We have been meditating this week on the “I am” sayings of Celtic prayer and poetry as well as those of the Christ in John’s gospel in order to build up the spiritual warrior in each of us as a godless fascism assaults our country daily on many fronts. The “I am” motif is found in the East as well as the West.
In the Bhagavad Gita, we read this litany of Divinity.
poem in Irish lore, set to music and
sung by DM team member Rosanna
Tufts. For the lyrics, see her
instrumental version.
I am the Father and Mother of the world.
In ancient days, I established it.
I am what needs be known, what purifies.
Your way and goal, upholder, friend, witness, dwelling, refuge, friend.
The world’s origin, continuance and dissolution, abiding essence, seed.
I am deathlessness and death.
I am the entire world.
I am the beginningless unborn, the Spirit of the world.
I am the soul which dwells in the heart of all things.
In the Gita we also find the following poem:
O son of Kuni, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire.
I am the life of all that lives and I am the penances of all ascetics.
O son of Pritha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the powers of all powerful men….
I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within me….
I give heat, and I withhold and send forth the rain. I am immortality, and I am also death personified. Both spirit and matter are in me.
Hildegard of Bingen offers this “I am” poem.
God says: I am the day unto myself,
Not formed by the sun, but rather, forming the sun, igniting it.
I am the understanding not understood, but rather, allowing all
understanding, illuminating it.
I am the one whose praise echoes on high.
I adorn all the earth.
I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.
I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits.
I am led by the spirit to feed the purest streams.
I am the rain coming from the dew that causes the grasses to laugh with
the joy of life.
I call forth tears, the aroma of holy work.
I am the yearning for good.
And Julian of Norwich offers her “I am” poems.
Our Lord Jesus oftentimes said:
‘This I am.
This I am.
I am what you love.
I am what you enjoy.
I am what you serve.
I am what you long for.
I am what you desire.
I am what you intend
I am all that is.
And again:
God said:
‘This I am—the capability and goodness of the Fatherhood.
This I am—the wisdom of the Motherhood.
This I am—the light and the grace that is all love.
This I am—the Trinity.
This I am—the Unity.
I am the sovereign goodness of all things.
I am what makes you love.
I am what makes you long and desire.
This I am—the endless fulfilling of all desires.
Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from World Faith Traditions, pp. 174f., 180f.
See also: Fox, Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic—and Beyond, pp. 100-107.
See also: Fox, Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint For Our Times.
And Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ, pp. 51-84.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society.
And Fox, “Spiritual Warriorhood,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. 404-422.
Banner Image: Cosmic oneness. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
Queries for Contemplation
Spend time meditating on one or more of the statements in one or more of these “I am” poems. For example: “I am what you serve.” Dwell on that, be with that truth. What depths does that meditation take you to? Do you feel stronger for the battles ahead in combatting antichrist energies swirling around us?
Recommended Reading
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
Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic–and Beyond
Julian of Norwich lived through the dreadful bubonic plague that killed close to 50% of Europeans. Being an anchoress, she ‘sheltered in place’ and developed a deep wisdom that she shared in her book, Showings, which was the first book in English by a woman. A theologian way ahead of her time, Julian develops a feminist understanding of God as mother at the heart of nature’s goodness. Fox shares her teachings in this powerful and timely and inspiring book.
“What an utterly magnificent book. The work of Julian of Norwich, lovingly supported by the genius of Matthew Fox, is a roadmap into the heart of the eco-spiritual truth that all life breathes together.” –Caroline Myss
Now also available as an audiobook HERE.
Hildegard of Bingen, A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century
Matthew Fox writes in Hildegard of Bingen about this amazing woman and what we can learn from her.
In an era when women were marginalized, Hildegard was an outspoken, controversial figure. Yet so visionary was her insight that she was sought out by kings, popes, abbots, and bishops for advice.
“This book gives strong, sterling, and unvarnished evidence that everything – everything – we ourselves become will affect what women after us may also become….This is a truly marvelous, useful, profound, and creative book.” ~~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism.
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.
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
8 thoughts on “More “I AM” Prayers from the East and from Hildegard & Julian”
“I Am Thy Servant. We Are Called to Serve”
I just wrote the following comment for a different post:
“When living is hard it might just be the best medicine and cure for all. With all the ‘idle time’ we seem to cherish, our mental anguish seems to be at an all time high and our resilience at an all time low. If we want to help anyone, finding purpose through service might just be ‘the best medicine’ for them.”
And then came to mind an old and common phrase and typewriting practise that my father passed down to me. Charles E. Weller was a typing teacher. He wrote a book with a quote to be practised on the typewriter as follows:
“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.”
