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! |
Fighting Despair with UnderstandingBy Gianluigi Gugliermetto 7/30/2025 |
Last Sunday night, here in Italy, a great number of Catholic churches, from cities to the smallest villages, rung their bells at 10pm — an unusual time —to signify solidarity with the Palestinians who are being killed by an engineered famine. As a friend put it, “At least we feel we are a portion of a hurting whole.” |
People may stop caring for the world when they feel that their caring goes nowhere. The good news is that the mounting of international pressure on the Israeli government has obtained some results, such as the allowing of humanitarian aid into Gaza. But what happens when our actions are not met with success and remain — as some would say — “merely symbolic”? This is a very serious matter in our hyper-capitalist society which can continue to rush towards annihilation precisely because too many people live in the slumber of consumerism or are forced into survival mode. How can we stay awake, active, energetic — even though we are not energized by success in our social action? |
Achinoam Nini pauses her concert in Torre Orsaia: "In a few minutes we will hear the church bells ringing throughout Italy in solidarity with all the innocent people in Gaza, the Palestinians and the hostages, men, women, children, who deserve to live in peace." Facebook reel by Grazia Serra |
In his book The Reinvention of Work — probably more than in any other —Matthew Fox has laid out the paradigm of the Green (Sheen) Era in contrast to the paradigm of the Machine Era. As long as we remain “atomized” — that is, we are convinced to be isolated and unrelated — the mechanistic mentality keeps ruling: we believe at some level to be a piece of the Machine, and our occasional attempts at becoming a clog in it are easily frustrated. But when we perceive ourselves as organically interrelated with everything else, we can successfully counteract our feelings of impotence and despair. No action is “merely symbolical,” all good actions are a contribution to the health of the whole, and we remain strong and ready for more action. It is not about not feeling despair; it’s about accepting that the suffering and despair of the people in Gaza — and everywhere else human dignity is downtrodden — flows toward us and we can get let it in without being overwhelmed. If we were just a piece of the Machine, we would need to push away the intensity of feelings, in order to preserve ourselves. Each
and any mechanical piece can withstand only so much mechanical pressure. We may also fear that the Machine will stop feeding us, or we may perceive that the thread uniting us with distant people is not real or it is weak and irrelevant for our functioning. |
|
| Not so when we shift to an understanding of ourselves as organically interrelated. Things change when we start thinking of our own species as an
organism which undoubtedly is affected by illnesses in some of its limbs, while often toxins try to rule the day, and yet |
it can find its strength precisely in its being one interconnected whole. This has been intuited by poets along the centuries. It is now confirmed by postmodern science and it’s felt by an increasing number of people all around the world. Anglican priest John Donne famously
wrote: No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
(…)
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to
know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee. It is not just because we are fed and sheltered that we can fight for those who are not,
although that is a necessary condition. It is because all that happens to them happens under a certain guise also to us, and vice versa. Call it mystical exchange — if you wish — provided that you don’t attach to the phrase the meaning of “mysterious” because there is nothing more plain than such exchanges, once you come to realize it. |
Probably I like
more the thought of being connected with the trees in my garden, with my pets, and with the mountains in my view than both with hurting people and with horrible people, with the victims and the perpetrators. But all of this is true. |
Lakota elder Ricky Gray Grass speaks on compassion and the meaning of Otakuye Owasin. Wo Lakota |
While deepening the understanding of our interrelatedness at all levels is not a panacea for the ills of human society, it is also not a refuge away from political and social action. Instead, when it becomes a strong and constant element of our mindset, it represents a great help to steer the course of our life away from despair. |
See Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time See also Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion:
Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice Also Fox, The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human Also Fox, Sins of the
Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society Banner image: Sign urging Compassion. Photo by Matt Gibson on Flickr. A special note: Thank you to all who donated to the GoFundMe for our webmaster, Drake Moore, who is struggling with Stage 4 cancer. We are happy to say that the campaign has reached and continues to exceed its target amount. We invite your ongoing prayers while Drake continues with the treatment protocol. |
Mystic-Warriors at the Roof of the World In Monday's DM, we shared the story of Marianne Grosspietsch and the Shanti Leprosy Aid organization of Nepal: faced with the loss of food from USAID, her community is planting thousands of fruit trees to nourish the hungry in the region while mitigating the effects of climate change.
We invite you to consider supporting this work HERE (US$) or HERE (€ and other currencies) |
|
Queries for Contemplation Are you aware of the moments when you perceive
yourself as a piece of the Machine? Do you find it helpful to transition to a Green (Sheen) understanding? How? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialogue, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
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 |
|
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. |
|
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 |
|
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling
author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics |
|
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 HERERegister for a free information session HERE |
|
|
|
|
|
Matthew Fox offers an online lecture and Q&A to the Association of Pittsburg Priests on “Pere Chenu: Father of
Liberation Theology, Creation Spirituality, and Much of Vatican II”. Wednesday, August 6, 4:00pm – 5:30pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book, Hildegard of Bingen’s Book of Divine Works with Letters and Songs, in an online Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, August 21, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. 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 HERE, Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
GMU President Dr. Gerald Grudzen, along with Father Augustine Pamplany, Dean of the GMU Religion and Science graduate degree program, hosts the Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox for a presentation on "Creation Spirituality and Science," July 11,
2025. |
|
|
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: |
|
|
|
