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The Mystics Reinforcing the Via
Positiva 04/13/2024 |
We began the week meditating on the Solar Eclipse that many experienced as a mystical experience. Mystics—including all of us—are people in touch with the Via Positiva which invites us to stretch and grow our soul. |
We are meant to fall in love at least three times per day. With creation. If mystics are lovers, no doubt they have plenty to say about the lovability of the world we live in. Teilhard de Chardin put it this way: The |
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cosmic sense must have been born as soon as humanity found itself facing the frost, the sea and the stars. And since then we find evidence of it in all our experiences of the great and unbounded: in art, in poetry, and in religion. |
Teilhard recalls that we used to say, “God is love.” But we should also learn to say “the world is love." |
This photo shows a ritual “where you take water in your hands and you say ‘Thank you for the Divine Energy through the water, for all my body and the whole Humanity on planet Earth, with Gratitude, Love and Light and so it is.'” By iezalel williams on Flickr. | Meister Eckhart: “God is delighted to watch our souls enlarge.” Thomas Aquinas reminds us that “Joy expands the heart.” Growth and Joy go together and so does consciousness, for “God is supremely conscious and therefore supremely joyful.” There is a link between joy and |
consciousness. If we or our culture lacks joy, our consciousness is shrinking. |
Is humanity’s consciousness enlarging? And Joy? Is that the task of the Via Positiva? Ernesto Cardinale: We can argue about the reason for the universe, and we can argue about the purpose of the universe, but we cannot argue about the beauty of the universe. Is he
right? |
Has the Webb Telescope reminded us of the beauty of the universe with its powerful ways of beaming the beauty and time of the universe into our living rooms and our computers? Did the solar eclipse do the same? Julian of Norwich reports her experience with a hazelnut. God showed me
in my palm a little thing round as a ball about the size of a hazelnut. I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and asked myself: ‘What is this thing?’ And I was |
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answered: ‘It is everything that is created.’ I wondered how it could survive, since it seemed so little it could suddenly disintegrate into nothing. The answer came: ‘It endures and ever will endure, because God loves it.’ And so everything has being because of God’s love. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Christian Mystics, p. 224. And Fox, Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic—and Beyond, p. 40. And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times, pp. 33-44.
Banner image: Mystical scene. Photo by Pascal
Debrunner on Unsplash |
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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. |
Queries for Contemplation |
How do you reinforce your experience of the Via Positiva? |
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times
A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas’ mystical/prophetic genius, offering a sublime roadmap for spirituality and
action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
“What a wonderful book! Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is a masterpiece.”
–Caroline Myss, author
of Anatomy of the Spirit |
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Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations
As Matthew Fox notes, when an aging Albert Einstein was asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “I wish I had read more of the mystics earlier in my life.” The 365 writings in
Christian Mystics represent a wide-ranging sampling of these readings for modern-day seekers of all faiths — or no faith. The visionaries quoted range from Julian of Norwich to Martin Luther King, Jr., from Thomas Merton to Dorothee Soelle and Thomas Berry.
“Our world is in crisis, and we need road maps that can ground us in wisdom, inspire us to action, and help us gather our talents in service of compassion
and justice. This revolutionary book does just that. Matthew Fox takes some of the most profound spiritual teachings of the West and translates them into practical daily mediations. Study and practice these teachings. Take what’s in this book and teach it to the youth because the new generation cannot afford to suffer the spirit and ethical illiteracy of the past.” — Adam Bucko, spiritual activist and co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation for Homeless
Youth. |
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Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic–and Beyond
Julian of Norwich lived through the dreadful bubonic plague that killed close to 50% of Europeans. Being an anchoress, she ‘sheltered in place’ and developed a
deep wisdom that she shared in her book, Showings, which was the first book in English by a woman. A theologian way ahead of her time, Julian develops a feminist understanding of God as mother at the heart of nature’s goodness. Fox shares her teachings in this powerful and timely and inspiring book.
“What an utterly magnificent book. The work of Julian of Norwich, lovingly
supported by the genius of Matthew Fox, is a roadmap into the heart of the eco-spiritual truth that all life breathes together.” –Caroline Myss
Now also available as an audiobook HERE. |
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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 speaks on “The Deep Feminine and the Deep Masculine and their importance in elevating consciousness and healing our world” at the The Heart of Nature 7-Day Summit with Jane Fonda, Marianne Williamson, Paul Hawken, Nina Simons and over 30 leading experts, Tuesday-Monday, April 16-22. Register HERE. |
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 in a free online event hosted by the Shift Network: “Explore Compassion in Spirituality With Meister Eckhart’s Wisdom: Mystical Teachings for Renewal, Love & Forgiveness in Times of Turmoil.” Thursday, April 18, 5:30pm PT Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he speaks at a worship service and conducts a workshop to mark Earth Day 2024, hosted by Unity of Walnut Creek, CA, Sunday, April 21: 9:30am & 11:30am – Worship Service – Sermon. Earth Day, 2024: Preserving Things in the Good 1:30-3:00pm – Workshop – How the Earth Crisis of Our Time Can Move Humanity to Its Next Stage of Evolution 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, April 30, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478 Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
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Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book with scientist Rupert Sheldrake, 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.
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Ilia Delio and theologian Matthew Fox pick up on their conversation about the viability of contemporary religious institutions in an evolutionary world. They discuss death and resurrection—the enduring challenge of modern approaches to the subject and what we can learn from mystics, past generations and ancient peoples alike. To listen, click HERE. |
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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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