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Experiencing God in Nature, Including Our Work That Bears Fruit 03/16/2024 |
Thomas Aquinas alerts us to how “God works at the heart of all activity.” The late California poet Bill Everson (also known as
“Brother Antoninus” when he was a Dominican brother and poet for sixteen years) used to say that “most people experience God in nature, or experience God not at all.” |
Is Everson saying something very important, when he reminds us of how we experience God in nature? Is he promising that we can experience God every day and everywhere, and certainly in our daily work, whether it be inner or outer work? |
William Everson (1912-1994), known as the “Beat Friar,” teaching “Birth of a Poet” at UC Santa Cruz, in the early 1970s. Video by Robert Haskell. |
“In nature”
can mean walking in the woods or swimming in the ocean, or climbing mountains or playing sports outdoors, or gardening, etc. etc. In fact, since we are nature on two feet, and can never escape nature because it is in us and we are in it, God is always acting in our work, whether it be inner work of thoughts and no thoughts, filling or emptying, joy or sorrow—all of which lead to creativity. |
A Tanzanian farmer showcasing maize in a crop field. Photo by IFPRI on Flickr. | Experiencing God in nature can also mean experiencing God in
doing our work, for it is natural that things go about their work. Humans certainly are drawn to expressing ourselves by the work we do. We call that expression the Via Creativa. Why did Hildegard in yesterday's |
DM employ cultivating the cosmic tree as a symbol of human work? Symbolist J. E. Cirlot tells us that in its most general sense, the symbolism of the tree denotes the life of the cosmos: its consistence, growth, proliferation, generative and regenerative processes. It stands for inexhaustible life. |
In a commentary on her painting of Cultivating the Cosmic tree, Hildegard tells us “God is life” and celebrates the divine brilliance and shining found in all creatures, and the “spark of the soul” in humans. Mircea Eliade believes that the tree symbolizes “the center of the world,” or the
world-axis. This symbol goes back to pre-Neolithic times when the tree symbolizes both “the central point in the cosmos,” and human nature itself “which follows on the equation of the macrocosm with the microcosm.” |
Yggdrasil, the “World Tree” in Norse mythology that joins Heaven and Earth. Art by Oluf Olufsson Bagge in his 1847 translation of the Prose Edda. Wikimedia Commons. |
Hildegard applauds how the “air revived the earth’s greening power and causes all fruits to put forth seeds and become fertile.” Is our human work cosmic and fruit-bearing, and fertile and laudable also? |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, “Cultivating the Cosmic Tree” in Fox, Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen, pp. 66-70. See also Fox on Bill Everson in Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominational Priest, pp. 147-149, 159, 237f., 303-305, 425, 473. And Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Times, p. 58.
Banner Image: An apple harvest in Steiermark, Austria. Photo by Steindy. Wikimedia Commons. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you experience God in nature—including your own nature and your inner and outer work? And macrocosm and microcosm
coming together as you bring forth fruit? |
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. |
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Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)
Matthew Fox’s stirring
autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of
this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity, and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self |
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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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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. "This delicious book for children of all ages
celebrates joy as the essential truth of reality." - Andrew Harvey, Author of The Hope and Radical Regeneration "I absolutely LOVED reading this beautiful, creative, stirring story—a
charming, whimsical, powerful, parable." - Robert Holden, Author of Happiness NOW! and Higher Purpose 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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