The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers |
NOTE: The DM team sends a fond farewell and all good wishes to our departing member, the Rev. Jerry Monroe Maynard, who leaves to build his ministry as an educator, activist, and The
People's Priest. Jerry came aboard early in the DMs' history and contributed much in tech savvy and marketing support, as well as the core work of assembling and curating art for the DMs. You may see him teaching Creation Spirituality Community courses in the future, among his other planned adventures. Hail and farewell! Blessings, Matthew Fox and the DM Team |
Week of 3/6-11, 2023: Our Search for Truth, the True Self & the Ground of Being 03/12/2023 |
March 6, 2023. Thomas Merton and the Search
for Our True Selves
Truth is something the mystics and the prophets teach, but it’s not only vitally important in public venues; it’s also essential to find truth within ourselves. Our authentic self is our inner self, our true self, as opposed to the false self which is more concerned with outer appearances and expectations. Catholic monk Thomas Merton spoke of the importance of being true to oneself. We are “at liberty to be real or unreal .
. . be true or false, the choice is ours.” Some people hide behind masks and never reveal their true selves. Eventually, living as a false self, continually wearing a mask, is so uncomfortable it will require the assistance of a psychiatrist "to scratch the itch." |
March 7, 2023. Merton, Eckhart, and the Search for Our True and Deeper Selves, continued
As we continue to explore the importance of being in touch with our true selves, Matthew reminds us that when our deeper selves, our truer selves, is ignored, the gaping hole in the soul seeks to be filled by something else. Often that something is else is drugs, alcohol, overwork, or some other kind of addiction. Being in
touch with our true selves means being aware of our shadow, as well, both our personal and collective shadow. When we sink into our deeper, truer selves, we connect with the Christ within (or the Buddha or Image of God.) St. Paul said, “Not I, but Christ lives within me.” Meanwhile, Merton declares that we are other Christs... Who am I? A Son of God… My true self is the self that is spoken by God—‘Thou art My Son!’ |
March 8, 2023. Julian of Norwich, Eckhart, Merton, Suzuki on Digging for
Truth
Julian of Norwich urges us to become gardeners of the soul as well as the soil. Eckhart liked to refer to God as the “ground of being,” which was a phrase Thich Nhat Hanh favored as well. Buddhist scholar D. T. Suzuki teaches that the “True Self” is the formless, original mind. Merton says that Suzuki was “obviously thinking of Eckhart” when he talks of the light of Prajna penetrating “the ground nature of consciousness” and
illuminating things inside and outside. |
'Digging and Ditching' as Julian of Norwich would say. A way to connect with the deep roots of our soul. Photo by Visual Karsa on Unsplash |
March 9, 2023. Eckhart, Suzuki, Merton on Truth, Formlessness & the Original Mind
D. T. Suzuki talks about the “formless, original mind.” This reminded Matthew of a great, transcendant dream he had while recovering from back surgery many years ago. In this dream, Eckhart came to
him and they went walking along the beach together. Matthew tells us “he was wearing a Dominican habit with the capuce covering his head but he had no face as such—it was formless.” Shortly after, Matthew began working on the book which is now called Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart. Eckart taught that The truth does not come from outside in but from inside out and passes through an inner form. Merton tells us: In Zen enlightenment, the
discovery of the ‘original face before you were born' is the discovery not that one sees Buddha but that one is Buddha. Matthew reminds us that “this is Cosmic Christ language.” |
March 10, 2023. Our Chakras and the Search for Truth
As we continue our exploration of the theme of Truth, we note that both Aquinas and the Jewish tradition speak of truth as being found in the heart and not just in the head. Truth can also be revealed through our chakras, the sacred centers of our bodies
and our true selves. In the first chakra, we find our connection with the earth beneath our feet. In the second chakra, we can experience truth through lovemaking. In the third, we recognize truth in our gut, as well as falsehood. And, of course, our heart knows Truth, truly. Our fifth chakra is how we speak truth. Our sixth chakra is our intuitive knowledge of it. And our seventh chakra connects us with ancestors and wise ones, truth-seekers, truth-finders, and
truth-speakers. |
March 11, 2023. On Faux News and the Opposite of Truth
Matthew was taught by one of his professors in Paris that “Sometimes it is best to go to the opposite of a spiritual concept first in order to get to the fuller meaning of that concept.” And so, even if it is unpleasant, sometimes
exploring falsehoods and lies can better help us to understand the vital importance of truth and how the lack thereof can be extremely damaging to the healthy functioning of a society and a democracy. |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh:
Transforming Evil in Soul and Society Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more
enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them. “A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and
depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the new Physics | |
A Way to God: Thomas
Merton's Creation Spirituality Journey
In A Way to God, Fox explores Merton’s pioneering work in interfaith, his essential teachings on mixing contemplation and action, and how the vision of Meister Eckhart profoundly influenced Merton in what Fox calls his Creation
Spirituality journey.
“This wise and marvelous book will profoundly inspire all those who love Merton and want to know him more deeply.” — Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism | |
Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring
Spirituality of Meister Eckhart Matthew Fox’s comprehensive translation of Meister Eckhart’s sermons is a meeting of true prophets across centuries, resulting in a spirituality for the new millennium. The holiness of creation, the divine life in each person and the divine power of our creativity, our call to do justice and practice compassion–these
are among Eckhart’s themes, brilliantly interpreted and explained for today’s reader.
“The most important book on mysticism in 500 years.” — Madonna Kolbenschlag, author of Kissing Sleeping Beauty Goodbye. | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox for a lecture and Q&A on “The Reinvention of Work – A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, March 16, 4:00-6:00 pm PT.
Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox and Isa Gucciardi for a new Lecture & Q&A on “ Liberation and Salvation: Healing Teachings in Buddhism & Christianity” at Convergence Hosted by
Cameron Trimble, Tuesday, March 21, 4:00-6:00 pm PT Register HERE. Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox speaks on "Jung and Teilhard in Dialogue" to the Creation Spirituality Communities at their Global Kinship event in January 2023. | |
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