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.
September 14, 2026: Creation Spirituality, Original Blessing & Evil in the News This Week (MF)
When Pope Francis published the much-acclaimed encyclical on Laudato Si, about the environmental crisis on this Earth, Fox non-news called him “the most dangerous man on the planet.” Meanwhile, the International Theological Commission (ITD) recently published a study entitled, “Caring For Our Common Home: A Responsible & Fraternal Response to the Triune God.” The 36-page document carries on the vision of Pope Francis and was authorized by Pope Leo. A new category of sin comes through in this document, that of “Environmental Destruction,” called “a sin against God.” In the pope’s homily this month, he spoke of how “contemplating creation and encountering its creator” deepens “awareness of our particular place with God’s wondrous plan and of the responsibility that we bear both personally and collectively for preserving the original harmony.”
September 15, 2026: Evaluating the ITC Document on Care for Our Common Home, Part II (MF)
In yesterday’s DM and video, Matthew praised the recent document from the Vatican International Theological Commission on “Taking Care of Our Common Home.” Here he offers some critique of the document: The authors lead with a long theological discourse on the Trinity, which is not at all welcoming to other religious traditions. Why not begin with what we have in common and the work we need to accomplish together before time runs out for our species? Also, why isn’t this document officially translated into English? The current AI version often makes no sense. Thirdly, why call for an “ecological spirituality” when the great Pére Chenu already offers the perfect terminology with the phrase “creation spirituality,” a living movement with a rich theological heritage, a pedagogy for re-learning mysticism and the sacredness of things. Fourthly, it was Aquinas, not Bonaventure, who named Aristotle as the most important scientist of the Middle Ages in linking faith and science. Fifthly, the entire document lacks any mention of the essential role of the divine feminine in eco-spirituality. Overall, it’s an important document. Matthew would give it a B or B+.
September 16, 2026: The Black Madonna and the Archangel Michael (GG)
Gianluigi tells us that as a child, there were two sacred places he liked to visit (accompanied by adults.) They were the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna near the village of Oropa, and the Sacred Abbey of St. Michael the Archangel, both in Italy. For centuries, these two places were pilgrimage destinations, with pilgrims ascending the mountain on foot. GG continued to visit these two places as a teen and adult, such was their hold on him. Recently, his intuition told him to offer a retreat at both sacred sites. The Black Madonna sanctuary is steeped in anima energy, while the Abbey of St. Michael exudes animus energy. The beauty, spaciousness, and energy of the sites offer space to breathe, meditate, dance, think, and live for eight days while diving deeper into our own inner journeys regarding gender and the interplay between male and female.
September 17, 2026: Hieros Gamos, Sacred Union (GG)
Mark, one of our readers, commented recently that we need a sacred union between the feminine and the masculine in order to move forward. GG replies that this is exactly Matthew’s point in his book, The Hidden Spirituality of Men. Mark commented further, saying: One way this manifests is in the rise of trans and non-binary folks. Gianluigi agrees and calls us to move beyond polarization on gender, saying it can be very helpful for the global human society at this time. In our next retreat in the Italian Alps, scheduled for 17-24 June 2027, the facilitators will be people who identify as women, as non-binary, and as men. Our points of reference will range from the historical to the contemporary, including issues of gender trauma and mystical visions.
September 18, 2026: Father Sky and Green Man (GG)
Gianluigi expounds upon a few ideas which Matthew presents in The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine. The book is organized around ten metaphors or archetypes of healthy masculinity. Matthew explores the archetype of Father Sky in many cultures. Matthew offers several interesting examples of how, for most of human history and in nearly every culture, the sky has been considered an abode for the Divine. The second archetype of healthy masculinity is that of the Green Man. He relates to nature, finding the essence of nature within our own nature. The Green Man acknowledges the power of his own sexuality. His rich sexuality…embodies the ongoing sexual and creative energy of the universe. Just as Father Sky and Mother Earth can be seen as symbolically married, Matthew says that the Green Man has a symbolic mate in the Black Madonna. When the Divine Feminine and the Sacred Masculine nurture and sustain one another, a new era might truly emerge.
September 19, 2026: Thom Hartmann & Gil Duran Speaking Truth To & About Power (MF)
Thom Hartmann wrote an important article recently on the occasion of the far-right election win in what was formerly East Germany. It is called: “Germany’s Far-Right and Trump’s Billionaires Are Proving FDR’s Darkest Warning Was Right.” In a speech in 1936, FDR talked of the “privileged princes of these new economic dynasties thirsting for power, reaching out for control over government itself.” Roosevelt made democracy work for working people and made “the morbidly rich pay for it” with 90% taxes. This worked for forty years when “America boasted the largest middle class the world had ever seen.” Today, however, the government is pouring “trillions into the money bins of Zuch, Musk, Trump, and Bezos.” Hartmann’s medicine for this democratic debacle is two-fold: Achieve a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. And to vote and get out the vote in this year’s national election.
Banner image: Marriage of Earth and Sky. Sacred Mt. Shasta in northern California. Photo by Cynthia Greb, used with permission.
Related Reading by Matthew Fox
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action
LETTERS TO POPE FRANCIS: Building a Church with Justice & Compassion
TRUMP AND THE MAGA MOVEMENT AS ANTICHRIST: Recognizing the Archetype of Evil in Our Time
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
