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Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox 

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By The Daily Meditation Team

5/25/2025

Please note, last week’s daily meditations were written by Gianluigi Gugliermetto. GG, as he is often called, is a colleague and friend of Matthew Fox’s, and will be writing the DMs while Matthew is finishing the writing of his next book. Please also note that any italicized quotations, unless otherwise noted, are attributed to Matthew.

May 19, 2025: Greed vs. Compassion
The fourth chakra is typically associated with the heart. In its negative aspect, Matthew Fox pairs it with the sin of greed. Greed is blatantly obvious today. Currently in the U.S., the richest 1% own 40% of America’s total wealth. In his book Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh, Matthew connects the sin of greed to many other sins. But ultimately, greed is rooted in fear, which can result in scapegoating, blaming and hate. In other words, greed is not solely about money; it’s about the closure of the heart. It means being greedy with one’s love. Conversely, compassion means identification with another, and the identification that suffering and tears bring can be grasped only if one has faced one’s own pain too. When this breaking-open happens …it is “the love of a vast and oceanic heart” says Clarissa Pinkola-Estes.

“Wealth Gap EXPOSED: $80 Trillion shift in America!,” by Left on Red

May 20, 2025: Gluttony and Consumerism vs. Speaking Truth
The fifth chakra, located at the level of the throat, can be naturally paired with the capital sin of gluttony. Matthew thinks of gluttony as taking in too much of anything, in an attempt to anesthetize oneself. This can mean food, sex, phones, TV, etc. In all such cases, when we consume, we devour, finish, delete, exhaust, expend, dissipate, burn up, ingest, squander, and spend. The throat is a very important physical and symbolic place in the human body, because it is through the throat that food is ingested, but also that voice is emitted. Also, the throat is mid-way between heart and brain, thus in between compassion and thinking. The throat, if clean and empty, is meant to trumpet our truth, to announce good news, to bestow our wisdom. 

May 21, 2025: Rationalism and Reductionism vs. Intuition and Creativity
The sixth chakra concerns our “third eye,” intuition, and the bringing together of our left and right hemisphere of the brain in creativity. The chakra is in dysfunction when the rational part of the mind dominates the intuitive part, disregarding and berating the latter. The traditional capital sin associated with the sixth chakra is “excessive pride” or “arrogance.” According to Matthew, rationalism refers to the arrogance of the rational mind when it refuses to give much credence to imagination, intuition, creativity. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we should throw out logic or reason. Logic has its place. The problem is that we are out of balance.

“Intuition vs Logic: Which is Better for Decision Making?” The Self Eye

May 22, 2025: Envy vs. Community
The seventh chakra is referred to as the crown chakra. It connects us to all beings and is also an outreach to the angels, our light encountering their light, light meeting light, doxa (“glory and radiance”) meeting doxa. The shadow side of the seventh chakra, however, is envy. Matthew tells us that envy can truly take over the soul. Envy is in some ways more powerful than hatred, for it feeds hatred. In contrast, the opposite of envy is the feeling of belonging and contributing to the community.

“Crown chakra light.” AI-generated image by Mar_olivres from Pixabay

May 23, 2025: Personal and Political
Exploring the seven capital sins and the seven chakras brought the realization that spirituality is simultaneously intensely personal as well as political. Our personal habits affect both our individual lives and the political bodies of which we are members. The western mindset is that religion is a personal matter, and that religious leaders should not get involved in politics. This “separation of church and state” has indeed brought about much good, helping to bring tolerance for other religions and belief systems—at least theoretically. On the other hand, it has helped push spirituality to the side. This can make our democracy feel empty. Is there a way to bring spirituality into the political without alienating anyone?

May 24, 2025: Fighting the Dragon at the Time of the Black Jaguar
Ten years ago, in a revised edition of Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh, Matthew made reference to an ancient Andean teaching called “the time of Black Jaguar,” which he interprets as the dark night of our species. Quoting Arkan Lushwala, he describes such a time as a purifying chaos in which lies are seen for what they are, and there is a collective craving for returning to the simplest truth. Of course, seeing the lies and the cruelty for what they are automatically places one in a position of responsibility. It seems we are taking this responsibility seriously, judging by the massive demonstrations against Trump all over the world. GG believes that Trump’s lies and deceit are not an anomaly; they are instead the extreme product of a desperate system. The evil social dragon, made of extreme inequality and greed and garlanded with consumerism, envy, repression, and violence, is fighting for its survival. But we know that this dragon is made of paper and will not last.

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. 

Quotations from Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society (revised edition, 2016). 

Banner image; Scott Leslie, on Flickr, says that he made this image as a reminder to himself. He says: "May it help others striving for an end to suffering."

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

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

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

Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic–and Beyond

Julian of Norwich lived through the dreadful bubonic plague that killed close to 50% of Europeans. Being an anchoress, she ‘sheltered in place’ and developed a deep wisdom that she shared in her book, Showings, which was the first book in English by a woman. A theologian way ahead of her time, Julian develops a feminist understanding of God as mother at the heart of nature’s goodness. Fox shares her teachings in this powerful and timely and inspiring book.
“What an utterly magnificent book. The work of Julian of Norwich, lovingly supported by the genius of Matthew Fox, is a roadmap into the heart of the eco-spiritual truth that all life breathes together.”  –Caroline Myss
Now also available as an audiobook HERE.

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: 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 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.

May 30 - June 1 - Gathering to Transform: The Way of Justice - Join Matthew Fox and many others in Creation Spirituality Communities 2025. 

Virtual Gathering - Learn more HERE.

Join Matthew Fox and Brian McLaren in a live webinar, “In the Midst of Doom: Facing Our Moment and Finding Our Way,” hosted by Cameron Trimble of Convergence Lab.

Wednesday, June 4, 4-5 pm 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: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478  
Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478

Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org  

June 7-8 -- Join Matthew Fox and other speakers in a live 2-day webinar, Forming a Unitive Consciousness, hosted by The Aspen Forum.

Learn more HERE.

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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