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The
Divine Feminine and St. Brigid 02/2/2024 |
I am writing this DM on the Feast Day of St. Brigid of the Celts so you will receive it a day after. |
It was fitting in yesterday’s DM that we focused on Meister Eckhart’s teaching that we are all “mothers of God” and that we birth the Christ when we birth good work that brings compassion, peace and justice into history. Brigid is a symbol and reminder of our being birthers of the Christ and
Meister Eckhart was, like Hildegard and Aquinas and Francis before him, deeply steeped in Celtic awareness. All the Rhineland mystics were. |
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The Irish Dominicans visited St Brigid’s
Well in Faughart, Co. Louth to delve into evidence for the historical Brigid. | He says, “Celtic wisdom
remembers the sacredness of the feminine” and it is to the healthy dance of masculine and feminine energy that “the stories and legends of Brigid invite us to awaken.” |
Called “the
most beloved of Celtic saints,” Brigid lived c. 451-523. She loves the earth…models female leadership, inspires poets and musicians, midwifes at new beginnings, and extravagantly embodies compassion and boundless generosity toward the poor and those who seek refuge. |
There is a strength about her that very much mirrors the Mary of the Magnificat poem that we discussed in a recent DM. She is prophetic and intervenes on behalf of greater justice. Since her first biography was written 100 years after her death, her life is “shrouded in myth and
legend” and the Celts take that ignorance as an invitation to let imagination expand. Newell names four “thresholds or liminalities” that Brigid addresses: |
“Brigid, Goddess Saint.” Stained-glass mosaic by Josephine Alexander of Grandmother Moon
Mosaics. Published with permission. |
the
portal between the pre-Christian and the Christian; that between the divine and the human; that between humanity and the earth; and the “liminal space between the womb of the universe and what is trying to come into being.” |
See Matthew Fox, “God as Mother, God as Child: Ourselves as Mother of God and Birthers of God’s Son,” in Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality, pp. 220-228.
And Fox, “We are Children of God and Mothers of God,” in Fox, Passion For Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart, pp. 336, 330, 325-337.
And Fox, Meditations with Meister Eckhart, pp. 76-84. Banner Image: "Blessings of St. Brigid." A 16th-century fresco by Lorenzo Lotto in the Suardi Chapel showing Brigid turning water into beer (left) and healing a blind man (right). Wikimedia Commons |
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Queries for Contemplation In what ways are you a “Mother of God”? |
On Being “Mothers of God” – a Teaching by Neil
Douglas-KlotzIn yesterday’s DM, Matthew wrote of Aramaic scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz sharing a video on the Aramaic “Ave Maria” and its connection to Meister Eckhart’s teachings on all of us being “Mothers of God.” |
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. |
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 Story |
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Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart
Matthew Fox’s comprehensive translation of Meister Eckhart’s sermons is a meeting of true prophets across centuries, resulting in
a spirituality for the new millennium. The holiness of creation, the divine life in each person and the divine power of our creativity, our call to do justice and practice compassion–these are among Eckhart’s themes, brilliantly interpreted and explained for today’s reader.
“The most important book on mysticism in 500 years.” — Madonna Kolbenschlag, author of Kissing Sleeping Beauty
Goodbye. |
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Meditations with Meister Eckhart: A Centering Book
A centering book by Matthew Fox. This book of simple but rich meditations exemplifies the deep yet playful creation-centered spirituality of Meister Eckhart, Meister Eckhart
was a 13th-century Dominican preacher who was a mystic, prophet, feminist, activist, defender of the poor, and advocate of creation-centered spirituality, who was condemned shortly after he died.
“These quiet presentations of spirituality are remarkable for their immediacy and clarity.” –Publishers Weekly. |
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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 |
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 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 |
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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