The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Real Men vs. Strongmen,
Netanyahu and his Kind 10/016/2023 |
We have been meditating on the real meaning of masculinity for several weeks. Then the horror and atrocities of Hamas’s invasion of Israel transpired, and over 3000 Jews and Palestinians have died since. Profound suffering of
innocent peoples ensued, including children. |
In a very insightful article, Ruth Ben-Ghiat raises the question of strongmen. “The tragic Hamas attacks on Israel prompt reflections on the strongman model of leadership” she states, and then asks, “What will be the destiny of Netanyahu?” Last December, Ben-Ghiat tells us, “Netanyahu thought he had won the autocrat's lottery” since he was re-elected despite charges of bribery and fraud. With a corruption trial underway, he announced a "judicial reform" to limit the Supreme Court's authority and |
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“clear the way for him to realize the strongman dream: becoming personally untouchable by the law”. “The largest protests in Israeli history” followed, and
this in turn took a toll on “armed forces' morale, focus, and combat readiness.” |
Rabbi Ariel clarifies the tit-for-tat action between Israel and Gaza. Video by Tikkun Global. | Netanyahu empowered far-right extremist partners (his Minister of National Security was convicted of supporting terrorism) to “realize their
fantasies of a Jewish ethno-state” and to annex the West Bank, with potential |
"dangerous consequences for the nation." She cites a French observer who believes this is why Netanyahu's government
bears "a large part of the responsibility" for creating a climate that Hamas judged propitious for an attack. She says: The lesson of authoritarian history is that when
strongmen leaders normalize extremists, lawless and violent people are elevated to positions of extreme power, accelerating the assault on democracy and bringing unrest and instability.* |
It is also a lesson regarding America’s number one strongman who, as president, urged on the January 6 events, and also gave a blank check to Netanyahu to turn his back on Palestinian rights.** And whose many backers deny the lawful election results of 2020, and are still in Congress and the media. |
Satirists are spiritual warriors: An unknown cartoonist calls out the autocrats of the late 19th century, shown here as clowns worshipping (and wishing they could be) a circus strongman. Wikimedia Commons. |
Real spiritual warriors call out faux strongmen. Thank you, Ruth Ben-Ghiat. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you see a clear demarcation between authentic spiritual warriorhood, and those who seek to be “strongmen” in the eyes of others? How can society—including the media, educational system, and religion—better make that distinction real? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of
our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God |
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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 |
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______________________________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar 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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Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
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