Become a conduit for the Divine — addressing the most important philosophical questions of today’s troubled times — through the profound teachings of Meister Eckhart and other world mystics, poets, and religious traditions.
Immerse yourself in experiential self-compassion exercises for cultivating presence and forgiveness… freeing yourself from judgment, suffering, isolation, regret, and concerns about the future.
The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.
— Meister Eckhart (1260-1328), Dominican theologian, spiritual writer, philosopher, and mystic
As one of the foremost scholars of our time, Matthew Fox’s profound depth of religious, spiritual, and mystical knowledge is suffused with an acute awareness and sensitivity toward our timeless human struggles — and the unique possibilities that are still available to us.
Matthew explains that in this time of global uncertainty, the rise of authoritarianism, and the destruction of Mother Earth, true compassion — which resists injustice — is the single most important thing we need in order to mend ourselves and our broken world.
Compassion invites the noble self within us to rise while reinforcing what unites us — our shared time, space, experiences, challenges, and potential...
This interconnectedness is the call of the Divine — the inner upwelling of wisdom we need to live reverently, peacefully, and collaboratively... and become conduits from which a higher power and harmony can emerge.
In this deeply inspiring 7-week course with Matthew, you’ll explore compassion as the healing balm and Divine calling for our world today through the mystical teachings of Meister Eckhart, and the unifying threads of wisdom found in religious and spiritual texts, science, poetry, and art.
Compassion lies at the heart of Meister Eckhart’s spiritual teaching — and in the teaching of Jesus and his Jewish ancestors. The Dalai Lama has called compassion his religion.
All world spiritual traditions hold that compassion is key to an authentic spiritual life, healthy culture, and environment. But we must learn how to nurture it...
... first within us as compassionate self-love and then throughout the various social structures of our daily lives — our work, religious and spiritual affiliations, institutions, economic models, and communities.
Learning how to nurture self-compassion isn’t a frivolous concept. It can help us bridge our inner and outer divides and create a more equitable and sustainable world...
... as the judgments, injustices, power-over dynamics, conflicts, and imbalances that perpetuate suffering and separation are replaced with connection, collaboration, communication, understanding, and balance.
You’ll experience this firsthand as you’re immersed in the luminous and evocative ideas of Eckhart, those of Julian of Norwich, poets Adrienne Rich and Denise Levertov, Navajo painter David Paladin, Jesus, the Buddha, and more...
... and the modern science that foretells an explosion of compassion as an uplifting and renewing tool for society as well as Self. Because self-compassion is really a portal to paradise — beyond judgment, anger, shame, and suffering — as you dissolve the barriers between you and your own connection to divinity and open to the deeper meaning of your life.
As Matthew will illustrate through the mystics, self-compassion is the gateway to compassion for others...
... as it naturally expands your capacity to understand and communicate with others who hold different perspectives — and foster harmony and creativity as we collaborate on solutions for these chaotic times.
You are wired for love and compassion. Join us to explore an entirely different approach to compassion and learn how you can begin to live and contribute to our world as the noble and compassionate person you were meant to be!
During this enlightening and inspiring course, you’ll:
- Contemplate Meister Eckhart’s definition of compassion: “Whatever happens to another, whether it be a joy or a sorrow, happens to me”
- Be inspired by how today’s science on interdependence is creating the foundation for a compassion explosion that aligns with the mystical traditions of the world and scientific studies
- Explore how feminist poet Adrienne Rich’s poem on compassion challenges us to expand our perception of compassionate humility
- Learn how moral imagination can guide us on how to implement compassion toward Mother Earth as she is beset by climate change
- Explore self-hatred from psychologist Erich Fromm’s point of view: the psychological roots of fascism — and how to mend it
- Delve deeply into Eckhart’s idea that we birth the Christ (or Buddha and Image of God) — and in this way, are “Mothers of God”
- Discover what Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, African, African American, and Native American religions teach about compassion
- Learn how poet Denise Levertov equates evil with a failure of imagination — and how M.C. Richards sees creativity as inherent to nurturing moral imagination in the idea that “we must get out of its way...”
- Contemplate Navajo painter David Palladin’s teaching that all people are artists — and how art and compassion go together
- Expand your view of compassion through Eckhart’s profound treatise on Luke 6:36 — which connects justice and compassion
- What it means to be a “wounded healer” — and the role of suffering in learning compassion (considering the life and work of Frederick Douglass)
Compassion names the Divine in all of us. In this profound time of chaos and the growing possibility of our own extinction, Matthew’s sharp, genuine, and perceptive guidance invites us to grow and reconnect with our true selves, Mother Earth, and each other by developing our capacity for compassion.
