Symbols of Transformation – Talisman
by Randy Marks
Symbols of Transformation
Nine years ago, I joined the Mankind Project (MKP.org) after completing the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA). The Project changes the world by helping men heal and serve others, including their families, friends, and all humanity.
The Talisman I received at that NWTA is probably my most valued possession. It originally was just a red pouch on a leather cord. Over the years, I added a lot of beads and other objects. Some I got at other trainings and retreats. But most came at the end of the end of NWTAs that I staffed for other men.
Staffing 36 NWTAs has given me new friends and much more. I’ve had the privilege of helping and witnessing hundreds of men transform their lives by healing their wounds, embracing a mission of service, and connecting with other men. And I’ve grown as a man by working on goals at each staffing, such as to empowering other men to be brilliant, and having more faith in myself.
By working on the goals and being open to learning something entirely unexpected, I have transformed myself. I hardly recognize the annoying, anxious, controlling, and self-loathing man that I was nearly a decade ago, though I confess those qualities still sometimes emerge.
So I treasure my Talisman as picture of my journey to being a loving and powerful man. It represents lessons learned, gifts given and received, transformation and empowerment, and, most of all, love.
Randy Marks was initiated into the Mankind Project in June 2005. He obtained his BS, MBA, and JD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He served as a Federal Trade Commission attorney from 1980 to 2014, primarily working to promote competition in health care industries. In retirement, his goals are love, travel, and service. Staffing NWTAs is one of his abiding passions. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.
