The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew
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Further Lessons from the Universe: Interdependence & Compassion 1/06/2025 |
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In Saturday’s DM, we meditated on the lessons of Extravagance, Generosity, Magnanimity and Expansion that the universe teaches us. |
Today
we want to reflect on a few more important “habits” or “laws” of the universe that translate to our survival as a species, and to our commitment to biophilia, the love of life, that alone can save us from our small-mindedness and greed. Practices that can expand our souls therefore. First among these is the habit or law of the universe
championed by mystics the world over, but now |
The lines of the Shri Yantra convey the interconnectedness of the Universe. Image by Premaloka. Wikimedia Commons. |
named anew by today’s science. I am speaking of interconnectivity or interdependence. Today’s science tells many stories that are all about interconnectivity: The molecules of blood in our bodies are identical to the chlorophyll in green plants, save for one atom of iron substituting for
an atom of magnesium. The gravity that keeps me sitting in my chair is also moving planets and galaxies in the farthest distance of the universe, two trillion galaxies away. Spend twenty minutes in a room with others, and you are all breathing in one another’s water vapor—breathe deeply and you are inhaling at least one molecule of air that Jesus or Mohammed or Abigail Adams breathed while living on earth.... |
“It’s a human right to eat,” says this Indiana woman whose compassion shines through her soup kitchen. Video by WRTV
Indianapolis. | How
does this translate into a moral law for humans? Catholic monk Thomas Merton, in the last talk he ever gave three hours before he died, said this: The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living things which are all part of one another and all involved in one another. |
Compassion is the moral law of interconnectivity, the cosmic law of responding to another’s pain and suffering as well as to another’s joy and celebration. As Meister Eckhart put it: What happens to another, whether it be joy or sorrow, happens to me. How amazing that science and the mystics are now on the same page: Compassion matters and we all have it in us. |
Hildegard of Bingen said: Everything that is in the heavens on the earth, and under the earth is penetrated with connectedness, penetrated with relatedness. And: Creation blooms and flourishes when it remains in right relationship and keeps to its assigned tasks. Meister Eckhart said:
All creatures are interdependent. And: Compassion means justice. And: The first outburst of whatever God does is always compassion. |
The Sefer Yetzirah, the earliest known book on Jewish mysticism, contains diagrams that convey the interconnectedness of the Universe. Image by Monozigote. Wikimedia Commons. |
The
Dalai Lama says: We can do away with all religion, but we can’t do away with compassion. Compassion is my religion. And Jesus said: Be you compassionate as your Father in heaven is compassionate. (Lk 6:36) Many of his teachings and parables are about compassion, such as Matthew 25: Do it to the least and you do it to
me. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth, pp. 45-47. And Fox, “Creation-Centered Spirituality from Hildegard to Julian: Three Hundred Years of an Ecological Spirituality in the West,” in Fox, Wrestling with the Prophets, pp.
95-99. See also: Fox, “Service and Compassion” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. 377-403. And Fox, Original Blessing, pp. 277-292. And Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion.
Banner image: The intricate interlacing of Celtic art conveys the interconnectedness of all things. Photo
of a portion of a cross in the Bishopwearmouth cemetery in Sunderland, by Dave Webster on Flickr. |
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Queries for Contemplation |
What does it mean to you—and to humanity’s future—that today’s post-modern physics and the mystical traditions of the world are on the same page regarding the truth that interdependence, and thus compassion, are baked into the universe itself? |
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. |
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Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life
In one of his foundational works, Fox engages with some of history’s greatest mystics, philosophers, and prophets in
profound and hard-hitting essays on such varied topics as Eco-Spirituality, AIDS, homosexuality, spiritual feminism, environmental revolution, Native American spirituality, Christian mysticism, Art and Spirituality, Art as Meditation, Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism and more. |
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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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Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew
is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author,
The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story |
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A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox delivers a profound exploration of the
meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity.
“Well worth our deepest
consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register |
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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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