The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
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By Gianluigi Gugliermetto 11/28/2025 |
Evagrius Ponticus, writing in the fifth century, states openly that there is nothing within the person that may keep her from desiring wholeness and that there is no point in not trying to achieve it. Subsequent readings of Evagrius have moralized the tenor of his affirmations, but I am convinced that he meant to say that wholeness — not moral perfection — is available to everybody, as long as people put out real
efforts. |
Mechtild of Madgeburg, living in the twelfth century and represented by Dante in his Purgatorio as happily collecting flowers in the garden of Eden, was no stranger to the harshness of life, yet she lived as somebody not weighed |
Wholeness: connecting with All That Is. Photo by Oluremi Adebayo on Pexels. |
down by sin in any way. She lived as somebody who could be whole in this very life (see DM Nov 13). Catherine of Genoa, at the turn of the fifteenth century, may be seen as a representative of the fall/redemption paradigm which Fox contrasts with Creation Spirituality because of her emphasis on the purifying qualities of blood of Christ, but I see in her demeanor the opposite tendency as well, i.e. the utter conviction that no (male)
authorities and perhaps not even celestial ones can prevent her from becoming truly and completely herself (see DM Nov 22). These are just three examples of how people throughout Christian history have been able to avoid, overcome, or circumvent the nefarious effects of the doctrine of original sin and recover the archetype of wholeness as their polar star. |
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| But here comes a criticism. Several friends of mine, involved in the fields of Lacanian and Jungian psychology, know that I work with Matthew Fox and his material. They have pointed out to me independently of each other that while, in
the recent past, the double-bind between the stain of original sin and the call to moral perfection caused the lack of self-confidence to be the pivotal issue in the Western psyche (see DM Nov 26), the situation today is completely different. |
They say — correctly — that narcissism is rampant, with some well-known public cases of malignant narcissism on display. So the issue today is not that of freeing the psyche from imaginary bounds but, on the contrary, to do something in order to reinstate some limits. Some of my friends even doubt, however, that anything can be done. They expect a psychic epidemic to hit the human species strongly. While I am no seer, my answer to this challenge is this: in both the lack of self-confidence and narcissism, the archetype of wholeness is missing. |
Historically, at least in some cases, keeping people under the fear of damnation and hell helped curb their egotistic tendencies. Today, the disappearance of such a fear as a deep element of the psyche is the apparent reason for bouts of narcissistic grandiosity. But the solution cannot be a return to the previous situation, both because it is never possible in human history to go back, and because it was a pretty miserable condition anyway. |
“The Burden of Pride” by Gustave Doré, 1880. Plate 93 in The Divine Comedy: Purgatory by Dante Alighieri. Wikimedia Commons. |
The Creation Spirituality critique of the doctrine of original sin and its consequences is solid. The challenge that Creation Spirituality faces today is that of bringing forward the archetype of wholeness as a solution to the rampages of narcissism, which consist of nothing else than public displays of the shattered shards of one’s psyche. |
Banner Image: Embodied spirit: solo dancer in live show during Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival. Photo by Ahmad Odeh on Unsplash |
Queries for Contemplation What is your response to narcissistic displays? Are you tempted by them, as
they seem to represent the spirit of our era?
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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 Matthew Fox in a lecture and Q&A on “Dorothee Soelle: Mystical Feminist Who Transformed Theology through Suffering,” a presentation in the Spiritual Wanderlust Mystics and Prophets series. Saturday, December 6, 9:00am-10:30am Register HERE.Join Matthew Fox in a lecture and Q&A on “Dorothee Soelle: Mystical Feminist Who Transformed Theology through Suffering,” a presentation in the Spiritual Wanderlust Mystics and Prophets series.
Saturday, December 6, 9:00am-10:30am Register HERE. |
Celebrate the traditional feast of the Black Madonna and the Immaculate Conception when Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox joins award-winning singer/author Alessandra Belloni and music director John La Barbera in a 90-minute online event, “Honoring the Black Madonna as Our Lady of Freedom (Madonna della Libera),” in which they share the wisdom of the Black Madonna and her healing powers for our times when both democracy and Mother Earth are
in peril. Alessandra will also talk about her book Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna and present a 10-minute excerpt of her movie Musical Journeys with the Black Madonna in |
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Join Matthew Fox in a free 4-session Online Lecture/Discussion/Q&A event, “Creation Spirituality and the Celebrating & Healing of Mother Earth & Ourselves,” co-presented by the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin and Matthew Fox Legacy Project. Wednesdays, January 14, 21,28, February 4, 2026, 4:00pm-5:30pm
PT January 14 - Creation as an Original Blessing and the Springboard of Awe and Wonder January 21 - Sacred Mother Earth: The Holiness of Creation and Recovering the Cosmic Christ January 28 - The Cosmic Mass, and the Stations of the Cosmic Christ: Reinvigorating Liturgy and Rituals February 4 - Jesus as a Teacher of Democracy and the Renewal of Education and Values through the “10 Cs” 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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