Today, the day I am writing this meditation, is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is an occasion, among other things, to meditate on death. Mortality. One’s own. “Remember you are dust and into dust you shall return.”
The forehead is the sixth chakra, the chakra signifying our minds and the need to purify our minds, that is, to use them for the purpose for which they were intended. To seek Truth and to share it.
Ash Wednesday ushers in Lent or a period of 40 days and 40 nights in imitation of Jesus’ fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights following on his baptism as described in Mark’s gospel.
It is a time like Ramadan in Islam or Yom Kippur in Judaism to take stock of one’s life, of one’s values, to ask: How can I do better? How can I live out my values more authentically, more really in my work and relationships and daily life decisions?
Accordingly, it is a time of practicing choosing detachment or letting go in order to deny our ego for a period one or more of its incessant satisfactions in order to purify our choices in a fuller way.
As children, we often gave up candy for 40 days or a program on television or going to the movies, etc. Adults would give up smoking or drinking, etc. It reminds oneself that we are still in charge of our lives—we are capable of making choices. Sometimes they hurt a bit.
The image of the Cross is invoked to remind Christians of what a drastic letting go and sacrifice Jesus underwent at the hands of the Roman empire whose values he rejected.
This is why Lent is a preparation for Good Friday and for Easter, the Good News that sins of empires that torture and kill and destroy do not have the last word.
Speaking of empires, I find I have Rupert Murdoch on my mind this Ash Wednesday. After all, he holds sway over a vast and powerful media empire that delivers “news” to millions of viewers. He calls it “Fox News” and as we saw in yesterday’s DM, whether it wishes to or not, it is going through a certain public soul reflection at this time.
Maybe the rest of us would do well to give up Fox News for Lent this year while the truth and facts about it are rolling out.
To be continued
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society, pp. 333-358.
And Fox, The Reinvention of Work.
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: “Fox News: We Deceive/You Believe” Billboard banner of Change.org boycott of Fox News advertisers. Photo by Aaron Bassett on Flickr. Participate in the boycott HERE.
Queries for Contemplation
How do you propose spreading the word that giving up Fox News for Lent this year might be a very valuable act of purification? Including for its employees? How do you undergo the practice of purifying your sixth chakra at this time?
Recommended Reading
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood For Our Time
Thomas Aquinas said, “To live well is to work well,” and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world where our personal and professional lives are celebrated in harmony–a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic “soul work.”
“Fox approaches the level of poetry in describing the reciprocity that must be present between one’s inner and outer work…[A]n important road map to social change.” ~~ National Catholic Reporter
13 thoughts on “Ash Wednesday, 2023: Should We All Give Up Fox News for Lent?”
Matthew, Today you write about Ash Wednesday and Lent–a 40 day fast which recalls Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And you say: “As children, we often gave up candy for 40 days or a program on television or going to the movies, etc. Adults would give up smoking or drinking, etc. It reminds oneself that we are still in charge of our lives—we are capable of making choices. Sometimes they hurt a bit.” And you close with this suggestion: “Maybe the rest of us would do well to give up Fox News for Lent this year while the truth and facts about it are rolling out.” Then you ask us: “How do you propose spreading the word that giving up Fox News for Lent this year might be a very valuable act of purification?” By posting your meditation on Facebook in a number of places. And you also ask us: “How do you undergo the practice of purifying your sixth chakra at this time?” By doing my Lenten fast…
I have always found it difficult to watch Fox News. I don’t, so this isn’t denial for me. The question is whether those who watch it would give it up,. Whether they will believe they are being duped. I doubt it.
We don’t give something up, we take something new up. If we take up a new pursuit of soulful and contemplative reading, prayer, meditation, kriya yoga, we must give something up at the same time, whatever it may be.
It is taking up something new that will replace the old. We don’t pour truth then into old wineskins and then watch them burst. The truth will readily pour and be retained in new wineskins. — BB.
Bill, Have you ever heard about “Contraries” among the Cheyenne? One was depicted in the old movie, “The Little Big Man.” Contraries were similar in their role as clowns in other tribes like the Lakota Sioux, except they said everything and did everything the opposite of everyone else in the tribe. I see you as that because today when Matthew said to give up Fox News for lent you said: “We don’t give something up, we take something new up.” And when Matthew spoke about the Cosmic Christ and the Jesus of history you poo pooed these ideas as well. My own position in relation to what you say is–and I’ve said this before–that it isn’t an either one or the other, but a both and. You can give up things for Lent if that what you are so moved to do, and if you would feel better taking somethin on during Lent then that is fine as well. And there was a historical Jesus, and there is a Cosmic Christ as Matthew has shown through the scriptures and history–but neither of these facts negates a relationship with the Jesus who lives within…
The spreading of lies, isn’t just negatively influencing humanity through Fox News, but rather you see this in many social media platforms as well as within the various uses of modern technology.
