TAZmen, MenTAZ, Tazopia, what?

MenTAZ is an annual event for men to build friendship through activity. TAZ is short for "temporary autonomous zone." 

TAZmen are those men who have attended a MenTAZ retreat and those who plan to go.  The retreat has occured at least once per year since 2002. 

MenTAZ is produced by Tazopia Projects Society, a registered non-profit society in the Province of British Columbia. The purpose of the Society is to put on "kairotic" retreats like MenTAZ. Tazopia was born from the need to have an independent legal entity to manage the growing legal and financial responsibilities of the successful MenTAZ retreat. Although focused on producing mens' retreats for TAZmen, the Society itself it not gender-specific, and may fund projects or produce events for both men and women in the future. Our goal is to encourage those who participate in our events to become members of Tazopia to build on the TAZmen idea.

Can I participate?

If you are not a Tazopia member, you must find a member to advocate for you before you can attend MenTAZ. To attend MenTAZor other TAZmen event, you must sign up. You must be registered on this site to sign up. You cannot register on this site without introducing yourself and finding someone in the group to support your attendance. This person becomes your Advocate. It sounds complicated, but the next section will make it clear. 

An Advocate makes sure that his brother is involved, feeling connected, getting maximum benefit for himself, and contributing maximum benefit to others. We use the word "brother" because the words buddy, comrade or peer don't fit. We like to think of each other as supportive family. 

This is easy if you know someone who is already a member of Tazopia and they trust your intentions. If you don't know anyone, the "Joining us" page tells you how to connect with us in real time and space as a first step.Early signup is encouraged, because early planning and volunteerism are critical to realizing the Principles of Tazopia.

What are the steps?

1. Read this page.
2. Register on this website to read more information.
3. Read the "Joining us" page for more information and introduce yourself.
4. Once you have an Advocate, you'll get to see much more on this website.
5. Join the discussion group (a link will appear on this page after your Advocate is in place. 
6. Sign up for an event. Cost share formula rises the more you delay.  Contribution share continues to rise as an event date approaches, and as we reach an intentionally limited capacity. MenTAZ follows a cost contribution formula that also encourages sponsorship and gifting.
7. Sign up for activities to help create an event, activities at an event. Consider involving others in a creative project or leading an activity.
8. Work hard. Play hard. Make friends.

Who participates?

TAZmen range from their 20s to 60s, with the average age 35-40. TAZmen are willing to consider their "rules" about male friendship and re-write them.

Many are physically active and participate in rock climbing, biking, team sports, canoeing, hiking, skiing, yoga, weightlifting, swimming or martial arts, but not all are fitness gurus.

A majority have participated at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada, but not all. Others are involved in building local community.

Some men are single, others in monogamous or open relationships. We gather to be men without labels. The EmoMen welcome non-judgemental men who can state their boundaries, keep their relationship agreements, are willing to be vulnerable, "be here now" and to trust others.

Some are highly accredited through mainstream education while others are in business. Some are educated through informal means including healing and performing arts. A few are entrepreneurs while some are students and others are on the path to finding what it is they want to do with their lives. Most are engaged with trying to answer the question, "who are we and why are we here," concerned about the planet's sustainability.

Human potential explorers who support the Vision, including performers, visual artists, craftspeople, athletes, and teachers are invited to join us to challenge and play with us.

Why is MenTAZ for men only?

Often men and women think and react differently - depending on what you believe, in part due to hormones and genetics, and in part due to social conditioning.  Moreover, they often act differently in the presence of the other gender than they do when with the same gender.

A certain kind of community arises when men gather together.  Why do some men go fishing together? Why do we often relate to each other through competitive sport and physical activity?  Why do we seem to act differently when in a male context?  These are generalities which do not always apply.  However it is certainly rare for men to have an opportunity to ask these questions and explore the potential of male relationship beyond social conventions.

Substantial mature male-male friendship past puberty is not typical.  Men have limited venues for meeting each other and developing their sense of one another. While women tend to set the social agenda for spouses, single men often run solo, especially as they grow older.  Bar chats don't reveal their human potential.

Some men focus their energies on sexual interactions without finding themselves intimately engaged.  They may not be able to emotionally support other men when it comes to major life events or issues. They skim the surface of relationship without enjoying the depths.  This behaviour is common to men regardless of sexual orientation, tempered for those in committed sexual relationships. Together, we can look at that part of ourselves, and how we can support each other.

