Q&A with Matthew Fox
Read below to find out about 7 Mystics on Creation & Spirituality to Energize Your Future With Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Can’t make it live? After each class, video and audio recordings are available to download and watch anytime.
Become an agent of compassion and equity through the revelatory wisdom of creation mystics such as Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Berry, Hildegard of Bingen, and Julian of Norwich.
Life can be win-win for those who are courageous enough to move beyond their fears to create the life they dream of with curiosity, hope, and inspired action.
It has been said that to be humble is to befriend one’s earthiness.
To make friends with the earth in our bones, the air in our lungs, the water in our bodies, and the fire of creation within our souls is to regard ourselves and each other as sacred echoes of nature itself and the Divine.
Mystic wisdom contends that as we become more humble, a bridge between the soul of the Earth, our psyches, and the cosmos is created…
… allowing the sacred to once again flow unimpeded into every facet of our lives.
It’s an idea that feels far removed from the self-serving take, use, and dispose model for living that has long impeded the evolution of humanity.
This mindset has also led to mistreatment of the Earth and the Divine Feminine that exists within all life.
It’s painfully obvious that we live in a world that has devalued our sacred Earth heritage and the deep feminine wisdom and wellspring of sustenance that it provides…
… choosing competition over collaboration, power over versus power with — demanding more from each other than we do from ourselves and warring against our shared Divine nature and physical needs in the process.
But as theologian and prolific author Matthew Fox teaches, there is still time for us to grow into our sacred selves and create waves of enduring positive change for ourselves, each other, and our planet.
During this inspiring and hopeful course with Matthew, you’ll explore the wisdom of seven profound mystics and be blessed by their guidance on how to act with compassion, reverence, and luminosity in our postmodern age.
We believe that spiritual awakening is at the heart of how we birth a new era for humanity. These mystics offer some of the most relevant, timely, and penetrating wisdom for how to awaken your deepest self and love and act on behalf of our planet.
Matthew will share practices from these profoundly realized beings to help us tame the reptilian brain, which is the part of you that’s motivated by fear and operates from a win-lose mindset.
He’ll guide you through meditations that awaken the sacredness of creation, expand your consciousness, explore the microcosm and macrocosm, and ultimately, bring more joy into your life.
You’ll explore art as meditation… be led back to sanity and reverence for the Earth through the poetry of Mary Oliver… and explore the true nature of consciousness and the idea that we are all other Christs and other Marys with Meister Eckhart.
You’ll learn how to shift out of humanity’s anthropocentric plight through Hildegard of Bingen’s teachings… explore Thomas Merton’s interfaith approach on how to experience the sacredness of nature, social justice, and eco-justice… and honor the act of Motherhood as an aspect of divinity with Julian of Norwich.
These seven mystics offer a mosaic of wisdom and a depth of realization that can inspire you into your depths and heights.
Ultimately, you’ll reclaim the sacred that exists with you, others, and our planet by reconnecting with nature and the goodness of your own soul.
Join us to become an agent of compassion, eco-justice, equity, and hope through the revelatory wisdom of these profound modern and premodern mystics.
