In recent DM’s we have meditated on what Helene is telling us–or better screaming to us–and what Milton is saying as well. And in yesterday’s DM we shared what an observer, DM team member Cynthia Greb, had to tell us of Milton from the ground in Lakeland, Florida.
Today I would like to share two other comments from Cynthia—one before the storm hit; and the other this morning after the storm had moved on. In addition to what we posted yesterday, she wrote the following the day before the storm :
Hi everyone. I feel compelled to share something that I think is important regarding Hurricane Milton. Yes, there are alarming reports coming out about its intensity. And yes, absolutely people should do whatever they can to prepare for it physically if they’re anywhere near its potential path. (Water, back-up batteries or power sources, evacuation if that’s advised, etc.) But here’s the “however” part. I think sometimes we have a tendency to get hyped up about words like “biggest, baddest, worst.” This is going to sound strange, I know, but I think there’s a part of us that gets excited about this and, unconsciously, we start to add to the energy and frenzy of it.
Here is my suggestion: Allow for the possibility of it getting weaker. Allow for the possibility of it changing course. Allow for the possibility of it being “not too bad.” Instead of imagining the worst (which we’ve sadly seen with Helene), imagine it dwindling in power. Instead of talking about it being a 5 or 6, maybe you can pray that it weaken to a 3 as it hits landfall. Maybe you can even resist looking at constant updates about it, which tends to increase anxiety.
There is great power in our words and thoughts. Please choose yours carefully. Imagine a better case scenario.
Thank you.
This is what Cynthia wrote today, Thursday, the day after the storm.
Hi everyone.
I woke up this morning to the sound of silence. The rain had finally stopped. I stepped outside. The winds have gentled. The pavement was largely dry, amazingly. I heard the cooing of the sandhill cranes. Except for one palm tree branch and a sign on the other side of the highway, everything is largely intact.
SO MUCH GRATITUDE.
I know Florida is not unscathed, and there were some fatalities [12] due to tornadoes, sadly, but by and large, I think we witnessed a miracle. To go from a Category 5 to a 3 and then a 2 is just incredible. I truly believe it was due to so many people praying. Helene woke us up to the catastrophe that was possible, and we didn’t want it to happen again, and so we rallied with big time prayers. So many people were praying.
I am so grateful. Thank you for your prayers.
Is it possible that humanity can 1) cease taking the health of Mother Earth for granted, and 2) elect politicians who are not in denial about climate change and do not call it a “hoax,” and 3) Cease making war on one another and instead gather together to create alternative energy sources, so as to combat the common enemy which is not other humans but the destruction of our common home?
Might humanity someday look back to the years of the 20th and early 21st century and say, Mother Earth then was a paradise compared to what it is today. What motivated our ancestors to lose it?
See Matthew Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality.
And Fox, Trump & MAGA as Antichrist: A Handbook for the 2024 Election.
And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society.
Banner Image: Satellite photo from the International Space Station shows Hurricane Milton as a Category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 8, 2024. Photo by NASA on Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
How are you feeling the day after Milton left Florida? Do you feel gratitude—as well as empathy and concern for those directly affected by Milton–the day after the storm? Do you feel there are lessons both Helene and Milton are trying to tell us? If so, what are they?
Recommended Reading
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author, The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
For immediate access to Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, order the e-book with 10 full-color prints from Amazon HERE.
To get a print-on-demand paperback copy with black & white images, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE.
To receive a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE.
Order the audiobook HERE for immediate download.
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
“A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice.
“I am reading Liberating Gifts for the People of the Earth by Matt Fox. He is one that fills my heart and mind for new life in spite of so much that is violent in our world.” ~ Sister Dorothy Stang.
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
6 thoughts on “Before/After Milton from the Ground in Florida”
Yes, we need to ‘tone things down’ at times. My personal understanding re ‘storms’ comes from moving to Nova Scotia and experiencing 2 Hurricanes in my first three years here and plenty of Atlantic storms. From a message written on 09 26 24 —
‘Of the world’ provides overstimulation of the physical senses at times, which can lead to an overstimulation of thoughts that lead to anxious thoughts. We are bombarded with conflicting advice from the well-meaning around us and the not so well meaning seeking some form of control. We also get bombarded by impressions and dubious ‘needs’ from television shows, the ‘bad news’, political divisiveness, marketers, influences and even our faith institutions. As well, when we consider 8 billion people and their opinions and strong views on every conceivable subject, is it any wonder that we need respite and retreat from the ‘push and pull’ of all this mixed and anxiety birthing messaging.
The best messaging (the worst for us) looks to drive us emotionally and get us to act out. Whoa! Hold on, time-out, it is time to retreat, cleanse and refresh. — BB.
All “natural disasters” are a consequence of the mental, emotional and psychic energy put out by humanity. Though unseen to the human eye, the energy is absorbed by the “devas” – or nature spirits – which in turn fashion conditions upon and around Earth. Were we a planetary race in balance, we would fashion a natural perfection around us, but we’re not there yet; not by a long way…
I don’t have a comment at this time, but would like to read comments.
Definitely empathy, concern, and prayers for the people of Florida and around the world suffering natural catastrophes. We also pray for our sisters and brothers continuing to suffer human and ‘man’ made catastrophes such as wars, social injustices, and destruction of our Sacred Mother Earth due to our ongoing modern pollution causing industrial fuel economies based on patriarchal greed and ignorance. I’ve recently started reading a science and spiritually based book by a well known contemplative emphasizing our world climate crisis named Brian McLaren, “Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart” (2024). It has received very positive reviews. This is a good one: “Brian McLaren offers tangible ways to turn concern into sacred activism. I’m wiser for having read “Life After Doom” and more informed and prepared to become involved in impacting change for the good of our earth and all of its inhabitants” – Karla Kamstra.
There are many lessons to learn from these hurricanes, including what Cynthia has written. There is something exciting about disasters to the human psyche, for some sad reason, and we need to be aware of this tendency and to resist it and not to dwell on the worst case scenarios. We can learn compassion for the victims and maintain a sense of perspective, while doing everything possible within our power to help, including prayer. One specific thing right now is to counter the lies about FEMA that are keeping people from applying for the help that is there, at least for now. Pressure on our elected representative to counter the lies and to ensure that FEMA gets additional funding when needed is something we can all do. The most important lesson for me is that people do rush in to help when these disasters happen, and most are able to ignore partisan politics and to serve their neighbors; we need to harness this good energy and not fall back into old patterns of divisiveness. I agree with Damian about Brian’s book, and there is also a free podcast series called “Learning How to See” with Brian, and the latest season is on the book.
In some of Paul’s letters to the early Christian communities, he warned against people who stir up trouble by setting factions against each other, to gain advantage for themselves. In psychology, this is called “triangulation.” Alexander Hamilton called it “reaping the whirlwind.” What word did Paul himself use, to describe such a person? A satan. Which means: all of the weather-related conspiracy theories now flying around, what Steve Bannon calls “flooding the zone with shit” so nobody believes anything, nobody seeks the help they need because they’ve lost trust in the government and in scientific experts, all to create a void that a wannabe dictatorial regime can take over ….. The people who are fomenting such chaos, are quite literally satanic, in Paul’s usage of the word.