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! Are you missing half the DM? If you're not seeing Queries for Contemplation, Recommended Reading,
Upcoming Events, Creation Spirituality Conversations, and more, look at the very bottom of the email for "..." Click the ellipsis, and enjoy! |
Prayer and the Body – Part 3By Gianluigi Gugliermetto 9/3/2025 |
In
recent years, more and more frequently I have heard activists talking about putting one’s own body “on the line,” which these days might literally mean putting oneself in the line of fire. |
Right now, as I am writing, it has been confirmed that the personnel of the two Christian communities in Gaza city — one Orthodox, the other Catholic — have resolved to disobey the order of evacuation and remain at their place, at the risk of dying under the Israeli bombs. |
“Global Sumud Flotilla sails from Barcelona on August 31, 2025." By Aniol – Own work, CC0. Wikimedia Commons. |
In the meantime, the Global Sumud Flotilla, a nonviolent fleet of small vessels, has just sailed from Italy and Spain with the stated aim of bringing aid to Gazans, interfering with the genocidal plans of the Israeli government and raising global consciousness and resistance. People from forty-four countries are participating in this symbolic and practical action, while the most powerful governments express consternation and keep sending weapons to the Israeli
army. |
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| The unions of workers of the Genoa port in Italy, a major site for containers, have declared that if their delegation, present aboard one of the vessels of the Sumud Flotilla, will be stopped or in any way harassed, “not one single nail” will be
delivered to Israel |
anymore —they have already embargoed weapons, against the will of the Italian government. |
All
these people, believers and non-believers, are praying with their body, or rather they are bodies-in-prayer. If prayer is attention and openness to reality in the first place, these people have done that and more. They have crossed the line between intention and action. They are “true workers” in the sense that their life
work has brought them to a place of consciousness so refined that extreme risks have become acceptable to them. In yesterday’s DM, Matthew was speaking indeed of the heroism of those who are standing up in their places of work to speak truth to power and pay the consequences. |
I am sure that when Matthew wrote The Reinvention of Work in the early 1990s he was not thinking of heroism or martyrdom. It was quite a different world back then. But the deep intersection of work and meaning and life and witness to the truth was all there in that book. |
“Flotilla of boats carrying aid attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.” Associated Press |
We have reached the tragic place where we live now largely because people do not do the work they are truly called to do. They accept to “serve” in armies. They are saddened and broken by jobs which feed the body but kill the soul. Thus, their level of consciousness sinks instead of rising. All the more we should be thankful that — in our present dire situation— some members of our species are rising up and putting their bodies on the line. |
See Matthew Fox, Prayer: A Radical Response to Life
And Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time And Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation And Mathew Fox & Charles Burack (Ed.), Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society Banner image: Greta Thunberg speaks at the launching of the Global Sumud Flotilla of aid to Gaza
from the city of Barcelona, Spain on August 31, 2025. Wikimedia Commons. |
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 do you do with your body that you consider
prayer? |
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. |
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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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 |
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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 |
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Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
Selected with an Introduction by Charles Burack
To encapsulate the life and work of Matthew Fox would be a daunting task for any save his colleague Dr. Charles Burack, who had the full cooperation of his subject. Fox has devoted 50 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship. His more than 40 books, translated into 78 languages, are inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and have awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. Essential Writings begins by exploring the influences on Fox’s
life and spirituality, then presents selections from all Fox’s major works in 10 sections.
“The critical insights, the creative connections, the centrality of Matthew Fox’s writings and teaching are second to none for the radical renewal of Christianity.” ~~ Richard Rohr, OFM. |
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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 |
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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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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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