Creation Spirituality is the name given by Matthew Fox to the ancient Wisdom Tradition of the Yahwists, The Sages, the Prophets, Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Irenaeus, Benedict, Hildegarde, our seraphic father Francis, and many others. It is the tradition of faith and wisdom that comes in and out of favor throughout the history of religion. It is heart of the faith and practice of the church. This exploration of Creation Spirituality is from the point of view of the Creation's Paths, which is my decades of experience, practice, and thought. It is inspired by Original Blessing and Creation Spirituality by Matthew Fox, and may other works of his. ## This is not Fall and Redemption Creation Spirituality is free from the problems of the Fall and Redemption ideology that has poisoned the Christian Church. Fall and redemption theology teaches that the world is evil, degenerate, and a foul dark, dark dismal place. They believe the actions of one man and one woman, Adam and Eve, broke the whole world through eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is a misreading of the story that empowers the few to control and dominate the many. Creation Spirituality disagrees. We very wholeheartedly disagree with that because we believe, as the original writers of the Hebrew Scriptures believed, that the world was created Ki tov. It was created good. It was created very good and the world itself is our original blessing. We do believe in what we call the original wound. For me, I believe this is something that happens to most of us in childhood. The moment that we lose our innocence. The moment that we leave our personal Garden of Eden and realize that the world is not all sunshine and roses. It happens to people of different ages and it affects us for the rest of our lives. I also incorporate the Ari's Shevirat ha-Kelim (Shattering of the Vessels) as part of my cosmology. In this tale, the first creation was too perfect and thus shattered when the power of God flowed into it. Perfect things cannot change, because change implies imperfection, to they were inflexible and shattered as the power of God entered them. This story underpins the mysticism and prophetic work of Tikkun Olam, the restoration of the world, but it does not imply that our world is broken. It was the world before ours. Our world is a blessing. Our world is to perfect it for the generations that come after us. ## Faith It is easy to see the difference between Creation Spirituality and the Fall and Redemption school that works to repress it. For the child of Wisdom, faith is trust, not the ascent to beliefs which Augustine taught. Faith is trust: - Trust in the blessing of creation (Via Positiva) - Trust in presence of God (Via Negativa) - Trust in the images of faith (Via Creativa) - Trust in the work of compassion all believers are called to (Via Transformativa) Our faith is trust not only in the Bible, but that God is the one in whom “we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28):” a God who through Jesus Christ saved the whole world, and through the Holy Spirit who guides us to all truth (John 14:16-18; John 16:7-14). We reject the patriarchy of the flesh, and welcome all into our community, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:27-28).” If I tell you I have faith in the CSC (Creation Spirituality Communities), it's because I trust that everyone in the CSC is doing their best to make the world a better place and I really truly believe that I wouldn't have joined if I wasn't sure that that was the case. I have faith in my husband. I know he loves me. I know we have been together for decades and I know that that faith has been returned over and over and over again. I trust him. I trust in God because in my darkest hours and in my greatest triumphs I have experienced the presence of the Divine. Sometimes that's really really hard. When my mother was in the hospital so many times with various ailments over the years it's not easy to just have faith, to believe that everything is happening as it happens. But I know that there is a good God. I know that there is a God who loves the universe and wants us all brought to them. I know because I have felt it. I have experienced it. I have seen it in my own life. Trust is so much harder than assent. I trust that Mary prays when I ask her to pray. I trust that when I partake of the Eucharist that I am partaking of the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. I trust these things not because I heard an idea and said OK that sounds interesting but because in my heart of hearts I have experienced the truth of it. It's a harder faith and that's why I think people prefer to have this idea that you just say, "OK well if that's what I have to Believe then OK."" No, it's not OK. We have to seek out truth and trust, as the apostle Paul said, "Seek out the truth with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12)." And we do in those darkest hours when we're asking ourself, "is there a God? Is there anything out there? Do I have a soul?" That's not easy. It's easy to just say well somebody