The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations
with Matthew Fox |
Watch for Matthew Fox's video meditation -- now
appearing every Monday! Don't miss Matthew's exciting upcoming webinars, courses, and a Cosmic Mass, listed at the bottom of this DM! |
Staying Strong: The “I Am” Poems of Ireland & the Gospels 3/18/2025 |
As the impacts of the new regime ripple out, learn the deeper stakes involved. Get your copy of Trump & the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ! Choose your format in the book block below. |
In yesterday’s DM, we celebrated St. Patrick’s feast day by meditating on a new translation from John Philip Newell of a poem attributed to him and by demonstrating how creation-centered the Celtic spirituality is. |
(Jansenism, exported from France in the 17th century to Ireland, and based on Augustine’s abusive dualism, poisoned Irish spirituality for centuries with a perverse Christian attitude that is the opposite of Celtic spirituality—one that puts down nature and sexuality and could not be less Celtic in almost every way. Unfortunately, it was exported |
Spiritual director Justin Coutts discusses the concept of original goodness and how it influenced Celtic Christianity. Love Unrelenting |
to
America with Irish immigration.) Another dimension to Celtic spirituality is the “I am” poems, prayers that once again begin with the universe and celebrate the awe, wonder and grandeur of the cosmos and our place in it. The cosmic Christ is everywhere in these ancient prayers which, like St. Patrick’s poem, serve as
a breastplate or strengthening device for us in these times that call for courage and strength and the spiritual warrior to stand up to truth and justice and love. Celtic scholar John O’Donohue calls the following poem “the first poem ever composed in Ireland." |
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| I am the wind which breathes upon the sea,
I am the wave of the ocean
I am the murmur of the billows,
I am the ox of the seven combats,
I am the vulture upon the rocks,
I am a beam of the sun,
I am the wild boar in valour,
I am the salmon in the water, |
I am a lake in the plain,
I am a world of knowledge,
I am the point of the lance of battle,
I am the God who created the fire in the head. How unmodern and unlike Descartes’s teaching this is—he who declared, “I think therefore I am.” This is about community—“I am because everything else is. I am in everything and everything is in me.” The divine “I am” is omnipresent if we learn to see correctly. In the Biblical tradition, God is the great “I am.” This is what Moses learned on asking how to tell the Jewish people who God is. In the Book of Exodus (3:13f.), we are told: Moses asked: ‘But if they ask me what his [God’s] name is, what am I to tell them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am….I Am has sent me to you.’ (Also translated: “I am who I will
be.”) |
In John’s gospel, Christ is depicted as declaring his own “I am” on several occasions. “I am the good shepherd,” “I am the light,” “I am the door,” etc. Scholars are saying that Jesus did not talk this way, so it is likely that gospel writers who wrote these things some sixty years after Jesus lived were putting these words into Jesus’ mouth. In either case, |
Echoes of Jesus as the Good Shepherd: “Shepherd and Sheep” by Anton Mauve, National Gallery of Ireland.Wikimedia Commons. |
they offer powerful insights about Jesus’ relationship and ours to the divine. And they strengthen us for the “good fight” that we are called to stand up and fight for. A fight to redeem democracy which is, after all, founded on the dignity of the human person and the divine “I am” in
all persons. And the Celts are doing a parallel thing with their “I am” poems. And they are not alone, for the “I am” practice and language can be found around the world as we will show in forthcoming meditations. |
SIGN THE PLEDGE: Boycott pro-Trump corporations for Lent this year. Faithful America. Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Flowing From Global Faiths, pp. 171, 176-179.
See also: Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus, Stations
of the Cosmic Christ.
And Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ.
And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
And Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as
Anti-Christ, pp. 31-50.
And Fox,“The Christ of the Cosmos: Meister Eckhart Meets Teilhard de Chardin and Thomas Berry,” and “The Historical Jesus: Meister Eckhart Meets Marcus Borg, Bruce Chilton, and John Dominic Crossan,” in Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times, pp. 15-34, 97-116.
