In the midst of dark times like our own when much is demanded of each of us it is always good to return to the Source regularly.

We have been talking about the brilliance of Thomas Aquinas who, though he lived 800 years ago, has so much wisdom to feed us in times like ours—a “fierce wisdom for hard times” as I put it. One name for the Divine among many that Aquinas serves up is the following: God is the Source without a source.
Einstein instructs us that we do not solve problems out of the same mindset in which we created them (and I would say the same “modern human-centered consciousness” from which we created the eco-catastrophe and the often lame religious consciousness of our time), it behooves us to look to pre-modern wisdom in these troubled post-modern times.

Pre-modern wisdom, whether it be practiced by indigenous peoples or by medieval peoples, is speaking to many today. Its first word is: Creation. Cosmology. The Whole. Nature. Logos. Begin with the whole—consider physicist David Bohm’s comment, “I am creating a post-modern physics that begins with the whole.”
Consider Thomas Berry’s instruction on how to recover the Sacred when it gets lost (and yes, we have lost the sense of the sacred and that is why so many species are suffering and going extinct today and, yes, we may be next at the rate we are going):
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.

Notice how Berry identifies a return of a sense of the sacred with a recovery of wonder. Awe is the beginning of wisdom.
The cosmos dishes out awe and wonder on a daily basis if we are awake.
Einstein’s says we are entering “the third phase of religious experience: cosmic religion” that will be characterized by an appreciation of the cosmic story that has birthed us and our universe and wherein conscience will be more important than conduct “motivated by fear of punishment or hope of reward.”

Indeed, we “insult God who created all these marvels” when we reduce our conduct to fear, punishment and reward.
Says Einstein:
The true religious genius has always been endowed with this sense of cosmic religion…This oneness of creation, to my sense, is God. This concept of God will unite all nations.
We will be exploring this sense of the sacredness of creation found in many religions in subsequent DMs.
For Berry quote see Matthew Fox, Christian Mystics: 365 Readings and Meditations, p. 361.
For Einstein quote see Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ, p. 22.
Banner Image: A hiker in the Redwood National and State Parks. Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash
Queries for Contemplation
Do you agree with Einstein that the oneness of creation is God? How do you undergo that God-practice?
Are you one of the “religious geniuses” that Einstein is talking about who is endowed with a sense of cosmic religion? How do you keep that alive? How do you educe it from others?
Recommended Reading

Resurrection Logic: How Jesus’ First Followers Believed God Raised Him from the Dead
Bruce Chilton investigates the Easter event of Jesus in Resurrection Logic. He undertakes his close reading of the New Testament texts without privileging the exact nature of the resurrection, but rather begins by situating his study of the resurrection in the context of Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, and Syrian conceptions of the afterlife. He then identifies Jewish monotheistic affirmations of bodily resurrection in the Second Temple period as the most immediate context for early Christian claims. Chilton surveys first-generation accounts of Jesus’ resurrection and finds a pluriform–and even at times seemingly contradictory–range of testimony from Jesus’ first followers. This diversity, as Chilton demonstrates, prompted early Christianity to interpret the resurrection traditions by means of prophecy and coordinated narrative.

