Drew’s talk is called “Trimming Iron John: Alchemical Healing of the Masculine Soul Through the Barber’s Chair”
In the German fairy tale “Iron Hans,” as recorded by the Brothers Grimm, we watch as a wild man initiates a young prince into adulthood. Made popular by Robert Bly and helping to spawn the mythopoetic men’s movement of the 1990s, the tale has become synonymous with a call for modern men to embrace the intense and shadowy inner masculine energy, their own lost psychic “wild man,” and thus embark on a journey toward individuation and finding one’s authentic identity. This myth, culminating with the golden-haired prince marrying the princess, ends with an unexpected twist not often explored: The wild man Iron John appears at the wedding feast, no longer a hair-covered beast but transformed into a noble king.
This nearly instantaneous transformation from wild man to nobility through the removal of Iron John’s hairy coverings provides an opportunity to explore how the physical act of growing one’s hair out and then cathartically cutting it off has the potential to transform a man internally and externally, physically and psychically, by shedding identity and image and stepping into a new way of viewing himself. We investigate the shamanic role of barber as well, who acts as counselor, mentor, and agent of change, and the barber’s chair as the alchemical alembic in which this transformation takes place.
About Drew
Drew H. Smith, Ph.D. is the Director of Online Learning at Walsh College in Troy, MI, where he oversees the design, development, and technical support for all of Walsh’s online and hybrid courses. He has a passion for moving higher education forward into a new pedagogical model focused on transformation rather than information. Dr. Smith earned his Ph.D. in Depth Psychology which focuses on the unconscious and transpersonal aspects of the human experience. His research interests include men’s psychology, mindful masculinity, spirituality and Christian mysticism, the current sociopolitical climate surrounding gender in academia and culture, and scotch.
To hear Drew’s talk and many others, join us at the Mythologium!
The Mythologium is a conference and retreat for mythologists and friends of myth, held July 30 – Aug 1 via Zoom. Register here!