The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers
Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox
|
Some Teachings from Thomas Aquinas
on the Angels
We have been meditating on angels of late because, ever since the January 6 commission began its hearings we have been exposed to very dark messages about America and about the unraveling of democracy
in our time the world over. The same is true of the SCOTUS debacle that unravels respect for law and the courts.
|
Hildegard teaches that lies and untruths, greed and violence, actually untie the golden ropes of creation and community and constitute the anti-Christ at work and paints a picture of this reality.
We have been meditating on the 7th chakra and humanity’s capacity to be bearers of great light.
| MSNBC Legal Correspondent Ari Melber joins The Nation’s Joan Walsh and Linda Greenhouse, to discuss the legitimacy of the Supreme Court following its reversal of Roe v
Wade.
|
We have been meditating on the 7th chakra and humanity’s capacity to be bearers of great light which is meant to link up with other light beings including our ancestors and our fellow builders of the “beloved community” here on earth. And also with those light beings we call angels or spirits. This may help to balance the many dark headlines in the
news today.
|
The Madonna della Vallicella Adored by Seraphim and Cherubim by Peter Paul Rubens, 1608. Wikimedia Commons.
|
And so, having spent some time with our Allies including ancestors and other human community builders on the earth today, we are also meditating on those Allies whom we call angels.
Hildegard, as we have seen, has a lot to teach us about angels; and so does Thomas Aquinas.
Aquinas emphasizes the relationship of angels to the cosmos or “the heavens.”
This is important for us to hear since in the modern era, when humanity was so in love with itself (Pope Francis calls it our “narcissism” as a species), angels were often reduced to bare bottom babies and sentimentalized and only about helping humans as individuals.
|
In contrast, Aquinas writes that:
the place of the angels in the scale of spiritual being corresponds to that of the heavenly bodies in the corporeal word; thus Dionysius calls them heavenly minds. Isaiah talks about an army of celestial wonders such as the heavens, the stars and angels.
This also links angels to the first chakra which is about the cosmos and the earth (its shadow side is Arrogance and Acedia).
|
Sheldrake recognizes guardian angels as just “a tiny part of the creative intelligence in the cosmos” and we need to take into account the role of the angels in galaxies, stars, “and the entire process of cosmic evolution.” Angels deal with events “of vast cosmological importance and scope.”
He points out that modern science is itself based on the idea “that the universe is governed by invisible principles, the laws of nature” and these are not physical things but “invisible governing principles” and “abstract mathematical equations rather than living minds with creative power.”
| Archangel Michael, Sacre Coeur Basilica, Paris, France. Detail of photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash.
|
They are “totally disembodied” and “extremely arid, limited, and narrow.” They are lacking in love and joy.
|
| To view today's video, please click the image. You will be taken to today's post on the Daily
Meditations with Matthew Fox website, where you can see the meditation in a larger version and also view and post your Comments. In the sharing that follows, a kind of community is developing around the DM.
If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE.
|
Queries for Contemplation
How does it shake up your understanding of angels and the cosmos to hear that angels are not just human guides but dealing with events “of vast cosmological importance and
scope”?
See Matthew Fox, Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen, pp. 122-126.
Adapted from Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake, The Physics of Angels, pp. 78-80.
Banner Image: “Angels Descending.” Photo by KayYen on Flickr. |
An introduction to the life and work of Hildegard of Bingen, Illuminations reveals the life and teachings of one of the greatest female artists and intellectuals of the Western Mystical Tradition. At the age of 42, she began to have visions; these were captured as 36 illuminations–24 of which are recorded in this book along with her commentaries on
them.
“If one person deserves credit for the great Hildegard renaissance in our time, it is Matthew Fox.” – Dr Mary Ford-Grabowsky, author of Sacred Voices.
| |
The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science & Spirit Meet
When was the last time a scientist and a theologian discussed angels together? What are angels? Many people believe in angels, but few can define these enigmatic spirits. Now visionary theologian Matthew Fox and acclaimed biologist Rupert Sheldrake—pioneers in modern religious thinking and scientific theory—launch a groundbreaking exploration into the ancient concept of the angel and restore
dignity, meaning, and joy to our time-honored belief in these heavenly beings.
| |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field.
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE
Join Matthew Fox as he offers an online lecture and Q&A on "Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times" to The College of Psychic Studies, London,
Thursday, June 30, 11:00am-12:30pm PT. Register HERE.
|
Join Matthew Fox at the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Virtual Retreat with a discussion of "The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times." Thursday, July 14,
4:00pm-6:00pm PT. Register HERE.
Creation Spirituality in Conversation.
|
|
Victor Fuhrman of Destination Unlimited on OMTimes interviews Matthew Fox on Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality. Navigate to the podcast page by clicking the image on the left.
|
Announcing Matthew Fox's Newest Book!
|
Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
Selected with an introduction by Charles Burack
“This collection of Fox’s most life-giving insights blesses the connection between caring for our Mother-the-Earth and lifting up marginalized voices, between waking up from the dream of separation and stepping up to mend the net of creation.”
—Mirabai Starr, author, God of Love and Wild Mercy
| |
Please share this post! Just click the buttons below.
OR share your insights on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox
|
|
|
|