told me, so okay. It's a lot harder to do the work ourselves. ## What is asked from us? We see the answer to this in the prophets, in the voices of Isaiah, and Jeremiah, the voices of Habakkuk and Micah. This voice that speaks out for the poor. This voice that speaks truth to power. This voice that tells us to take care of the widow and the orphan. This voice that tells us that God doesn't want our burnt offerings and sacrifices. He wants our love. >"What do I ask of you. Oh mortal but that you do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before your God (Micah 6:8)." This is what the prophets tell us. That's not an abstract moral code. That's not an overly intricate religious system that tells us that we must sacrifice and give blood to appease an angry and vicious God. That is a prophet telling us that at our very nature we are to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before our God. That is all that God asks of any of us. The Apostle Paul, who despite how he is often quoted, does not tell us how evil and foul we are. "Are we under the law. God forbid (Romans 6:15)!" We are under the liberation of the Spirit who comes to bring peace, who comes to bring ease, who comes to bring release to the captive. He tells us that whatever is not of conscience is sin (Romans 14:23). ## Sin For people who grew up in post-Christian and Christian societies, it is common to begin with sin. This isn't an accident or a mistake. In starting a relationship or conversation with an explanation of how the other person is broken sets the evangelist up in a position of power. The empire chose Augustinian Fall and Redemption Christianity over the others that predated it because it added to imperial power. That is why I call this form of Christianity, Imperial Christianity. The empire starts with sin, the fall, the darkness, the breaking, the evil. While it says that Jesus is the only one who can save us from this fallen, corrupted state, they are the only ones who can ensure you have actually received this salvation or grace properly. This gives them power over the believers. In the Creation Spiritual, we believe that it began with the word of God, the creative energy of God that gives life to all things. It makes things whole in Original Blessing. We do not believe as they do that we must be in control all the time. We believe in letting go. We believe in ecstasy. We believe in breakthrough. Sometimes we're not in control and we just have to accept that but we don't just give into it. We find the good, the holy, and the strong way through it. ## Grace The Imperial Church chose Augustine over Pelagius because Augustine empowered them. Pelagius taught there was three kinds of grace: - The Grace of Nature - The Grace of Illumination - The Grace of Forgiveness ### The Grace of Nature, or Original Grace >The first is what can be called the grace of nature, or original grace, by which he means that all is grace. The gift of this moment, the gift of the rising sun and of all that grows from the ground, the gift of our birth and our children’s births, the gift of thought and dreaming and waking and loving—all sheer grace. > > J. Philip Newell. Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul (pp. 35-36) Deeply tide with Original Blessing, this Original Grace is a salve to heal the mind, heart, and soul. It is so powerful that city planners and psychologists are rediscovering the power of this grace to heal, restore, and rejuvenate us. This grace is dangerous to the empire, and thus it must be denied and denigrated in order to maintain power. If nature is a source of Grace, then it cannot be used and abused for the benefit of empire and should be respected. Creation Spirituality seeks this grace through the green ray of nature, connecting us to our great cosmic origins, reminding us to be caretakers and respecters of the natural world. ### The Grace of Illumination >Also there is the grace of illumination, when we experience a cleansing of our inner sight and we see clearly again. > > J. Philip Newell. Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul (p. 36). Illumination is a process and not a destination. Our work is to clear our own eyes and not to judge others. As Jesus said: > Don't judge, so that you won't be judged. > > For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged: and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. > >Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but don't consider the beam that is in your own eye? > > Or how will you tell your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye;' and behold, the beam is in your own eye? > > You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye. > > Matthew 7:1-5 This is part of the what we do in the orange ray of [[the Great Work]] as we perform Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. ### The Grace of Forgiveness or Mercy >And, finally, there is the grace of forgiveness or mercy. When we have failed, when we have betrayed another, when we have done what is wrong, the grace of forgiveness is given that we may live again from our true depths. > > J. Philip Newell. Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul (p. 36). This grace is the Divine power that aids us in the work of Teshuvah, or returning to our understanding of our original nature as the Image of God, Original Grace found in nature, and finding the Original Blessing of the cosmos. It is part of the work in the purple ray of devotion. ## Cosmically Universal The fall and redemption tradition is particularistic, but we are "each particularist practitioners of a Universal Truth (Rami Shapiro. Minyan p. 48)." While they believe they are the only place to find truth. Jesus said he had other sheep that were not of this fold (John 10:16). We are universalist in this respect. Creation Spirituality takes universalism a bit further, extending it to the entire cosmos, since it is a source of Original Grace and Original Blessing. ## The Cosmic Christ We believe that Jesus is the Cosmic Christ: > who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. > > For by him were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and to him. > > He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. > > Colossians 1:15-17 As the incarnate and embodied word or Dabhar, Christ is beyond the limits all too often placed on him by the church. > Our faith is a light that naturally flows from our Father God, our Mother Christ, and our good Lord, the Holy Spirit. > > Julian of Norwich from Mirabai Starr. Showings of Julian of Norwich p. 220 We seek out and find the light of Christ in all things. ## God is Father, Mother, and Child None of the names or words that we apply to the Divine capture the reality of the God in whom we live, move, and have our being. They are all metaphors pointing to qualities and energies of the Divine that we experience, interact with, and participate in. God is Father, God is also mother, God is child. God is in all of us wanting to be born. God is mother pregnant with all of us hoping that we will be born in the fullness of the Divine Light. ## Creation Spirituality is the Wisdom Tradition This is the path of the mystics, the artists and the prophets— the teaching of Christ, the saints, and holy ones from faiths all over the world. > [!example] Elevator Pitch > Creation Spirituality is the simple way of listening for and to the voice of Wisdom in all things. As God is within us, and we are within God, the tender voice and guiding hand of the Creator, Liberator, and Sustainer cries out in the wisdom traditions of the world and in the sciences as we read the word of God written into the literal stone of the world and the words and works of the mystics, prophets, and sages. Creation Spirituality is great spiral dance we partake in as we live in this world. It isn’t a collection doctrines and practices we must adhere to for the salvation of our souls. It is descriptive, telling us what mystics, prophets, and artists have experienced and offers advice on how to live and experience these truths ourselves. > So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. > > Paul, Philippians 2:12 This is the secret rarely spoken about a life of faith, it isn’t about obeying great enlightened masters, it is a path we walk seeking to find truth, wisdom, and salvation for ourselves. Too many peddle easy, prepackaged salvation with their collections of practices and beliefs that only they can offer. They claim an exclusive or very special relationship with the Divine that requires others to follow them, buy their products, or constantly give them money. Beware the wolves who stalk the dark nights of the soul to prey upon hapless seekers to feed their own vanity, ego, and fortunes. ## Everyone’s experience of the Divine is their own. I share my beliefs and mystical experiences, because they have affected me profoundly, but I don’t expect anyone to share my opinions or find the same events to be as meaningful as I do. My purpose in sharing my thoughts and experiences is simple: we grow by sharing our experiences and learning from the experiences of others. This is the heart of Creation Spirituality. We learn from the mystics, artists, and prophets of our own and other traditions through Deep Ecumenism, and seek to collect the light we need to live our lives. As such, practitioners of Creation Spirituality come from many faiths, without judgement or any obligation to convert to another faith. When seeking out information on Creation Spirituality, many of the works of Matthew Fox are informed by his life as a Dominican Priest, and his exploration of the Christian Mystics. I would recommend his books that present the core ideas of Creation Spirituality: - Creation Spirituality - Original Blessing - One River, Many Wells - Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality The resources I offer as an introduction to Creation Spirituality are presented through the experience of my personal faith, study, and practice. ## The Four Paths of Creation Spirituality At the heart of Creation Spirituality are the Four Paths. These are the names we give to the four primary modes of engagement with life and the Divine. They do not run one after