The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Original Blessing &
“Innate Goodness”
as Medicine During Dark Nights By Matthew Fox 9/27/2025 |
It
is good, in times of struggle and darkness, the dark night of society and soul and democracy that we find ourselves in, to reconnect to the big picture. That is to say, to the cosmic story from both science and Scripture: that we are blessed to be alive in this vast and amazing cosmos and to be able to reflect on it and on ourselves and our possible role in it. |
For me, this is the primary meaning of the term I have coined, Original Blessing. The universe is an original blessing, and so too are the beings within it—from the two trillion galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars, to our very good home that we call our |
"Beautiful Creation of Beautiful Allah." A video meditation on the many bioregions of Earth, compiled & edited by Zahid Ameer. Fatima Theomatix |
Mother Earth and all
the creatures on it, humans included. It is a blessing because it is good (blessing is the theological word for goodness after all). Rabbi Heschel summarizes it succinctly when he says, “Just to be is a blessing, just to live is holy.” My book, Original Blessing, that appeared 32 years ago, sort of blew the roof off the top of the Vatican, which at that time was much more committed to the idea of “original sin” than that of original blessing. They overreacted and, in doing so, exposed their commitment to a concept that is not found in the Scriptures as such but is found wherever patriarchy or pessimism
reign. |
Humans tending a beautiful creation: Hildegard of Bingen, “Cultivating the Cosmic Tree,” Scivias. Reprinted in Matthew Fox's Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen. | In their fury, they forgot their own lineage, as when Thomas Aquinas talks about “original goodness” and “original freshness.” And Hildegard about how love ruled the world from the beginning.* Original Blessing is an affront to patriarchal and pessimistic ideologies everywhere, to those who think that enemies and hatred necessarily rule the world. It does not deny that evil exists and that humans have a propensity to indulge in it, but it reminds us that goodness |
comes first. As Genesis, chapter one declares, creation is “good” and even, with humans on board, “very good.” Recently, my attention was drawn to two persons thinking along these same lines in our day. One is Aaron Stern, co-founder and president of the Academy of the Love of Learning, who offers in a recent
“Notes from the Founder,” a powerful story triggered by a poem called “Safety Net” by Rosemerry Wahtola Trammer. In it, she talks about “how big the net of lovers” is and how this net of lovers catches us all when we fall. Her poem triggered the following reflections from Aaron: “I found this poem to be a salve and an
important reminder that there must be more that I can do as I walk through my day, to help strengthen this safety net.” |
And then he shared a story from his childhood. Though my household was chaotic, even violent at times, I was able to lose myself easily in what I loved most—music. I spent hour upon hour at my piano, playing one note after the next. As I shaped what I played, each musical decision, each choice, each action was a tendering, filled with love— |
Adam Bucko and Kaira Jewel Lingo (photographer), of Our Lady of
the Resurrection Monastery, Lagrangeville, NY, draw upon the contemplative monastic traditions of Christianity, Buddhism, and other faiths, seeking healing to support the well-being of all life and planet Earth. Published with permission. |
my love of music—made with kind intent and the greatest of care. He found original blessing in music, in himself, and in his love and relationship to music. He continues: It was there, in this caring and kindness of intent, even as my external world swirled around me, that I
discovered within me what I can only describe as the presence of innate goodness. Not in the sense of “good versus bad,” but a wellspring of goodness, naturally occurring, inexhaustible, always present, always there. It was somehow who I was. And he tells us that “this discovery accompanied me through the
course of my life, a touchstone, a reminder of what I’m made of….” I strongly recommend you go to the full poem and essay, HERE. To be continued. |
*Matthew Fox, Hildegard of Bingen, A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century, p. xiii
Banner Image: “Morning Light.” Photo by Jachan DeVol on Unsplash |
Queries for Contemplation Do you have experiences of innate goodness or original blessing with music
and art and friendships and more things you love? Do you call on them even in the midst of dark nights of soul and society? And do they open up the innate goodness in yourself? |
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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