This quote and practice originated in the late 1800’s with the advent of the typewriter. While the times have changed in many ways, typing has remained pretty well consistent for over 125 years.
But the sentence and the phase remain just as relevant in these times especially.
“Now is the time”
“Come to the aid of their country”
Heed the call to serve and hesitate not. – BB.
Todays material on the “I Am” appears to me to be panentheism. I wrote an article titled New Age Panentheism. It reads:
It appears to me that the whole world is moving toward the acceptance and practice of a One World Religion that will be similar to the Lakota religion.
“Wakan-Tanka is the essential concept of Lakota religion and is the life-giving force which sustains all being. Everything is seen as partaking of a sacred relationship which is born from the oneness of creation which is a manifestation of Wakan-Tanka. All things come and return to Wakan-Tanka who is all in the universe yet above all, transcending all.”
The Lakota person who wrote the above statement said: “Some of my white brothers have said ‘You worship the sun.’ No, we worship the same almighty God you worship. The sun, Wiwang wacipi, we look at the sun, we gaze at the sun, we admire His work, we thank Him for what He has done for us . . the many things that the Grandfather (WakanTanka ) has done for us.”
The rest of this article is located at: https://www.towahkon.org/NewAgePanentheism.html
Here too is another “I am” poem, attributed to Amergin, brother of Evir, Ir, and Eremon, the first Milesian princes who came to Ireland hundreds of years before Christ, translated into English
I Am
I am the wind that breathes upon the sea
I am the wave of the ocean
I am the murmur of the billows
I am the ox of the seven combats
I am the vulture upon the rocks
I am a beam of the sun
I am the fairest of plants
I am a wild boar in valour
I am a salmon in the water
I am a lake in the plain
I am a word of science
I am the point of the lance of battle
I am the God who created in the head the fire
Who is it who throws light into the meeting on the mountain?
Who announces the ages of the moon?
Who teaches the place where couches the sun? (If not I?)
The I AM wisdom poetry further underlies and strengthens the notion of “neo-heathens” identity with the Sacred Quaternity of Earth, Air, Fire, Water…….the lover of the soil, the keeper of the land, the one who embraces in fullness the earth, the hearth, the breath, and wealth of the H2O.
Another version:
“Thunder: Perfect Mind” a famous 2nd century Greek poem, using the voice of Sophia, wisdom, who speaks in paradox. Scholars debate which tradition(s) this poem fits into (Christian, Jewish, neoplatonic Gnostic or its offshoots).
As a mystic, I recognize it as showcasing neoplatonic Mysticism.
a few short excerpts:
“I am the first and the last.
I am the honored and scorned.
..I am the wife and the virgin.
I am the mother and daughter.
…I am a silence incomprehensible
and an idea remembered often.
I am a voice whose sound is manifold
and word whose appearance is multiple,
I am the utterance of my name,
…I am knowledge and ignorance.
…I am the one you studied and you scorn me.
…I am one you despise and you study me.
…I am perfect mind and rest
I am the knowledge of my search,
the finding of those who look for me,
the power of powers.”
—–
Mystics speak in paradox to try to convey non-dualism and the other sacred aspects of the Neo-platonic Mystical Revelation.
They do what mystics MUST do: HINT. They correctly insist that these (intellectually understood) ideas are NOT a substitute for the real EXPERIENCED Revelation. You cannot “think” the Mystical Revelation. It’s a radically different mode and totality of Being and Knowing.
But hints point in the direction….
Beautiful I AM mystical poems/prayers/experiences in All genuine universal mystical traditions!
They remind me of my own spiritual mantra/prayer on my personal yet universal spiritual journey:
“Being~Becoming Thy LOVING Healing Creative Beautiful Evolving DIVERSE ONENESS in the Sacred Process of the ETERNAL PRESENT MOMENT…. “
Mathew, I just finished your zoom on Creation Spiritual…and North American and South America. I asked you the question about how you became aware that God was much larger than the Baltimore Catechism (I paraphrase here). The story was about Jim Joakey getting his team(of which I was apart) to your Creation Centered Spirituality weekend Workshop at Hamelin University, Minneapolis, MN. I got the dates wrong. It was probably 1986. You have opened my soul , and many others, to Creation Centered Spirituality. I am forever in gratitude, and I am learning the way of the peaceful warrior. There’s still time and it’s now. Thank you,
Susan (Mike) Farmer
Thank you for the I AM prayers this week🙏. The musical versions and chants are especially helpful, as we can listen over and over without having to read them aloud ourselves🙏. We’ve been needing to have something to start our days besides just opening our iPads and reading whatever scary or inflammatory thing happens to pop up! (or sales pitch after sales pitch🙄)