It’s always a pleasure to have a conversation about naturism and naturist fiction. I recently had the opportunity to do just that with Frank Stone, host of the podcast Naked, Nudists and Naturists. Frank is a terrific interviewer who does a solid show, and he’s divided the interview into two parts. The first part came out last Saturday, and the second part comes out this Saturday. You can listen to both parts on the various podcast services or from their own site, Episodes 13 and 14 (September 23 and 30, 2023) along with all their other great episodes! I was also interviewed by Evan Nix for S ..read more

This is a difficult post to write. It’s about extortion, suicide, and grief. I’m compelled to write it, however, because it’s also about nudity, nude photos, and a perhaps unexpected way for us naturists, nudists and our allies to bring about positive change. Last month, national headlines here in the US declared that a South Carolina state representative sponsored a bill to crack down on criminals who blackmail people online, especially teenagers. The representative’s 17-year-old son had been a victim, and had committed suicide because of the criminals’ threat. What was the threat? Pay us, or ..read more

As 2022 comes to an end, I reflect back on the Green Man, the ancient European archetypal figure who began to appear in my thoughts and writings last year, and to whom I dedicated a series of posts this past summer. The Green Man can be seen as an embodiment of the male archetypes. He is also a representation of the harmony of man in nature – something of a naturist icon. A year ago, I started letting my beard grow out, and I was joking that I would be Merlin, Gandalf or Dumbledore for Halloween. So with that in mind, on a day in late October when I was at the nearby naturist park, I decided t ..read more

This is the eighth and final mystery reading in the Green Man series – brief texts that illuminate aspects of masculinity through nature while exploring the major masculine archetypes. A central truth about the archetypes is that they all reside within each one of us. You may feel more drawn toward one than the others, but it’s important to be aware of them all in their particular relevance and resonance to you. You may cycle through them during different periods of your life or under different circumstances. We can see this in the Green Man, the organizing principle for these posts. In him we ..read more

This is the seventh mystery reading in the Green Man series – brief texts that illuminate aspects of masculinity through nature while exploring the major masculine archetypes. It’s a different kind of mystery reading, because it’s the narration of a dream: In the dream, the old man spoke to me of love, and of freedom. He was a wizard of full white beard, and at the same time he was a golden, strapping youth, cloaked in the sun. He said: “My mind is free, because each day I can choose to learn and to grow in love. My heart is free, for I love across genders and numbers. My body is free, because ..read more

This is the sixth mystery reading in the Green Man series – brief texts that illuminate aspects of masculinity through nature while exploring the major masculine archetypes. Sun and Lion A poetic name for the sun in Spanish is “El Astro Rey”: The King of the Stars. The sun is indeed our ultimate king, whose eternal dance with the feminine earth sets into motion our concepts of time, weather, and season. As ancient stargazers came to understand sooner or later, the sun is the literal center of our solar system. In many cultures, the maximum ruler, as well as the principal god, are linked to the ..read more

This is the fifth mystery reading in the Green Man series – brief texts that illuminate aspects of masculinity through nature while exploring the major masculine archetypes.  Stag and Serpent The stag and the serpent don’t grow without shedding. Whether they shed antlers or skin, these animals are masters of transformation, striding and slithering through forest and stream. Both are associated with the ancient Celtic Horned God, Cernunnos. This bearded deity, an avatar of the Green Man himself, oversaw the cycle of life, death and rebirth – the decay of the old and the flourish of the new ..read more

This is the fourth mystery reading in the Green Man series – brief texts that illuminate aspects of masculinity through nature while exploring the major masculine archetypes.  Oak and Eagle The oak, one of the most common trees in the temperate climes of the world, is also one of the sturdiest and tallest. Because of its strength and height, it’s often the model for the “family tree,” an image for showing the ancestry and descendants of a family line. A father, so inclined, would wish for his descendants to be as numerous as the branches of an old oak, for his seed to be as abundant as it ..read more

This is the third mystery reading in the Green Man series – brief texts that illuminate aspects of masculinity through nature while exploring the major masculine archetypes.  Chili Pepper and Avocado “Keep shaking the chili like that and you’ll send the seeds flying everywhere.” The Native peoples of the Americas made jokes in their languages comparing the chili peppers they cultivated to the male organ. Because of its general shape, and its variety of sizes and colors, the chili pepper visually resembles the penis. But just as importantly, it’s the chili’s spicy sting that led it to beco ..read more

This is the second mystery reading in the Green Man series – brief texts that illuminate aspects of masculinity through nature while exploring the major masculine archetypes.  Lightning and Wind Humankind’s first experience with glass was probably the discovery of the filament-like unique shapes that result when lightning strikes the beach. These shapes, half buried into the sand, resemble the random patterns of ejaculate, appearing as they do after the sky-shattering orgasm of a lightning strike with simultaneous thunder. In most cultures, the gods of sky and lightning and thunder are ma ..read more