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A Sign of the Times:
Moving from Unhealthy to Healthy Masculinity 11/22/2024 |
As the results of the election ripple out, learn the deeper stakes involved. Get your copy of Trump & the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election today! Choose your format in the book block below. |
We are meditating on the healthy masculinity—what I call the “sacred masculine”–because one of the clear lessons from the recent election was that young men voted for the declared winner by 56% to 44%. And the declared winner is by no means a model of a healthy masculinity. |
Not only did he plunge the country into chaos and violence in an attempt to kill American democracy on January 6, 2021, but he called that day of carnage and insurrection “a day of love." He lied over 33,000 times as president. |
“How the “bro vote” propelled Trump to victory.” CBS News |
None of this is healthy masculinity. There is nothing healthy about ego aggrandization, about lying about losing an election, about not being able to admit defeat and creating a “big lie” that spread through the country. In a chapter on “MAGA’s Precarious Manhood vs. Authentic
Masculinity” in my book, A Handbook for the Election, I cite Harold Meyerson on how the MAGA movement is “reliant on the cult of toughness and hypermasculinity.” Thom Hartmann spoke to this reality following the election telling us that the extreme hateful Trump supporters are out calling for ‘rape squads’
and violence…we all need to be careful. So we saw with Trump’s embrace of the violent ‘Jews will not replace us’ Nazis in Charlottesville during his first term, the former president has again given license to the most depraved, hateful, and disgusting impulses of America’s young men. |
“Online harassment targeting women and girls has spiked since the election.” CBS Chicago | He cited a tweet by “open Nazi Nick Fuentes” (whom Trump invited over for dinner) telling girls and women, “your body, my choice. Forever." (The
tweet was viewed nearly 90 million times and reposted nearly 40 million times, followed by “Repeal |
the 19th (Amendment)” and “Get back to the kitchen.”) Another viral meme reads: “Release the Project 2025 Handmaids Tale rape squads” (all in caps in the original).*
Yes, manhood and how we define it is now implanted into our politics and we must look for healthy versions of the same.
Hildegard of Bingen, in her painting of the “Antichrist,” makes it explicit that unhealthy manhood or patriarchy is the issue. David French, in an article entitled “Hulk Hogan is Not the
Only Way to Be a Man,” talks of a seductive quality to Trump’s masculinity. Grievance is a form of counterfeit purpose, and anger is a form of counterfeit courage. The reptilian brain comes out in spades and the mammal brain, where compassion reigns, is smothered by the dominant reptilian brain. |
French celebrates a commencement speech delivered by Admiral William McRaven, former Navy Seal and designer of the team who killed Osama bin Laden. He recently told the college graduates: You must have compassion.You must ache for the poor and disenfranchised.You must feel for the
vulnerable. You must weep for the ill and infirm. You must pray for those who are without hope. You must be kind to those less fortunate. |
Model of servant leadership: Former President
Jimmy Carter takes a break during a home-
building with Dallas Habitat for
Humanity, 2014.
Photo by Luis
Tamayo on Flickr. |
The real meaning of virility is virtue. Both words come from the Latin word for “man,” vir. Another way to translate the word virtus is strength. True strength and true manhood and true virility are about inner strength or virtue. Thomas Aquinas observes that it is a great thing to do miracles, but it is a greater thing to live virtuously. Thus we are exploring in our current DMs, at this critical juncture in the survival of the planet and American democracy, archetypes or metaphors for the Sacred Masculine. And how to practice them. The late Father Donald Reeves, whose story we told this week following his death, was such a man. |
*Thom Hartmann, “Saturday Report 11/9/24 — Is this really who we are?” Hartmannreport.com.
See
also: Michael Corkery, “Shouting Racial Slurs, Neo-Nazi Marchers Shock Ohio’s Capital,” New York Times, November 17, 2024.
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, pp. 99-103, 81-84.
And Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine.
And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for
Hard Times, pp. 97-100.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society.
Banner Image: A male teacher wearing protective gear teaches women’s self defense as part of Army Community Service’s Family Advocacy/Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, in
conjunction with the military police, in Heidelberg, Germany. Photo by Kristen Marquez, Herald Post, on Flickr. | A Caring Note from the DM Team:
The results of the U.S. election are affecting us all in a variety of ways, and challenging times certainly lie ahead. If the burden becomes overwhelming, we urge you, please, to seek support. Here are a few resources that can help:
National Helpline for essential services: 211 or 211.org
National Suicide/Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255
LGBTQ Youth Lifeline: Call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to
678678.
Trans Lifeline: Call 877-565-8860
National Sexual Assault Hotline: Call
800-656-4673
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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 sense that at this time virtue—including truth-telling and courage and the quest for justice and morality—are especially called for? And that true virility and manhood is found in such a quest? |
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. |
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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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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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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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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. |
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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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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 and cosmologist Brian Thomas Swimme in a new 7-week live video course hosted by The Shift Network: “The 4 Paths of Creation Spirituality: Embracing Awe, Chaos, Creativity & Transformation With the Universe as Your Guide.” Tuesdays, December 3 – January 28 (except Dec 24 and 31), 5:00pm - 6:30pm PT Register
HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox, Rev. Nóirín Ní Riain, and celebrated Irish performers Owen Ó Súilleabháin, and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin in an Interfaith Advent celebration of Irish sacred music and storytelling to honor the varied Festivals of Light and explore the mysteries they reveal. Saturday, December 7, 9:00am – 11:00am PT. Register
HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox for an on-site and online Advent Retreat titled “A Great Coming: Creation Spirituality and the Renewal of Religion, Humanity and Holy Mother Earth,” hosted by Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles. Saturday, 12/14, 9 AM -5 PM; Sunday, 12/15, 9-11 AM.
Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his two children’s books, Father Fox's Fantastical
Fables – In the Beginning There was Joy and The Return of Father Sky in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, online. December 19, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT Register HERE. |
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