We have been meditating this week on the “I am” sayings of Celtic prayer and poetry as well as those of the Christ in John’s gospel in order to build up the spiritual warrior in each of us as a godless fascism assaults our country daily on many fronts. The “I am” motif is found in the East as well as the West.
In the Bhagavad Gita, we read this litany of Divinity.
poem in Irish lore, set to music and
sung by DM team member Rosanna
Tufts. For the lyrics, see her
instrumental version.
I am the Father and Mother of the world.
In ancient days, I established it.
I am what needs be known, what purifies.
Your way and goal, upholder, friend, witness, dwelling, refuge, friend.
The world’s origin, continuance and dissolution, abiding essence, seed.
I am deathlessness and death.
I am the entire world.
I am the beginningless unborn, the Spirit of the world.
I am the soul which dwells in the heart of all things.
In the Gita we also find the following poem:
O son of Kuni, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire.
I am the life of all that lives and I am the penances of all ascetics.
O son of Pritha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the powers of all powerful men….
I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within me….
I give heat, and I withhold and send forth the rain. I am immortality, and I am also death personified. Both spirit and matter are in me.
Hildegard of Bingen offers this “I am” poem.
God says: I am the day unto myself,
Not formed by the sun, but rather, forming the sun, igniting it.
I am the understanding not understood, but rather, allowing all
understanding, illuminating it.
I am the one whose praise echoes on high.
I adorn all the earth.
I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.
I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits.
I am led by the spirit to feed the purest streams.
I am the rain coming from the dew that causes the grasses to laugh with
the joy of life.
I call forth tears, the aroma of holy work.
I am the yearning for good.
And Julian of Norwich offers her “I am” poems.
Our Lord Jesus oftentimes said:
‘This I am.
This I am.
I am what you love.
I am what you enjoy.
I am what you serve.
I am what you long for.
I am what you desire.
I am what you intend
I am all that is.
And again:
God said:
‘This I am—the capability and goodness of the Fatherhood.
This I am—the wisdom of the Motherhood.
This I am—the light and the grace that is all love.
This I am—the Trinity.
This I am—the Unity.
I am the sovereign goodness of all things.
I am what makes you love.
I am what makes you long and desire.
This I am—the endless fulfilling of all desires.
Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from World Faith Traditions, pp. 174f., 180f.
See also: Fox, Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic—and Beyond, pp. 100-107.
See also: Fox, Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint For Our Times.
And Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ, pp. 51-84.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society.
And Fox, “Spiritual Warriorhood,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp. 404-422.
Banner Image: Cosmic oneness. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
Queries for Contemplation
Spend time meditating on one or more of the statements in one or more of these “I am” poems. For example: “I am what you serve.” Dwell on that, be with that truth. What depths does that meditation take you to? Do you feel stronger for the battles ahead in combatting antichrist energies swirling around us?
Recommended Reading
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic–and Beyond
Julian of Norwich lived through the dreadful bubonic plague that killed close to 50% of Europeans. Being an anchoress, she ‘sheltered in place’ and developed a deep wisdom that she shared in her book, Showings, which was the first book in English by a woman. A theologian way ahead of her time, Julian develops a feminist understanding of God as mother at the heart of nature’s goodness. Fox shares her teachings in this powerful and timely and inspiring book.
“What an utterly magnificent book. The work of Julian of Norwich, lovingly supported by the genius of Matthew Fox, is a roadmap into the heart of the eco-spiritual truth that all life breathes together.” –Caroline Myss
Now also available as an audiobook HERE.
Matthew Fox writes in Hildegard of Bingen about this amazing woman and what we can learn from her.
In an era when women were marginalized, Hildegard was an outspoken, controversial figure. Yet so visionary was her insight that she was sought out by kings, popes, abbots, and bishops for advice.
“This book gives strong, sterling, and unvarnished evidence that everything – everything – we ourselves become will affect what women after us may also become….This is a truly marvelous, useful, profound, and creative book.” ~~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism.
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
For immediate access to Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, order the e-book with 10 full-color prints from Amazon HERE.
To get a print-on-demand paperback copy with black & white images, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE.
To receive a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE.
Order the audiobook HERE for immediate download.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