9 thoughts on “Returning to the Source”
I like Einstein’s idea: “The oneness of creation is God.” Although I’d prefer to end that pronouncement without “God.” I don’t like that word because of its baggage; you know, the God of the Old Testament, the Father who sits up there in heaven and watches us, etc. I consider myself a person following the path of the Buddha. I’ve become acquainted with the idea of the “oneness of creation” by reading Buddhist writings and lately about quantum physics in ‘The Dancing Wu Li Masters’ by Gary Zukov. The Idea immediately made sense to me. Deep inside I had always felt that what I think, feel, do has an effect on the whole universe–although, unfortunately, most of the time I forgot about that. So now we have scientific evidence! After all the reading, thinking, and analyzing, my practical grounded self always comes back to: ok, so now what do I DO with that in terms of behavior? Given that we’re all connected, it makes sense to “love my neighbor as myself”, because my neighbor IS myself, whether I like that or not. So I’ve started to consciously connect more closely to my ‘neighbors’ by paying attention, taking the time to acknowledge them, listening more carefully. I should add that I have meditated fairly consistently for about 25 years or so according to the instructions of Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, and others. In addition to the oneness of creation in the universe that we can contemplate, there is also the unity of our body; all our cells are united and communicate with each other and with the universe, and we also learn with our whole body–not just with our brain. Our brains, smart and important as they are, seem to make it really easy for stuff to pass through at great speed–how else is it possible that so much wise teaching has had so little result in practical terms? But stuff we learn with our ‘guts’ seems much more difficult to ignore. I’ve also come to realize that as the divine spirit permeates through the universe (maybe), it also courses through my “fellow humans” (not just the next-door ones), and I should honor them accordingly. Namaste
Thank you, Matthew for guiding us to return to the Source this week. In the shadow of the darkness descending from those who have grabbed, wrenched, and siphoned power–now increasingly unchecked in this country and elsewhere–the proliferating of “strong men,” their sycophants, and their henchmen–I am finding it difficult to maintain my own strength. As a playwright and writer, I feel I must keep up with what’s going on in the world, so that I can use authentic words to move others to action, resistance, steadfast pursuit of a just culture–a civilization. But. Things appear so bad right now, every day the darkness deepening. (Today reading in the NYTimes about the bromance between Modi and Trump and the deforming of the country’s intelligence agencies.) That it is hard to keep my considerable strong underpinning. For Lent this year, I will probably have to give up one or more of my sources of news to stay strong. So your “return to the Source” teachings are a must for me right now. I, for one, need your help in rebuilding my internal infrastructure.
Michelle–We know the pattern of this administration so can pretty much expect anything. The daily news is toxic usually. For my own sake, I subscribe only to the Christian Science Monitor on line and daily Phoenix here in Florida, which I only scan for headlines and sometimes not even that. I depend on the organizations I support, such as Sierra Club, Bread for the World, Feeding America, Sojourners, Feeding America, The Union of Concerned Scientists, Southern Poverty Law Center, and American Friends Society, Farmworkers, etc., to alert me to any action needed such as contact with government officials, Congresspeople, or people in the private sector. That way, I feel that I can at least respond to the cutting away of rights going on massively. I also depend heavily on these meditations, those of Richard Rohr, and other sources of inspiration. We are all in this together, to bear each others burdens and to walk each other home, I do believe.
Thank you, Sue, for the reminder that our news does not only come from our traditional news sources, on paper or on a screen. The organizations you support offer a view of what is happening among the people more than the overall “newsworthy” dynamics that get the headlines. These human stories touch our hearts and stir our compassion, which the mega-stories often do not. In order to return to the source, it seems we should consider the methods we use to source our wisdom.
Gail Sofia Ransom
For the Daily Meditation Team
Dear Michele,
It would seem from your description of the weight y ou feel in bearing today’s news, that your plan for Lent is very appropriate. It is so important to find the fertile balance between too much bd news that can get us mired in despair and so little new that we are out of touch with the world around us. So your choice to give up one of your sources in order to commune with the source of sources seems very wise. I trust your Lenten search for the source will be a rich and empowering experience.
Gail Sofia Ransom
For the Daily Meditation Team
Thank you, Gail. I have given up MSNBC for Lent, and instead I’m taking the time I would have listened to it, to listen instead to spiritual talks. The New York Times and NPR are enough for 40 days. It’s helping a bit.
🙂
Michele,
Thank you for letting us know about your Lenten fast from newsfeeds.I think your decision to replace some of them with spiritual talks is wise. I have found my own focus shifting from my usual news sources as well. Information is of such a different sort while taking care of a 6 month old granddaughter. Our situation is experienced so differently when we let our humanness and spirituality at least balance the flood of material from the commercial media. Blessings on your Lenten journey, Michele, may it bring peace and wisdom.
Gail
Even though I’ve had powerful experiences of being one with the Father and with all things, and have always had this sense of deep peace and joy within, no matter how my mind got caught up in negative thinking, it is only in the past two years or so that circumstances such as no longer having a car, not having occasion to meet with friends as often, not being as busy as usual, have induced me to spend more time just being . . . Getting in touch with Hildegard and with you, Matthew, is opening up such wonderful avenues of joy for me! I am now reading THE COMING OF THE COSMIC CHRIST and it’s blowing my mind! I had never read you before Matthew, and I’m finally ready to do so and to experience “the ecstasy of God!” This is how my alone time helps me to foster this new way of living and being. I am ever so grateful for this “opening” that has happened for me. And you can bet that I’m talking about this to anyone who’s willing to hear! Amen, Alleluia!
Dear Vivian,
Isn’t it a surprise how little we need in order to experience the joy and sacredness of life? Silence and simplicity are such rich experiences and yet sometimes it takes a situation like yours to slow down enough to appreciate it. I hope your inner work with Matthew, Hildegard, and the Cosmic Christ (Such company to have – right in your own home!) brings you closer and closer to Source.
Gail Sofia Ransom
For the Daily Meditation Team