The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Watch for Matthew Fox's video meditation -- now appearing every Monday! |
Week
of 4/22-27/2024:
Fighting Climate Change &
Honoring Cecil Williams 04/28/2024 |
April 22, 2024: Earth Day, Passover & the Cost of Climate Change
We reflect on the meaning of both Passover and Earth Day, which fall on the same day this year. A recent study explored the economic ramifications of climate change. The climate crisis will shrink the average global income 19% in the next 26 years. The primary cause is the burning of fossil fuels. If we fail to act faster now, by 2100 economic losses will amount to 60% on global average. In dollar terms, the climate crisis will cost $38 trillion per year by
2050. Currently the entire world economy is about $100 trillion a year. America’s budget is about $6 trillion a year. |
Youth at the COP22 talks in Marrakech hold up a “People’s Presidential To-Do List,” including “Break Free from Fossil Fuels,” “Respect Indigenous Sovereignty,” “Zero by 2050,” and “No Corporate Trade Deals. Photo by John Englart on Flickr. |
April 23, 2024: The Silver Lining & Possible Game Changer Regarding Climate Change
In a new study linking climate change with huge economic losses, we wonder if mega-corporations will finally ask:
“How can our company survive the expense of eco-destruction?” Economies in the North will suffer 13 - 17%, but in the southern hemisphere, where it is already hotter, Iraq’s economy could drop by 30%, Botswana by 25%, and Brazil by 21%. Leonie Wenz, the scientist who headed the study, is right when he says, “This clearly shows that protecting our climate is much cheaper than not doing so.” April 24, 2024: The Silver Lining in Recent Bad News about Climate Change
In remembrance of the “angel of death” passing over the people in this
season of Passover, is climate change another angel of death? It seems that both denial and acedia are at play when it comes to climate change. Matthew suggests that people find denial easier and less draining than facing the sadness and grief and demands of imagination to rebuild politics and economics to turn back climate change. How can we motivate people to act? Will this recent study on the economic impact of the climate crisis propel people and governments and industry toward
action? |
English translation of a cartoon by Gerhard Mester on the topic of climate change, licensed as CC-BY-SA. Wikimedia Commons |
April 25, 2024: Forces of Greed & Forces of Justice Joining to Combat Climate Change?
Bill McKibben observes in the Common Dreams article* that if the world economy loses $38 trillion per year due to climate change by the beginning of 2050, that “seems like a lot.” He is hopeful that maybe these findings can finally “persuade major companies to embrace climate action for self-interest
reasons.” Anders Leverman tells us: Structural change towards a renewable energy system is needed for our security, and will save us money. Staying on the path we are currently on, will lead to catastrophic consequences. The temperature of the planet can only be stabilized if we stop burning oil, gas, and coal. As Matthew says: When those who “care most about money” link up with those who care most about the health and beauty and sacredness of Mother Earth, our survival as a
species, along with millions of other species, has a fighting chance. |
Bill McKibben talks about the impacts of the fossil fuel and renewable energy industries, and why global warming is calling all generations to work together. Brief But Spectacular |
April 26, 2024: Remembering Cecil Williams: A Great & Real Religious/Spiritual Leader
A great man and leader died this week: Rev. Cecil Williams, co-founder of Glide Memorial Church in San
Francisco’s Tenderloin District. A PBS profile told of how Williams opened the church up to jazz music, hippies, addicts, the poor, poets, and “anyone else who wanted to come.” In addition, “He made the then-radical decision to open up his church to LGBTQ people,” comments Pam Nole, a 30-year member of Glide. He performed same-sex weddings in the 1970’s, decades before same-sex marriage became legal in the US. He was not just a minister, he was a visionary, an advocate for
social justice, and a compassionate man who truly cared about people. April 27, 2024: Cecil Williams, Mystic & Prophet & Authentic
Christian Leader, Part II
Cecil Williams and his wife, Janice Mirikitani, used Glide Memorial Church as a place of, not just inspiration, but healing. There were support groups for people with addictions, screenings for people with HIV/AIDS, and social services for the homeless, the abused, and those with mental health issues. The church also served meals—500,000 during the year 2020-2021 alone. His
church has been called “the soul of the city” and it is said he approached everything he did with “unconditional love.” Matthew says that Williams was everything a follower of Jesus should be: A lover, a listener, a challenger, a prophet who interfered with social, gender, economic, racial, and homophobic injustice where he saw it. A man with a soft heart and a gentle way plus the warrior and lion spirit of a prophet. |
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. |
Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action
By Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, and Jen Listug
In
the midst of global fire, earthquake and flood – as species are going extinct every day and national and global economies totter – the planet doesn’t need another church or religion. What it needs is a new Order, grounded in the Wisdom traditions of both East and West, including science and indigenous. An Order of the Sacred Earth united in one sacred vow: “I promise to be the best lover and defender of the Earth that I can be.”
Co-authored by Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, and Jennifer Berit Listug, with a forward by David Korten, this collection of essays by 21 spiritual visionaries including Brian Swimme, Mirabai Starr, Theodore Richards, and Kristal Parks marks the founding of the diverse and inclusive Order of the Sacred Earth, a community now evolving around the world.
“The
Order of the Sacred Earth not only calls us home to our true nature as Earth, but also offers us invaluable guidance and company on the way.” ~~ Joanna Macy, environmental activist and author of Active Hope. |
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Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation
Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
“A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice. |
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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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Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil
that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly
masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics |
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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 offers the Morning Worship Inspirational Message, “How Christian Mystics & the Challenges of Our Time Build Bridges to Buddhist Wisdom and Deep Ecumenism” hosted by Brentwood Inspired Living Center. Sunday, April 28, 10:00am Learn more 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 |
Join Matthew Fox in a new, live, 7-week video course hosted by the Shift Network, : What Meister Eckhart & Other World Mystics Can Teach Us About Navigating Collective Turmoil. Tuesdays, May 7 – June 25, 5:00pm - 6:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake as they discuss their 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. Join keynote speakers Matthew Fox and Brian Swimme at the 2024 Creation Spirituality Communities Gathering on “Reimagining Our Story, Hope for Humanity,” live at Cape Cod, MA and by livestream. Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2. Learn more and register HERE. |
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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