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Image: The sun through a Celtic cross. Photo by Jonathan Brennan 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 feel a deep sense of interdependence and community with the sacredness of the universe when you pray the ancient “I am” poem above? Have you ever written your own “I am” poem? I highly recommend it. |
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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Stations of the Cosmic Christ
By Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus.
This is a book of meditations on the
Cosmic Christ, accompanying the images of 16 wonderful clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Together, these images and meditations go far beyond the traditional Stations of the Cross to inspire a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the image of God in all beings, so needed in our times.
“A divinely inspired book that
must be read by every human being devoted to spiritual and global survival. It is cosmically brilliant.” — 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.
“This book is a classic.” Thomas Berry, author of The Great Work and The Dream of the Earth.
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Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South
American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
“A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality
and Practice.
“I am reading Liberating Gifts for the People of the Earth by Matt Fox. He is one that fills my heart and mind for new life in spite of so much that is violent in our world.” ~ Sister Dorothy Stang. |
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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. 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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Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Time
While Matthew Fox recognizes that Meister Eckhart has influenced thinkers throughout history, he also wants to introduce Eckhart to
today’s activists addressing contemporary crises. Toward that end, Fox creates dialogues between Eckhart and Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Heschel, Black Elk, Karl Marx, Rumi, Adrienne Rich, Dorothee Soelle, David Korten, Anita Roddick, Lily Yeh, M.C. Richards, and many others.
“Matthew Fox is perhaps the greatest writer on Meister Eckhart that has ever existed. (He) has successfully bridged a gap between
Eckhart as a shamanistic personality and Eckhart as a post-modern mentor to the Inter-faith movement, to reveal just how cosmic Eckhart really is, and how remarkably relevant to today’s religious crisis! ” — Steven
Herrmann, Author of Spiritual Democracy: The Wisdom of Early American Visionaries for the Journey Forward |
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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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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
The Mysticism of Christ: Experiencing the Sacred Teachings of Jesus for Spiritual Awakening, a free video event with Matthew Fox, Tuesday March 18 at 12 noon PT. Register for free HERE. (Replay of Saturday's video.) |
This Lent—a time of reflection, reckoning, and renewal—we find ourselves at a crossroads unlike any other in recent history. Join Matthew Fox and fellow thought-leaders and activists Andrew Harvey, Mirabai Starr, Yvette Flunder, Adam Bucko, and Cameron Trimble in From Darkness to
Dawn: Spiritual Courage and Political Action in the Age of MAGA, a 4-part series of transformational conversations, exploring the deep spiritual roots of this political moment and uncovering pathways toward collective action, resilience, and renewal. Tuesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25, 4-5:30 pm PT. Enroll HERE. |
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Join Matthew Fox as he offers a guest lecture in the Creation Spirituality Communities course “Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: An Exploration of Evil” led by instructor Carolyn Million. Wednesdays, March 12– April 16, 4-6 pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the People of the Earth, in an online Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, March 20, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox for a lecture and Q&A on Earth and Community Healing in a Time of Crisis: The Need for Ritual,” hosted by the Florida Interfaith Climate Actions Network, at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, FL. Friday, March 21, 7 pm ET. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, and the Climate Action Assembly in celebrating a Cosmic Mass on "Our Sacred Earth," hosted by the Florida Interfaith Climate Actions Network in St. Petersburg, FL. Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23. Fri. 7:00pm ET. Fox talks on the Need and Power of
Ritual
Sat. 9:00am ET. Climate Action Assembly - Trinity Lutheran Church – Preparing for the Cosmic Mass Sun. 2:00pm ET. St. Petersburg Coliseum - The Cosmic Mass: Our Sacred Earth Register HERE. |
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| Join Matthew Fox for three lecture and
Q&A sessions on “Angels & Science, Today & Yesterday,“ with special guest appearances by Rupert Sheldrake. Hosted by WisdomFeed. |
MONTHLY: Join Matthew Fox 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 |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew was recently interviewed by Sandie Sedgbeer on her program “What is Going OM,” about his book, “Trump and the MAGA Movement as AntiChrist.” Watch or listen HERE. |
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Inspired by this post? Share your insights on BlueSky, Instagram, Universeodon, or Facebook using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
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