Hysterical Masculinity; The Sacred Work of Trees

8/02/2026

This is a summary of the previous week’s daily meditations. Some are written by Matthew Fox (MF) and some are written by his colleague, Gianluigi Gugliermetto. (GG) You can click on any title to view the DM in its entirety. Also, remember that each Monday DM continues to include a video teaching by Matthew Fox. Thank you for your loyal readership.

July 27, 2026: The Hysterical Masculinity of Hegseth, Trump & MAGA (MF)

In the first edition of Matthew’s book, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ, there was an Appendix titled “MAGA’s Precarious Manhood vs. Authentic Masculinity.”

In the upcoming edition, due to be published prior to this November’s election, this Appendix will become its own chapter. It is becoming very clear that gender and gender distortion are not ancillary to MAGA theology, but at its very core. (i.e., “Let’s go to war in Iran and eliminate the entire country.”)

In a new ludicrous move, Hegseth now wants to test every soldier over 30 years of age for their testosterone levels. If the levels are lower than his ideal, he will demand prescriptions for them. Maybe it’s time for a new language for toxic masculinity. Perhaps we ought to start talking about “hysterical masculinity.”

July 28, 2026: On Being Midwives of Grace: The Priesthood of All Workers (MF)

Martin Luther liked to talk about the “priesthood of all believers,” but Matthew suggests today the “priesthood of all workers,” which he talks about in the conclusion and epilogue to his book, The Reinvention of Work.

He describes this priesthood as being a “midwife of grace.” Matthew asks the question, “How is your work a midwife of grace?” He asks this of politicians, scientists, parents, teachers, artists, clergy, etc.

Matthew says: To restore a sense of the sacredness of our work might spark a very profound awakening in our lives and cultures and humanity itself.

July 29, 2026: The Sacredness of Our Work, cont’d (MF)

Our work can be a way of bringing a sense of the sacred back to what is too often a violent or uncaring world. Thomas Berry teaches that when a sense of the sacred has been lost, there is only one remedy: To rediscover the sacredness of the universe and our place in it.

Meditating on his wisdom around work, Meister Eckhart teaches that we should all be like Mary who gave birth to the incarnate Son of God. We, too, do this when we birth good work. Eckhart believes we can be generative and fruitful, bearing fruit countless times a day.

July 30, 2026: Will Trees Save Us? (GG)

Trees are the only organisms that infallibly, when they die, leave the place better than they found it. So says botanist and professor, Stefano Mancuso. Mancuso is a leader in plant neurobiology, a branch of studies dedicated to understanding the transmission of information from a plant organism, the behavior of plants, and even their intelligence. Trees, for instance, do not have brains or any nervous system, but they appear to problem-solve.

For instance, they develop chemicals which protect them from insects, and they move their roots in helpful directions. Mancuso asks: Isn’t problem solving a definition of intelligence? Meanwhile, architects such as Stefano Boeri have spent years developing buildings and urban solutions which feature an abundance of plants and trees.

July 31, 2026: The Age of Trees (GG)

Gianluigi says that he is fascinated by old trees. One time he was at a conference, and a new organization was named Pando Populus, which is thought to be the oldest tree on the planet–15,000 years old. The Pando presents itself as a myriad of aspen trees — about 47,000 — which cover a large area in Utah.

They appear to be individual trees, but they are all connected to the same root system. Thus, they have been recognized since 1976 as one organism. This deep interconnectedness, which allows individuals to exist, is what prompted the name of the non-profit mentioned above.

Pando Populus as an organization works with students in Los Angeles County. Its basic idea is to return civic engagement to the heart of education. The first chair and the inspirer of the organization was John B. Cobb, Jr. (1925-2024). John and Matthew shared some common beliefs, including panentheism — that the Divine penetrates every aspect of the universe.

August 1, 2026: Trees in the Bible (GG)

In the Bible, trees are mostly presented as symbols of life, prosperity, and fruitfulness. All religious texts are replete with trees, starting with the most venerable Bodhi tree under which Gautama reached enlightenment.

The Ramayana mentions 182 kinds of plants, thus probably surpassing any other individual book. The Psalms often talk about trees as symbols of uprightness and fruitfulness, starting with the very first psalm: They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.

The second story of the creation of the world in the book of Genesis presents a living tree as the center of the world. Such a “tree of life” evokes the mythical tree of many different cultures and is also the historical precursor of the Sephirot tree of the Kabbalah.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life with the names of the 10 Sefirot and 22 paths in Hebrew. Image by RootOfAllLight on Wikimedia Commons