The Creation
Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Good News:
Interspirituality, The Cosmic Mass, Democratizing Mysticism By Matthew Fox 11/04/2025 |
In a DM last week, I celebrated the get-together of Pope Leo XIV and the king of England, for
500 years the head of the Anglican Church, to pray together in the Vatican. This was a symbolic moment, of course, but with deeper meaning as well. Pope Francis first approved of the idea, but he did not live long enough to see it through. |
It is a historical moment to see two church leaders attempt to “bury the hatchet” between the two traditions, a hatchet that saw a number of martyrs over the centuries on both sides of the historic divide. It signals an end to the Reformation violence and a |
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steering of Western religion to reconciliation and acknowledgment of differences and diversity. I have a certain skin in the game myself, since I was a priest in the Roman Catholic church for 25 years before I joined the Episcopal/Anglican church in order to continue my ministry as a theologian
and to develop a post-modern form of Liturgy which we call the “Cosmic Mass.” A few months before his death, Pope Francis called for a “new form” for the Liturgy, and I am happy to report that 30 years of practice have, I believe, set forward a new form that in its structure links to the tradition but fills it out by
including dance and body and images and stories that post-modern art forms like dj, vj and rap can readily elicit. |
Participants form a double spiral dance in a Cosmic Mass at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. Photo by Katy Gaughan. | Forms that replace merely reciting words about our sins with grieving together on all fours; and minimize words and reading to and being preached at, in favor of the shared spiritual experience of dancing to common images telling deep stories. |
In last week’s DM, I noted the appearance of a new book on Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism
entitled Interspirituality, with an endorsement from the Dalai Lama, a Foreword by me, and an Afterword from Ken Wilbur. Just the fact that this book is appearing at this
time, with over 120 contributors from various world religious traditions, is good news. It is a healthy sign of our times that people everywhere are waking up and eager to move from religious confrontation to spiritual intercommunion. The title implies putting experience, namely spirituality, ahead of institutional religion
as such. That is how religion gets renewed after all. |
Also this past week, Pope Leo marked the 60th anniversary of the important document of the Second Vatican Council called Nostra Aetate that speaks to the common ground to be found in all the world’s religions. Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism therefore. Pope Leo invited many religious leaders of diverse traditions to the |
Christian nationalist abuse survivor Tia Levings calls out the “Not All Christians” trope, holding Christian churches across denominations accountable for the rise of religio-nationalist demagogues to their leadership. @tialevingswriter |
Roman Colosseum to speak with one voice vis-à-vis peace, not war. In this regard, it is important to remember a warning from the Dalai Lama that the biggest obstacle to interfaith is a bad relationship with one’s own spiritual tradition. Those who talk and practice so-called “Christian
nationalism” have a very bad relationship indeed to the teachings of Jesus—he who took on an empire in his day and died at its hands. When Christians remain ignorant of their own mystical tradition, that too guarantees a bad relationship to their own tradition. The purpose of a 24-week course I am currently teaching with the Shift Network
is to make that connection alive again, including the mystical and prophetic roots of Jesus. |
Two Chicago alders and a Cook County commissioner put their bodies on the line in a human chain to block ICE from removing abductees for detention. Photo by Paul Goyette on Flickr. | But also the issue of the democratization of mysticism—how we are all called to become our deepest selves in love with the world. How it is practiced in letting go and letting be and undergoing personal and communal suffering, but rising to create and co-create and relieve one another’s sufferings by way
of justice and |
compassion and fighting for the common good. And how we share a very rich lineage of ancestors who attempted to do exactly that in their time on earth. The mystic and prophet in all of us represents the best in all of us. Signs of hope arise where we commit to such a deep spiritual journey. |
Banner Image: Mercy, Justice, Beauty – LGBTQ+ banners at the famously interspiritual (United Church of Christ) Old South Church, Boston, MA, USA. Photo by Jonathan Deamer on Wikimedia Commons |
Queries for Contemplation Do you find some hope in the advancement of deep ecumenism or
interfaith/interspirituality in our times? And the Cosmic Mass, with its post-modern structure and mysticism, being democratized? |
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. |
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| Counterpoint: A Response to Peter Thiel’s Antichrist An Important Conversation with Matthew Fox and Gil Duran Did you miss this two-session series with its powerful counter-narrative rooted in wisdom, justice, and |
authentic spirituality? This is your
chance to add it to your library of classics to be watched, re-watched, and contemplated. Fox explores the archetype of Christ and Antichrist as it plays out in our world today but also in artists of old. He draws from the teachings of Jesus and Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Carl Jung, and other mystics and visionaries, illuminating the stark contrast between life-giving and life-destroying spiritual energies. Purchase HERE. |
UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar 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
HERE Register for a free information session HERE |
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Awakening the Divine Human: An Immersion in the Living Wisdom of Creation Spirituality …a week-long retreat in Sardinia, Italy, May
25-30, 2026 Join us on the sacred island of Sardinia for a deeply immersive 6-day retreat rooted in the teachings of Matthew Fox, C.G. Jung, and the ancient wisdom of the land. Set along the turquoise shores and among the Neolithic sites of this timeless Mediterranean island, this retreat invites you into a transformative journey of reconnection—with Earth, Self,
Gender, and the Divine. 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 HERE, Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Join Matthew Fox for a transformative 4-part series that brings together some of the most provocative spiritual leaders, thinkers, and activists of our time. Together, we’ll explore the deep spiritual roots of this political moment and uncover pathways toward
collective action, resilience, and renewal. Learn more HERE. |
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