The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers |
Encountering Creation Spirituality and Matthew Fox 07/20/2023
by Rick Reich-Kuykendall |
In July of 1988, after college, seminary and a switch to a different denomination, I was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ. Later that fall, I heard Matthew Fox speak at a
minister’s convocation at the Claremont School of Theology in Southern California. |
This event was just one month prior to Fox’s being formally silenced by the Vatican. Though the renegade Dominican
priest was seen as a radical within the framework of the Catholic Church, his presentations rang true to my heart. I truly felt that his theology was the closest to my own of any I had ever heard. Fox referred to his brand of theology as
“Creation Spirituality” –a spiritual tradition which he sees as rooted in the Bible as well as in the writings of medieval Christian mystics such as: Hildegard of | Matthew Fox, author photo from the original edition of Original Blessing, 1983. |
Bingen (1098-1179); St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226); Mechtild of Magdeburg (1210-1280); Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274); Meister Eckhart (c.1260-1327); Julian of Norwich (1342-c.1415); and such modern individuals as Howard Thurman (1899-1981); Thomas Merton (1915-1968); poet and
potter M. C. Richards (1916-1999); and poet Mary Oliver (1935-2019); among others. |
Rainbow spiral. The spiral is an ancient symbol representing birth/death, creativity/destruction, tension/release. Photo by Reid Zura on Unsplash
| It is a spiritual tradition which moves upon four paths: the Via Positiva, which is the path of awe and wonder at creation; the Via Negativa, which is the path of darkness and silence, suffering and letting go; The Via Creativa, which is the path of creative expression; and the Via |
Transformativa, which is the path of prophetic justice, compassion and celebration. The four paths are not walked in
consecutive order, but rather our lives weave in and out through them time and time again. These four paths provide the spiritual adventurer not only with a map for finding where one is on the spiritual journey, but a framework for understanding one’s deepest held beliefs about God and the universe. To be
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See Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality Also see Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post Denominational Priest. Banner Image: “Adventure.” Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay |
Queries for Contemplation When was the first time you read a book by Matthew Fox, or heard him speak, or met him? What was the impact of his message? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation
Spirituality To encapsulate the life and work of Matthew Fox would be a daunting task for any save his colleague Dr. Charles Burack, who had the full cooperation of his subject. Fox has
devoted 50 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship. His more than 40 books, translated into 78 languages, are inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual
traditions and have awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. Essential Writings begins by exploring the influences on Fox’s life and spirituality, then presents selections from all Fox’s major works in 10 sections. “The critical insights, the creative connections, the
centrality of Matthew Fox’s writings and teaching are second to none for the radical renewal of Christianity.” ~~ Richard Rohr, OFM. | |
Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)
Matthew Fox’s stirring autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from
altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity,
and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
Join Matthew Fox and Brian Swimme in a free online event hosted by The Shift Network: “Hope for Humanity’s Future: Science, Spirituality & the Noosphere: Find Deeper Meaning in Our Spiritual Traditions With Illuminating Insights in Science & Technology.” Saturday, July 22,
10:00am PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox for a Cosmic Mass and Panel Forum at the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions - A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights, August 14-18 in Chicago, IL Wed., 8/16, 7:00pm CT - The Cosmic Mass - Honoring Gaia, Solidarity for Our Earth Thurs., 8/17, 1:00pm CT – Panel and Response to The Cosmic Mass Register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Aaron Perry hosts Matthew Fox on the Y On
Earth podcast, on “Hildegard von Bingen & Her “Viriditas,” sharing profound wisdom and deep insights about the essential importance of our relationship with Mother Earth, our celebration of the Divine Feminine, and our connection with Creation Spirituality, drawing upon centuries
of knowledge and wisdom from indigenous and mystical traditions world-wide… particularly from the Rhineland Mystic Movement of the medieval European Renaissance, and a most extraordinary woman at its helm: Hildegard von Bingen. | |
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