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Meditations with Matthew Fox
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Spiritual Lessons from Animals, continued |
Further spiritual lessons that animals share with us include the following: |
That climbing Jacob’s ladder is unnatural. Have you ever known an animal (other than the two-legged one) who liked to climb ladders? They know better. They know their place and ours is on the earth, eye to eye with the rest of the gifted creatures of the land and sea. Why would animals climb ladders when everything they need the Creator has
put on earth? | |
I once saw a bear climb a stair case in a circus when men made him do so. He was so afraid and so not-at-home when he got to the top stair, in front of us all, he peed from fright and discomfort. The audience laughed at this but the bear knew: there was nothing at the top of the ladder! |
Black Elk teaches that "the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round." Humor. Animals bring humor into our lives, a radical, celebrative awareness of dialectic and paradox. Animals, I am convinced, love to make us human animals laugh. They are often well aware, in my opinion, of what makes us laugh. Animals are truly holy in their way, for all full humor is
reflection of the divine good humor. Animals have very often a richer sense of humor than some persons. Silent Dignity. Animals have a sense of their own worth and dignity—a pride at their own unique existence that subtly suggests
that no one ever preached to them about original sin. |
| As a result they appear at home with silence, with themselves and with solitude. I have been amazed to observe how many animals
come out to watch the sun set--ducks, birds, dogs and God knows how many smaller creatures have a contemplative side to them that the human species of late has all but forgotten. Hildegard of Bingen says that “there is no being that
lacks an interior life.” This is quite a blunt observation. It is surely worth meditating on—and examining. |
In the past three DM’s, we have considered just ten spiritual teachings from animals. People in the Comments pages have added their own. Altogether, these are only an introduction to a weighty and much neglected subject. What is clear is that God has blessed our animals and blessed us through the animals. For “the Lord is good to all and compassionate towards all his works” (Ps. 145). And these works, at least some of them, are compassionate back. How are we humans doing in this regard? |
| 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. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion, pp. 167f, "From Climbing Jacob's Ladder to Dancing Sarah's Circle," pp. 36-67. And Matthew Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for
Our Times, pp. 214-220. Banner Image: Lions enjoying some play time. Photo by Will
Shirley on Unsplash. |
Queries for Contemplation Is it your experience too that animals are more into Sarah circle dynamics than climbing ladders? And the Power of the World always works in circles? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with
Social Justice In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox delivers a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the
future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity. “Well worth our deepest consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register | |
Meister Eckhart: A
Mystic-Warrior For Our Time
While Matthew Fox recognizes that Meister Eckhart has influenced thinkers throughout history, he also wants to introduce Eckhart to today’s activists addressing contemporary crises. Toward that end, Fox creates dialogues between Eckhart and Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Heschel, Black Elk, Karl Marx, Rumi, Adrienne Rich, Dorothee Soelle, David Korten, Anita Roddick, Lily Yeh, M.C. Richards, and many others.
"Matthew Fox is perhaps the greatest writer on Meister Eckhart that has ever existed. (He) has successfully bridged a gap between Eckhart as a shamanistic personality and Eckhart as a post-modern mentor to the Inter-faith movement, to reveal just how cosmic Eckhart really is, and how remarkably relevant to today's religious crisis! " — Steven Herrmann, Author of Spiritual Democracy: The Wisdom of Early American Visionaries for the Journey Forward | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE Join Matthew Fox for the monthly online Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Original Blessing. Thursday, October 20, 4:00pm-6:00pm PT. Register
HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality. Thursday, November 17,
4:00pm-6:00pm PT. Register HERE. Creation Spirituality in Conversation |
| Join
scholars Matthew Fox and Thomas G. Hermans-Webster for Progressive Christianity's monthly “Things that Matter” discussion on eco-spirituality: “The Intersection of Faith and Climate Justice.” |
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