Week
1/1-6/2024: Grace, Creativity & Viriditas, plus Sad News in Academia 01/07/2024 |
January 1, 2024: Can Grace Mark this New Year, 2024?
We have
been exploring the concept of Grace---from the Iranian fish seller and his countrypeople who began to dance and sing in public in spite of the law against it; to the generous message from Kurt Vonnegut to students encouraging them to be creative in whatever way possible; and the words of theologian Karl Rahner who equates the Christmas story with Grace. In the midst of many troubles, our species is also gaining a new understanding of creation and this graced universe of two trillion galaxies.
This universe is a blessing and we are blessed to live here. In this new year, can we commit to calling in Grace, and awakening one another to the divinity shining in all of us?
|
January 2, 2024: More Reflections on Grace
In this challenging and difficult time on the planet, can we take in these words of Thomas Aquinas? “The greatness of the human person consists in this: that we are capable of the
universe.” He also says, “Grace is nothing else than a beginning of glory in us.” Furthermore, says Aquinas, Grace is a radiance of the soul…. Grace dwells in the substance of our souls, rendering them like God and partakers of the divine nature. January 3, 2024: Alex Grey on Viriditas, Greening Power, Grace & Creativity
Alex Grey is a notable artist of our time with whom Matthew has been blessed to have worked on several
occasions. One time Matthew invited him to teach at a Cosmic Mass, the theme of which was creativity. Alex chose to set up an easel on the platform and he began to create a painting there on the spot! What a blessing. Meanwhile, just a couple months ago, Alex birthed a new painting on greening power or viriditas called Green Hands. Both hands and eyes play a central role. Meister Eckhart gave us this profound piece of wisdom: “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with
which God sees me.” |
“The Green Hand,” a painting by Alex Grey in homage to Hildegard’s concept of Viriditas.
Published with permission. |
January 4, 2024: A Sad Day & Important Lesson for Harvard & Academia
Claudine Gay, the first black woman to become president of Harvard University, resigned, only eight months into her job. Elizabeth
Magill of the University of Pennsylvania also recently resigned, and Sally Kornbluth, the president of MIT, is under pressure to follow. All three were judged as not being sufficiently proactive against antisemitism on campus. All three, to their detriment, answered questions to a congressional committee according to advice from a law firm rather than speaking from their hearts. Albert Einstein said, “I abhor American education” because it honors only the “rational brain” (his words) and avoids
the “intuitive brain” which is where, he insisted, values come from. January 5, 2024: Alex & Allyson Grey, Hildegard, and Grace for a New
Year
Several years ago, Alex and Allyson Grey opened the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in upstate New York. Matthew was invited to speak at the opening and offered the following: We are all blessed to be sharing the planet today—endangered that it is—with Alex and Allyson Grey. Why is that? Because their inspiring gifts of art and their generous dedication to creating sacred space highlights the
marriage of creativity and spirituality, which in turn ignites hope and empowers individuals and communities alike. He references Aquinas who said that the same Spirit that hovered over the waters at the beginning of creation … hovers over the mind of the artist at work. Matthew continues: CoSM is a testimony to the power of art to awaken and to heal and to bring alive the sacred…. Alex and Allyson Grey at the TEDxMaui 2013 Welcome Reception.
Photography by Jessica Pearl. |
January 6, 2024: Hand and Eyes and Grace in Alex Grey’s Homage to Viriditas
Alex Grey told us that his new painting, Green Hands, was an homage to viriditas, a concept celebrated by Hildegard of
Bingen. As in Grey’s painting, Hildegard often paints beings with multiple eyes. In her painting which Matthew calls “Original Blessing: The Golden Tent,” the tent has many eyes in it. Hildegard explains it thusly: I saw the greatest and most serene brightness, like a flame with very many eyes and having four corners turned to the four parts of the world. Matthew tells us, “Compassion is not just a feeling for the suffering of others” but also a call to relieve that suffering, thus
the primacy of hands in Hildegard’s work. |
“Original Blessing: The Golden Tent.” Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias. |
Banner image: Spider, as a weaver of webs, is symbolic of creativity. And Spider Grandmother is a key deity in the creation stories of the Hopi, Dineh, and other tribes of the Southwest. Photo by Rhett Maxwell on
Flickr. |
|
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. |
Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen
An introduction to the life and work of Hildegard of Bingen, Illuminations reveals the life and teachings of one of the greatest female artists and intellectuals of the Western Mystical
Tradition. At the age of 42, she began to have visions; these were captured as 36 illuminations–24 of which are recorded in this book along with her commentaries on them.
“If one person deserves credit for the great Hildegard renaissance in our time, it is Matthew Fox.” – Dr Mary Ford-Grabowsky, author of Sacred Voices. |
|
Creativity: Where the Divine and Human Meet
Because creativity is the key to both our genius and beauty as a species but also to our capacity for evil, we need to teach creativity and to teach ways of steering this God-like power in
directions that promote love of life (biophilia) and not love of death (necrophilia). Pushing well beyond the bounds of conventional Christian doctrine, Fox’s focus on creativity attempts nothing less than to shape a new ethic.
“Matt Fox is a pilgrim who seeks a path into the church of tomorrow. Countless numbers will be happy to follow his lead.” –Bishop John Shelby Spong, author, Rescuing
the Bible from Fundamentalism, Living in Sin |
|
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. |
|
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. |
Creation Spirituality Communities instructor Penny Andrews leads a virtual course on “Cosmogenesis: Our Common Story” with Matthew Fox and Brian Thomas Swimme scheduled as guest speakers. Course runs Tuesdays, January 9 – February 20, 2024, 4 pm; Matthew Fox speaks
on January 16. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox and Alessandra Belloni for an online Lecture, Concert, and Q&A on “Gifts of the Black Madonna for the New Year,” Thursday, January 11, 4:00-5:30 pm PT. Register 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. |
|
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.
|
|
Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
|
|
|
