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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Spiritual Warriorhood, Deep Ecumenism & Battles Ahead 1/13/2025 |
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 my book, One River, Many Wells, demonstrating and practicing Deep Ecumenism and published in the year 2000, I laid out 18 themes or principles that I found commonly taught in all world religions. I shared teachings from scriptures and mystics of the world religions to demonstrate how much
they have in common—and how beautifully each shares their common insights. |
I divided the themes into four categories: Our Relating to Creation; Our Relating to Divinity; Our Relating to Ourselves; and Our Relating to the Future. The Conclusion chapter is called “Where Do We Go From Here? How Deep Ecumenism Explodes Our Imaginations With Eighteen New Myths And
Visions.” Themes covered include the following: From Part I: Deep Ecumenism itself or “the Universality of Experience”; Creation—All Our Relations; Light; Community and Interdependence. |
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From Part II: Names for God; The Feminine Face of Divinity; Wisdom: Another Feminine Face of the Divine; Form Formlessness, Nothingness; The Divine ‘I AM’: Humanity’s Share in Divinity. From Part III: Meditation and Mindfulness; Holy Imagination: Art and Ritual as Paths to Mindfulness; Joy;
Suffering; Beauty; Sacred Sexuality; Dying, Resurrection, Reincarnation. From Part IV: Service and Compassion (including Justice and Celebration); Spiritual Warriorhood. |
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| I share this outline of my book on Deep Ecumenism because Deep Ecumenism is so needed today, given the trials and tribulations that humanity is facing, most of which it has brought upon itself. We need the wisdom that Deep Ecumenism can summon—the obvious question being, “If
science alone is not enough to rescue our species and Mother Earth, what |
more is required?” We cited environmental scientist Gus Speth in a recent DM, that he learned the hard way that good science alone cannot save
the Earth, since behind Climate Emergency lurks humanity's continuing compulsion to carry on selfishness, greed and apathy. How do we address those issues? How do we diminish their power within and among us? This is where spirituality and healthy religion can work with science to combat those forces, personal and societal,
that can interfere with human frailty and sin. Notice I use the term combat. That term is intrinsic to the theme of spiritual warrior that we have been invoking of late in our Daily Meditations. The need for it as the last theme in my One River book surprised me when I wrote the book. I
thought the last theme on Compassion and Justice would be suitable for ending the book. But no. |
I realized that we could not implement either compassion or justice, beauty or joy, Holy Imagination or any of these common themes without an inner strength that is warrior-like. It takes spiritual warriorhood to accomplish our survival and interfere with the deep wounding of Mother Nature in our time. |
You don’t need a gun to be a spiritual warrior: sometimes all you need is a whiteboard, as Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) demonstrates. Video by Brut America. |
Therefore, we will be exploring the archetype of spiritual warriorhood as developed by world spiritual traditions in some upcoming daily meditations. To be continued. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. if., 15-26, 404-422. See also: Matthew Fox, “Spiritual Warriors,” in Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men,” pp. 77-104. And Fox, “Faith as Trusting the Prophetic Call of the Holy Spirit,” in Fox, Original Blessing, pp. 257-264. And Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our
Times. And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of Our Time.
Banner image: The first World’s Parliament of Religions (1893) was one of the earliest initiatives toward Deep Ecumenism in the modern
era. Photo from John Henry Barrows’ account of the event, available on the Internet Archive. Wikimedia Commons. | For a list of organizations helping those affected by the devastating LA wildfires, please see this article from the LA Times HERE. |
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| To view today's video, please click the image. You will be taken to today's post on the Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox website, where you can see the meditation in a larger version and also view and post your Comments. In the sharing that follows, a kind of community is developing around the DM. If you can't reach today's post on the website directly, click HERE. If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE. |
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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 |
Are you sensing the need at this time in history—personally and collectively—for a deepening of strength such as the prophet or the spiritual warrior calls on? What people help model that inner strength for you? |
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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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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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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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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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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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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Join the Creation Spirituality Communities Education service as they host guest speaker Matthew Fox in an overview of Deep Ecumenism and its relevance today in the first class of a course, “Deep Ecumenism: Exploring Spiritual Identity” by Instructor Roxanne Whitelight. Matthew Fox’s lecture: Jan 15 - 4:00pm PT Course runs Wednesdays, January 15– February 19, 2025. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book, co-autored with Rupert Sheldrake: The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet, in an online Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, January 16, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
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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