The Inner Kingdom Framework
An invitation for men who hear the call of evolved masculinity, a purposeful life, and deep contribution.
It’s been over a decade since I found myself on the path of my Soul’s contribution.
While I had no idea when I began the journey what lay before me, I’m grateful for where the road has taken me these past years.
I see now how the growing pains that come with evolution, the hard times, the losses, the wins, celebrations, and the wonderings and wanderings led me to further towards my Soul’s calling, and what I’m inspired to offer and share with the world today.
With humility and honor, I offer my Inner Kingdom Framework, the culmination of years of engaging with the masculine archetypes, men’s development, ancestral wisdom, and the purposeful work of empowerment, consent, and embodiment.
Foundations
Before we jump into it, let’s address why someone would explore the Inner Kingdom Framework and integrate its wisdom into their daily life.
Many of us grew up without a sense of boundaries or permission to turn towards and nurture our Self. This “Self” (big S intentional), is who we are at our core. Other words for this could be our higher self, our Soul, or simply who we really are after removing the cultural and familial assumptions.
Through these experiences, our sense of inner structure has been compromised and impacted by outside influences that ask us to be, do, and act in ways that are misaligned from our inner truth.
The Inner Kingdom Framework is greatly influenced by the four major archetypes and an orientation towards the integration of the Four Quadrants. Namely, the King, the Magician, the Warrior, and the Lover, and their related orientations, Values, Vision, Velocity, and Vocation, respectively.
One of the most important tasks we can take on is to (re)establish our inner domain, our Inner Kingdom. As we explore our edges, illuminate our Shadowlands, befriend our Dragons, clear away the weeds of assumption, and set the foundation for our inner Throne, we create peace and order within our inner realm and engage with purpose and potency with the outer world.
🏰 🐉 🌚 🏔
The King — Values, Generation, Soul
The first stage of this journey is to establish our Values through the direction of the King, or Sovereign.
Our Values are the essential essence of our Soul’s manifestation. While I believe we are all part of the same collective Oneness, we also arrive alive with different shades or flavors of its expression.
This difference shows through what we call our Values, those aspects that create our unique recipe based on what we view as important, integral, and intrinsic to our experience.
The trick is how, without a lucid process and exploration of our Values, we tend to take on the values of our culture, families, and society. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, yet this work is about finding and grounding what is true for you into your life, reconnecting to the spirit of your inner child, and instilling a sense of order within your Inner Kingdom.
As we become alive to our Values, they form a constellation of stars that guide, support, and inform us towards an inspiring, aligned horizon.
👑 🪵 💎
The Magician — Vision, Stability, Embodiment
Once we are clear on our Soul’s alignment and what direction we are facing, it’s time to ground our Vision through the gifts and curiosity of the Magician.
The Magician is rooted in the present moment and is connected to both ethereal intuition and the embodied experience of our earthen bodies. Its energy requires us to begin the bodily process of Integration and embodiment.
Through practical clarity and practices of presence, mindfulness, and inner exploration, the Magician supports the process of calling down a dream from the sky and manifesting its creation by rooting it deep into the ground of our being, energetics, and daily lives.
It’s important to note how the Magician does not deal in fantasy, contrary to its name. With keen eyes, wisdom, and intuition, he supports us to cut through our culture’s illusion and stand with grounded feet within the present moment.
From this stable ground, we see far into the distance of our chosen horizons and both sense and intuit the necessary steps and path ahead. Through the guidance of the Magician, we live with discernment, peace, and clarity as we step forward towards our Vision.
🔮 🪨 👁
The Warrior — Velocity, Purpose, Leadership
Once we have a clear direction and an inspiring Vision, we harness the grit and stamina of the Warrior to create Velocity towards our Vision.
During this process, we cut away people-pleasing tendencies and chaotic habits, ignite our sense of resilience, create clear boundaries around our Kingdom, and establish what it means to be in integrity with ourselves and others.
