The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Gifts From Today’s Science that Can Grow the Soul by Awakening Awe By Matthew Fox 2/23/2026 |
Last week I shared news of the wonderful Celebration of Life in Santa Cruz honoring the life and work of scientist Joel Primack. Here I would like to share more of Joel’s and his wife’s teachings that contribute heartily to a mature spiritual vision amidst the chaos and disturbances that beset our species today. |
In my book, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, I share some of their teachings of the new cosmology that bear directly on our recovering a new sense of “Father Sky,” the first of the ten archetypes I propose for bringing back the sacred masculine. They derive from their book, The View from the Center of the Universe. Joel Primack and Nancy Abrams share several ways in which the |
Near-infrared image of Jupiter, as viewed from the International Gemini Observatory in Hawaii. Photo by NOIRLab.Wikimedia Commons. |
Earth is special among all the planets, underscoring exceptional relationships that exist between Mother Earth and Father Sky. First, in 25% of the extra-solar planets in the universe we have discovered, massive gas planets or “hot Jupiters” migrate closer to their suns. If this had happened in our
galaxy, small planets like Earth would have been destroyed. But in our solar system, Jupiter has been an ally assisting its small sister Earth. Jupiter has protected us like a big brother. “Jupiter’s gravity has helped protect Earth from being hit by comets.” One attack that did get through to earth—the landing of a
meteorite 65 million years ago—wiped out dinosaurs and countless other species. “If such events were happening much more often, life on Earth might not have had enough time between extinctions to evolve to intelligent creatures.” |
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| Most planets we have discovered in other galaxies follow elliptical orbits, but Jupiter’s circular orbit
“stabilizes both earth and our entire solar system.” If Earth orbits were more elliptical, earth seasons would carry unbearable 100-degree swings in temperature. |
Furthermore, the distance of Earth from the sun is just right—were it closer to the sun, water would evaporate and be lost; were it further from the sun, water would be permanently frozen. The capacity for liquid water has been part of Earth’s existence for its entire history and is an essential ingredient for the birthing of intelligent life. Our moon is unusually large compared to other planets with moons. Its largeness has kept the tilt of the Earth’s rotation axis practically constant at around 23.5 degrees, and this tilt gives us our seasons that make plant life possible. By way of tides that we also
owe to our large moon, a certain calmness on the Earth has reigned and has advanced long-term complexity in its evolutionary history. |
Where we live in the “galactic suburbs,” the Earth’s atmosphere protects us from weakened radiation from the sun. But we are still close enough to the sun to experience some supernovas, and thanks to them, heavy elements or stardust form Earth’s rocky planet. |
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these freshly-found scientific facts point to the marvelous relationship between Father Sky and Mother Earth. Father Sky has never been so meaningful. With these scientific findings, a new sense of wonder and awe emerges. And a new sense of the sacred. Thus we can feel what Thomas Berry tells us about the sacred. We will
recover our sense of wonder and our sense of the sacred only if we appreciate the universe beyond ourselves as a revelatory experience of that numinous presence whence all things come into being. Indeed, the universe is the primary sacred reality. We become sacred by our participation in this more sublime dimension of the world about us. The universe is the ultimate sacrament. Thank you to scientists who share its revelations with us on a regular basis. To be continued. |
Queries for Contemplation How do these stories from today’s scientific creation story arouse radical
amazement and awe and therefore a sense of the sacred in you? And a sense of gratitude too? How do they make you younger? |
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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. Books and More by Matthew and Friends! Be sure to check out Matthew's new store at MatthewFox.org, now offering books, recorded courses old and new, and special events... and don't miss our growing collection of books endorsed by Matthew on Bookshop.org! CREATION SPIRITUALITY CONVERSATIONS |
Podcaster Jon Wilson speaks with Matthew Fox about Creation Spirituality: how Matthew became a Dominican priest; his studies in Paris, Original Blessing versus the Fall-Redemption tradition; the Four Paths; mystics Meister Eckhart, Carl Jung, and Otto Rank; Eros, ritual and how ‘this is
wisdom to love life’. Listen HERE. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Matthew Fox joins Unity Inspired Living to give an inspirational message,"Roots Before Wings: The Foundational Role of Science in Supporting Spirituality," at Sunday morning worship, also livestreamed on Facebook Live, March 8, 10:00am PT. Learn more HERE. |
Matthew Fox joins David Abram, Lynn Twist, and Randy Woodley as Cameron Trimble of Convergence CoLab hosts “Vision for the Common Good,” a four-session Conversation Series. Tuesdays, March 17, 24, 31, and April 7, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT Register HERE. |
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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 |
Join Matthew Fox for a Lecture, Discussion, and Q&A on “Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic—And Beyond, ” an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, March 19, 2026, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
Matthew Fox offers a lecture, “A Christianity for All Creation” as part of “For All Creation: A Day with Matthew Fox, Kelly Sherman-Conroy and Will Allen,” an On-site and Virtual Event presented by the Center for Ecological Regeneration, Hennepin Ave. UMC, and Garrett
Evangelical Theological Seminary in Minneapolis, MN. Saturday, April 18, 9:00am – 3:00pm Register HERE. |
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. |
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