The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
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Henry Adams, Kamala
Harris &
the Divine Feminine, continued 08/27/2024 |
Henry Adams, whose grandfather and great-grandfather were both presidents, wrote poignantly of the role of Mary in his iconic book, Mont Saint Michel and Chartres (written in 1904), about the renaissance and profound awakening in 12th century Europe. |
He called Mary “the dynamo” that led that renaissance (what historian Père Chenu called “the only renaissance that worked in the West” because it was from the grassroots up). Adams compared the dynamo energy that Mary brought to the 12th century to the role of the steam engine in 19th century America—but hers was about compassion and not “force” as such. Here is how he puts the role of the Divine Mother in the 12th century renaissance: “Her sympathy was with people who suffered under law.” How pertinent is this to the multiple oppressive laws |
The original 12th-century Black Madonna of Montserrat. Photo by Csiraf on Wikimedia Commons. |
of the current unsupreme Court, from Citizens United through killing the Voting Rights Act and Roe v Wade and Chevron? She represented “the assertion of the supremacy of love over force.” The iron horse of the 19th century was exclusively about
force. |
Battle-scarred Black Madonna with beheaded Christ Child, in the 12th century church in the village Skee near Stömstad, Sweden. Wikimedia Commons. | She represented the “light of humanity’s best vision on earth of the learning to come.” She ushered in the new educational revolution, the University, which began in the late 12th century. The Virgin of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries had not only the powers of Eve and Demeter and Venus; she was also the mistress of all the arts and sciences, was afraid |
of none of them and did nothing, ever, to stunt any of them. She weclomed everyone so that “not even the weakest human frailty would fear to approach her.” She held “boundless sympathy.” She represented Buddhism and compassion, “the first of all
virtues.” She rescued people from “the perils of law, whether human or divine.” People longed for a power above law—or above the contested mass of ignorance and absurdity
being the name of law. They yearned for |
protections, pardon and love. For the life of the soul is Truth. Its content and purpose is Love. This seems to be in stark contrast to Trump’s never-ceasing lies. She represented the energy of Love and of matter. She moves people beyond “predominant masculine
energy.” Adams asks: Why, in the modern era, was the Woman struck out of the Church and ignored in the State? These questions are not antiquarian or trifling in historical value; they tug at the very heart strings of all that makes whatever order is in the cosmos. If a Unity exists, in which and toward which all energies
centre, it must explain and include Duality, Diversity, Infinity—Sex! |
"I am black but beautiful.” The Madonna del Tindari of Sicily, oldest of the known Black Madonnas. Wikimedia Commons. |
The Puritans did not get rid only of woman, they got rid of imagination and charity, too, the three forms in which they had so long drawn an outside force; but the woman—sex—Mary Virgin summed them all.* It seems to me that the energy and values of the Black Madonna can clearly carry us
into what Pete Buttigieg called a “new politics” and hopefully Kamala Harris can be a catalyst for such a non-violent revolution. |
*See R. P. Blackmur, Henry Adams: A Leading Critic’s Account of a Great Amerian Figure, pp. 203, 184, 189, 206, 190, 195, 177, 176, 204, 208.
See Matthew Fox, Trump & the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, pp. 99-104, 81-84.
And Fox, “The Sacred
Marriage of Masculine and Feminine” in Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 221-248.
And Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominational Priest, pp. 221, 281, 311, 356, 419. |
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And Fox,
“The Feminine Face of Divinity,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells, pp. 117-143.
Banner Image: Black Madonna of Mont St. Michel. Photo by
Matt Knoth on Flickr. |
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 see in Adam’s appreciation of the Divine Feminine in the “dynamo” of the Virgin which includes compassion and joy and struggle for justice the possibility of a “new politics” emerging? And that Kamala Harris could be a carrier of such a politics? |
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s
rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline
Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine. |
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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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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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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 |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
MONTHLY: 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. Last Tuesday of every month, 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 as he discusses his book Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, September 19, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox speaks on "Preserving Things in the Good" at the Unity of Walnut Creek Earth Day worship service held on April 21, 2024. |
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