During this thought-provoking course on the timely wisdom of modern mystics, you’ll:
- Become an agent of compassion, eco-justice, equity, and hope through the revelatory wisdom of seven profound modern mystics
- Discover Creation Spirituality to align with and embody the sacredness of life
- Glean insights and guidance on how to live with compassion, reverence, and luminosity in the postmodern age
- Learn how to recover the sacred when it has been lost, as taught by Thomas Berry and by Mary Oliver
- Tame the reptilian brain to move beyond a warring mindset and the envy and hatred that nurtures it
- Learn the psychology of microcosm and macrocosm, as taught by Hildegard
- Discover the human journey in the context of the cosmos itself
- Experience guided meditations to awaken the sacredness of creation, expand your consciousness, explore the microcosm and macrocosm, and bring more joy into your work and personal worlds
- Enter the poetry of Thomas Merton, and be immersed in poetic meditations by Julian of Norwich and the paintings of Hildegard
- Discover how we are all other Christs and other Marys (or Buddhas or Images of God) and birthers of the divine son or daughter
- Explore Motherhood as an aspect of divinity — and how learning to act with compassion toward yourself, others, and the Earth is a beautiful expression of this
- Gain a fresh perspective of the goodness of God in nature — including human nature
- Learn how Julian of Norwich’s commitment to Creation Spirituality sustained and grounded her as she lived through the great bubonic plagues of the 14th century
- Discover how integral art and creativity are to prophetic movements and action — including for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Jesus
- Reimagine the role of elders and the necessary and special role they play with the young, birthing together intergenerational wisdom
— Bestselling Author Mirabai Starr: “Matthew Fox Will Go Down in History as One of the True Spiritual Geniuses of Our Age”
— Bestselling Author Andrew Harvey: “Matthew Will Illumine Your Life as He Has Illumined Mine”
What You’ll Discover in These 7 Weeks
In this 7-week transformational intensive, Matthew will guide you through the fundamental skills and competencies you’ll need to become an agent of compassion, eco-justice, equity, and hope through the revelatory wisdom of modern and premodern mystics, such as Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Berry, Hildegard of Bingen, and Julian of Norwich.
The Power of Livestreaming Video
You’ll connect with Matthew and experience his teachings through livestreaming video via any connected device. This connection is easy to use and will enhance the impact of Matthew’s transmissions. Or you can listen to just the audio by phone.
(Can’t make it live? No worries! After each class, the video and audio recordings will be available for you to download or stream in a high-quality format at your convenience.)
Weekly Sessions Tuesdays at 5:00pm Pacific
This course will feature LIVE teachings, interactive training sessions, experiential practices, and Q&A with Matthew. Each session will build harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices, tools, and principles you’ll need to become an agent of compassion, eco-justice, equity, and hope through the revelatory wisdom of mystics Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Berry, Hildegard of Bingen, and Julian of Norwich.
Module 1: Reclaiming & Experiencing the Sacred — Thomas Berry and Mary Oliver (June 7)
Thomas Berry observes that a lack of a sense of the sacred is what’s killing the Earth.
The need to recover the sacred is evident virtually everywhere at this time in history — whether climate change and our abuse of Mother Earth are the cause or the war in Ukraine and the lack of reverence for human beings.
Both are living proof of how profoundly and readily our species is out of touch with the sacred.
During the opening week of class, you'll be led back to sanity and reverence for our Earth and one another through the brilliant teachings of two current-day creation mystics, Thomas Berry and Mary Oliver.
As you reclaim the sacred, you’ll discover:
- There's still time to cultivate sacred relationships with the Earth and one another
- How you can recover the sacred when it has been lost, as taught by Thomas Berry and by Mary Oliver
- How to tame the reptilian brain and thus move beyond war and the envy and hatred that nurtures it
- A guided meditation to awaken the sacredness of creation
Module 2: Making the Universe the Center of Our Consciousness — Exploring Cosmology With Hildegard & Aquinas (June 14)
Hildegard, Aquinas, and the Creation Spirituality lineage — including the first chapter of Genesis in the Bible — allude to the idea that we are all here to serve the Universe. This is also the consciousness of Indigenous peoples… Mother Earth and Father Sky have birthed us all.
You’ll explore this idea in-depth and consider one of the principal reasons human beings have lost a sense of the sacred: the modern era left us with an anthropocentric, human-centered, essentially narcissistic (Pope Francis’ word) relationship to the world.
How do we move beyond such speciesism? Premodern thinkers like Hildegard and Aquinas, as well as the premodern wisdom of Indigenous peoples, teach these important truths.
You’ll draw on this wisdom to shift out of an anthropocentric way of living and into a life that consciously serves the Universe, the Earth, and each other.
