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! |
"Anti-Christ" as an
Archetype Appropriate to our Apocalyptic Times 09/16/2024 |
PLEASE NOTE: With days ticking down to 11/5, Matthew Fox’s urgent new book turns the Anti-Christ archetype into a searing device for understanding the deeper stakes in the 2024 election. • For immediate access to Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, order the e-book with 10 full-color
prints from Amazon HERE. • To get a print-on-demand paperback copy with black & white images, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE. • To receive a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE. The pre-ordered books are of this kind and we will receive them in 10 days. |
Over the past nine years, observing the media trying and failing to name the politics of Trump and MAGA and SCOTUS, I hear time and again, the word unprecedented. What Trump is doing by lying incessantly, we are told, is unprecedented. What he did and did not do on January 6, is unprecedented. What the Republican party is doing following him down countless rabbit holes, is unprecedented. |
Trump being convicted 34 times on felony charges and attacking the judge during the trial, is unprecedented. What SCOTUS is doing by dismantling 50 years of Roe v. Wade and giving a president a green light for any crimes he chooses to commit while president, is unprecedented. Members of |
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SCOTUS accepting millions of dollars of bribes, is unprecedented. Etc. etc. If we had a dollar for every time the media repeats that word, we would be millionaires. Instead of the word unprecedented, it may be time to employ the more accurate word—Evil. Or antichirst. One person proposed that by calling Trump and MAGA “antichrist” I was name-calling. That is exactly what I am not doing in my
book on Christ & MAGA as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election. Why not? Because I demonstrate in the book the history of that terminology—it is an archetype that represents everything that is the opposite of the teachings of Jesus. And those of Buddha, Isaiah, Aquinas, Hildegard, and many other spiritual
teachers, all of whom insist that truth and justice go together and are essential to be 1) a complete human being, 2) a leader, and 3) a society that holds together and does not fall apart. |
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| I show how the concept appears in the Scriptures, especially in the Book of Apocalypse also known as the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Christian Bible. It was written near the end of the first century, during a time of great persecution
and struggle by early Christians against the Roman Empire. It also appears in the 12th century. The great saint and now doctor of the church, Hildegard of Bingen, paints a powerful picture of the antichrist. She tells us its deeper meaning, and applies it to the corruption of the church in her time.
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the dawn of the 16th century, artist Luca Signorelli painted a large fresco in the Cathedral in Orvieto, that pictured the Anti-Christ in the context of the citizens, famous and ordinary, in his day. It reappears in a strong way at the time of the Reformation, as a naming of the corruption of the papacy in the 16th
century. Martin Luther invoked it for 25 years, right up to the time he died. Zwingli, Calvin, Knox, etc. also employed it against the corruption of Rome at the time. Why wouldn’t we employ it in our times as well? Times of Climate Change that is threatening our very existence and that of millions of other species on our Holy
Mother Earth? And times when democracy is being threatened by strongmen like Putin, Xi and Hungarian president Viktor Orban, all of whom Trump admires. The latter he invoked enthusiastically in the presidential debate one week ago. |
Tomorrow, Tuesday, I will enter into a conversation with Thom Hartmann who, last Tuesday on the morning of the presidential debate, published an excellent article entitled: "Will Donald Trump Reveal Himself Tonight as the Antichrist?"* I highly recommend reading it and also attending our conversation. |
Thom Hartmann airs a daily podcast and Substack newsletter on progressive politics, news commentary, science, culture and
economics. Photo from his website. |
As I wrote him the following day, I was “thrilled” that others besides this particular theologian, were employing this language that names so accurately the stakes in Election 2024. |
* "Will Donald Trump Reveal Himself Tonight as the Anti-Christ?" The Hartmann Report, September 10, 2024. See Matthew Fox, Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen, plate 18 and pp. 122-126. And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 101-120. And Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, pp. 1-34, 144-150, 157-244. And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society. And Fox, Trump & MAGA as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election. Banner image: The day after Trump’s inaugural, people were already punning on how “unprecedented” his regime would
be. Photo from the Women’s March in Chicago by bradhoc, January 21, 2017. Wikimedia Commons. |
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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. |
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 recognize some parallels between our times and the Book of Revelation, the painting of Hildegard on the Anti-Christ, the invoking of the archetype by Luther and the Reformers, and the politics of our day? |
Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen
An introduction to the life and work of Hildegard of Bingen, Illuminations reveals the life and teachings of one of the greatest female artists and intellectuals of the Western Mystical
Tradition. At the age of 42, she began to have visions; these were captured as 36 illuminations–24 of which are recorded in this book along with her commentaries on them.
“If one person deserves credit for the great Hildegard renaissance in our time, it is Matthew Fox.” – Dr Mary Ford-Grabowsky, author of Sacred Voices. |
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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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The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian
paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth
wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe. |
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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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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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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 |
Join Matthew Fox Tuesday Sep 17 @ 2:00 pm Eastern, 11:00 am Pacific, for an interview with the Thom Hartman Program on his new book Trump and the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election. See how to listen or watch live 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 |
Matthew Fox will make a guest appearance during the Creation Spirituality
Communities course, Creation Spirituality in a Time of Apocalypse. He will talk about his new book on the antichrist, which is an apocalyptic archetype. Join Theodore Richards, founder of the Chicago Wisdom Project and editor of the online Magazine/Podcast ReImagining as he takes us through 4 sessions exploring how Creation Spirituality can give birth to
new stories during times of upheaval. Dates: Sept 9, 16, 23, 30 from 7-9 PM ET. Cost: $150 per student. Register HERE. |
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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. |
ConvergenceCoLab hosts Matthew Fox, Margaret Wheatley, and Brian McLaren in an online conversation on “Post-Doom Spirituality," Wednesday, October 16, 6-8:30 PM ET. Register now with an EARLY BIRD rate of $30, HERE. |
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Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his two books, In the Beginning There was Joy and The Return of Father Sky, in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, October 17, 4:00-5:30 pm
PT.
Register HERE. |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
in part 1 of an in-depth interview titled "Trump and the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ," where Fox asserts
that the archetype applies to the darker side of MAGA and it's Christian-nationalist backers. |
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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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