Original Blessing & Mysticism

Matthew Fox

April 8-10, 2005

Since Augustine, many Christians (including Cardinal Ratzinger, Jerry Falwell, and Mel Gibson) and many consumer-driven capitalists have pinned their religious faith on the idea of original sin, an idea denied by Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Celtic Christianity, and Unitarian Universalism. Original sin is also denied by Matthew Fox, a Dominican priest, theologian, writer, and teacher who has been called “a green prophet” by the Archbishop of Canterbury and a dangerous radical, heretic, and blasphemer by the Vatican.

In his best-known work, Original Blessing, Fox rejects the idea of our innate sin and inevitable punishment and proposes a creation-centered spirituality — a philosophy of mystical artistry, universal compassion, and the celebration of the divine within each human soul. Creation-centered spirituality blends science (knowledge of creation), mysticism (experiential union with creation), and art (expression of our awe at creation). When Original Blessing replaces Original Sin, relationships of awe, of passion and compassion, of love for justice and for the earth, are resurrected.

Mysticism is the direct experience of divinity. It can be found within ourselves, our communities, our earth, and the universe itself. Mystics seek to enter, firsthand, the awesome mystery of the universe and our existence within it. We are born mystics and we are all mystics as children, but this gift is taken from us as we grow up.

How do we work through confusion, what mystics have called the “dark night of the soul” and what we might call the “dark night of our species”? We need a spirituality that brings wisdom back to our daily lives. We will explore our own mystical journeys and hopefully experience our original blessing as we discuss, dance, imagine, and play with this emerging Western mysticism.

Matthew Fox is a controversial and influential theologian known for reviving the tradition of Creation Spirituality and as a compelling voice for progressive causes. He was ordained a Dominican priest in 1967, earned a Doctorate in Spirituality, summa cum laude, from the Institut Catholique de Paris, where “he is remembered as one of the most distinguished students ever to receive a doctorate.” Many academic theologians refer to Dr. Fox as “the next Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.” (NY Times). He was silenced by the Vatican and later dismissed from the Dominican order, after which he was received as an Episcopal priest. Matthew is the energetic, articulate, and prolific founder and president of the University of Creation Spirituality and author of 23 books, including Original Blessings, which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies. He is a gentle, humorous, compassionate, and tender man who lectures throughout the world. His influence is towering and we are honored to welcome him back to Rowe.

“Matthew Fox might well be the most creative, the most comprehensive, surely the most challenging religious spiritual teacher in America.”

“If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, that would suffice.”