The Stages  of a Mans Life

    Life has it's changes and tides just like anything else. The turning of the Great Wheel of Life changes us all whether we like it or not. We are brought to new experiences, new destinies and, by these events, we experience growth.

    Along with the normal tides, I feel that life has distinct stages. Reference is often put forth to the three stages of Womanhood: the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. While I respect these, as a man, I cannot relate to them directly.

    I have given a lot of thought to my own life and my view of the lives of others. I have tried to take a broad look at humanity in order to correlate the transitions that I have seen in others and apply them to myself. It is through this observation that I have coined the four stages on Manhood: the Lad, the Seeker, the Warrior and the Sage.

    The three stages of Womanhood are aligned with the stages of the Moon: Waxing, Full and Waning. Were it not for this analogy, I might also include a forth stage for Women as well. I can with little effort align the four stages of manhood to the four Elements.

     Man is born of Woman. So it was, so it is and so begins our life on Earth. At birth, we enter our first stage of existence, the Lad. As a Lad, we grow as things grow from Mother Earth, and we learn the mundane things. Our parents teach us basic survival skills. We learn about humanity and our place in the World. We begin to form our own opinions. Our bodies go through the process of maturing as we move toward adulthood. As we mature into young men, we enter the next stage which I call the Seeker.

    As a Seeker, we begin to ask questions. It is now the intellect of Air that guides us. We wonder what makes the World go 'round and we search for the answers. Answers bring more questions which perpetuates our search. The element of Air brings thoughts, intellect and a desire to learn. Though we never learn all the mysteries, at some point we become comfortable with our world view. We have looked, we have learned and we know what we think of things! At this point, we become the Warrior.

    As a mature man, we stand up for what we believe in. We now posses the action, fight and sexuality of the element of Fire. We have at this point probably spent 20 some to 30 years figuring out what we think of things. It is now that we defend our point of view! Be it right, be it wrong...be it ours!

    Also at this point of life, a man may become a Father. Some will, some won't. Neither is right or wrong. It is now that begins the long and arduous journey toward Sage hood. We strive to teach our children well that they may grow strong and live fruitful lives while perpetuating the ideals that we ourselves have come to hold dear.

    After our children are raised and our battles for truth and right have been fought, a man enters Sagehood. We now move into the peace and wisdom of the element of Water. As a Sage, we teach. We have accumulated the knowledge of a lifetime and we strive to share with other the benefit of our experience.

    We are no longer active Fathers. Our children are now grown and are learning about their own lives. Our Warrior battles have greatly softened or have been passed on to the younger. We relax and revel in the Truth of our Gods.

    Admittedly, these are greatly idealized visions of life. We never stop learning at any age. We may stand up and fight for what we believe in right up to the end of our lives. We may never have the luxury of relaxing into old age.

   As well, these stages of life flow into one another very freely. Some may overlap for years at a time. There is no absolute distinction that occurs at any set year of our lives. Still, I feel that if we talk a look at ourselves at any point in time, we can liken our position to one of the afore mentioned stages. This is not now, nor has it ever been, "earth shattering" information. It is simply a part of life!

   Never should one shirk a duty or experience because they view themselves as "out of that stage". Live your life as fully and as freely as you can. Use the stages of life as guide posts for living, not excuses to stop.

 Blessed be and live free!

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