Women may talk to other women for empathetic understanding about their bodies, babies, periods, menopause and other intimate topics; men have parallel threads to explore and less opportunity.

One view, supported by research, is that men tend to communicate and bond through activity rather than words. We need to be in the same physical space sharing goals and contributing our energies to a common outcome.  Sometimes that's competitive with each other - sometimes it is working together to overcome an obstacle or limitation.

Events like MenTAZ provide a forum for men who want to explore who they can be—not killing animals together for fun, not shouting at pro sports on tv, not as gay/str8 cartoons, not as bar louts, not as sexual consumers, and not at war—but as humans and as friends.

What happened to the EmoMen?

What about the rough stuff? I'm not very active.

Life is full of risk.  Venturing beyond your comfort zone is definitely part of the event.  No one will ask you to do anything that you are not ready to.   But you will certainly be encouraged to take chances.  If you are not ready to take chances mentally, physically or emotionally, maybe MenTAZ is not for you.

Can women participate at TAZmen events?

Many of the events we are involved with are open to women and men, and we welcome female friends, partners and spouses to join us. We have a few male-exclusive events each year to discover what it is to be men without labels. The Society will consider proposals to endorse gender-neutral retreats and projects. MenTAZ itself remains only for men.

What if my boundaries aren't the same as others?

Some boundaries preserve our physical selves, like respect for heights. Some boundaries are bandages for unhealed emotional wounds. Some boundaries are built to create an illusion of who we think we are. But, boundaries help to define us. They should be respected when they serve us. They may be questioned.

Be willing to be challenged, but don't wait for someone to cross your boundaries. The indications are usually clear--increased heart rate is one. Panic can follow. Feeling that declared or undeclared boundaries have not been respected will bring anger. Respect the fact that others have different boundaries. State your boundaries when they show up. Consider where they came from. We all have different boundaries around different kinds of experience.

Immediate, clear communication is essential, constructive, and a benefit to relationship.

What's this Burning Man connection about?

A majority of the TAZmen have attended the Burning Man Festival in Nevada, but it is not a requirement to participate with us. We were inspired by the festival, which has ties to writings of Hakim Bey. Bey encourages creation of a "temporary autonomous zone" (TAZ) where social conventions are put aside, then recreated through immediate creative participation. Other principles, like non-consumerism, non-spectatorship, full participation and gifting one another have been very useful in realizing the Vision of the TAZmen.

But really, what can I expect?

If MenTAZ were anything like you expected, we would not have achieved our goals.  We aim to make it unlike anything you've known.  This is a unique experience.

What about clothing?

For ritual body painting, a larger canvas is good to work with. If you have big issues about your body, TAZmen is not for you.

Clothing has two purposes: warmth and cultural costume. If we're going to wear a costume to keep warm, we drop the 90s mall look and might explore creative anachronism or something forward looking.

What's with the body paint?

Painting each other has become a signature ritual for our annual EmoTAZ event. Inventing our our own "tribe," we are re-enacting a ritual that has existed in many cultures for a very long time. It works on many levels that you must discover for yourself. This is a no-spectator activity and photos are taken only with permission.  Body paint has been a very useful ritual, and one we associate with past EmoTAZ events. Future TAZmen events may continue to include this ritual for resonant recognition of our past experiences, as a method to create a sense of connection through time. 

Should I become a member of Tazopia? 

Tazopia membership is open to those who have attended at least two residential retreats with the Society over slightly more than one year — for example, two consecutive retreats produced or endorsed by Tazopia. Reetreat participants must apply to become members of Tazopia and membership must be approved by two thirds of the Society's elected Directors.

Our goal is to encourage those who participate at MenTAZ to become members of the Society once they have met the membership requirements. Members provide financial and in-kind support to keep the Society going and to continue creating projects like MenTAZ in the years to come.

But, really, is this a cult?

Def'n 1: a religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.

Nope.

Def'n 2: The followers of such a religion or sect.

Nope.

Def'n 3: A system or community of religious worship and ritual.

No religious worshop, but shared values, yes and a ritual of body painting at an annual retreat, sure.

Def'n 4: The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.

Huh?

Def'n 5: A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.

Uh, no.

Def'n 6: Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.

We don't take ourselves that seriously.

Def'n 7: The object of such devotion.

No objects of devotion, nope again.

Def'n 8: An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.

Do you mean like a non-profit Society? We share social, creative and intellectual interests, sure.