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Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox 

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By Matthew Fox

6/21/2025

The following poem was composed by W. H. Auden during the disturbing goings-on in 1939, when Europe was exploding with fascist fervor and democracies were busy making accommodation instead of standing up for humanitarian principles such as the rights of refugees for dignity and shelter.    

Accompanying the poem are paintings by Jennifer Hereth, a friend and former faculty member at UCS, from her latest book, my brush—my voice. There she says that “refugees will become the most prominent archetype of the 21^st Century.” 

She draws “Refugees Chaos”

“Refugees Chaos,” “Refugees on the Move II,” and “Mother and Child Refugee,” by Jennifer Hereth. From her website.

and “Mother and Child Refugee” and “Climate Change Refugees” and “Refugees on the Move” and “Boat People Refugees” and “War Torn Mother and Child” (in Gaza) and “The Good Samaritan” which tells an altogether different take on “The Other” and on travelers than the vitriol of many politicians.* 

Refugee Blues by W. H. Auden

Say this city has ten million souls, 
Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes: 
Yet there’s no place for us, my dear, yet there’s no place for us. 

Once we had a country and we thought it fair, 
Look in the atlas and you’ll find it there: 
We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now.

“Refugees Hunting for Water in the Desert,” by Jennifer Hereth. From her website. 

In the village churchyard there grows an old yew, 
Every spring it blossoms anew: 
Old passports can’t do that, my dear, old passports can’t do that.

The consul banged the table and said, 
‘If you’ve got no passport you’re officially dead’: 

But we are still alive my dear, but we are still alive.

Went to a committee; they offered me a chair; 
Asked me politely to return next year: 
But where shall we go to-day, my dear, but where shall we go to-day?

Came to a public meeting; the speaker got up and said: 
‘If we let them in they will steal our daily bread’: 
He was talking of you and me, my dear, he was talking of you and me.

Thought I heard the thunder rumbling in the sky; 
It was Hitler over Europe, saying, ‘They must die’: 
O we were in his mind, my dear, O we were in his mind.

Saw a poodle in a jacket fastened with a pin; 

“The Good Samaritan” 3 and 4, by Jennifer Hereth. From her website. 

Saw a door opened and a cat let in: 
But they weren’t German Jews, my dear, but they weren’t German Jews. 

Went down the harbour and stood upon the quay, 
Saw the fish swimming as if they were free: 
Only ten feet away, my dear, only ten feet away.

Walked through a wood, saw the birds in the trees. 
They had no politicians and sang at their ease: 
They weren’t the human race, my dear, they weren’t the human race.

 “Climate Change Refugees,” by Jennifer Hereth. From her website. 

Dreamed I saw a building with a thousand floors, 
A thousand windows and a thousand doors: 
Not one of them was ours, my dear, not one of them was ours.

Stood on a great plain in the falling snow; 
Ten thousand soldiers marched to and fro: 

Looking for you and me, my dear, looking for you and me.

One great difference between fascism today and fascism rising in the 1930s is that people then could not predict what would happen by compromising with it. But today we have no excuse. We do know. We saw it play out in WWII.

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EngageForDemocracy offers curated trustworthy reporting, educational resources, and action campaigns to hold government accountable to the Constitution and democratic norms. 
 

*The pictures here are used with permission from the artist. See Jennifer Hereth, my brush—my voice at www.jenniferhereth.com. All profits from her book are donated to “Global Refuge.” 

See Matthew Fox, Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet. 

And Fox, The Return of Father Sky: A Cosmic Mystery for Kids of All Ages. 

And Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation, pp. 149-172. 

And Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality. 

And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. 

And Fox, Trump & The Maga Movement as Anti-Christ. 

Banner Image: The cover of my brush—my voice by Jennifer Hereth: "Refugees Hunting for Water in the Desert." Used with permission of the artist.

Queries for Contemplation

Do you see both Auden’s poem and Hereth’s paintings as pertinent to our moment in history? Do you agree that moral and prophetic imagination that artists gift us with are an essential part of keeping hope alive and inspiring non-violent action in a time of darkness and a triple dark night? (“Triple dark night” is in the title of my new book on John of the Cross.) 

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.

Recommended Reading

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

Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation

Authors Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox encourage us to use our talents in service of compassion and justice and to move beyond our broken systems–economic, political, educational, and religious–discovering a spirituality that not only helps us to get along, but also encourages us to reevaluate our traditions, transforming them and in the process building a more sacred and just world. Incorporating the words of young activist leaders culled from interviews and surveys, the book provides a framework that is deliberately interfaith and speaks to our profound yearning for a life with spiritual purpose and for a better world.
“Occupy Spirituality is a powerful, inspiring, and vital call to embodied awareness and enlightened actions.”
~~ Julia Butterfly Hill, environmental activist and author of The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods

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.

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

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.

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.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
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.

UPCOMING EVENTS

See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE

Join Matthew Fox in a new 6-month program of mystical wisdom for a new world. In this 6-month immersion program with Matthew, you’ll explore what it means to be a modern mystic and prophet, integrating this sacred knowledge into your life through the authentic teachings of Jesus and other wisdom keepers. This journey births what Matthew calls Christianity 2.0 — based not on dogma, but on a spirituality that recovers the sacred sense of original goodness. By Application only - apply HERE Register for a free information session HERE

Join Matthew Fox in a 6-Class Course: The Great Christian Mystics, exploring some of the richest and most inspiring mystic-prophets in the Christian lineage, including Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Thomas Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart. Open-ended course includes six modules of pre-recorded lessons, live community discussions, and live conversations with Matthew Fox. Starts Tuesday, May 20; 10% off discount code: FOX-10

Register HERE.

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  

July 18, 11:30 am PT -- Join Matthew Fox in Angelology: The Physics of Angels, hosted by The Fintry Trust. 

Learn more HERE.

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