The Ancient Rites of Male Initiation Were Complicated and Subtle

Essay

The ancient rites of male initiation were complicated and subtle experiences which could be imagined better as a continual spiral than as a walk down a road. The spiral could be described as a year which repeats itself in seasons. The four seasons of male development amount to four stages, four steps, and four events, though we all know that seasons run into each other, and repeat. The four seasons, or stages, … are bonding with and separation from the mother; bonding with and separation from the father; finding of the male mother; and the interior marriage or marriage with the Hidden Woman.
-Robert Bly
-What is Bly's general message or purpose in this paragraph?