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! Don't miss Matthew's exciting interviews, webinars and courses, listed at the bottom of this DM (you may need to click the ... to see them). |
By Gianluigi Gugliermetto 5/7/2025 |
Stories about people who acted for the good of the whole in peculiarly difficult circumstances, even to the extreme sacrifice, are important for us. They confirm and nurture our path. We can call them heroes, or saints, or ancestors, or whatever we like. I want to underline in this meditation particularly their role as trailblazers, i.e., as people who opened a road where there seemed to be no road. Making a way out of no
way. |
Jesus of Nazareth is the first person that comes to my mind. The apostle Paul called him “the first of many brothers” to indicate that he opened the path of resurrection for all. An ancient Christian homily states that he came to liberate all who were living with the fear of dying. Early Christians called their own path “the Way,” but also named Jesus as such. In his recent book Trump and the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ, Matthew Fox offers a succinct and powerful description of both Christ and Antichrist as archetypes. I was |
Mystic/prophet Meister Eckhart was tried and censured by the Inquisition as a heretic despite his innocence. Portrait by Andrea Bonaiuti. Wikimedia Commons. |
enlightened in particular by his conviction that Jesus Christ was a precursor to democracy and that some important Christian mystics, especially Aquinas and Meister Eckhart, offer a better definition of democracy than anyone else. Eckhart, writing 450 years before Thomas Jefferson, has
a far broader understanding of democracy than he did. For Eckhart did not limit the dignity of personhood to white people or to men or to men with property as did Jefferson in practice if not on paper. For Eckhart, we are born noble — all of us — and it is from the royalty that our rights derive and we in turn are urged to treat others as ourselves and live “equally." Each of you, in your own faith traditions, have figures whom you revere and find inspiration from. Perhaps especially important are those people whom you met in “flesh and blood”: inspired teachers, mentors who listened to you deeply, the aunt that did not fit with the family but for good reasons, the grandmother who overcame enormous hardships to raise her family, and so on and so
forth. |
Sojourner Truth postcard which was sold to finance her travels, speaking on African Americans’ civil rights and right to vote. Wikimedia Commons. | Remembering these people and thanking God — or the Universe — for their life and their witness to the power of life is a holy exercise to me, one that never fails to replenish my energy when I feel low. It is not an exercise in nostalgia, as what energizes me — after many years since those sacred moments of encounter with them — is not anymore what they suggested, and even less remembering my circumstances at that time. The energy lies in looking beyond all of that with the understanding that I gained in the meantime. By looking at their lives as a whole and seeing clearly what great |
difficulties they overcame, even what huge scandals they provoked, to become the wise counselors and models they were for me. They were ready, precisely, at the right time and the right place for me, as if the Universe has planned it all along. Some call it Providence, an idea not to be tossed away lightly. In many cases, a holy way is open within a stream of a religious tradition which has lost clarity of purpose. Then that holy way fades away until somebody else picks up its banner. Jesus in the 1st century preached the universal dignity of all. Meister Eckhart picked up that banner
again in the 14th century. Sojourner Truth — what a name! — did the same in the 19th century. One was tortured and killed; the second was spared perhaps only because he died before the Inquisition caught him; the third miraculously survived. |
Maximilian of Tebessa in the year 395 refused to serve in the imperial Roman army “because I am a Christian.” Franz Jägerstatter used exactly the same simple motivation when he refused to wear a military uniform under Nazism in 1943. They were both beheaded. Thomas Merton, a pioneer of interreligious dialogue, was set to convert the Catholic church to nonviolence, to the refusal of the cold-war mentality, and to abandoning all support for the Vietnam war. He died in
1968, at 53 years of age, |
|
under suspicious circumstances. People such as these may live short lives, though not always, but they shatter entire religious and ideological systems to the benefit of so many future generations. In dark times, our holy trailblazers shine as stars. Matthew shared with me that in the Aboriginal tradition of Australia the stars are the bonfires of the ancestors sitting in circles and sharing wisdom with each other and with us living on earth. Let us warm up at their light! |
SIGN THE PLEDGE: Boycott pro-Trump corporations. Faithful America. EngageForDemocracy offers curated trustworthy reporting, educational resources, and action campaigns to hold government accountable to the Constitution and democratic norms. Quotes from Matthew Fox, Trump and the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ, pp. 21, 32-33
See also Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest
See also Fox, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be
Saved
See also Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
See also Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Time.
Banner Image: “Christ walking on the waters” by
Virgilio Mattoni de la Fuente. Wikimedia Commons |
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 |
Who have you chosen as your ancestors and how are you recalling and honoring them? |
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. |
|
Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)
Matthew Fox’s stirring autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity, and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self |
|
The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved
The Pope’s War offers a
provocative look at three decades of corruption in the Catholic Church, focusing on Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The final section in the book focuses on birthing a truly catholic Christianity.
“This book should be read by everybody, not only for its ferocious courage, but also for its vision for what needs to be saved from the destructive forces that threaten authentic Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, author
of The Hope.
“In the gripping The Pope’s War, Matthew Fox takes an unwavering look at the layers of corruption in the Catholic Church, holding moral truth against power.” — Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Matthew Fox comments on Pope Francis' legacy of environmentalism and support for migrants, amidst more controversial aspects of his papacy, KPFA Pacifica Evening
News. |
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: - Activate your spiritual awakening with the mystics
- Say “yes” to life & the beauty, goodness & potential it offers
- Awaken your inner mystic & prophet for deeper awakening
- Nurture the life-giving qualities of your humanity
By Application only - apply
HERERegister for a free information session HERE |
|
|
|
|
|
Join Matthew Fox and other guest speakers in a 6-week journey into Mysticism and The Great Mystics (Matthew presents May 7 on "Dancing with the Divine: Creation Spirituality and The Mystics"), hosted by Creation Spirituality Communities Education. Wednesdays, May 7-June 11, 4:00-6:00pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox online as he offers a Morning Worship Inspirational Message, “Mother's Day, 2025: Exercising Our Powers For Compassion,” at the Unity Inspired Living online service, Sunday, May 11, 10:00 am PT. Join us here: https://www.unityinspiredliving.org |
|
| 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. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book, Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life, in an online Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, May 15, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he offers a lecture and Q&A on “Navigating the Dark Night of Soul, Society, and Our Species,” hosted by the Jung Center of Buffalo, Friday, May 23, 4 pm PT. Learn more 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 |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
The Christian Mystics: Wisdom for Our
Time
Join renowned theologian and spiritual teacher Matthew Fox in a thought-provoking conversation with Ruby Reed on the lives, work and wisdom of some of The Christian Mystics and their vital role in our time.
In this webinar, we’ll explore how the mystic’s path can empower us to cultivate inner transformation and inspire action in the world by saying "Yes" to life and "No" to injustice, whether through art, contemplation, or activism. Discover how their insights can help us rekindle our spiritual fire and meet the needs of our time with resilience and love. This free video promotes Matthew's upcoming 6-session course with Advaya, that will be released on May 8. |
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: |
|
|
|
