430. Matthew Fox

Matthew Fox is a spiritual theologian, an Episcopal priest, and an activist.  As a spiritual theologian he has written 34 books that have been translated into over 60 languages. Among them are Original Blessing, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, A Spirituality Named Compassion, The Reinvention of Work, The Hidden Spirituality of Men, Christian Mystics, and The Pope’s War. He has contributed much to the rediscovery of Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart and Thomas Aquinas as pre-modern mystics and prophets. Fox holds a doctorate in the history and theology of spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris. The founder of the University of Creation Spirituality in California, he conducts dozens of workshops each year and is a visiting scholar at the Academy for the Love of Learning in Santa Fe, NM.

In joining the Episcopal church over 20 years ago, Fox has been working with young people to reinvent forms of worship by bringing elements of rave such as dance, dj, vj and more into the Western Liturgy.  The Cosmic Mass has been celebrated over 100 times and in dozens of cities in North America.

Fox is recipient of the Abbey Courage of Conscience Peace Award (other recipients being the Dali Lama, Mother Teresa, Ernesto Cardenal and Rosa Parks), the Gandhi King Ikeda Award, the Tikkun National Ethics Award and other awards.

His latest books are Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action; Stations of the Cosmic Christ; and A Way to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey. He teaches regularly at the Fox Institute for Creation Spirituality in Boulder, CO and resides in Vallejo, CA.

Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded November 11, 2017.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:07 – The Everyday Buddha
  • 00:08:31 – Democratizing the Mystical Experience and Contemplative Wisdom
  • 00:13:09 – Taming the Reptilian Brain
  • 00:17:28 – Celebrating Love as a Theophany
  • 00:25:39 – Shifting Human Consciousness and its Impact on the Planet
  • 00:30:08 – Laudato Si and the Destruction of Coral Reefs
  • 00:33:59 – The Environmental Crisis
  • 00:38:25 – The Impact of War and Peace
  • 00:42:27 – Becoming an Episcopal Priest 
  • 00:46:14 – The Difference Between Spirituality and Religion
  • 00:50:37 – The Beginnings of the Creation Tradition
  • 00:55:17 – Creation Spirituality and the Cosmic Christ
  • 00:59:15 – Cosmic Imagery in Religious Teachings
  • 01:03:05 – The Immensity of Intelligence in Creation
  • 01:06:56 – The Relationship Between Enlightenment and Compassion
  • 01:11:00 – The Power of Denial and Its Consequences
  • 01:14:50 – Chosen Ignorance
  • 01:19:02 – The Four Paths of Spiritual Journey
  • 01:23:06 – The Power of Compassion and Healing
  • 01:26:50 – A Doctorate in Spirituality
  • 01:30:35 – The Murder of Thomas Merton
  • 01:34:18 – Merton’s Mystical Experience in Downtown Louisville
  • 01:38:15 – Reality and Metaphysics
  • 01:43:03 – Joy and Consciousness in the Universe
  • 01:47:06 – Sat-chit-ananda and the Joy of Creating
  • 01:51:09 – Accessing the Inner Joy and Happiness
  • 01:55:25 – The Intellect and Values
  • 01:58:37 – Invitation to All Lifestyles and Traditions
  • 02:01:42 – Thinking outside the box

420. Cynthia Bourgeault

The Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, Ph.D., is an Episcopal priest, teacher, writer, and internationally acclaimed retreat leader. A student of Fr. Thomas Keating, Bruno Barnhart, Beatrice Bruteau, and the Gurdjieff Work, she has made her mark exploring Wisdom Christianity and the often overlooked lineage of Christian nonduality. Founding Director of the Contemplative Society in Victoria BC and the Aspen Wisdom School, she now serves as one of the core faculty, together with Richard Rohr, OFM, and James Finley, of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM. When not teaching internationally, she resides in her seaside hermitage on Eagle Island, Maine.

Websites:

Books:

Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

2nd BatGap interview with Cynthia.

