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Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox 

11/05/2024

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My method in that book is to bring Eastern and Western wisdom together. 

I do that by comparing the 7 chakras of the East to the 7 capital sins of the West. Aquinas, following the Hebrew understanding of sin as “missing the mark,” calls sin “misdirected love.” 

Luca Signorelli’s 1501 depiction of the face of antichrist, from the Orvieto Cathedral. With a demon whispering in his ear and sharing a common left arm, that is sharing deeds. Wikimedia Commons.

So I pose the question: Is misdirected love in the West comparable to an off-center chakra in the East? I think the book answers that question with a resounding “Yes”.  

So allow me in this meditation, written on the Eve of Election 2024, to apply the question of Evil and the 7 chakras and 7 capital sins to Mr. Trump.

I identify the first chakra with two capital sins of the West: Acedia and Arrogance (some call it Pride but I think authentic pride is a virtue whereas its negative side is best named as Arrogance). Arrogance is saying that I am better than you or my tribe is better than your tribe.

Dancing for All Our Relations: Shoshone Indian Sun Dance, Fort Hall Reservation, 1925. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. Wikimedia Commons

The first chakra, located at the “sacrum” or “holy bone,” is about vibration. Its sub chakra extends to the knee and the foot. What we now know about vibration is this: All atoms in the universe are vibrating. Thus the first chakra is about connecting to the whole, to the universe.

To “all our relations.” One engages it by dancing.

The opposite of this is pettiness and smallness, self and not Self. Narcissism therefore. Racism. Tribalism. War against those different from ourselves. Making monsters of immigrants and calling them “vermin” is Trump’s engaging in evil and the first chakra. So too is dismissal of the suffering that Earth is undergoing today at the hands of humans and the fossil fuel industry.

Regarding acedia, often translated as “sloth,” but really meaning “the lack of energy to begin new things” (Aquinas). The very slogan “make America great again” suggests that we turn back and ignore the “new thing” that expanding democracy would mean. Or justice—including eco-justice. Or the rights of women, homosexuals, or other minorities.

The second chakra is our sexuality. When distorted, it means men have the right to control women’s bodies and doctors who advise them. And to “protect them whether they like it or not” (Trump). It is continuing the moral flaw of Patriarchy at any cost. And that women who are raped—over 30,000 in Texas alone since Roe v Wade was killed—must carry the rapist's child to term.

The third chakra, when off center, is about violence. A presidential candidate saying that a firing squad of nine rifle-holders should surround a politician he does not like, or saying a former general in his administration should be “executed” or making a list 

Harris condemns Trump over “violent rhetoric” about former Representative Liz Cheney, saying that it “must be disqualifying.”

of political opponents to put in prison is preaching violence. Fascism has been defined as “institutional violence” and Trump is “fascist to his core” according to his top military official, Marine general Mark Milley. Attacking journalists is also institutional violence.

The fourth chakra is about the heart and our capacity for compassion and forgiveness and love. Trump does not preach those things. Instead, he preaches fear and hatred, grievance and retribution. “I am your retribution,” he has declared. Fear is the opposite of love.  So too is hatred.

The fifth chakra is about the throat when, if healthy, is a birth canal that gives birth to truth and wisdom. Trump uses his fifth chakra to preach lies upon lies—33,000 when he was president, including the “Great Lie” that he won the 2020 election which ignited the crowds to storm the capitol on January 6. That violence was based on that lie (see chakra 3 above).

The sixth chakra is about healthy balance between right and left brain, that is, our rational and intuitive brains. Truth requires such a balance.  I consider Trump something of a genius in manipulating the irrational fears and prejudices in peoples’ minds. His demagoguery is first class. Sadly, loyalty, not truth, is his north star.

Barbra Streisand sings “Take Care of This House”: “This house that is struggling to be / A beacon of light shining all through the night / So bright that the whole world could see.” Composed by Leonard Bernstein about the White House.

The seventh chakra is about gathering and sending the light and kundalini energy of all the previous six chakras (when healthy) into the universe. It is about building community. Its distorted version is about breaking up community and urging war—“the 

enemy within” as Trump puts it. Pitting class against class and race against race and haves (billionaires getting huge tax breaks) against have-nots. It incarnates the worst in capitalism. This too is a Trumpian vice.

In summation, Trump flunks the test of a healthy soul. From narcissism in chakra one through envy and war in chakra seven, he tests positive for Evil. 

After he loses the election, he will have time in prison from his 34 felony convictions (and his other trials coming up) during which he can meditate and change his ways and become a better human being before he dies. Redemption is possible for all of us.

But first we must vote.

Adapted from Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society, pp. 1-20, 183-375.

See Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ; A Handbook to the 2024 Election.

And Fox, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved.

And Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine.

Banner Image: Chaos and violence: Detail of “Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist.” Fresco by Luca Signorelli, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, Orvieto. Wikimedia Commons.

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Queries for Contemplation

Do you recognize the seven capital sins and seven distorted chakras in one current presidential candidate? Are you voting and getting others out to vote?

Recommended Reading

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

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.

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.

Order the audiobook HERE for immediate download.

The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved

The Pope’s War offers a provocative look at three decades of corruption in the Catholic Church, focusing on Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The final section in the book focuses on birthing a truly catholic Christianity.
“This book should be read by everybody, not only for its ferocious courage, but also for its vision for what needs to be saved from the destructive forces that threaten authentic Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope.
“In the gripping The Pope’s War, Matthew Fox takes an unwavering look at the layers of corruption in the Catholic Church, holding moral truth against power.”   — Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II

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

The Return of Father Sky: A Cosmic Mystery for Kids of All Ages

The second book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series, The Return of Father Sky helps boys and girls to celebrate a new relationship with the masculine by way of Father Sky, whose return excites joy and wonder and possibility that enlarge the soul to welcome others and all creation. Written in a rhyming Dr. Seuss-like style, this full-color, beautifully illustrated book, written by world- renowned theologian Matthew Fox weaves together modern science and classic spirituality in a whimsical, entertaining format to illustrate important truths to readers aged 4 and up. 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.

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. 
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