OCT 22-26, 2026 | VANCOUVER ISLAND
EATING THE SHADOW
A 5-day immersion to dance with the darkness,
Eating the Shadow (ETS) is an invitation to journey into your underworld, where you will consciously unearth, explore, and integrate the hidden aspects of your psyche.
With ritual, myth, breathwork, and medicine, you will reclaim what you abandoned and liberate the vitality buried within - alongside an intimate circle of men.
“When a man moves into the black, that process amounts to bringing all the shadow material back inside. That process could be called retrieving and eating the shadow.
How many years pass before a man finds the dark parts of himself that he threw away? When he does find those parts and retrieves them, other people will begin to trust him.”
~ Robert Bly, Iron John
THE DESCENT
Over five days, Eating the Shadow moves along an ancient alchemical sequence, each threshold building upon the last:
01 / ARRIVAL
The day of seeing the container: agreements, consent, and what the week holds. In council, each man names what has brought him. The myth is unfurled and the journey begins.
02 / THE RED
The day of eros. Passion, desire, power, hunger. Primal play, conscious kink, and direct contact with your erotic shadow.
03 / THE WHITE
The day of medicine. The good boy, the white knight, and the lover of beauty underneath them. Cultivating tenderness between men.
04 / THE BLACK
The day of the dark. Entering the void itself, the meeting place of all opposites. Where light and dark are one thing. And there, waiting: your wild twin.
05 / THE RETURN
The day of the harvest: the gifts and the gold. And the work of bringing it home. The container is closed.
WHAT MEN SAY:
"I am so grateful for this experience. Ian and Deus weave wisdom, beauty, deep experience with love and skill into a grounded yet vibrant tapestry that invites me to experience more of myself, connect deeper with other men, and live a richer life."
- MAX
"In the magic of the container of Eating the Shadow, I broke through a lifetime of aloneness and self-doubt and embraced being the man I had always aspired to be. I am forever changed."
- BRIAN
"Through the space that Ian and Deus hold, I have been able to show up with my partner in my power - as a sensitive, sensual, and creative being. The impact of this in our sex life... WHOA. I am blushing just thinking about it."
- FREDDY
"An emptiness had grown inside me. Is this all life has to offer? I have everything that I was told would make me happy. I longed to feel love and be loved. This men's retreat provided me with a potent container to see deep into myself, excavate the true wealth and gold, and fill the void left by the poverty of our current culture."
- GRIFF
"This container, so carefully and creatively curated and held by Ian and Deus, brought me to a new threshold. My jumping-off point, my diving platform, has come closer to the deep pool of mystery of life. The call from the depths to jump is a siren song that I cannot escape. Thank you brothers."
- KEITH
"Eating the Shadow is one of the most powerful experiences of my life. It is insightful, edgy, rewarding, and filled with self discovery. You will connect with a flow of community and life you know you remembered once, and have been missing deeply."
- ANON
WHO THIS IS FOR:
Men who are...
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Devoted to dissolving their erotic barriers and blockages
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Want a container that challenges and supports them in equal measure
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Are willing to explore vulnerable, sensitive topics in a group of men
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Long for real community, and more ritual and ceremony in their lives
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Are drawn to myth, story, and the old maps of masculinity
- Have read Iron John or King, Warrior, Magician, Lover - and want an embodied experience of that work
"Ian and Deus are at the leading edge of men's work. They hold an impeccable container which invites real transformation. Weaving eros into men's work has been massively missing to date, and these men do it cleanly and safely. The result is a brotherhood of sexually empowered men who are in relationship with their shadows. I am in full support and would wish this experience for any man committed to this path of self-realization."
- MATT STURM, author of The Organic Masculine
YOUR GUIDES
Ian MacKenzie is a filmmaker, mythopoetic guide, and founder of The Mythic Masculine. His films - Sacred Economics, Amplify Her, Lost Nation Road, and The Village of Lovers - explored the intersection of culture, love, and community that eventually led him to men's work.
His training spans multiple lineages - studying cultural repair with Stephen Jenkinson at the Orphan Wisdom School, four years at Tamera's Love School, and training in Council, Forum, and Transformational Psychotherapeutics. He lives on Vancouver Island with his family.
Deus Fortier is an Accelerated Evolution Coach, Transformational Artist, Numa Breathwork practitioner and Plant Medicine facilitator. He has over 17 years of experience in the immersive study and practice in non-ordinary states of consciousness, Kriya Yoga, Earth-based spirituality, body-centered psychotherapeutic methods, art therapy, embodiment practices and trauma-informed facilitation.
THE LOCATION
We will gather at a beautiful private location in the lush rainforest of Black Creek, Vancouver Island.
Spots are limited to 14 participants
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
5 days & 4 nights guided by Ian & Deus
Chef-prepared meals
Indoor heated accommodation
Medicine journey
Ecstatic dance, breathwork, and more...
INVESTMENT
$2300 CAD
A $500 CAD deposit reserves your place once accepted.
Partial scholarships available. Inquire on your intake call.
FAQs
Is there financial support available?
Will there be direct sexual connection between men at this immersion?
Will there by nudity?
What if I have a trauma history or am in therapy?
Are trans men welcome to attend this weekend?
What is the accommodation and what should I bring?
What is your cancellation policy?
"The wild twin is not unique to me; you have one, everyone has one. That's the message from the old stories. That the day you were born, a twin was thrown out the window, sent into exile.
[...] I believe in the labour of becoming a human, you have to earnestly search this character out, as it has something crucial for you with it. It has your life's purpose tucked up in its pocket.
If there was something you were here to do in these few years, you can be sure the wild twin is holding the key."
~ Martin Shaw