Interview recorded Sept. 30, 2017

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:50 – Religious Thought and Spiritual Questions
  • 00:09:22 – The Consciousness of Jesus and Its Distortion
  • 00:13:47 – Finding the Right Path and Listening to the Heart of Hearts
  • 00:18:09 – A Journey Towards Self-Discovery
  • 00:23:02 – Three Centered Awareness and the Criticism of Divided Attention
  • 00:27:25 – Witnessing and the Gurdjieff Work
  • 00:32:07 – The Origins of Centering Prayer
  • 00:36:46 – Origins of Centering Prayer
  • 00:41:14 – Understanding Katha Fatik and Apophatic Prayer
  • 00:45:51 – Surrender into Silence
  • 00:50:06 – The Natural Process of Thoughts Emerging
  • 00:54:28 – The Influence of a Book on Meditation
  • 00:58:39 – Deepening the Sense of Connectedness
  • 01:03:29 – Deep inspiration and insight
  • 01:07:41 – The Importance of All Sacred Traditions
  • 01:12:02 – Reincarnation and Remembering Past Lives
  • 01:17:01 – Thought-form climates and responsible manifestation
  • 01:21:41 – The Purpose of Meditation
  • 01:26:00 – The Importance of a Healthy Neurophysiology and Overcoming Fear
  • 01:30:48 – The Limitless Nature of Divine Love
  • 01:35:27 – Levels of Consciousness and Non-Duality
  • 01:40:28 – The Non-dual Level of Christianity
  • 01:45:17 – Non-duality and the Living Experience
  • 01:49:58 – Embracing Technology and Skillful Action
  • 01:54:42 – Devotion and the Heart
  • 01:59:14 – The Embodied Heart
  • 02:04:12 – The Heart as Mediator between the Individual and the Universal
  • 02:08:50 – Letting go and returning the heart to its pure state
  • 02:13:37 – The Fear of Falling and Being Human
  • 02:17:49 – Concluding Remarks and Next Guest

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338. Matthew Wright

The Rev. Matthew Wright is an Episcopal priest, writer, and retreat leader working to renew the Christian Wisdom tradition within a wider interspiritual framework.  He writes a monthly column, Belonging, for Contemplative Journal and serves as priest-in-charge at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock, NY.  Matthew lives with his wife, Yanick, alongside the brothers of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY.  You can learn more about his work through the Center for Spiritual Resources.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview conducted 3/12/2016

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction of Matthew Wright
  • 00:03:06 – The Second Axial Age
  • 00:07:03 – Questioning Fundamentalist Worldview
  • 00:10:48 – The Components of Traditional Spiritual Systems
  • 00:14:53 – The Living Presence of Jesus and Buddha
  • 00:19:14 – The Presence of Departed Loved Ones
  • 00:23:01 – Spiritual Journey to India
  • 00:27:07 – The Encounter with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
  • 00:30:41 – Unfolding, Awakening Body: The Body of Christ
  • 00:34:44 – The Importance of Periods of Withdrawal
  • 00:38:49 – Establishing Centers of Coherence
  • 00:42:19 – The Palpable Atmosphere of Worship Centers
  • 00:46:08 – Cultivating the Heart and Awakening
  • 00:50:32 – Ego and Enlightenment
  • 00:54:43 – The Power of Devotion
  • 00:58:31 – Cultivating Qualities in Devotion
  • 01:02:15 – Teilhard de Chardin and Second Axial Age
  • 01:05:50 – The Bodhisattva Vow and the Emergence of Second Axial Consciousness
  • 01:09:52 – Convergence and Creative Unions in Evolution
  • 01:14:11 – Evolving Consciousness through Contemplative Practice
  • 01:18:10 – The Importance of Keeping the Experiment Going
  • 01:21:38 – The Universal Voice of Jesus in the Gospel of John
  • 01:25:25 – Fear and belief in spiritual teachings
  • 01:28:30 – The Shaky Ground of Belief
  • 01:32:15 – The Call to Step into the Consciousness of Jesus’s Lived Experience
  • 01:35:45 – Moving Beyond the Masculine-Feminine Binary
  • 01:40:13 – The Role of Nurturance and Femininity in Addressing Environmental Issues
  • 01:44:31 – The Enlivenment of Consciousness and the Diversity of Being
  • 01:48:25 – Diving Deep or Surface Skimming
  • 01:52:17 – Cynthia Bourgeault and Richard Rohr at SAND Conference
  • 01:54:54 – Farewell and Thanks