Thanks to those of you who joined me day-to-day, or from time-to-time, during my 25 days of listening to the loving voice of wisdom. When I set out with that commitment—not only to do the listening, but also to share what I heard here—I did it in part in hopes that a number of the folks who follow my Substack would unsubscribe.

Let me explain.

I am very interested in having hosts of you out there regularly reading what I offer through writing. I am not, however, interested at all in anyone coming along for the ride or cluttering up their inboxes with the things that I’m writing if the things that I’m writing are not the sort of thing that—at least from time-to-time—serves them in their growth.

We all have worlds to explore and worlds to make. No one owes you or me or anyone else their attention. And you sure as hell don’t owe your attention to anybody. That s**t’s yours to dole out as you wish. (The barons of distraction aren’t making that easy on you. But your humanity depends on keeping a good grip on what you lend your curiosity to.)

That’s why, when I say thanks, it’s more than sentimental.

It’s an honor and privilege to have every one of your sets of eyes and/or ears and individual hearts giving me heed here.

With my loving voice of wisdom series it was my hope to allure a few more readers, and it was my goal to lose about 50. (I only got half-way there, but it was worth a shot.) I hoped that, in posting more regularly and having the audacity to take up a bit more space, those who didn’t really want my reflections dropping into their sightline in the first place (or who thought they might at first, but upon inspection decided otherwise) would take the necessary action to filter me out.

When we filter one thing out it makes room for another. Our most enthusiastic “yes’s” are the direct offspring of our most clear-eyed “no thank you’s”. Everything is a tradeoff, dear hearts. That’s the way it is. And it’s glorious, once you truly get a handle on it.

You have my blessing (which you don’t need, by the way, but there you go) to cease, pause, or be sporadically engaging with anything that I write here going forward.

More than I want more readers, I want those who are my readers to be giving themselves to the world in all the ways (and, as close to possible, in only the ways) that are right for them.

Some of the growth and learning for me, in this process, has been letting go of the illusion that the work I do in the world is meant for everyone. I’ve been learning this as much strategically as I have spiritually.

It’s a marketing insight: Better to offer something specific that is carefully designed to provide value for some people, than it is to try and Frankenstein together a supposedly all-pleasing-monster-of-an-offering that doesn’t really end up being for anybody.

I write the things I write hoping that they support you in your growth, which is to say, your journey of becoming ever and more fully who you are. I figure that’s at least somewhat specific. Confounding as it is to me, it seems that not everyone is interested in spiritual growth.

There’s another angle that I aim to play at, too. It’s not just your growth that I’m writing for, but your growth for the sake of your contribution to the common good.

I don’t want to help anyone grow who isn’t already committed to that. I’ll not be expending my energy trying to convince anyone that the common good is a worthy endeavor. (And if you’ve slipped through the cracks somehow, you’re reading this with an eye out only for your own growth and not for bettering the world to boot, then now’s your chance to graciously head for the exit.)

Alright, so it’s decided: You’re interested in your own spiritual growth and you’re committed to making your particular contributions to the common good.

Here’s one more angle, to really tighten up the Venn diagram and be clear about what it is that I’m up to. It’s been sneaking into my posts occasionally, but it’s something that I’m going to really focus on here for the next little while:

I’m writing for those of you who want to specifically contribute to a vision for a world where men embody a more mature form of masculinity than the one that’s been dominating our culture for far too long.

I’m writing for the men who are scrapping like warriors to break out of the oppressive chokehold that patriarchy has on their lives. I’m writing for the men who, like kings and mages, are alchemizing the chaos of their days into fresh creations and good medicine. I’m writing for the men who, with fire in their bellies and hearts aflame, are sparking deep love.

And I suspect that it will resonate too with those of you who don’t identify as men, but who nevertheless believe in and accompany those of us who are doing the sacred work of striving to embody personal, loving, and liberating forms of masculinity.

This isn’t for everyone. But it’s for all of you who are nodding emphatically right now, who see that such efforts to make such a world will benefit people of all genders, not to mention the other wild creatures with whom we all live and the habitats that we all share.

In the soil of these fresh intentions for my writing on Substack, I’m also planting a new offering that is specifically for men: A coaching and support group for men who give a s**t about such matters, that’s focused on spiritual growth and taking action in personal ways to make the change that our relationships and our world needs us to make.

I’ll share more details about that soon.

In the meantime, it would support me to hear from you:

* If this is something that you personally would like to participate in.

* If there is someone in your life who you would like me to invite into this.

You can send me an email, or set a time to talk with me about maturing masculinity.

And please share this with the men in your life who are willing to change.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com