This weblog is called Masculine Tools.
What the fuck is a Masculine Tool? No, not that kind of tool dipshit. What is a Masculine Tool as it relates to this blog? It’s my blog, so I’ll define it:
A Masculine Tool is anything a man uses to exercise one or more of his masculine dimensions, often evoking an intensely masculine experience.
That definition is a slightly unwieldy mouthful, so let’s unpack it in 3 pieces…
1. A Masculine Tool is anything a man uses to exercise…
In the hands of a man, a Masculine Tool can be a physical object (a piece of equipment, training gear, or weapon) a behavior (a type of practice or a form of training), or a concept (a particular point of view or an understanding).
Masculine Tools, as we are talking about here, include such ‘things’ as weights, reading materials, handyman skills, firearms, gym equipment, written journals, seduction skills, various forms of running, fighting and defensive skills, inspirational and educational movies, sexual skills, forms of artistic or ritual equipment, self-awareness, competitive sports, mechanical skills, extreme challenges etc.…
2. A Masculine Tool is used to exercise one or more of his masculine dimensions…
Masculine Tools are used to exercise, engage and challenge our masculine dimensions, forcing ourselves to go beyond our current limitations, to exercise our previously unknown dimensions, or reawaken aspects of ourselves that we have allowed to wither or atrophy due to lack of use.
These masculine dimensions include the already mentioned masculine virtues such as Strength, Courage, Honor and Mastery, but also include dimensions such as Self Awareness, Autonomy and Intimacy, Emotional Maturity, Shadow-aspect, and Mortality to name a few.
3. Using a Masculine Tool will often evoke an intensely masculine experience…
Using a Masculine Tool correctly, in my experience, gives rise to intense feelings of power, virility, potency and ruggedness, as well as a surging of a primal or animalistic nature.
For example, two Masculine Tools I try to use every day, forest trail running and weight training, evoke intensely masculine experiences. I’ll explain:
Forest trail running is just what it sounds like, running, not jogging, on trails that wind through the forest. Forest trail running demands a very high degree of focus and precision, due to the elevation changes, twists, turns and obstacles, but especially because many of the trails are heavily covered with tree roots.
This kind of running forces me to into a hyper-alert state, where I feel wild and predatory, like I’m stalking an animal or an enemy, exercising dimensions such as concentration, stamina, speed, agility, flexibility and respiration control.
Weight training involves moving heavy weights using physical strength, power and endurance. While there are countless exercises that can be performed, the lifts that use combinations of large muscle groups and dramatically tax the entire musculature are best, especially the Deadlift.
The Deadlift is a pure, Masculine Tool designed to evoke a mammoth physical exertion, pitting ones pure power and determination, against the earth’s gravity and the cold dead weight in your grip. After a good set of Deadlifts, although drained and depleted I actually feel simultaneously stronger and energized.
The common experience between the Masculine Tools of forest trail running and weight training is that they both evoke what I will call an extremely dramatic experience of masculinity, primal, potent and intense.
This kind of experience includes a heightened self awareness and bodily fullness, sharpened perceptions, and a sense of confidence, competence and satisfaction.
Finally and most importantly, many Masculine Tools engage several masculine dimensions simultaneously and work synergistically, creating a 1 + 1 + 1 = 7 kind of effect. Separately, a flame, gasoline and oxygen are pretty unremarkable. Put them together and you can burn the World to the ground. So it goes with Masculine Tools, and because a good man has many dimensions, he will need to use many many tools.
In the end, Masculine Tools are used by manly uncompromising men who unapologetically demand more of themselves and more of everything in their lives, testosterone and adrenaline, flesh and blood, power and performance, aggression and virility.
What kind of Masculine Tools are you wielding to forge your masculine identity?
masculinetools.com 