Through this exploration, we take practical steps, establish supportive habits, clean up our relationships, establish clear support paths, train our bodies, mind, and spirit, take purposeful action towards our personal and professional development, and learn to lead ourselves and others with heart and presence.
As the steward and protector of our resources, the Warrior also supports us in identifying our gifts, clarifying our passions, and assessing our skills and knowledge to move with confidence, momentum, and Velocity.
⚔️ 🔥 🦁
The Lover — Vocation, Connection, Contribution
Our Souls are intrinsically interconnected and as we move towards the Values of our unique expression, clarify our Vision, and build a sense of momentum and Velocity in our lives, what naturally unfolds is the Lover’s desire to connect and contribute through our Vocation.
We can relate to Vocation as our spiritual calling, that which is and has always been ours to pursue, embrace, and enliven.
This requires more than just the Lover’s strength of heart. It also speaks to the willingness to die for what we believe in. It asks us to serve and step through the fires of our passion with sword in one hand and an open heart in the other.
Here, we build bridges, learn to communicate with clarity and compassion, and burn away misalignments that stand in the way of what calls to our spirit and calling. Here, we love and live without compromise.
💜 🌊 🌳
Purpose Leads To Potency
It’s often been asked why Velocity comes before Vocation.
Our spiritual calling takes time to unfold. It often takes several seasons and cycles for it to become apparent. Yet, it’s through purposeful action and momentum that our Soul’s deepest potency clicks in, and our life’s journey truly begins.
It may take many trials, experiments, seeing what doesn’t work, and exploring what truly enliven us before finding what we are willing to die for and committing ourselves fully to it.
Rather than waiting, dreaming, or getting lost in perfectionism, the Vira, or spiritual hero, engages even as they are patient and curious.
🧘 🧗♂️ 🙏
Supportive Structures and Context
Much of this Framework is based on Carl Jung’s work around Archetypes and includes the incorporation of the Masculine/Feminine energies within us, including their dynamic Dark and Light aspects. 🌞🌝
Also incorporated is the Wu Xing, or the Five Elemental Aspects, of my ancestors. ☯️
The generative energies of Wood support the benevolence of the King as the tangible density of Metal informs the Magician. The Fire of the Warrior’s spirit sparks action as the Lover harnesses Water’s fluidity and adaptability. And both as a beginning and an end, the grounding of Earth shows up through our physical embodiment. 🏔 🪵 🪨 🔥 🌊 🏔
As we are social creatures, the Wheel of Consent is also included as a framework supporting harmonious navigation with ourselves and others. Through the awareness and clarity of how we Take, when we Serve, what we Accept, and that which we Allow, we create true empowerment through transparency and reduce harm and unconscious impact. 🐒
The MAITEM Approach
The final piece of the Inner Kingdom Framework is the MAITEM Approach which stands Mindful, Acceptance, Integration, Transformation, Experience, and Mastery.
I refer to this often in understanding where my clients and I are along the journey of evolution and eventual Mastery. Each stage invites ritual initiation, provides a clear direction, and gives the often nebulous process of conscious growth direction and structure.
As we become Mindful of something we desire or want to work on, we Accept whatever shows up (the good, bad, and everything in between. Integration is where we do the work, which leads us to a sense of transformation over time. Through Experience (time, seasons, cycles), we approach Mastery.
For more about MAITEM, here’s a link to the full article. For now, what’s important to know is how the Inner Kingdom Framework is the journey while MAITEM is the meta-process through which all this evolutionary process is integrated. 🥋
Hearing The Call
The world is in great need of those stepping bravely and boldly into new paradigms of life, love, and contribution. Where we go from here requires those of great heart, deep clarity, and the ability to be harmoniously interconnected.
If this has inspired you in some way and you feel a calling perhaps in your heart or belly, I’m conducting market research interviews to hone my offerings and would be keen to speak with you.
In exchange for an interview, I’ll support you with 30 minutes of 1:1 coaching. Just you and me, working on your masculine depth and evolution for free. You can ask me anything.
Learn more and apply for free coaching here.