another in any particular order. We often find that we experience more than one at a time. This is the spiral dance of spirituality I mentioned earlier. The purpose of the paths is to give us common language to describe experiences that often defy language and classification. When we study, we should, as Matthew Fox always reminds us, start with the Via Positiva, because the positive way informs all the others and is too often and easily neglected in our lives. ### The Via Positiva: The Way of Bliss and Awe The first path on which we encounter the Divine is the Via Positiva, which literally means the positive way. I often call this the Path of Bliss and Awe or the Mystical Way, because those are the most common experiences we have here. Bliss and Awe are the different ways to experience the same thing, whether it is through encountering the Realm of God or practicing Cosmic Hospitality. When we are held in breathless awe by the beauty of nature, or feel a sense of interconnectedness, these are the core of the Via Positiva. This is the first path because many introductory spiritual practices belong to this path, whether devotions, dabhar (the Living Word), living in and understanding the Divine Realms, and the practices of cosmic hospitality, just to name a few. #### Themes of the Via Positiva - How to find and follow your bliss - Creation as a Blessing - The Nature of God: Yesh and Ayin - Wind of Wisdom and Understanding - Altar of Promise and Praise - Faith as Trust - Dabhar- The Word - The Frame of the World - Mediator - Jesus, the Scripture, and the Word of God - Creative Divine Energy - Divine Wisdom - Desiring to be Incarnated in us - One Flow - Word of Faith - Righteousness - Quality of Merging - Art of Savor - Holiness as Cosmic Hospitality - Cosmic | Universalist - Realized Escatology - Panentheism - Power of Healing - Place of Blending - Humility as earthiness - Royal Personhood ### The Via Negativa: The Path of Silence and Letting Go The second path on which we encounter the Divine is the Via Negativa, which literally means the negative way. An easy way to think abut this is as the path of Silence and Letting Go, or the Spiritual Way. This is where we encounter pain, emptiness, and other darker experiences. In the fall redemption world, we are told that suffering is the wages of sin. In Creation Spirituality, we believe that suffering is the birth pangs of the universe. Suffering is part of life. Suffering is what gives birth. Suffering happens. Suffering does not have a the ultimate divine purpose. Suffering is just... a thing. Suffering is something that happens to us and we learn to live with it. We learn to let go. That may not be the answer that people want to hear. It's so much easier to tickle people's ears was saying if you say these magic words all of your suffering will go away, all your pain will go away, but it won't. Those words are a lie. Storms are terrible things, but they renew the earth. Earthquakes are terrible things, but they renew the earth. Volcanoes are terrible things, but they renew the earth. Suffering is a terrible thing, but it renews the earth. We are in a universe that is trying to be born to its fullest potential and that entails a certain degree of pain. The universe like a mother in labor is groaning to bring about perfection, and we groan with her. #### Themes of the Via Negativa - Wind of YHVH - Altar of intimacy and Returning - Selah/Shalom: The Word of God in Silence - Equity - Quality of Mystery - Passion - Kenosis: Emptying: Letting Go - Balance - The Unknown God - Unfaith - Power of Illumination - Place of Concealment ### The Via Creativa: The Path of Creativity and Creation The third path on which we encounter the Divine is the Via Creativa, which literally means the Creative way. An easy way to think abut this is as the path of Creation and Creativity, or the Artist's Way. We believe in art as a form of spirituality. We don't believe in building up a church, but in building out the kingdom of God, the realm of God, the perfect world of God, the pure land of God into a harmonious and sustainable cosmos. #### Themes of the Via Creativa - Altar of the Walk of Faith - Wind of Balance and Counsel - Partner with God - Mythos - White Fire - Awen: Inspiration and Flow - Wise Behavior - Quality of Shining - Theosis: Our Divinization - Art as Meditation - Creativity - God as Mother - God as Child - Power of Balance - Place of Shining/Beginning ### The Via Transformativa: The Path of Transformation and Celebration The fourth path on which we encounter the Divine is the Via Transformativa, which literally means the transformativa way. An easy way to think abut this is as the path of Transformation and Celebration, or the Prophetic Way. #### Themes of the Via Transformativa - Path to Unity - Altar of the God who Provides - The Wind of Seeing YHVH - Satyagraha: Soul Force: The Word of God in Action - Justice - Quality of Cleansing - Prophecy: Living God - Teshuva: Repentance - Compassion - Tikkun Olam - The New Creation - Power of Reflection - Place of Cleansing/Rising ## Table of Contents ![[Creation Spirituality]]