, cognac and cigars, citrus of any kind, and yes, tobacco. A light breeze coming in from the coast, shaving cream and soap, or no soap […]

Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, love, men • Tags: appreciation, citrus, man, masculine, men, moss, musk, prose poetry, scent, scent of a man, tobacco

the seven words of well-being for men

April 20, 2008 by rachel

Even though my books and writing may be labeled “for men” or “for women,” these distinctions often reflect publishing-world realities more than anything else. Each one of us resides (and from time to time, slides) along a masculine/feminine continuum. Much of the work we undertake to be whole now, involves integrating our inner masculine and inner feminine in a divine marriage. Liberation from cultural and family oppression and repression is not the province of any particular gender or lineage: It’s […]

Categories: inspiration, men, spirituality • Tags: empowerment, eros, fertility, fire, inspiration, life, masculine, men, prose poetry, sanctuary, spirituality, truth, voice, wisdom, words, work

poetry month: how the men want to fly!

April 6, 2008 by rachel

How the Men Want to Fly by Rachel Snyder I am holding men’s hearts in my hands these days, running my fingers over toughened scar tissue, tracing the rutted pathways of emotion run roughshod, and breathlessly lingering when I feel myself sinking into soft spots around the edges. The braille of a man’s heart is not so different from my own. They come one after another, dragging their piecemeal armor on the ground behind them, rusting and clanging and kicking […]

Categories: inspiration, men, poetry, spirituality, transformation, uncategorized • Tags: descent, feminine, goddess, hero's journey, inspiration, masculine, men, mythopoetic, national poetry month, poetry, priestess, soul, surrender, transformation