The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic
Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily
Meditations with Matthew Fox
|
Sacred Light among the Celts and
in the Hindu Scriptures 02/10/2023 |
We are holding up the all-important scientific discovery of our time that can put an end to the dangerous dualism of matter vs. spirit that haunts spirituality and upholds
patriarchy. |
Among the Celtic peoples, the most venerated among the ancient gods was Lugh, the god of light and giftedness. Says John O’Donohue, “the Celtic mind adored the light…Ultimately
light is the mother of life.” Without light, life dwindles. Where there is no light there can be no life. If the angel of the sun were to turn away from the earth, all human, animal , and vegetative life as we know it would disappear. Ice would freeze the earth again. Light is the secret presence of the divine. It keeps life awake. | |
The ancient poem “The Deer’s Cry”
celebrates light: Strength of heaven, Light of sun, Radiance of moon, Splendor of fire. |
“The Deer’s Cry,” an ancient druidic incantation Christianized and ascribed to St. Patrick. Sung by Lee Harris; video by LeeHarrisMusic. | O’Donohue acclaims how …the sun
brings light or color. It causes grasses, crops, leaves, and flowers to grow. The sun brings forth the erotic charge of the curved earth; it awakens her wild sensuousness. |
A
Gaelic poem celebrates the sun as the eye and face of God. The eye of the God of glory,
The eye of the king of hosts,
The eye of the king of the
living
Pouring upon us
at each time and season,
Pouring upon us
gently and generously
Glory to thee
Thou glorious sun
Glory to
thee, thou son
Face of the God of life. The Bhagavad Gita honors the divine origin of Light. Krishna
speaks: |
The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from
Me. Krishna is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is unmanifested He is knowledge. He is the object of knowledge, and he is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone’s heart. | The Hindu deity Krishna, portrayed as a blue man, is seen as an embodiment of infinite creativity and compassion; blue being an expression of
limitlessness. Artist unknown. |
In the Vedas, Brahman is celebrated as Light. The cosmic waters glow. I am Light!
The light glows. I am Brahman! Light glows within the human too and resides inside of us. There is a Light that shines above this heaven, above all worlds, above everything that exists in the highest world beyond which
there are no higher—this is the Light that shines within humans. |
| 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 today's post on the website directly, click HERE.
If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. 56f., 63. Banner Image: Celtic solar cross capturing the sun. Photo by Funk Dooby on Flickr. |
Queries for Contemplation Do these poems from the Celtic and Hindu traditions speak to you? Do they remind you of other teachings from Scriptures or saints? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates
how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each. “Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author
of Anatomy of the Spirit | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox and special guest Caroline Myss for a 6-part course, “The Fire Inside: How John of the Cross’s Creation Spirituality and Mystical Activism Inspires Our Own”
hosted by the Caroline Myss Educational Institute. Tuesdays & Thursdays, February 7-23, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. Please join Matthew Fox, Tom Stang, and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur for a Commemoration and Rededication to the Legacy of Sister Dorothy Stang, in person or livestreamed
from the SNDdeN Cunningham Chapel, Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont CA. Saturday, February 11 2:00-4:00 pm PT. For More Information & Livestream Link, email: Bvaughn@ndnu.edu Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox at the Center for Contemporary Mysticism discusses “Birthing a New World: Can Creation-Centered Spirituality Help Reclaim the Sacredness of the Earth?" | |
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
|
|
|
|
