Gordon Clay here. June is International Men's Month, a month to become aware of our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves.

It got me to thinking - What makes a Real Man? It seems that the general image of "A real man", since the time Cain floored Abel, is the one who is easy to spot - he is the last one standing.

A very different view came from a description I read back in the late '70s. This was written by Star Hawk from the book The Spiral Dance. It is what I like to think makes "A real man" today. And, personally, I have worked since that time at becoming this man. I've only changed the deity to one that works for me. Use one or don't. What ever works for you.

This lead me to create the following statement on our menstuff.org homepage. It is my take on the extent of what "A real man" can hold in his grasp. Here's how I see "A real man": "Man's inherent nature is to be curious, gentle, intimate, responsible, enthusiastic, sensual, tolerant, courageous, honest, vulnerable, affectionate, proud, spiritual, committed, wild, nurturing, peaceful, helpful, intense, compassionate, happy and to fully and safely express all emotions. When will we stop training him to be otherwise?" Think about it.