Practices for Recovering an Authentic Masculinity

One of the dimensions of my book on the The Hidden Spirituality of Men that most delighted the hostesses of the She SAID Talks podcast was the practices that I include in that book.

So it strikes me that if we are to move on from patriarchy—a move that is absolutely essential if we are to survive as a species—to an understanding of a healthy masculinity, it would be important to highlight the practices that make that evolutionary leap possible.  Thus, I will be sharing some of those practices in my Daily Meditations.

Let us begin with practices to implement the archetype of Father Sky that we elaborated on in yesterday’s DM.  Among these practices deepening our appreciation of Father Sky are the following:

Take a camping trip or otherwise get out on a starry night in a place (usually out of the city) where you can see the sky. Lie down. Drink it in. Have a friend or child with you. What are you learning, seeing, feeling, connecting with?

Visit a planetarium. Check out some corner of the sky. Who, what are you seeing? How does it make you feel?

Invest in a telescope. Look in it regularly. Invite others. What are you feeling, seeing, learning?

Explore our closest neighbors in the solar system. Roam the Hubble Sky Map of galaxies, stars, nebulae and more. Dive into the details of the night sky. How big is the universe? How big are you?

Google the pictures and stories being fed us daily from the Webb Telescope.  Meditate on their meaning and their beauty.

Look up Brian Swimme’s work including his film Journey of the Universe and other cosmologists who are speaking of today’s understanding of the universe.

Mentor young people on the new cosmology. Create rituals together celebrating it and feel its truth pass through your body in dancing its wonders.

Take the new cosmology to work. To your church or synagogue or mosque. To your neighbors.

Take my book, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh, and read and discuss chapters 1 and 2, “Redeeming the Word ‘Flesh’” and “Universe Flesh.” Practice awe daily.

Read Meister Eckhart on the Sacredness of Creation in my book, Passion For Creation, Part One, the Via Positiva.

Explore ancient cosmology and creation stories from various cultures. How do they relate to today’s cosmology story from science? How alike? How different?

If you are a Christian, what do you know about the tradition of the Cosmic Christ? If a Buddhist, study Buddha Nature as it relates to the Universe. If a Jew, the tradition of the “glory” of God and tselem, the “image of God” that is found in all beings including the human.

Dance, make poetry, tells stories, sing, paint, tell stories of the universe as we are learning about it today.

Read Meister Eckhart on the Sacredness of Creation in Matthew Fox, Passion For Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart, Part One, the Via Positiva.

Also see Fox,“Path One: Creation,”  in Passion For Creation, pp. 57-165.

And Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 3-18, 297f.

And Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance.

And Fox, The Return of Father Sky: A Cosmic Mystery for Kids of All Ages.

And Fox, “Creation,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Flowing From Global Faiths, pp. 26-49

Banner Image: Staunton River State Park Star Party. Photo by Virginia State Parks on Flickr.

Queries for Contemplation

Which of these practices have you already engaged in?  What resulted from those encounters?  Which are you eager to try?  And to share with others?

Recommended Reading

Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart

Matthew Fox’s comprehensive translation of Meister Eckhart’s sermons is a meeting of true prophets across centuries, resulting in a spirituality for the new millennium. The holiness of creation, the divine life in each person and the divine power of our creativity, our call to do justice and practice compassion–these are among Eckhart’s themes, brilliantly interpreted and explained for today’s reader.
“The most important book on mysticism in 500 years.”  — Madonna Kolbenschlag, author of Kissing Sleeping Beauty Goodbye.  

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

The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance

In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe.
 “This book is a classic.” Thomas Berry, author of The Great Work and The Dream of the Earth.

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.

One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths

Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit