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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Honoring the Black
Madonna and MLK Jr. 08/29/2024 |
[FROM THE ARCHIVE: January 16, 2024.] The Black Madonna is an important presence for our time. Andrew Harvey points out that, in a time like ours, we should pray to her because, among other things, she is “queen of hell” because her love for the human race “makes her invincible to all
demonic forces." Talking of the Antichrist and dealing with it requires we protect ourselves in the process. |
Part of the contribution of Christena Cleveland in her book God Is a Black Woman is to invite a new appraisal of that archetype within her
own community. What the Black Madonna stands for is what MLK Jr. stood for: Justice in the face of injustice; attention to the anawim, those without a voice; love, not hatred; peace, not war; forgiveness, not retribution. An appreciation of darkness and blackness. And so much more. Several years ago, I was invited to Morehouse |
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University, King’s alma mater and burial place of Howard Thurman, to give a lecture on the Black Madonna. The Black Madonna represents the cosmos—all wisdom figures do—and much of the cosmos we know is very dark. |
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| Learning today that 95% of all matter in our universe is “dark
matter” or “dark energy,” that creativity and dark holes go together, is a reminder of the creative power of darkness. “The ground of the soul is dark,” comments Meister Eckhart. Thus darkness is about depth and the Black Madonna invites us down to our deeper selves, our truer and
deepest selves. Also, she invites us to explore that “underground river” where the God/Goddess dwells. |
She also represents Mother Africa from which we all derive. She is our origins therefore, the origin of homo sapiens, all of us. And knowing her gives us perspective, we all come from the same Source. She represents grief, for she suffers with the poor and “little ones” without a
voice. |
In her guise as the “Brown Madonna” or Our Lady of Guadalupe, she sides with the indigenous ones, having appeared to a teen-aged indigenous man and spoke to him in his indigenous language, ten years after his culture was invaded and decimated by European invaders. |
“Cuncti Simus Concanentes” Medieval prayer to the Black Madonna and healing trance dance ritual against the Plague. Conceived during COVID by Alessandra Belloni, who also directed the Zoom performances. |
She also represents Celebration, Joy and Gratitude. The bell on her headdress represents her call for institutions and individuals to Wake Up and feel the joy and the grief of living, and get on with healing and celebrating our existence. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, “The Green Man and the Black Madonna: Sacred Marriage of Nature,” in Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors To Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 231-244.
And Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest, p. 356.
And Fox,
“Foreword: The Return of the Archetype in Times of Need,” in Alessandra Belloni, Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna: Chants, Music, and Sacred Practices of the Great
Goddess, pp. ix-xviii.
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Banner Image: Coretta Scott King holds a candle on the Washington Monument grounds and leading a nighttime march of 15-20,000 peaceful protestors to the White House as part of the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, October 15, 1969. Photo by Washington Area Spark on Flickr. |
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Queries for Contemplation |
What does the return of the Black Madonna in our times mean to you? |
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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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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