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The
Via Negativa in Work & Mystics Contextualizing Our Work 03/15/2024 |
We ended yesterday’s DM speaking of the inner work that feeds our outer work which is what we leave behind when we depart this world. |
Humans work. All beings have their work to do, their contribution to make to the whole, to the cosmos, to “making the wheel of the cosmos go around” as Hildegard of Bingen put it and painted it. Work is a holy activity and it need not be a curse as one story in the Bible
puts it; it can be a blessing, a return of blessing for blessing. Yes, there’s sweat and toil and frustration and so much |
Hildegard of Bingen, “Cultivating the Cosmic Tree,” Scivias. |
more in our
work—the via negativa is often very well represented. As Studs Terkel puts it: Work, by its very nature, [is] about violence—to the spirit as well as to the body. It is about ulcers as well as accidents, about shouting matches as well as fist-fights, about nervous breakdowns as well as kicking the dog around. It is, above
all (or beneath all), about daily humiliations. To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many of us. |
“Company culture” is one of the biggest trends in corporate management – but is it really “company cult?” How Money
Works explains. | Economist E.F. Schumacher reminds us that we have insurance that pays when your body is harmed at work, but if your soul is injured, you are on your own. Thus, many resort to addictions of alcohol or drugs or television or |
sex or work
itself in often vain efforts to escape those wounds. Inner work is needed. Emptying is needed. As Eckhart puts it: People must be so empty of all things and all works, whether inward or outward, that
they can become a proper home for God wherein God may operate. |
The mystics offer the bigger picture about work, and it begins with inner work which then comes to bear on our outer work. Eckhart teaches that the outward work can never be small if the inward one is great, and the outward work can never be great or
good |
An exploration of the teachings of Carl Jung on finding the meaning of life. Freedom in
Thought |
if the inward is small or of little worth. The inward work always includes in itself all size, all breadth and all length. Our inner work and outer work are meant to marry. Psyche and cosmos unite in our work. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Times, pp. 25-27, 58.
And Fox, “Cultivating the Cosmic Tree” in Fox, Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen, pp. 66-70.
Also see Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our
Time.
Banner Image: Germany’s Krupp weapons machining workshop, 1900. Wikimedia Commons. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you sense a cosmic dimension to your work such as Eckhart talks about in the final paragraph of this DM? Is the via
negativa experience of being “emptied of all things and all works” part of your inner practice and work that many call meditation? |
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 Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood For Our Time
Thomas Aquinas said, “To live well is to work well,” and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world
where our personal and professional lives are celebrated in harmony–a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic “soul work.”
“Fox approaches the level of poetry in describing the reciprocity that must be present between one’s inner and outer work…[A]n important road map to social change.” ~~ National Catholic Reporter |
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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.
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Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Time
While Matthew Fox recognizes that Meister Eckhart has influenced thinkers throughout history, he also wants to introduce Eckhart to today’s activists addressing contemporary crises.
Toward that end, Fox creates dialogues between Eckhart and Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Heschel, Black Elk, Karl Marx, Rumi, Adrienne Rich, Dorothee Soelle, David Korten, Anita Roddick, Lily Yeh, M.C. Richards, and many others.
“Matthew Fox is perhaps the greatest writer on Meister Eckhart that has ever existed. (He) has successfully bridged a gap between Eckhart as a shamanistic personality and Eckhart as a
post-modern mentor to the Inter-faith movement, to reveal just how cosmic Eckhart really is, and how remarkably relevant to today’s religious crisis! ” — Steven Herrmann, Author of
Spiritual Democracy: The Wisdom of Early American Visionaries for the Journey Forward |
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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 |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, March 21, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox, Mariko Middleton and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors, Tuesday, March 26, 4:00-5:00pm PT. Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, April 18, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register
HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness and the Soul in Spirituality and Science in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, May 16, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox speaks on "What the Mystics Tell Us About Dying" at the 2024 Symposium on Death and Bereavement Studies. To listen, click the video thumbnail at right. |
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