The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Today's the day: Matthew Fox's video meditation is below! |
Compassion, Eckhart, and Humanity’s Future 05/06/2024 |
I am genuinely excited about a new class I am teaching with Shift Network beginning tomorrow, called “Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality: What Meister Eckhart & Other World Mystics Can Teach Us about Navigating Collective Turmoil.” |
Why am I so excited? Because when we are dealing with compassion, we are dealing with the best humanity has to offer—and Meister Eckhart is a genius on compassion. And who is Eckhart? Many consider him the greatest mystic of the West. It has been my privilege to have studied, taught and written about him ever
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Detail of a statue of Meister Eckhart in Bad Wörishofen, Germany. Translation: “The most important hour is always the present. The most important person is in front of you right now. The necessary direction is always love.” (“Stewer” = steering, like the helmsman on a ship.) Photo by
Lothar Spurzem. Wikimedia Commons. |
since he appeared to me in a dream 46 years ago. We have been traveling together ever since, both in the three books I wrote on him, and through teaching numerous classes on him over the years. Why journey with a person like Eckhart? Carl Jung says, “it’s to the mystics we owe what is best in
humanity.” Why not study what is best in humanity? Isn’t compassion the best humanity has to offer? |
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| In our current times, many are feeling sadness and despair. T. S. Elliot put it this way: “The
mystics. Or else despair.” There is joy and there is creativity in the mysticism of Eckhart and the work of compassion—toward self and |
others. “Compassion begins at home with one’s own body and one’s own soul,” he says. But compassion is also our imitation of Divinity, a sign of our divine nature. So much news today is anything but reflective of the divine nature that we all share, and all can make shine. I’m excited because
this class can bring that alive. |
While Eckhart’s teachings on compassion and how to get there will be the main focus of this class, we will also bring in teachings from poets and feminists, the Dalai Lama, and other guides, for compassion is recognized in all the world religions as a divine power we all have within us. Today's science too is laying a |
The 14th Dalai Lama greets Uzra Zeya, India’s Undersecretary of State, in 2023. Photo by the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. Wikimedia Commons. |
groundwork for more compassion in our lives, and thus the future survival of our species. To study compassion is to study the future—the next leap of humankind is a leap into compassion. I look forward to exploring what this actually means, how to get there, and how to carve out a
future worthy of us and the beauty of this planet. See registration link for the "Cultivating Compassion" course in Upcoming Events, below. |
See Matthew Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion. And Fox, Passion For Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart, pp. 415-545. And Fox, Meditations with Meister Eckhart, pp. 89-131. And Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Times, pp. 10-13, 51-56, 58-61, 71-96, 221-250, 273-282. And Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. 377-403.
Banner image: A “Compassion” bench near Trophy Point on the campus of the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. Photo by Dave Lowe on Unsplash.
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| | To view today's video, please click the
image. You will be taken to today's post on the Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox website, where you can see the meditation in a larger version and also view and post your Comments. In the sharing that follows, a kind of community is developing around the DM. If you can't reach today's post on the website directly, click HERE. If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE. |
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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 |
Do you agree that compassion constitutes the future of humanity (if there is to be a future)? Should we be studying it and practicing it more deeply therefore? |
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox delivers a profound exploration of the meaning
and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity.
“Well worth our deepest
consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register |
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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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Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Time
While Matthew Fox recognizes that Meister Eckhart has influenced thinkers throughout history, he also wants to introduce Eckhart to today’s activists addressing contemporary crises.
Toward that end, Fox creates dialogues between Eckhart and Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Heschel, Black Elk, Karl Marx, Rumi, Adrienne Rich, Dorothee Soelle, David Korten, Anita Roddick, Lily Yeh, M.C. Richards, and many others.
“Matthew Fox is perhaps the greatest writer on Meister Eckhart that has ever existed. (He) has successfully bridged a gap between Eckhart as a shamanistic personality and Eckhart as a
post-modern mentor to the Inter-faith movement, to reveal just how cosmic Eckhart really is, and how remarkably relevant to today’s religious crisis! ” — Steven Herrmann, Author of Spiritual
Democracy: The Wisdom of Early American Visionaries for the Journey Forward |
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One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but
a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent
contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit |
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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 |
Join Matthew Fox in a new, live, 7-week video course hosted by the Shift Network, Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality: 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 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. |
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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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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