This is a summary of the previous week’s daily meditations. Some are written by Matthew Fox (MF) and some are written by his colleague, Gianluigi Gugliermetto. (GG) You can click on any title to view the DM in its entirety. Also, remember that each Monday DM continues to include a video teaching by Matthew Fox. Thank you for your loyal readership.
August 3, 2026: The Green Man Archetype: A Celebration of Sacred Masculinity (MF)
Matthew continues last week’s reflections on Trees. Fred Hageneder, who wrote The Spirit of Trees, comes to the conclusion that “trees are the most successful life forms on Earth”* and the most dominant ever since they appeared over 30 million years ago. Except for the oceans, tropical rainforests form “the richest ecosystems in existence, providing habitat for the widest variety of species.” Trees are like “cosmic antennae.” Radiation from supernovas have been shown to influence tree growth. Sacred groves are a universal phenomenon. “Almost everywhere in the world the beginnings of social and religious life took place under trees.” The Green Man represents our oneness with the Earth, something which is desperately needed right now.
August 4, 2026: The Green Man Archetype, continued (MF)
We are meditating on the archetype of the Green Man, who is often depicted with a beard that surrounds his head like a wreath, and within it are many living things. He is a symbol of humanity’s profound interdependence with the vegetative world. The Green Man arrived along with the goddess. At Chartres Cathedral, for example, there are about 172 images of the Divine Mother and about 42 images of the Green Man. The Green Man honors and praises male sexuality within a cosmic context of contributing to the ongoing creative energy of the universe and of community. The Green Man is a warrior defending Mother Earth. Linking Father Sky to Mother Earth, he is potentially a consort to the Black Madonna.
August 5, 2026: Myths and Ideologies (GG)
Modern consciousness has devalued myths, reducing them to false stories. Yet, since the Romantic Period, artists, poets and scholars have begun to see that human consciousness is shaped by mythological kernels in which the lived experience of humanity is contained. The term “ideology” was popularized by Marx and Marxist thinkers to mean a false narrative which keeps people oppressed. But actually the term simply means “a rational system of ideas.” For instance, Creation Spirituality can be considered a healthy ideology, which celebrates community. Another ideology is neoliberalism, which Gianluigi abhors as the worst of religion, that is, dogmatism, which any spiritual person should try to avoid or leave behind.
August 6, 2026: Know Your Enemy (GG)
“Neoliberalism” is vile, says Gianluigi, and we should avoid its clutches whenever possible. One of the subtle disguises of neoliberal ideology is continuous production, and in this day and age, this includes the production of social media content. On social media, many people talk about their own life experiences, including the most trivial of them, or they comment on anything without any knowledge of the subject matter. In general, social media does not really build community, but rather division, as people argue with one another in the comments. These Daily Meditations can be considered a digital enterprise, but they do seem to succeed in building community, if “only” a cyber community. LIfe is complicated.
August 7, 2026: Strategies to Re-Enchant the World (GG)
Mythology can be very useful—like, for instance, the teaching tale of King Midas who turned everything to gold, only to realize that he could no longer touch anyone he loved, nor eat any food. Currently, we’re living in a time that seems devoid of morals. What are our strategies in confronting evil? One way is to hold rituals and create community. For instance, chanting as a form of protest and resistance to ICE. We can also “re-enchant the world,” a notion dear to the Creation Spirituality community. Philosopher Byung Chul-Han, who wrote The Disappearance of Rituals, suggests recreating a society in which the ritual community is a community of listening and collective belonging, a community in calm harmony with silence.**
August 8, 2026: The Silver Lining & Good News in America’s March to Fascism (MF)
There is a silver lining? Yes. Americans are beginning to learn the meaning of solidarity. Many millions have showed up for the “No Kings” rallies these past two years. And Minneapolis has been a shining example of standing up en masse against the tyranny of ICE. In addition, all over the country commiunities have been rallying to fight the efforts of this administration/regime to buy gigantic warehouses in order to turn them into concentration camps. Furthermore, more and more people, powered in large part by the voices of young people, are speaking out about the genocide in Gaza. May this bode well for the midterm elections!
*Fred Hageneder, The Spirit of Trees.
**Byung-Chul Han, The Disappearance of Rituals: A Topology of the Present.
Banner image: Cernunnos, known in Celtic mythology as a god of nature and fertility, is perhaps related to Green Man. Green Man is more connected with vegetation, and Cernunnos with the animal kingdom. Both are symbols of the sacred masculine. <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cernunnos#/media/File:Gundestrupkedlen-_00054_(cropped).jpg“>Photo</a> Wikipedia.<a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en“</a>
Related Reading by Matthew Fox
The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, and Jennifer Listug, Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
1 thought on “Week of 8/3-8/2026: The Green Man, Myths, Neoliberalism”
Re ritual: I heard yesterday on the CBC about the return of the Rave, where large numbers of young people gather out-of-doors to sing and dance. This bodes well, I believe.