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Wisdom of the Mystics and Collective Healing

Meister Eckhart (1260-1327), a German friar, priest, mystic, philosopher, and renowned preacher, was also an administrator—prior, vicar, and provincial—for his Dominican Order. Like the Sufi poets and philosophers of love, Rumi and Hafez, he, too, speaks to so many and touches people’s hearts.

Only if we “become sweet lovers.” Only if we become mystic-warriors…

Photo: Alchetron

The four Es: we must awaken Deep Ecumenism, Deep Ecology, Deep Economics, and Deep Education.

‘Putting us in the hands of Meister Eckhart, Matthew Fox hopes that we will see all the wild possibilities in Deep Ecumenism (or Interspirituality), Deep Ecology, Deep Economics, and Deep Education. Similar to Thomas Merton, this mystical prophet is a lifeboat in treacherous waters, offering us passage to new lands.’-Book Review, Spirituality & Practice

‘ Once again, Matthew Fox has gifted the collective soul…If ever the world needs to break the boundaries of political and religious differences, it is now in this twenty-first century. With all of the violence we hear on the daily news, one can lose heart for any sign of hope. However, with this book, Matthew Fox gives us an intimation that hope in the future is not some idle passing thought. That it is even possible to have written this book is a reminder that such spiritual searching and the worldwide diversity that accompanies it is more prevalent than one would think. That, to this writer, is the core value of this book, namely, the reminder that we are all searching spiritually for the same thing. This is true whether we know it or not, accept it or not, or deny it or not. The spiritual struggle of Meister Eckhart to keep religious perspective from growing stale and lifeless could not go away in his life and time, nor will it go away today.’- Book Review, Literary Aficionado

‘Though he lived in the thirteenth century, Meister Eckhart's deeply ecumenical teachings were in many ways modern. He taught about what we call ecology, championed artistic creativity, and advocated for social, economic, and gender justice. All these elements have inspired spiritual maverick Matthew Fox and influenced his Creation Spirituality. Here, Fox creates metaphorical meetings between Eckhart and Teilhard de Chardin, Thich Nhat Hanh, Carl Jung, Black Elk, Rumi, Adrienne Rich, and other radical thinkers. The result is profoundly insightful, substantive, and inspiring.

’Eckhart helps to carry us to this new level of evolution, this deeper expression of what it means to be human at this time in history. He asks that we live in depth, not superficially, whether we are talking about religion or education, economics or ecology. “Deep Ecology” is a phrase coined decades ago to name an ecological movement that was not merely about switching the hats of power but of going deeper into the land of the sacred, the place where in our deepest intuition (Eckhart would say, in the “spark of the soul” from which conscience is born) dwells the Divine and all the angels and spirit helpers who can assist us in this shamanistic vocation to heal so that the people may live. We need all the resources we possess as a species — science and technology along with our varied spiritual traditions.

'We need what I call in the conclusion the four Es: we must awaken Deep Ecumenism, Deep Ecology, Deep Economics, and Deep Education. Deep Ecumenism is in many ways the starting point, since without a spiritual depth and practice it is unimaginable that we will have the energy or the vision for the letting go and the birthing that survival will require. Eckhart is a leader like none other in Deep Ecumenism. Who else has worked out of the depth of his own tradition (his Christianity) and has been named a Hindu by Hindus; a Buddhist by Buddhists; a Sufi by Sufis; a depth psychologist who discovered the self by a depth psychologist; a shaman by students of shamanism?

'Not ecology as we know it; not education as we know it; not economics as we know it; not religion as we know it — none of these things is currently up to the task at hand. We need to go deeper. Just as Adrienne Rich and Meister Eckhart tell us, diving deep and also surfacing. Moving inward and outward, but always deeply. Deep where the joy resides; where the darkness, pain, and grief cry to us; where creativity is unearthed; where the passion for justice and compassion return again.

'We need ecological mystic-warriors, ecumenical mystic-warriors, educational mystic-warriors, and economic mystic-warriors. This is where Eckhart is leading us. Down and deep and dirty, in the sense that we are on new terrain, that there will be trial and error, but it is better to be in the dark than overly confident in a diminishing and damaging light.’-New World Library

Meister Eckhart: A Mystic Warrior for Our Times

Matthew Fox explains how the teachings of 13th century religious maverick Meister Eckhart offers insights into how we can heal today's most pressing issues: Watch the video HERE

A  Further Reflection  on Meister Eckhart, a Mystic for Our Time by

Prof. Joel Harrington/ Via Notre Dame Magazine

Meister Eckhart with a student, sculpture in Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, Germany

PICTURE THIS…

The situation in the world looks bleak. Consumerism and materialism dominate all aspects of social life. Older people look with alarm at the crumbling of civic and religious institutions. Young people view the future with a sense of foreboding. Politicians appear self-interested, religious leaders hypocritical, business people ever more corrupt. Violence is escalating at home and abroad with no solution in sight. Alienation and disorientation is the general feeling among the people.

'You may think I was describing modern day America, but I want to welcome you to 14th-century Germany. As in our society, many people of the time, feeling battered by the world around them, sought spiritual wisdom and a more profound connection to the divine. In the early 1300s, this meant that a large number of practicing Christians, both laypeople and religious alike, were searching for a more direct and satisfying experience of God’s presence than what they found in their familiar institutional practices.’- Continue to read HERE

Our GCGI and the Healing Powers of the Four Es

Healing the world as if the web of life mattered

How to lead our lives, function and prosper in an increasingly polarised world?

Photo:Tree of Life Web of Life Art Print by Tree of Life Shop

Religion in Public Life

Economics, Globalisation and the Common Good: A Lecture at London School of Economics

Oxford Theology Society Lecture: Values to Make the World Great Again

Composing a New Life: In Praise of Wisdom

Wisdom and the Good Life

Desperately seeking Sophia: The Wisdom of Nature

The Journey to Sophia: Education for Wisdom

Rand’s Ugly and Values-less Philosophy of Selfishness

The World brought down to its knees: The Fallacy of Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman and their disciples

Healing the world as if the web of life mattered: In Praise of Ancient Wisdom

Wisdom and the Well-Rounded Life: What Is a University?

Saving the Web of Life: The Time is now to Tune into Peace, Love and Wisdom with a Spiritual Revolution

The heart and the soul of education is wisdom

Nature and Me’: Realigning and Reconnecting with Mother Nature’s Wisdom- A Five Part Guide

Our Heritage is Arboreal and interwoven with the Life of Trees, OUR BEST ALLY FOR THE CLIMATE

‘Fix a broken economic system: It’s time to rethink that for the good of society’

Detaching Nature from Economics is ‘Burning the Library of Life’

Coronavirus and the New Tapestry of Life: The time is now to rediscover our true selves

The beauty of living simply: the forgotten wisdom of William Morris

Education to Make us Human: What’s Kindness, Love, Compassion, or Beauty Got to Do With Teaching and Education?

Wouldn’t the world be a better place with a bit more kindness? Harnessing the Economics of Kindness

What is Life's Greatest Gift?

Land As Our Teacher: Rhythms of Nature Ushering in a Better World

On the 250th Birthday of William Wordsworth Let Nature be our Wisest Teacher

250 years on - Remembering Dorothy Wordsworth, Naturalist, Eco-warrior, Poet, Writer, and Inspiration

The prophetic legacy of John Ruskin: A Man ahead of his time

'Nature and Me': Educating the Heart and the Soul of Children to Build a Better World

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