Yesterday I had the privilege to dialogue with two women, Jan Jorgensen and Anasuya Issacs of She SAID Talks, who are dedicated to bringing forth the Sacred Feminine. They are energized in particular by the archetype of the Black Madonna, which pleases me immensely.
They asked to interview me on their program about my book on the Sacred Masculine, which ends with a section on the Black Madonna and the “sacred marriage of the Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine.” For me, as for them, the issue of masculinity is very much in the air. Many young men today appear confused about what it means to be a man and many men are feeling bad about themselves.
And clearly, the issue of manhood was part of the recent election and the decision made to turn the keys of our government over to a man who admires strongmen and yearns to be one himself. It is in this context that the interviewers wanted me to elaborate on my book, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine.
In that book I deal with ten archetypes that teach us what healthy masculinity is all about and yesterday we focused on three: Father Sky; the Green Man; and the Blue Man. I also brought in my most recent book, The Return of Father Sky: A Cosmic Mystery for Kids of All Ages, which is a book of rhymes for children that tell the story I tell in the Hidden Spirituality of Men book for adults but does so in a children’s modality.

For example, the story of how men suffered grievously in the modern era when science taught us that the universe was a machine and therefore Father Sky was dead. But today’s science tells us the sky is very much alive—a star is being born every 15 seconds after all!
Here is how I put it in my children’s book:
Not so long ago,
You know, scientists told us,
‘The sky was—oh—so sooooooooo…
Cold and dead and inert,
Like dirt’ (though dirt is NOT inert!).
‘Father Sky’, they said,
‘was a long time dead.
Like lead.’
So not even a bed (bug)
Lived there,
Where the moon rose
And the sun seemed to roam as it chose.

‘The universe is a machine’,
Was the meme.
Then people no longer chose
To touch the stars
Or mimic the bards,
With music the galaxies made
As they passed by,
In the (supposedly)
Dead, dull sky.
Connecting soul to seasons changing
Ranging far and wide—
A special place to abide
In summer, winter, spring and fall—
Dancing, singing, chanting, all.
Making noise and dressing up
In costumes
To welcome the movements of Father Sky
Nearby.
The mechanistic universe, among other things, killed ritual therefore, which, when healthy, as Otto Rank teaches, always connects psyche to cosmos. The return of Father Sky also means a (potential) return of healthy ritual. And that for sure is part of the return of the irrational to an excessively rational culture and education and religion that dominate at this time. And that alienate men and women and children alike.
To be continued.
Adapted from Matthew Fox, The Return of Father Sky: A Cosmic Mystery for Kids of All Ages.
And, Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 3-18.
And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
And Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake, Natural Grace: Dialogs on creation, darkness, and the soul in spirituality and science.
And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas.
And Fox, “MAGA’s Precarious Manhood vs. Authentic Masculinity,” in Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Banner Image: “The Kindergarten.” Image by Daniel Arrhakis on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you agree that when Father Sky was rendered inert, great damage was done to the masculine soul? And that the recovery of a living sky holds promise for rejuvenating a healthy and sacred masculinity?
Recommended Reading

The Return of Father Sky: A Cosmic Mystery for Kids of All Ages
The second book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series, The Return of Father Sky helps boys and girls to celebrate a new relationship with the masculine by way of Father Sky, whose return excites joy and wonder and possibility that enlarge the soul to welcome others and all creation. Written in a rhyming Dr. Seuss-like style, this full-color, beautifully illustrated book, written by world- renowned theologian Matthew Fox weaves together modern science and classic spirituality in a whimsical, entertaining format to illustrate important truths to readers aged 4 and up. With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet.

The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God

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.

Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness, and the Soul in Spirituality and Science
by Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake
Natural Grace, a 208 page inspired dialogue between theologian Matthew Fox and scientist Rupert Sheldrake, unites wisdom and knowledge from unconventional angles. Considering themselves heretics in their own fields, Matthew and Rupert engage the conversation from postmodern and post-postmodern perspectives, deconstructing both religion and science—while setting the foundation for a new emerging worldview. Having outgrown the paradigms in which they were raised, both Fox and Sheldrake see it as part of their life missions to share the natural synthesis of spirituality and science rooted in a paradigm of evolutionary cosmology.

The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times
A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas’ mystical/prophetic genius, offering a sublime roadmap for spirituality and action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
“What a wonderful book! Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is a masterpiece.”
–Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit

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.
4 thoughts on “Alternatives to Patriarchy and Strongmen and Male Low Esteem”
Many successful Quarterbacks in the NFL appear to be aloof and cocky in outward appearance, but they hold themselves in high esteem and need to lead the team, as ‘one cohesive body’ together for success.
The leaders of Korea, China and the US, whomever they are at any given time, also need to have high levels of self-esteem in order to lead. Whether that high esteem is used for the ‘common good’ mixed with brutal force, they all exercise some level of it. That does not mean that their rationality or irrationality should not come under question. Those leaders would be ‘bowled over’ by others in their respective nations if they did not have overtly high levels of self-esteem, even to the point of viewing themselves as ‘God like’ in nature. Let us not underestimate any of these world leaders of nations and use words and pictures to belittle them. What point does it serve, other than to make some people feel good about themselves, which may be an indicator of their own low self-esteem. – BB.
Yes, when Father Sky was rendered a machine, it was a terrible tragedy, a crime. I think Father Sky’s true status can help men immeasurably in finding their true identity. It also helps women find theirs. I’ve lived with thinking the sky and space was a bunch of inert, cold rocks existing in an airless suffocating, dangerous environment. I never thought about the cosmos, because it was rendered as such an unpleasant place. Since finding this website, I can admire the skyscapes again, and feel a delight in that. The sky, Father Sky, is our friend. He shows us the most beautiful art with his sunrises, sunsets, rainscapes, blue skies; all skies are beautiful, inspiring. When outside, driving around, I include the sky with my view now, automatically, and it lightens my thoughts. They are put into a better perspective, not fixed on all my “earthly problems”. Thank you, Matthew, for sharing this teaching with me!
Thank you Jan, Anasuya and Matthew for showing/celebrating that darkness does not overcome the light, but rather generates the light needed to go forward …………..
Matthew 5:15
“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
Yes! Yes! Beautiful DM today! In these dark times of toxic unbalanced patriarchy in our personal and societal lives, thank you Matthew for reminding men and women about your book, “The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine.”
Men and women need to integrate the Feminine and Masculine spiritual energies with-in Us
(the Sacred Marriage) on Our spiritual journeys in order to transform humanity with GOD’S SPIRIT of DIVINE LOVE~TRUTH~WISDOM~PEACE~JUSTICE~HEALING~TRANSFORMATION~CREATIVITY~
BEAUTY~JOY~COMPASSION~DIVERSE LOVING ONENESS… in the Sacred Process of the ETERNAL PRESENT MOMENT….