This week, you’ll:
- Learn the psychology of microcosm and macrocosm as taught by Hildegard — which Carl Jung said is the psychology of the future
- Discover the human journey in the context of the cosmos itself
- Explore Aquinas’ perceptions on the most excellent thing in the Universe and the greatest thing about human beings
- Discover how humanity serves the Universe and the Earth — not just the ego — and how this relates to a bigger Self, which includes Earth, the Universe, and one another
- Experience a guided meditation with Hildegard’s paintings of the microcosm and macrocosm — humans and the Universe — as well as her music that sings of the same
Module 3: Consciousness in the Creation Spiritual Tradition — Meister Eckhart (June 21)
The true nature of consciousness is a hot topic in today’s science. Is it limited to humans? Hildegard didn’t think so. She said, “There is no creature that lacks an interior life.” Did this idea apply to the sun and the galaxies as well as rocks and stones?
Meister Eckhart teaches that “God is delighted to watch your soul enlarge.” He addresses consciousness and creativity with profound insight and offers practical applications for daily living and community-building. Echoes of his teachings can be found in Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim (Sufi) practices, as well as Indigenous teachings.
You’ll explore Eckhart’s thoughts on consciousness this week, and Matthew will guide you in a practice for expanding your consciousness.
This week, you’ll:
- Learn how to expand your consciousness through joy, love, and more
- Explore a four-fold path that names an expanding consciousness
- Learn how we relate to all other beings who are “gladly doing their best to express God” (Eckhart)
- Discover how other spiritual traditions parallel Eckhart’s and Hildegard’s awareness of the omnipresence of consciousness in the Universe
- Discover how we are all other Christs and other Marys (or Buddhas or Images of God) and birthers of the divine son or daughter
- Experience a guided practice to expand your consciousness
Module 4: Interfaith Wisdom — Thomas Merton’s Teachings on Deep Ecumenism (June 28)
Catholic monk Thomas Merton was one of the pioneers of deep ecumenism, or the practice of interfaith and interspirituality.
On Merton’s final journey — which was his first trip to Asia and which culminated in his death at a retreat center in Bangkok — he met many Hindu and Buddhist leaders. Among them was the young (then 33 years old) Dalai Lama, and the two became fast friends.
Many years later, when the Dalai Lama was asked what kind of God he believed in, he replied: “The God of Thomas Merton.” Merton was also very close to Thich Nhat Hanh, who nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
This week, you’ll explore Merton’s teachings on deep ecumenism and its meaning for us today.
As you explore interfaith wisdom, you’ll:
- Discover Thomas Merton’s big debt to Meister Eckhart
Learn about Merton’s profound encounters with D.T. Suzuki, the Japanese scholar who brought Zen to America and introduced Eckhart to Merton - Explore Merton’s respect for Indigenous wisdom and his naming of the genocide toward Indigenous peoples
- Be immersed in his rich teachings on the sacredness of nature, social justice, and eco-justice — and hear about his interaction with Rachel Carson
- Enter Merton’s poetry through a guided meditation
Module 5: Earth as Mother & the Return of the Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine — Julian of Norwich and Feminist Consciousness (July 5)
Behind much of the violence of war and the violence toward Mother Earth that has brought about climate change and the possibility of humanity’s extinction, lies the patriarchy’s compulsion for domination and dualism — and as Adrienne Rich names it, “fatalistic self-hatred.”
Creation Spirituality is a lineage that honors both masculine and feminine energies. It is nondualistic and rejects Augustine’s teaching that “spirit is whatever is not matter.”
This week, you’ll learn why Julian of Norwich is considered a champion of the ”Motherhood of God” and of nondualism — she taught, among other things, that “God is in our sensuality.”
