It seems that angels and demons are in the news this week. Two amazing Substack posts came my way that speak brilliantly of the evil of our time with depth and humor and appropriate satire.
The two pieces are titled “My Debate with Satan: Is Trump Your Masterpiece, or Your Replacement?” and “My Debate With Satan, Part II: The Final Combat, A Diabolical Confrontation On Inferno Politics: Standing Against Trumpism Without Losing Your Soul.” I recommend them highly; you can access each by clicking the linked titles above.
In these delicious exchanges, the pseudonymous author “Patrice Mersault” addresses the devil as “My Dearest Lord of the Pit,” and being addressed in return as “Mortal.” A flavor of the exchanges can be captured here:
Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I, the Great Adversary, would be so easily displaced?…Do you know how many Trumps I have seen?…Do not mistake vulgarity for mastery. Do not mistake bluster for dominion.
The brilliant repartee places the current crises in context. It also and necessarily brings in the antichrist by name.
Next week I just happen to be leading a new course, an inquiry into angels (and demons), along with two visits from British biologist Rupert Sheldrake based on the book we co-authored, The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet. The book has been translated into many languages and continues to resonate with many people. It draws on the teachings of three major theologians, Dennis the Areopagite, Hildegard of Bingen and Thomas Aquinas (of the 6th, 12th and 13th centuries respectively) who thought deeply about spirits or angels. Astoundingly, Rupert found that Aquinas’s teachings on angels parallel many of today’s teachings on quanta.
The course has three sessions to it. In the first, we will treat the teachings of Aquinas on angels and humans and contemporary angelologist Lorna Byrne, who spoke to me about the many “unemployed angels” on Earth today. Aquinas teaches about angels and intuition, how they “cannot help but love,” are light, “announcers of divine silence,” governors of the universe and more. Rupert Sheldrake will join us for 17 minutes from a video made especially for this class to discuss today’s science and Aquinas, and also the role of angels in the unfolding of the universe according to Alfred Russell Wallace who was, along with Charles Darwin, a launcher of evolutionary theory.
In Session Two we will explore the teachings of Hildegard of Bingen on angels. She believed angels were involved in developing human language, and that they deeply admire human work and are involved in worship or ceremony. She sees their nature as a “glowing burning” and “living light” and their work as “cosmic praise.” We will meditate on two paintings by Hildegard on angels and will also invite angels and Hildegard’s presence by way of her music. And see how angels support humans in our struggle for ecological and social justice.
In Session Three, we pose questions for our times about humanity and the future unfolding of the universe and what role the angels might play in that future. Rupert will again join us from a pre-recorded conversation made for this discussion. We explore what evolution and the new sciences teach us about reconsidering the role of angels in the past and future. Traditional teachings of religion and angelology are not enough.
With a new cosmology and a new Earth crisis, new questions arise. How can angels assist us today to think more cosmically and get over our anthropocentrism that is destroying the Earth? How can angels assist us to renew worship? And to combat evil? And more.
See Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake, The Physics of Angels.
And Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ.
And Fox, The Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen.
Banner image: Hierarchy of angels: “All Beings Celebrate Creation,” from Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias.
Queries for Contemplation
Have you had experiences with angels or spirits, whether positive or negative ones?
Recommended Reading
The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science & Spirit Meet
By Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake
When was the last time a scientist and a theologian discussed angels together? What are angels? Many people believe in angels, but few can define these enigmatic spirits. Now visionary theologian Matthew Fox and acclaimed biologist Rupert Sheldrake—pioneers in modern religious thinking and scientific theory—launch a groundbreaking exploration into the ancient concept of the angel and restore dignity, meaning, and joy to our time-honored belief in these heavenly beings.
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.
Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen
An introduction to the life and work of Hildegard of Bingen, Illuminations reveals the life and teachings of one of the greatest female artists and intellectuals of the Western Mystical Tradition. At the age of 42, she began to have visions; these were captured as 36 illuminations–24 of which are recorded in this book along with her commentaries on them.
“If one person deserves credit for the great Hildegard renaissance in our time, it is Matthew Fox.” – Dr Mary Ford-Grabowsky, author of Sacred Voices.
