The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Science Speaks:Earth's Rarity in the Universe 12/16/2023 |
We interrupt our discussion of human creativity and issues of the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, courts struggling with an ex-president's 91 apparent felonies, Climate Crisis, the Supreme Court of Texas choosing to kill a mother to save a dying fetus, inflation, congressional Republicans supporting Putin over
Ukrainian democracy, threats from China to invade Taiwan, the diminution of Democracy in America and many places, the rise of authoritarianism….to bring you some Real News from the Cosmos itself. |
It is this: The Earth is rare. It is special. And of course, it is endangered. Will Homo sapiens join all its fellow hominids and go extinct? OR will it wake up to the wonder and gift and sacredness that our Earth is? AND, God has visited our planet regularly—Christmas is just one unvarnished reminder of that. |
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Divinity dwells here, as in the rest of the cosmos, without ceasing. Let us put our other preoccupations aside for a short intermission and listen to what science is learning. In a recent article entitled “Exoplanet discoveries reveal Earth’s profound rarity in the cosmos,”* Brazilian
physicist Marcelo Gleiser writes: The more we learn about other worlds and planetary systems out in our galaxy, the more remarkable our planet becomes. Out of the vast number of discovered exoplanets, few are comparable to Earth. |
HD-189733b, one of the exoplanets nearest to Earth, is completely uninhabitable. “The planet’s atmosphere is scorching with a temperature of over 1000 degrees Celsius, and it rains glass, sideways, in howling 7000 km/h winds.” NASA Goddard on Wikimedia Commons. | Astronomers have discovered more than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets—very few of which resemble Earth. A new field of astronomy called “comparative planetology” has examined 5,557 confirmed exoplanets and another 10,000 candidates are waiting in line
for their turn to be examined. “The main goal is to compare them to Earth and other planets in our Solar System.” |
Only about 3% of
stars are yellow dwarfs like our Sun. The diversity of exoplanetary systems is absolutely staggering. There is no obvious or common type of planetary system….Those resembling our Earth…seem to be quite rare. To discover an exoplanet is a “delicate and spectacular” discovery, “much harder than finding a flea in front of a floodlight.”
To be continued |
*Marcelo Gleiser, “Exoplanet discoveries reveal
Earth’s profound rarity in the cosmos.” https://bigthink.com/13-8/comparative-planetology. See Matthew Fox, “Blessings of the Flesh: Universe Flesh, Earth Flesh, Human Flesh,” in Fox, Sins of the Spirit,
Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society, pp, 21-104. And Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality And Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global
Renaissance And Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ Meditation Cards and Booklet Guide
Banner Image: The star-studded center of the Milky Way. NASA/Goddard on
Flickr.
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Queries for Contemplation How does the thinking of physicist Marcelo Gleiser inspire and deepen your understanding of human existence, of the mystery of
the universe that is our home, of the original blessing that existence is? |
Responses are welcomed. To add
your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Matthew’s weekly video reflection now appears each Monday — watch for it! |
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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Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew
is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author,
The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story
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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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Stations of the Cosmic Christ
By Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus
This is a book of meditations on the Cosmic Christ, accompanying the images of 16
wonderful clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Together, these images and meditations go far beyond the traditional Stations of the Cross to inspire a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the image of God in all beings, so needed in our times.
“A divinely inspired book that must be read by every human being devoted to
spiritual and global survival. It is cosmically brilliant.” — Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit |
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In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages
The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical, cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet. "Matthew Fox has created a narrative, for every parent and grandparent, both spiritual and scientific, that is a gift for all elders who recognize their responsibility in initiating the young ones into the grandeur of existence." Cosmologist Brian Swimme, Author of Cosmogenesis and The Universe Story "Matthew Fox has given all of us, children included, a wondrous and enchanting view of creation and all that humanity should aspire to." - Caroline Myss, Author of Anatomy of the Spirit and A Time for Grace Receive a 20%
discount when you buy this and one other book from Matthew Fox’s store! Use Promo Code 20% at checkout. |
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________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
SPECIAL EVENT: 5-DAY WORKSHOP IN AQUINAS’ HOMETOWN OF ORVIETO, ITALY
WITH MATTHEW FOX, MESHI CHAVEZ, AND CLAUDIA PICARDI
JUNE 9-14, 2024
LEARN MORE HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest ” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat.Thursday, January 18, 4:00-6:00 pm PT Register HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he lectures on “What the Mystics Tell Us About Dying “ at the Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, “Emerging Spiritualities: Death and Bereavement Across the Spiritual Spectrum,” Saturday, January 20, 9:00am – 5:00pm PT Register HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “The Lotus & The Rose” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, February 15, 4:00-6:00 pm PT Register HERE |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Hunger for Wholeness:
What is Wholeness in the Midst of Crisis with Matthew Fox (Part 1) In the midst of increased violence between Israel and Palestine, Ilia Delio and theologian Matthew Fox discuss the state of the world today and how to have courage in Part 1 of their conversation. Ilia and Matt discuss his mentor, Marie Dominique Chenu, the influence of liberation theology
on social justice in the church today, and what can still be learned.
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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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