Eivind Figenschau Skjellum
Founder
Eivind Figenschau Skjellum’s formal background is within the fields of Information Technology and Graphic Design. He has been a student of spirituality and consciousness since 2001, after an early existential crisis forced him to rethink the way he was living his life and his relationships. Early meditation-induced energetic experiences sealed the deal and propelled him forwards with great dedication into Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism has been his spiritual homebase since 2003, and for many years he meditated extensively, attending retreats and sitting 1-2 hours every day without fail.
Eivind picked up gestalt therapy to go deeper with shadow work in 2004. This revealed many hitherto unconfronted issues regarding childhood and sexuality. That process lasted for almost two years, and towards the end of it, he was introduced to the book The Game by Neill Strauss, which triggered in him both aversion and fascination.
With these feelings working their way through his bodymind, he went on spiritual pilgrimage to India at the end of 2006. In Boudhgaya, at the very place of the Buddha’s enlightenment, came a huge turning point – a woman walked silently into the night and he dared not shout her name. It became apparent, suddenly and with tremendous force, that despite all the thousands of hours of meditation, he was still afraid of being hurt by women. There was a lack of balance in the different lines of development, which he recognized as dangerous, and he resolved to change his life upon his return home.
After returning to Norway, he dedicated himself whole-heartedly to figuring out these unchartered territories. In this process, he discovered that many people associated with the world described by Strauss’s book were lacking in integrity. They were generally good people, hurt from life as he was, but they were willing to basically lie to get laid, which seemed an odd thing, as being true to one’s word is the cornerstone of manhood. Eivind wasn’t willing to discard the foundation of his masculinity as an expression of masculinity – the oedipal pathology seemed too strong – so he honed in on the few people that put integrity as the absolute prerequisite for anything and everything in life and moved on.
Results were quick and out of that process came a deep and fulfilling relationship which lasted for three years in which he learned to persist in love even when it was hard. His relationship with Cathrine ended January 1, 2010, which you can read more about here: In honor of my ending intimate relationship.
Important influences on Eivind’s life have been Ken Wilber, David Deida, taiji master Pamela Hiley, Robert Bly, Douglas Gillette, Robert Moore, myriad Tibetan Buddhist teachers, and lately – and perhaps most importantly – a relationship with his very own spiritual mentor. Also, the workshop intensive series in three parts (thirty hours each) Levende Maskulinitet (Living Masculinity), facilitated masterfully by Eirik Balavoine and Dag Furuholmen, was an incredibly important source of initiation.
Along the way, Eivind has experimented with introducing consciousness training in high schools, as well as briefly facilitating the Peace Point Youth Council. He is currently, aside from spending time on his dayjob as a graphic designer, wrapping up his translation of David Deida’s The Way of the Superior Man, contemplating how to best serve boys of all ages through this website, consciously growing his ability to love fearlessly and looking for further sources of initiation.
Movie reviews by Eivind Figenschau Skjellum
- Good Will Hunting
- The 13th Warrior
- The Last Temptation of Christ
- The Road
- Boy A
- Gran Torino
- American History X
- Dead Poets Society
- Fight Club
- Revolutionary Road
- Married Life
- Buddha’s Lost Children
- The Last Samurai
- Beowulf
- Michael Clayton
- Patton
- Lars and the Real Girl
- Sideways
- Man on Wire
- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring
- Mrs. Doubtfire
- Into the Wild
- A History of Violence
- Lord of War
- Gladiator
