The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
We find ourselves in the midst of four wars that are raging. The war in Ukraine; the war in the Middle East; the war against democracy being carried out in the United States, Hungary, Israel (before Hamas invaded) and, until the last
election at least, Brazil. And the war against Mother Earth that we call “Climate Change.” |
That war is a war against the future and all Earth’s creatures, including ourselves. Can humanity grow up and outgrow
war? Isn’t that the accomplishment of Gandhi, King, Mandela, and all who showed us another way to deal with conflict and moral outrage? A practice called non-violence? And surely Jesus,
and all those who teach about compassion, many of whom we have been meditating with in recent DMs. |
A monument to Nelson Mandela (location unknown). Photo by Falco on Pixabay. |
Isn’t compassion the next step of human evolution? One dimension to compassion is keeping in mind, and practicing the
truth of, our nobility as a species and as individuals. I have been struck |
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| by the primacy of this teaching about our nobility, and how important it is to keep in mind and alive, as I watch the horrors and devastation going on in Gaza, for example. “Compassion
begins at home with one's own |
body and one’s own soul,” Eckhart reminds us. One lesson I learned from diving deeper into the work of Père Chenu,
is his working definition of spirituality: “Our true nobility” he calls it. How important is it to know and be in touch with our true nobility? To teach it? Live it out? Share it? Look for it in others? To find spirituality? |
Might a sense of our true nobility counterbalance some of the bad images our species puts forward every day on the news in this season of war? |
When we lift others up, we uplift ourselves — the definition of nobility. Image of helping hands over the Ukraine flag by Michael Jahn from Pixabay |
How important is it that spiritual teachers from all the world religions tell us we are capable of compassion and called to practice it? How noble are we? To be continued. |
See Matthew Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality, pp. 93-102.
And Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. 177-188, 377- 403.
Banner Image: A Londoner assists a homeless
man, near St. Paul’s Cathedral. Photo by Tom Parsons on Unsplash |
Queries for Contemplation What examples of our “true nobility” do you notice in yourself and others today? Yesterday? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
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
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One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global
spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary
spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox and seven other speakers at “Unleashing Otto Rank: The Creation of Modern Depth Therapy – An International Online Conference” hosted by the Existential-Humanistic Institute. Matthew Fox presents: “Otto Rank as a ‘New Personality Type’ Calling for the Unio Mystica: a Reunion of Psyche and Cosmos,” Saturday-Sunday, November 4-5, 9am – 1:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he delivers a Lecture and Q&A: “Towards a New Mythology: New & Ancient Names for God from Mystical Ancestors and Contemporary Science (& Fit for Some Atheists too)” as part of the Unitarian
Universalist of Berkeley Lawrence Lecture Series. Friday, November 10, 2023, 7:00pm-8:30pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox online as he offers a lecture and Q&A on “Peacemaking and Creation Spirituality Today” hosted by The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus. November 11, 11:00am 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. |
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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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