The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
A Big Lesson from Iceland
on Moving Beyond War 11/13/2023 |
I have a brother who is married to an Icelander who is an artist. For years they lived in Chicago where she attended the Art Institute, painted, and held exhibits there, as well as in New York City and Iceland.
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They agreed to move to Iceland after he retired from his work. I admired him for learning Icelandic in his seventies. As part of his 75th birthday celebration held in Chicago, he and his wife had a (short) public conversation in Icelandic and one native sitting behind me said afterward, “not bad.” |
A red circle shows the location of the potential eruption on the southwest of Iceland; note how close it is to the capital Reykjavik. Screenshot from GoogleMaps. |
He wrote two days ago about the existential emergency Iceland is facing today. An entire town threatened by an underground volcano was evacuated in less than 12 hours.* He writes: |
An explanation of the sudden acceleration of geologic activity under Iceland. Video by GeologyHub. | The last time a whole town was evacuated in Iceland was in 1973, when the Westman Islands had a huge eruption covering much of the city. People
have returned there, and celebrated the 50th reunion of that event this summer. All had to be removed from the island by boat — including his wife’s current daughter-in-law, who was then two years old. |
Here comes the kicker that I think is applicable to all the wars occurring on our planet today: The one thing that is
absolutely sure is that at a time like this, all Icelanders get together and open themselves to each other, offering places to stay and food for collection sites. As Anna says, the normal bickering of all about anything is stopped at a time like this, and all are pulling for all. |
“The normal bickering stops at a time like this....and all are pulling for all.” Isn’t there wisdom and gold in this observation? What gets humans to stop bickering? Palestinians and Jews, Ukrainians and Russians, Chinese and Taiwanese Chinese, left and |
Volunteers help residents of American Samoa, following the tsunami of 2009. Photo by Casey Deshong. Wikimedia Commons. |
right? What gets humans to cease bickering is a common emergency. Isn’t that what the Climate Change emergency offers us?
To be continued. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you agree that bickering stops when emergencies arrive and that Climate Change is such an emergency? What follows from that awareness? |
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. |
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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Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation
Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
"A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes." -- Frederic
and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice. |
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A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox
delivers a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity.
“Well worth our
deepest consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register |
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
November 17, 2023 (Fri) Virtual Event Global Ministries University 7:30am PT – Lecture, Q&A – Creation Spirituality and Religion and
Science The presentation is free and open to the public but you need to register to receive instructions for joining Zoom. To register, click HERE. |
January 18, 2024 (Thu) Virtual Event Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat 4:00pm-6:00pm PT – Discussion, Q&A – Confessions To register, click 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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