This week, you’ll discover:
- How Julian’s nondualism is inherited from Aquinas, Mechtild, and Meister Eckhart
- How Julian develops — more richly than any theologian until the late 20th century — an understanding of “God as Mother,” and why God is delighted to be our Father and our Mother
- Motherhood as an aspect of divinity — and how learning to act with compassion toward yourself, others, and the Earth is a beautiful expression of this
- The importance of wisdom, as distinct from just knowledge alone
- A fresh perspective of the goodness of God in nature — including human nature
- How Julian’s commitment to Creation Spirituality sustained and grounded her as she lived through the great bubonic plagues of the 14th century
- Julian’s poetic meditations
Module 6: Discovering Art as a Spiritual Practice & Meditation With Hildegard, Meister Eckhart and Mary Oliver (July 12)
There are many kinds of meditation — sitting, walking, emptying the mind, introvert, and extrovert (which is also called art as meditation).
You’ll explore art as meditation — which is central to the Creation Spirituality tradition — through the works of Hildegard, Meister Eckhart, and Mary Oliver.
Hildegard said, “there is wisdom in all creative works,” and she committed herself to many forms of art as meditation, including composing and singing music… painting her visions and mandalas… creating recipes and cooking bodily medicines… writing poetry, lyrics, and books… and more.
It’s been said that Meister Eckhart offers an “entire philosophy of the artist.” And Mary Oliver’s poetry and the power of observation behind it are her primary forms of meditation, or “devotions” as she calls it.
This week, you’ll:
- Learn why psychologists Robert Ornstein and Claudio Naranjo teach that art as meditation (extrovert meditation) is “the way of the prophets”
- Discover how integral art and creativity are to prophetic movements and action — including for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Jesus
- Explore what Hildegard, Eckhart, and Mary Oliver teach about art as meditation
- Experience art as meditation through Mary Oliver’s poetry
Module 7: Reimagining the Future for Joyful, Wise & Inspired Living (July 19)
Recovering the sacred with the help of the Creation Spirituality mystics you have journeyed with is an exhilarating and empowering experience.
During your final class with Matthew, you’ll consider where to go next. How do you bring what you’ve learned and experienced into practice in your daily life and your work world, including unpaid work worlds such as parenting, grandparenting, and citizenship?
As you begin to reimagine the future for joyful and inspired living, you’ll:
- Explore implications and resources for reinventing education and your work or profession — and for reimagining economics, politics, and media, as well as deep ecumenism and interfaith ritual and celebration
- Reimagine the role of elders and the special and necessary role elders play with the young, together birthing intergenerational wisdom
- Experience a meditation on work and spirituality — and how you can bring joy to your work worlds, as well as the work of elders
The Creation & Spirituality Bonus Collection
In addition to Matthew’s transformative 7-week virtual course, you’ll receive these special bonuses with leading visionaries and teachers to complement the course and take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
PDF Excerpts From the Book by Matthew Fox
In this PDF excerpt from Matthew’s book, Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality, you’ll learn why he has devoted five decades to exploring the creation of spirituality traditions in Christianity and other world religions. As Matthew teaches, every person is graced with the capacity to be a mystic, an artist, and a prophet, and that all of us are called to actualize our sacred gifts in unique ways — and in doing so to enrich, sanctify, and celebrate life. These traditions affirm the inherent sanctity and creativity of the universe and all its inhabitants, and they assert that a central human mission is to cocreate a world of justice and compassion, beauty and peace, love and gratitude.
Original Blessing, Original Goodness, & Julian of Norwich
Video Dialogue With Matthew Fox and Robert Holden
In this video dialogue, British psychologist Robert Holden and Matthew discuss Julian of Norwich. How different the Catholic Church would have been if it had followed Julian of Norwich's teachings, they share. You’ll also explore how important it is to grieve loss with practices, how Julian was affected by Eckhart and Aquinas, and how he defines evil and brings the feminine and masculine together.
