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The
Black Madonna:
A Resource for Our Troubled Times 01/13/2024 |
Later today I have the privilege of joining Alessandra Belloni in leading a zoom workshop on “Gifts of the Black Madonna for the New Year.” |
Alessandra, who comes from southern Italy and is currently artist-in-residence at St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City, has been a practitioner and teacher of the Italian tradition of the Black Madonna for 27 years and is author of the excellent book, Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna: Chants, Music, and Sacred Practices of the Great Goddess. I was honored when Alessandra invited me to write the Foreword for that book. I have written about the Black Madonna also in my book on moving beyond toxic masculinity, called The Hidden |
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Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors To Awaken the Sacred Masculine. I also celebrate the exciting work of Christena Cleveland, PhD called God Is a Black Woman whose expertise is with the Black Madonna of France (which is where I first experienced her, as well). It was a revelation for her to experience
the divinity of a black woman pretty much buried in a Christianity that taught her only of a “whitemalegod” who was “up there” and distant from the sufferings and heartbreak of the human condition. |
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| | When Christena, who was a professor at Duke University Divinity School, first discovered the Black Madonna, she chose to experience her and took a 400-mile pilgrimage through hill and dale in France to encounter her at 18 different shrines, most of them over 1000 years old. She reminds us how Joan of Arc had a special devotion to the Black Madonna of Moulins and prayed to her before she went to battle on behalf of the dignity of peasants and other oppressed peoples in the year 1429. |
Christena observes that just as the white slaveholders didn’t want the enslaved African people to see themselves in Christ the Liberator, whitemalegod doesn’t want us to encounter ourselves in the Divine. But black women are well represented
by the Black Madonna. |
See Matthew Fox, “The Green Man and the Black Madonna: Sacred Marriage of Nature,” in Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors To Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 231-244. And Fox, Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God…Including the
Unnameable God, pp. 92f. Banner image: “Black Madonna in the crypt of Notre-Dame de Myans sanctuary, Savoie, France.” Wikimedia Commons |
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Queries for Contemplation Have you had experiences, dreams, visitations or teachers of the Black Madonna in your life? What do you think she is
here to teach us today? |
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 Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an
ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael
Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God |
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Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God …Including the Unnameable God
Too often, notions of God have been used as a means to control and to promote a narrow worldview.
In Naming the Unnameable, renowned theologian and author Matthew Fox ignites our imaginations by offering a colorful range of Divine Names gathered from scientists and poets and mystics past and present, inviting us to always begin where true spirituality begins: from experience.
“This book is timely, important and admirably brief; it is also open ended—there are always
more names to come, and none can exhaust God’s nature.” -Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, author of Science Set Free and The Presence of the Past |
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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 does it again, here for our young ones, who so need a positive, cosmic vision to thrive, or even survive, in a sad time." - Father Richard Rohr, Author of The Universal
Christ
"Matthew Fox offers a resounding affirmation of what our souls have always suspected: we are made for joy." - Mirabai Starr, Author of God of Love and Wild Mercy 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 |
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. |
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. |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
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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