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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Lily Yeh’s Fiery Heart and Willing Hands—and Ours 12/27/2024 |
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. |
In this Christmas season, it is good to bring more alive the mystic—that is the lover—in all of us. As well as the spiritual warrior or prophet. Jesus was both surely and he called all of us to our Christ-like (or Buddha-like or image-of-God-like) possibilities. |
As we shared in yesterday’s DM, his “Our Father” prayer was literally—based on the Aramaic translation—that we bring heaven to earth by the work of our “fiery hearts and willing hands.” Said he: |
Near-death experiencer PeterPanagore prays the first half of the Lords’ Prayer translated from the Aramaic. See part 2 HERE. |
O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos,
you create all that moves
in light…
Create your reign of unity now—
through our fiery hearts
and wiling hands. How are we doing? How fiery are our hearts and how willing are our hands at this time in history when Mother Earth is suffering so seriously and when
Father Sky is being newly appreciated thanks to the Webb Telescope and so many other scientific discoveries of how we—the sun, moon, earth, her non-human creatures and Homo sapiens—arrived? How does the Good News of our existence and its 13.8-billion-year journey to be where we find ourselves in this vast universe of two
trillion galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars, elicit our gratitude and generosity? |
“How Art Transforms Brokenness Into Beauty.” Lily Yeh’s TED talk | One way to answer this question is to look about us for others who are
expressing their gratitude with their fiery hearts and willing hands. Artist Lily Yeh is such a person. Early this month, I received a letter from Lily telling me that |
she was invited to deliver a TED talk. We have known each other for a number of years as she visited our Creation Spirituality programs to share her powerful work, and we have worked together on conferences over the years. I recommend strongly blessing yourself this Christmas season by taking in her 15-minute TED talk which, along with the photos of her work, speak soundly of her fiery heart and loving hands.* I include here the letter I wrote her on December 4, 2024, in response to her talk. Beautiful talk and presentation, Lily! I loved hearing your magical story told anew and with so many visuals to accompany it and to another and I’m sure different audience. It was very moving and I loved how people broke into applause along the way. You are so right that beauty saves and especially in hard times like we find ourselves in today for the reasons you name–war, extinction of species, global warming and so much more. |
Thank you for being true to your big vocation and courage in going to the broken places and offering invitations to the young first who draw the adults and beauty and miracles follow. And allowing your light to shine. Continued blessings on you and your inspiring work. May it spread and spread and
spread. |
Lily Yeh poses with volunteer artists, leaders of the Balata Women’s Center, students of the Balata Girls’ School, and other participants in front of the “Palestinian Tree of Life” they painted at the Balata Refugee Camp in Palestine. Photo by Theresa Yeh, from BarefootArtists.org |
There is a quotation from a 15th century mystic and scientist (Nicolas of Cusa) that I love very much that came to me as you spoke. It goes like this: ‘Humanity will find that it is not a diversity of creeds, but the very same creed which is everywhere proposed. There cannot be but
one wisdom. If it were possible to have many wisdoms these would have to be from one; for before any plurality exists there must first be unity. Humans must therefore all agree that there is but one most simple wisdom whose power is infinite and everyone, in explaining the intensity of this beauty, must discover
that it is a supreme and terrible beauty.’ Love and thanks, Matthew |
*Lily Yeh, “How art transforms brokenness into beauty” on Ted Talks, April 2024.
See
Matthew Fox, Christian Mystics, pp. 158f.
And Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time, pp. 190-217.
And Fox, Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet.
And
Fox, The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human.
And Fox, “The Cosmic Christ and Creativity:” in Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, pp. 199-210.
Banner Image: “Lily Yeh by Daniel Traub” Photo by Daniel Traub, Wikimedia Commons | 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 |
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 |
Does Lily Yeh’s story inspire your good work—whatever it is—that is born of fiery hearts and willing hands as a response of gratitude for your existence? |
Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations
As Matthew Fox notes, when an aging Albert Einstein was asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “I wish I had read more of the mystics earlier in my life.” The 365 writings in
Christian Mystics represent a wide-ranging sampling of these readings for modern-day seekers of all faiths — or no faith. The visionaries quoted range from Julian of Norwich to Martin Luther King, Jr., from Thomas Merton to Dorothee Soelle and Thomas Berry.
“Our world is in crisis, and we need road maps that can ground us in wisdom, inspire us to action, and help us gather our talents in service of compassion
and justice. This revolutionary book does just that. Matthew Fox takes some of the most profound spiritual teachings of the West and translates them into practical daily mediations. Study and practice these teachings. Take what’s in this book and teach it to the youth because the new generation cannot afford to suffer the spirit and ethical illiteracy of the past.” — Adam Bucko, spiritual activist and co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation for Homeless
Youth.
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The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood For Our Time
Thomas Aquinas said, “To live well is to work well,” and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world
where our personal and professional lives are celebrated in harmony–a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic “soul work.”
“Fox approaches the level of poetry in describing the reciprocity that must be present between one’s inner and outer work…[A]n important road map to social change.” ~~ National Catholic Reporter |
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Creativity: Where the Divine and Human Meet
Because creativity is the key to both our genius and beauty as a species but also to our capacity for evil, we need to teach creativity and to teach ways of steering this God-like power in
directions that promote love of life (biophilia) and not love of death (necrophilia). Pushing well beyond the bounds of conventional Christian doctrine, Fox’s focus on creativity attempts nothing less than to shape a new ethic.
“Matt Fox is a pilgrim who seeks a path into the church of tomorrow. Countless numbers will be happy to follow his lead.” –Bishop John Shelby Spong, author, Rescuing
the Bible from Fundamentalism, Living in Sin |
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The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human
The A.W.E. Project reminds us that awe is the appropriate response to the unfathomable wonder that is creation… A.W.E. is also the acronym for Fox’s proposed style of
learning – an approach to balance the three R’s. This approach to learning, eldering, and mentoring is intelligent enough to honor the teachings of the Ancestors, to nurture Wisdom in addition to imparting knowledge, and to Educate through Fox’s 10 C’s. The 10 C’s are the core of the A.W.E. philosophy and process of education, and include: compassion, contemplation, and creativity. The A.W.E. Project does for the vast subject of “learning” what Fox’s Reinvention of Work did for vocation
and Original Blessing did for theology. Included in the book is a dvd of the 10 C’s put to 10 video raps created and performed by Professor Pitt.
“An awe-based vision of educational renewal.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice.
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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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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 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 |
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. |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Hear a conversation between Matthew and Ana Otero of The Desert Rose Mystery School in "Mystical Pathways. A Sacred Talk with Matthew Fox, founder of the Creation Spirituality Movement." |
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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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