Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers

Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox

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Week of 1/27-3/1/2025: Conscience, Community Support & Self Care

2/02/2025

January 27, 2025: Deep Ecumenism, Spiritual Warriorhood & Humankind’s Solidarity Agenda—Our Future

If one wants to lead a spiritual life, courage is required. Chief Arvol Looking Horse, keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman pipe, has this to tell us: Each of us is put here in this time and this place to personally decide the future of humankind….Know that you yourself are essential to this world. Understand both the blessing and the burden of that.

You, yourself are desperately needed to save the soul of this world. Did you think you were put here for something less? Aquinas also urges us to do great things and to “brave great dangers for great things.” He urges “Strength, Conscience and Confidence.” These are hallmarks of the spiritual warrior so needed at this time.

Portrait of Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota Sioux. Photo by Balkowitsch. Wikimedia Commons.

January 28, 2025: Politicians Sans Conscience: An American Emergency

Speaking of strength and conscience, only three Republicans had the courage to vote down a candidate for Defense Secretary who was clearly unqualified for the job and a danger to the world. Why? Because they were afraid of being primaried and thus losing their job. MLK Jr, a great spiritual warrior, was once asked how he could march when people wanted to kill him. He responded: “One must love something more than the fear of death if one is to live.”

Shame, shame, shame on those lacking the courage to do something so vitally important for our country and the world simply because they feared losing their job.

January 29, 2025: More Thoughts on Conscience

Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz. This ought to be inspiring us all to act and vote with conscience so that nothing so heinous as Auschwitz ever happens again.

One reader yesterday cited Mahatma Gandhi: There are times when you have to obey a call which is the highest of all; that is the voice of conscience ….

And Thomas Aquinas: A correct conscience binds absolutely and perfectly against the command of a superior. When there is an abuse of power, not merely is one not bound to obey, one is also bound not to obey, following the martyrs, who suffered death rather than carry out the wicked decrees of tyrants….

Martin Luther King, Jr. in Birmingham Jail.

Photographer unknown, from The Everett Collection.

January 30, 2025: Democracide on the Move, Rachel Maddow says, “Game On!”

Today we are all being subjected to an onslaught of rapid-fire decisions being made by a new White House occupant who is governing by executive decrees. Part of the strategy is clearly to overwhelm us. In addition, we are being battered with too many unqualified and dangerous nominees for cabinet positions. Rachel Maddow cited Curtis Yarvin, the political blogger behind J.D. Vance, who said explicitly that we need to replace democracy with “a CEO of the government” who is a “dictator.”

But in spite of all this darkness, we can make a difference. Already the administration is backpedaling as governors, some politicians and citizens raise their objections. Game on! as Rachel Maddow says.

January 31, 2025: OSE: Community Support in Trying Times

The last Tuesday of the month is when the Order of the Sacred Earth meets. Everyone is invited. (See endnotes for details.) Here is some inspiration from the group: One woman, recently retired, has been living on a wildlife refuge for 30 years and decided to open it up as a “human refuge” too. One woman told how Palestinians are returning to their wrecked homes but coming back singing. Another chose to volunteer at a soup kitchen and felt “one with everyone there.” She found it a fine way to direct her personal power. A couple who regularly visits inmates in a state prison told about a prayer session with prisoners which focused on praying for their children. Everyone wept together. Another invoked the Bhagavad Gita, “Do what you have to do. Let the work unfold.” Community is such a great blessing in these challenging times.

“Mother of God: Protectress of the Oppressed.” Icon by Kelly Latimore. Used with permission.

February 1, 2025: Sustaining Your Spiritual Warrior in Times of Darkness

Knowing what’s going on is important, obviously, but one has to protect oneself from excessive overload of bad news. We need to keep informed while guarding our deeper self, our true self. We need to deepen our mystical lives and make room for solitude even as we learn to fight back and resist.

Find time to meditate, let go, be emptied. Get outdoors, hike, go walking and spend time in nature. Take in the Via Positiva even while trudging the path of the Via Negativa. As Rilke put it: “Walk your walk of lament on a path of praise.” The more the outer world needs fixing, the more our inner world needs deepening.

Join Matthew Fox, Mariko Middleton, 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. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478 Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478

Banner image: Joining forces and standing up for what is right. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, on Flickr.

For a list of organizations helping those affected by the devastating LA wildfires, please see this article from ABCNews HERE and the evolving AltadenaStrong hub page HERE.

Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field.

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