The Grail - A Hero's Quest to the Self is offered in response to a call from the men in our communities to access the space held sacred by the women who have experienced THE GIFT - A Woman’s Rite to HerSelf, presented by SHEMATRIX.
Throughout history, The Grail has been symbolic of the Hero's quest, the supreme treasure to be claimed, won, or conquered. In its many forms, this quest has always required the courage to face demons, real or imagined. It is not a journey for the faint hearted.
The Grail - A Hero's Quest to the Self asks nothing less than the courage to meet your true self, however he chooses to reveal himself. It is not ‘therapy’ or fixing what’s ‘wrong’, but rather a powerful exploration into the truth of each man’s experience of himself and his full capacity. In the company of men, each on his own unique and courageous journey to authentic Being, we dare life to reveal more than we have ever allowed for ourselves before and to drink deeply from our own Grail of life-source. It is to embrace oneself as God-man and be humbled in that revelation.

It is a Rite of Initiation into the Self

In his Rite each man is invited to dive in and surrender to the ultimate mystery. It is an outrageous leap of faith into NO-thing, the arms of the greatest force of love and the most ruthless revealer of truth. In asking his soul what it most wants of him, no strategy, no plan, no idea is of any use. It is a free-fall of let-go. An opening to life, NOW!
It asks that he be willing to encounter the unknowable territory of the Divine Feminine, the World of infinite phenomena. All that is terrifying, inspiring, untameable, powerful, tender, creative, destructive, desirable, potent and fertile. It is She who drives men crazy with her unpredictability, yet She who also inspires the pursuit of their noblest goals. She has been called Goddess in many traditions and in many forms. As Gaia, The Great Mother Earth herself, guardian of birth, death and rebirth, she seems to be crying out for reaffirmation in these times of perilous imbalance on our planet. She is asking that her warriors fully embody their potential as a masculine expression of divinity. A such, author Starhawk describes the archetype of The Horned God:
“For men, the Horned God is the image of inner power and potency that is more than merely sexual. He is the undivided Self, in which mind is not split from body, nor spirit from flesh. United, both can function at the peak of emotional and creative power. He embodies the power of feeling. His animal horns represent the truth of undisguised emotion, which seeks to please no master. He is untamed. But untamed feelings are very different from enacted violence. The Horned God is the life force, the life cycle. He remains within the orbit of the Goddess; his power is always directed towards the service of life. He is all within us that will never be domesticated, that refuses to be compromised, diluted, made safe, moulded or tampered with. He is free.”
This three day journey of ritual initiation for men is paradoxically facilitated by women. It is recognized that in many ancient cultures, the final intiation into manhood happened in the presence of initiated women. The three women from Shematrix function as Gatekeepers to the mysterious realm of the Sacred Feminine, the unknowable and unpredicatble source that forms the Earth herself. Traditionally known as High Priestess, hers is the role of midwife who helps birth that which we think we do not know or cannot have or dare not express. It seems a particular healing is available in the presence of women, not afforded by men alone. It has been our experience that the embrace of the whole being, in compassion, transcends the dualities of masculine and feminine, light and dark, angelic and demonic, right and wrong, inner and outer, self and other. The Sacred Marriage
The intention in accessing this mystery through this extraordinary form is to support each man on his journey to his deepest knowing and reverence for all life. The form is also created with the intention that once initiated, it continues to be an integral part of your life and you may choose to cultivate it’s sacredness in ongoing events in your community.
If you feel drawn to be a part of this magical possibility, be prepared to set aside the linear, the logical, the need for it to make sense, or fit into any familiar paradigm. It doesn't. It is essentially unknowable, uncontainable, and formidable in it's authenticity.

If you’d like to speak more intimately of this journey or would like details on the next scheduled GRAIL weekend, please check our Calendar of Events page, read some of the Men's stories, contact an organiser near you or contact Shematrix directly.