It is no wonder that we are terrified by the current unchartered territory of global population growth, ecosystem stress, polarized political struggles, the decline of traditional religious practice, and more. How do we avoid curling up into a ball and giving up? Our guests share the vision of a co-creative, emergent, self-organizing movement they call the “Order of the Sacred Earth (OSE)” as an antidote to the many negative forces that surround us. There are OSE pods sprouting up all over the country. These groups of people are reading the book Order of the Sacred Earth, taking the vow “ I promise to be the best lover and defender of Earth I can be,” and then expressing that vow in any way that feels right for their community.
There are no “shoulds” as to how each individual pod will accomplish their ends. Each community creates their own meaningful rituals. Listug, Wilson, and Fox are creating a hub website to assist with connecting people to one another and for a cross-fertilization of ideas to support growing a movement toward a more sustainable and equitable world. It is the intention that this vision will attract those of like mind and that many others will take the vow. It also creates a platform for younger people and elders to share their wisdom through mutual dialogue and shared rituals. Listug talks about the power of taking the vow: “The moment one definitely commits one’s self then Providence, Universal Energy, God, Essence moves too . . .[P]rovidence will help our efforts in ways that we’re not aware of.” (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)
Thomas Merton was an American Catholic writer, mystic, and Trappist monk who died mysteriously in Bangkok, Thailand when he was 53 years old. The gifts he left behind from his short life were immense. He combined deep contemplation with social action. Here Fr. Matthew Fox shares his profound intersection with Merton via Creation Spirituality. It was Merton who suggested that Fox, who was a young Dominican at the time, go to Paris and pursue his doctorate. Through many years, Fox was stimulated by his correspondence with Merton. He takes us through a history lesson of the Roman Catholic Church and highlights such turning points as the introduction of original sin, which instituted a dualistic, pessimistic, and patriarchal view of the world. Fox also shares Merton’s view that technology and information will not save humanity, and analyzes the media and the capitalist system, as “giving the public what it wants in order to get the public’s money to increase profits.” Merton honored silence and understood that compassion contains action. Fox and Merton shared a similar path as they both explored Creation Spirituality. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)
Meister Eckhart was a preacher and mystic who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Yet like Rumi and Hafiz he remains relevant today. He dedicated his life to trying to restart Christianity into something experiential. Fox also speaks of the Cosmic Christ and the feminine force of wisdom.
The Catholic Church is in crisis, but, according to Fox, all is not lost. This crisis may offer an opportunity to press the 'restart' button on Christianity. Fox shares his enthusiasm for the Christian mystics, and suggests that now is time to reinvent Christianity.
Matthew Fox, Ph.D. has had his finger on the pulse of Western Spirituality for decades. When he casts his keen eye on the state of spirituality among men in the twenty-first century, you can be sure he’ll discern the unspoken woundedness, yearning, and passion of the modern warrior.
Bringing light to the dark side of evil, so that it removes the disguise and the illusion, visionary theologian Mathew Fox provides a new perspective on an ages old subject. He calls for an open dialogue about evil and what it truly means. In an era when human beings are fully capable of destroying the species along with the biosphere, Fox points to the roots of evil within, as a way out and through.
How does modern physics parallel and transform the concept of angels? How did a split between science and spirit come about and how are the two being reconnected? What is the importance of wonder and awe in scientific study? The answers to these and many other questions are explored in this dynamic conversation between a scientist and a theologian/priest.