Cultivating Goodness, Joy & Awe: Falling in Love With the World
Video Teaching From Matthew Fox and Mirabai Starr
Modern mystic Mirabai Starr joins Matthew in this video chat, where the two discuss Julian of Norwich. The relevance of Julian’s teachings are everywhere, they say. Even though Julian lived through multiple waves of the Black Death — the pandemic that swept through Europe in the Middle Ages, decimating nearly half the population — she ceaselessly celebrated the miracle of life.
Intimate Course Debrief & Q&A
Live Session With Matthew Fox
In this intimate and Q&A-based exchange, you’ll receive an optional 8th module of class that allows you to return and debrief with Matthew on what you have learned. Matthew will help you integrate the sublime wisdom of the mystics and share insights on how you can apply it to your everyday life. You’ll also have time to share what you have been processing and already applying from class.
What Graduates of Matthew’s Courses Are Saying…
— Carol Vaccariello: “Thank you, Matt, for Being the Great Soul That You Are”
— Amy Van Linge: “Matthew Is an Amazing Scholar, a Mystic, a Prophet, and a True Visionary”
— Steve Mortimer: “Matthew Fox Is a Spiritual Obi-Wan Kenobi”
— Dominic Flamiano: “Matt Has Walked His Talk. He Has Preached and Paid the Price.”
“We highly recommend this opportunity to experience a mystical journey with Matthew.”
We appreciated Matthew Fox's knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion. The course is deeply engaging on many levels. We highly recommend this opportunity to experience a mystical journey with Matthew.
— Tim and Linda, Long Beach, California
“This course oozes the spaciousness and wisdom I have desired.”
I so appreciate the feminine being valued. This course oozes the spaciousness and wisdom I have desired.
— Dr. Carol Joyce, New York City
“... this course will help you to see the bigger picture in how we are meant to live our lives and co-create with nature and the Universe.”
If you are a Truth seeker and disenchanted with religion then this course will help you to see the bigger picture in how we are meant to live our lives and co-create with nature and the Universe.
— Carmelina, United Kingdom
“Matthew Fox is an excellent teacher, bringing the life, art, and teachings of Hildegard alive.”
Matthew Fox is an excellent teacher, bringing the life, art, and teachings of Hildegard alive. Inviting other teachers enriched the course, especially when they dialogued with Matthew. I will miss being with him each Tuesday night.
— Carolyn, Bluffton, South Carolina
“This course is much needed in a world that is quickly killing itself.”
This course opened my eyes to a female warrior who spoke, and acted on, truth. What a truly magnificent human being to have championed women in a time when they were not considered anything but property, to champion the earth and natural ways of living, and to question the motives and actions of the church to have more integrity, and not follow their own egos and agendas that benefitted them, not humankind. I have been given a great gift of St. Hildegard to begin modeling a new (old) way of living. Thank you, Matthew Fox, for bringing this to the masses. This course is much needed in a world that is quickly killing itself.
— Claire, Sonora, California
Join the Global Community
7 Mystics on Creation & Spirituality to Energize Your Future offers some of the most advanced online teachings available, within a thriving global community of learning and practice.
Join fellow students and practitioners to support and inspire each other as you integrate the teachings and practices Matthew Fox will share in this powerful training.
You’ll be part of an international community that’s on the leading edge of a global movement of people manifesting a world grounded in principles of cooperation, harmony, and reverence for all of life.
Here’s What You’ll Receive
Seven 90-Minute Class Sessions With Matthew Fox
Experience a unique opportunity to be mentored by and learn from renowned spiritual pioneer Matthew Fox, author of more than 35 books — from the comfort of your own home. Each class session includes a livestreaming video option and guides you to discover specific skills and abilities to become a steward of compassion, eco-justice, equity, and hope through the revelatory wisdom of modern mystics Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Berry, Hildegard of Bingen, and Julian of Norwich. Course sessions are on Tuesdays at 5:00pm Pacific.
