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Prayer and the Body, Part 2By Gianluigi Gugliermetto 8/28/2025 |
A
contemporary of Saint Dominic, much less renowned than he, but even more radical in her bodily prayer, was Saint Christina, nicknamed “the Astonishing” (1150-1224), who lived all her life in Flanders (now part of Belgium). |
Christina was known for climbing up trees and staying there for long stretches of time immersed in prayer. The sources explain her behavior by saying that she could not tolerate the stench of sin — both literally and figuratively. There might be some truth to this explanation, but why should we exclude that she
was communing with trees? Also, I wonder how she |
Saint Christina the Astonishing (Mirabilis) church painting with caption reading “In pestilence, famine, and war, deliver us Lord – Saint Christina for your community intercede.” George Baltus, Our Lady Assumption, Sint-Truiden, Belgium. Wikimedia Commons |
saw
the world from the trees and what her prayer was like from such a privileged place. As in the case of Dominic, the sources confirm that Christina prostrated herself in grief before altars within churches. Yet — unlike Dominic — she was also seen praying with all her limbs curled up. According to eye witnesses who likely hid
to spy on her, she would become like a ball and then, at the end of prayer-time, she would stretch out and walk normally. She was an expert yogi, if you ask me. |
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| Christina threw herself in rivers during winter and managed fire in her hands without getting
burned. She ran in the fields and spent long stretches of time alone in the woods. To some, even in her time, these were signs of a deranged mind. She was, in fact, chained at least at two different times. But, again, I can’t take my mind off the hypothesis that she was in deep relationship with the natural elements in ways that others could not understand. At times, Christina prayed by spinning on herself many |
times — in a dervish way, it would seem — and after such exercises, being utterly worn out, a beautiful, uncanny, and enchanting melody would come out of her. She would then summon the nuns of the convent where she stayed as a guest, so that all could hear and enjoy her singing and then join in. At least one
witness saw her entertaining a mystical conversation between her soul and her body. At first, the soul would blame the body, while she was pummeling it. The soul was saying in essence that it (the body) was like a prison to her (the soul). But then the parts would switch. The body would then say to the soul: O wretched soul, why do you torment me? At that point, she would kiss her feet and her limbs repeatedly, saying: Oh sweet body! Why did I beat you? Why did I heap you with
abuse? |
The issue of madness — to speak frankly — comes up with her much more than with St. Dominic, but I am not going to discuss it....other than remarking that she was quite coherent in her relationship with other people, and she was much sought after as spiritual counselor — which required her to come down from her beloved trees. Christina the Astonishing, who truly astonished her contemporaries, embodies probably the most radical case of bodily prayer in Christian premodern times, including her fantastic though embryonic reflection on the goodness of her own body which — according to eye witnesses — she called excellent and delightful, and |
Christina the Astonishing appearing in the 1630 Fasti Mariani calendar of saints. Wikimedia Commons. |
kind and patient. She was also known for her wondrous levitations, which happened at pivotal points of her life, and she reportedly accompanied several souls from purgatory to heaven during her out-of-body travels. Definitely Christina was not a regular human being, and thus she can hardly be set up as a model. But her life may challenge some of our preconceptions about prayer and how the body can be involved in it. Definitely she was not somebody who could be told by others how to pray. |
See Matthew Fox, Whee! We, wee All the Way Home: A Guide to a Sensual, Prophetic, Spirituality.
See also Fox, Prayer: A Radical Response to Life (originally titled, On Becoming a
Musical, Mystical Bear: Spirituality American Style).
And Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake, Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness, and the Soul in Spirituality and Science.
And Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths.
Banner Image: A woman in the forest, suffused with a sunbeam. Photo by Guilherme Caetano on Unsplash |
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). |
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Queries for Contemplation What is your reaction to
Christina the Astonishing? Does any portion of yourself vibrate at her frequencies? |
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. |
Whee! We, Wee All the Way Home: A Guide to Sensual Prophetic Spirituality Years ahead of its time when first published
in 1976, this book is still bold and relevant today. Perfect for anyone who thinks mysticism needs to get out of the head and into the body. Matthew Fox begins the Preface to this book by stating, “This is a practical book about waking up and returning to a biblical, justice-oriented spirituality. Such a spirituality is a way of passion that leads to compassion. Such a way is necessarily one of coming to our senses in every meaning of that phrase.” One of Matthew Fox’s earliest books, this title
explores the importance of ecstasy in the spiritual life. Fox considers the distinction between “natural” ecstasies (including nature, sex, friendship, music, art) and “tactical” ecstasies (like meditation, fasting, chanting); he goes on to consider that a truly authentic mysticism must be sensuous in its orientation, so to cultivate the maximum amount of ecstasy for the maximum amount of people. |
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Prayer: A Radical Response to Life How do prayer and mysticism relate to the struggle for social and ecological justice? Fox defines prayer as a radical
response to life that includes our “Yes” to life (mysticism) and our “No” to forces that combat life (prophecy). How do we define adult prayer? And how—if at all—do prayer and mysticism relate to the struggle for social and ecological justice? One of Matthew Fox’s earliest books, originally published under the title On Becoming a Musical, Mystical Bear: Spirituality American Style, Prayer introduces a mystical/prophetic spirituality and a mature conception of how to
pray. Called a “classic” when it first appeared, it lays out the difference between the creation spirituality tradition and the fall/redemption tradition that has so dominated Western theology since Augustine. A practical and theoretical book, it lays the groundwork for Fox’s later works. “One of the finest books I have read on contemporary spirituality.” – Rabbi Sholom A. Singer |
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Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness, and the Soul in Spirituality and Science
by Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake
Natural Grace, a 208 page inspired dialogue between theologian Matthew Fox and scientist Rupert Sheldrake, unites wisdom and knowledge from unconventional angles. Considering themselves heretics in their own fields, Matthew and Rupert engage the conversation from postmodern and post-postmodern perspectives, deconstructing both religion and science—while setting the foundation for a new emerging worldview. Having outgrown the paradigms in which they were raised,
both Fox and Sheldrake see it as part of their life missions to share the natural synthesis of spirituality and science rooted in a paradigm of evolutionary cosmology. |
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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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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book, Whee! We, Wee All the Way Home: A Guide to Sensual, Prophetic Spirituality, in an online Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, September 18, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book, Meditations with Meister Eckhart in an online Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, October 16, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. Join spiritual pioneers Dr. Matthew Fox and Rev. Cameron Trimble for “In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next,” a timely and transformative 4-part series featuring conversations with some of the most compelling wisdom voices of our time: Carolyn Myss, Diana Butler Bass,
Luther Smith, and Ilia Delio. Thursdays, October 23, 30, and November 13, 20, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT Register 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 |
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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 |
Matthew Fox and Fr. Bede Griffiths each lecture for approximately 30 minutes followed by 30 minutes of dialogue. 91 minutes. 1990. You will receive a secure link to the file to download. |
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