Creativity, in my perception, is a powerful gift given humanity; which comes with responsibility and accountability… as well as a conscientious, conscious awareness of the consequences of how creative acts impact the whole, either in a positive and also a negative way.
The uses of AI, in my opinion is dehumanizing humanities capacity to self create… using the creative gifts given of one’s own human processes of thinking (mind) and feeling (heart) in connection with our own imagination and intuition, tethered to empathy, compassion, mercy, love and justice (spirit/soul). What you don’t use, (mind, heart, and spirit/soul) you looze.
When I look at the world today I question if humanity isn’t in the midst of possibly losing these creative capacities… exchanging all of this for something artificial… which we call intelligence! Perhaps our Lenten Season aught to be disconnecting from all technological media platforms and reconnecting with our humanness, our own thoughts, feelings, imagination, intuition, and the spirit/soul sense of self, so that we might tether ourselves to empathy, compassion, mercy, love and the just value of these creative gifts given.
Jeanette, Thank you for your comment today: “When I look at the world today I question if humanity isn’t in the midst of possibly losing these creative capacities… exchanging all of this for something artificial… which we call intelligence!” As an artist, I am bothered (for lack of a better word) by the use of digital / computer art. I have some friends that are into it, but I have a really hard time calling them “artists.” They may be very gifted “artists” of the computer (if one considers a computer something like a paint brush) but they don’t seem that way to me. I agree that we are “losing these creative capacities… exchanging all of this for something artificial.” So you have a great idea: “Perhaps our Lenten Season aught to be disconnecting from all technological media platforms and reconnecting with our humanness, our own thoughts, feelings, imagination, intuition, and the spirit/soul sense of self, so that we might tether ourselves to empathy, compassion, mercy, love and the just value of these creative gifts given.”
Giving up Fox News is probably easy for most DM followers, because most of us don’t watch it!
However, it is a big addiction to the Lie propaganda for millions of Americans, and it would be nice if those ‘Christian’ American gave up this addiction for Lent (and hopefully spiritually transform their lives afterwards).
We pray that all of us continue our spiritual journeys with the Eternal Presence of God’s Spirit of LOVE(Peace/Joy)~LIGHT(Wisdom/Truth)~LIFE(Justice/Transformation) in our hearts~souls within and among us in the Divine Flow of Loving Diverse Oneness….
🔥💜🌎🙏
Lent needs to reconcentrate on humankind’s Original Blessing, that we are outlandishly loved by God and are never separated from God, even by missing the mark, as the institution designates with the word “sin”.
We need to think realignment with our One Source, and most especially with our fellow sisters and brothers. We bring ourselves into alignment with God, when we raise our consciousness being mindfully aware of the ways in which we live in the shadowland of un-mindfulness, and unaware of the God-in-all-beings.
Be mindful, sister/brother that you are a fractal of God, a being of light, clothed in stardust, and you will return as light to the One Source, God, the fullness of Love.
Joe, Thank you for your beautiful comment today !!!
I suspect that few DM readers are also Faux News watchers…however, there is something you can do for Lent that may have an effect on Fox propaganda. In the endnotes of today’s DM there is a link to a Change.org-organized boycott against Fox advertisers. You can participate in the boycott here: https://www.change.org/p/allstate-tell-advertisers-to-stop-putting-ads-on-fox-news
Phila, Thank you so much for pointing that out for us !!!
Fox News makes me shudder. I was visiting a very old and dear friend and she and her husband had Fox News turned on. I had to walk out of the room and go to the bedroom they had reserved for me that night. I came back to say goodnight and said of one of the “entertainers” how unkind he was. It was an awkward moment, but it came straight from my heart. I hope it made an impression on them. Murdoch has done evil things with this television station; people unfortunately have “believed”.
I agree with those who point out that Fox News watchers will probably be impervious to the suggestion that they give up watching–some may be affected by the findings of the trial, hopefully. But when a President and his followers worship lying and violence and denial during his term of office and continuing, it is not just FN who are at fault. Those in politics at the state and national level who support these lies are just as dangerous. Just listen to the latest from folks like Marjorie Greene, and remember, as horrifying as her words are, that she was elected by people who agree with her. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3870038-greene-stirs-up-political-storm-with-national-divorce-comments/
All big media platforms are biased toward the bottom line of making money and carefully craft their “offerings” to reach their target listeners, whether on the left or on the right. FN has perfected the art of the lie, but they are not the only ones.
Limiting exposure to all varieties of media, including “social” media, is the best solution to trying to keep a clear head and heart and to give a person time to turn inward in this time of Lent and to grow spiritually. And to act for the good of all.