The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Francis Balancing the Masculine & Feminine in Father Sky & Mother Earth 10/06/2023 |
It is interesting that in his famous Cosmic Christ poem, written near the end of his life, Francis turns first to the sky, to “Lord Brother Sun” and declares its splendor and radiance, words naming the doxa and glory that always
accompanies the Cosmic Christ. |
He makes a brother of the sun and a Lord or governor. In praising the gifts of light, including its gift of warmth and generativity, he is following the creation story both of Genesis 1 and of John 1. The light comes first. By calling the sun “Lord,” he is rejecting the many ‘lords’ of
the feudal era in favor of Father Sky’s lordship. |
Pope Innocent III (Alec Guinness) recognizes St. Francis's (Graham Faulkner) "original innocence" in the film “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” by Franco Zefferelli (1972). Video excerpt posted by Paulo Schmidt. |
Francis shows an amazing balance of feminine along with the masculine in this poem, so revealing of his balanced soul. Following immediately on praising his “brother sun,” he turns to praising his sisters. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them bright
And precious and fair. |
St. Francis receiving St. Clare: the life of St. Francis is depicted in a series of chapels of the Sacra Monte di Orta in Italy. Photo by Mattana. Wikimedia Commons. | The themes of light, splendor and illumination are continued as he celebrates the “brightness” of the moon and stars, the inhabitants of Father Sky. For Francis, the Cosmic Christ—“the light who enlightened all who have life”—is present in all creatures, and therefore all creatures are brother and sister to one another. The kinship and interconnectivity of all
creatures is |
celebrated. Creatures make up a single family, they are brothers and sisters. Continuing his poem, he praises
“Brothers Wind and Air...and all the weather’s moods,” along with “Sister Water” who is “so useful, precious and pure,” and “Brother Fire through whom you brighten up the night” |
and who is “full of power and strength.” And next he praises our mother and sister Earth: All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and
produces
Various fruits and colored flowers and herbs. |
Tony Wright’s artistic setting of “Canticle of the Sun” won the Benjamin Franklin award. Video presentation of the book by Tony Wright. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance, p. 115. Banner Image: A monument to St. Francis in Léon, Mexico. Photo by Zarateman. Wikimedia Commons. |
Queries for Contemplation How important is it that Francis dances from the masculine (Brother Sun) to the feminine (Sister Moon and Stars) and back to the masculine again? What does that tell you about his strong masculine soul? Is this dynamic found in today’s culture and in the images we give men and boys to live by? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll
down to the Comments field. |
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of
worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine. “The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The
Universe Story and Journey of the Universe. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE Join Matthew Fox online as he lectures and responds to questions on his book on Meister Eckhart, A Spirituality Named Compassion. The event is hosted by the Weber Retreat and Conference Center. Thursday, October 12, 2023 ,
4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Learn more HERE. Join Matthew Fox and other speakers in the 27th Howard Thurman Convocation and Reception, recognizing the recent designation of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples as an
historical San Francisco landmark, founded by Dr. Howard Thurman and Dr. Alfred Fisk as the nation’s first interracial, interfaith congregation. Sunday, October 15, 2023, 3:00pm PT. Learn more HERE. Matthew Fox will be featured as the guest speaker at the Creation Spirituality Communities online course, Introduction to Creation Spirituality 6-Week Course, led by Instructor Rev. Mary Reaman. Tuesday, October 17, 4:00 PM PT. Learn more HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he discusses “A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, October 19, 4:00-6:00 pm PT. To register, click HERE. Join Matthew Fox for two days of learning and practice as he speaks at the online Stanford Medicine Contemplation by Design Summit, Wednesday and Thursday, November 1-2, 2023. Wed 4:00pm-5:30pm PT – Lecture, Q&A – Grounding & Expanding, Psyche & Cosmos, Friendship with Self, Others, the Universe: Toward a “Cosmic Religion” (Einstein) and Human/Planetary Survival Thu
7:30am-8:15am – Guided Practice – Finding the Divine (the “I am”, the Christ, the Buddha Nature, the Tselem or Image of God) Within Thu 12:00pm-1:30pm – Workshop – Recovering the Sacred Masculine and the Divine Feminine 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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