Seven Video Recordings of Class Sessions
After each class, the digital video will be available for you to download or stream in a high-quality format. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can watch anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Seven Audio Recordings of Class Sessions
After each class, the audio will be available for you to download in high-quality MP3 format. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can listen anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Seven Transcripts of Class Sessions
In addition to the high-quality videos and MP3 audios, you’ll also receive the entire class transcription after each session is completed. You can then review, print, and highlight the most important insights and practices you were given.
Seven 30-Minute Interactive Group Practice Sessions
With live class attendance, there will be a 30-minute optional interactive practice session directly following each class. You’ll be placed in an intimate group with several other participants on the conference call to interact, share, and do additional practices to help you further integrate the weekly lessons. Practice sessions are available for live attendance only and are not recorded for playback. If you’re unable to attend the calls live, the Facebook online community group allows you to connect with each other and find alternative times to interact.
Interactive Exercises and Questions for Each Lesson
Between class sessions, you’ll have the option of completing related exercises, practicing new tools, and answering questions to accelerate your learning and integrate each week’s lesson.
Online Community
Our exclusive Facebook online community is the perfect place to continue your discovery process after each class. Here, you can continue the discussion about your course materials and interact with your fellow students to take your exploration to an even deeper level.
The Creation & Spirituality Bonus Collection
- Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
PDF Excerpts From the Book by Matthew Fox - Original Blessing, Original Goodness, & Julian of Norwich
Video Dialogue With Matthew Fox and Robert Holden - Cultivating Goodness, Joy & Awe: Falling in Love With the World
Video Teaching From Matthew Fox and Mirabai Starr - Intimate Course Debrief & Q&A
Live Session With Matthew Fox
An Unprecedented Opportunity to Join the 7 Mystics on Creation & Spirituality to Energize Your Future Online Training
We feel honored that Matthew Fox has chosen to partner with The Shift Network to offer this exclusive LIVE online training. This is a unique opportunity to interact directly with a renowned spiritual pioneer and author of more than 35 books whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and awaken ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about becoming a steward of compassion, eco-justice, equity, and hope through the revelatory wisdom of modern mystics Mary Oliver, Thomas Merton, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Berry, Hildegard of Bingen, and Julian of Norwich, then you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, and our world to take this one-of-a-kind training.
If you’re ready to take the next step in evolving yourself, click the register button below to reserve your space now.
Your Satisfaction Is 100% Guaranteed!
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! If you don’t absolutely LOVE 7 Mystics on Creation & Spirituality to Energize Your Future — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form on or before June 21, 2022 and we’ll happily issue qualifying customers a refund.
More Praise for Matthew Fox…
“[Matthew is] a major teacher and guide.”
I think of Matthew Fox as “God’s Talent Scout” for all the pivotal figures and ideas he has reclaimed for the reform of Christianity. He knows the sources and translates them into modern idioms for the rest of us! What he has done with Hildegard, Eckhart, and Aquinas makes him a major teacher and guide.
— Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico
“Matthew Fox is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of spirituality.”
Matthew Fox is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of spirituality. He has redefined what healthy spirituality is, and what it is not. We should place him at the same level of cultural importance as Thomas Berry, Gandhi, and Dr. King.
— Steve Mortimer, Black Chapel Collective
“If one person deserves credit for the great Hildegard renaissance in our time, it is Matthew Fox.”
If one person deserves credit for the great Hildegard renaissance in our time, it is Matthew Fox. Here in the long-lost legacy of Hildegard of Bingen, Fox found blindingly beautiful paintings, radiant writings overflowing with fresh insights of the deepest kind, prophetic wisdom, and engaged political spirituality. Here was a mystical genius who could help to illuminate the human soul spirituality, ecologically, politically — in every dimension of life.
— Mary Ford-Grabowsky, author of Sacred Voices
“History will name Fox one of the great Christian spirits of our age.”
— John Shelby Spong, author of A New Christianity for a New World
About Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox a prolific author of books dedicated to renewing the ancient tradition of Creation Spirituality, including Original Blessing, A Spirituality Named Compassion, and Christian Mystics. This earth-based mystical tradition is feminist, welcoming of the arts and artists, honors Indigenous wisdom, works with science, and is committed to interfaith approaches and eco, social, and gender justice.
Matthew’s effort to reawaken the West to its own mystical tradition has sparked awareness of Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, and the mysticism of Thomas Aquinas, as well as the wisdom tradition that nurtured Jesus. His work helps reconnect science and spirituality by honoring the sacredness of the cosmos and interacting with contemporary scientists who are also mystics. He believes that “by reinventing work, education, and worship, we can bring about a nonviolent revolution on our planet.”
Matthew received his doctorate summa cum laude in the History and Theology of Spiritualities from the Institut Catholique de Paris. A member of the Dominican Order for 34 years, he established an Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality that operated for seven years at Mundelein College in Chicago, and for 12 years at Holy Names University in Oakland.
He founded the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland in 1996 and was president and professor until 2005, when he left to create a pilot project to reinvent the educational experience for inner-city teenagers.
Matthew is a recipient of many awards, including the Gandhi King Ikeda Award from Morehouse College, which is awarded for dedication to peace, unity, nonviolence, and justice. He also received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award; other recipients have included the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and Rosa Parks. He is currently a visiting scholar at the Academy for the Love of Learning in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s a virtual course?
A: It’s a great way to engage live and pre-recorded teachings and each other from the comfort of your home! All you need is a computer, mobile device, or telephone. If there’s more than one person in your household taking the course, you’ll each need your own connection. We use Zoom video conferencing to make it just like an in-person event, where you can ask questions and deepen your exploration of the course themes.
There’s no additional charge for connecting to Zoom with your computer or mobile device. Please note that dialing Zoom from your telephone is a toll call; your telephone service provider will charge you according to your existing long-distance calling plan. International access numbers are available.
“I’ve never seen a course so well put together ever...”
I had never participated before in an online course. The packaging, presentation, inclusion, and Facebook postings created a wonderful, safe cocoon within which to participate. I’ve never seen a course so well put together ever — not in all the years of taking college classes — and I had my doubts about doing an online course. The wealth of organization and ease of learning materials and support made this fun as well.
— Claudia F., Medford, Massachusetts
Q: Can I get benefit from the course if I miss the live classes?
A: Absolutely! You can download the recordings and transcripts of all course sessions from our online media archive, so you never need to worry about missing live calls. You can also engage the full community and leaders on our private online community group.
Q: Can you tell me about the private online community group?
A: We’ll have a private online community group for all course participants on Facebook that will support you in making connections with others, sharing insights, engaging in discussions, and completing homework assignments that can supplement your transformational journey. You’ll have the ability to share your experiences, projects, and growth throughout the course.
Q: Are there scholarships available for this training?
A: Yes, we always make a certain percentage of spaces available for partial scholarships, for those who otherwise would not be able to enroll at the regular rate. If you’d like to apply for a scholarship, please review our guidelines, which include a link to our online application form.
Q: What’s your refund policy?
A: Your satisfaction with The Shift Network and this course is our highest priority! We offer a satisfaction guarantee so that you can sample the course risk-free. The deadline to receive a full refund is June 21, 2022. To request a refund, please click on this refund request form and submit your request. Qualifying refunds will be processed within five business days and an email confirming the refund will be sent. However, we’d love to have a chance to address and resolve your concerns first. If there’s something we can assist you with, please email us at support@theshiftnetwork.com and we’ll be happy to help! (No refund requests accepted after the above date or with scholarship awards.)
Q: How can I reach Customer Support?
A: Please visit our Customer Support Center, where you should be able to find the answer to your question or the solution to your problem. And if you can’t, you can submit an online request form and we’ll get right back to you.