What You’ll Discover in These 7 Weeks
In this 7-week transformational course, Matthew will guide you through the fundamental skills and competencies you’ll need to become a compassionate conduit for the Divine through the profound teachings of world mystics and the unifying wisdom of poets, religions, and artists.
Join the Livestream — or Stream Later to Watch at Your Convenience
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. Can’t make it live? After each class, you can stream the video and audio recordings to enjoy anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Course Sessions Tuesdays at 5:00pm Pacific
This course will feature LIVE teachings, interactive 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 better navigate personal and collective turmoil to free yourself from judgment, isolation, and sorrow and become a conduit for the Divine in troubled times.
Module 1: Consecrate Your Heart & Mind and Live Compassionately in the World With Today’s Science, Feminist Poets & Meister Eckhart (May 7)
Post-modern science is on board with compassion because it’s on board with the principle of interdependence — the basis of compassion, as Thomas Merton teaches. Science also underscores the value of cooperation and of calming the reptilian brain (through meditation, for instance).
You’ll explore these topics in depth this week, as well as poet Adrienne Rich’s powerful poem on compassion and the contribution of Julian of Norwich and Meister Eckhart’s sermon on “Compassion as an Ocean.”
This week, you’ll:
- Contemplate Meister Eckhart’s definition of compassion: “Whatever happens to another, whether it be a joy or a sorrow, happens to me”
- Be inspired by how today’s science on interdependence is creating the foundation for a compassion explosion that aligns with the mystical traditions of the world and other scientific studies as well
- Explore how feminist poet Adrienne Rich’s poem on compassion challenges us
- Learn how Julian of Norwich — mystic and the first woman writer in the English language — relates motherhood to compassion
- Discover how one of Meister Eckhart’s sermons intertwines compassion, motherhood, and the development of our souls — and the idea that “no one has a soul until they have compassion”
Module 2: Deepen Your Definition of Compassion Through Biblical Traditions & Meister Eckhart’s Interpretation of Compassion as Justice (May 14)
Compassion is foundational to both Judaism and Christianity. In the Hebrew Bible, we learn from the prophet Isaiah about the “works of mercy.”
Compassion is central in the work of Rabbi Heschel as well — and in the Jewish tradition, compassion constitutes the “secret” name of God.
Building on this teaching, the Christian Bible also emphasizes compassion, a root of Jesus’ sermon on the mount and many of his parables (such as Matthew 25).
Contemplate all of this and more this week.
In this session, you’ll:
- Explore compassion at the heart of Judaism — such as in the book of Isaiah — and constitutes “the secret name for God”
- Discover how Jesus let that secret out of the bag in Luke 6:36 when he said, “Be you compassionate as your Creator in heaven is compassionate”
- Delve into the Christian teachings, including Luke 6:36, Matthew 25 — which reveal compassion as a foundational principle of Christianity
- Expand your view of compassion through Eckhart’s profound treatise on Luke 6:36 — which connects justice and compassion
- Consider what it means to combine contemplation and compassionate action through Eckhart’s idea,“Compassion is where peace and justice kiss”
Module 3: Explore the Role of Letting Go and Suffering in the Cultivation of a Compassionate Heart & Life (May 21)
The Divine Feminine and compassion are closely intertwined. So too is the apophatic divinity, the “God without a name who will never be given a name” (Eckhart).
In Buddhism, we are taught that all beings suffer — developing compassion is developing an acknowledgement of that. In Christianity, the symbol of the cross is a parallel teaching of an archetype of suffering.
You’ll explore all of these ideas this week, as well as Meister Eckhart’s additional understanding of compassion: “What happens to another, whether it be a joy or a sorrow, happens to me.”
This week, you’ll discover:
- What it means to be a “wounded healer” — and the role of suffering in learning compassion (considering the life and work of Frederick Douglass)
- Why Thomas Aquinas says, “Compassion is the fire that Jesus came to set on the Earth,” and “Compassion is the imitation of God”
- The meaning of Buddhism’s teaching that all beings suffer — and all things are impermanent
- How the meaning of the archetype of the cross is an archetype of universal suffering, as found in Christianity
Module 4: Engage Moral Imagination as a Catalyst for a Global Renaissance of Compassion (May 28)
Creativity is all-important today as a response to climate change. To survive, our species must create new ways to live on the Earth and find energy sources that take us beyond fossil fuels.
You’ll discover why creativity has a major role to play in saving the Earth and other species at this time this week.
Navajo painter David Paladin and potter M.C. Richards (the role of art and birthing) both talk about the central role creativity plays in the very essence of our humanity and in our relations to other creatures.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover the role moral imagination plays in self-compassion
- Learn how moral imagination can guide us on how to implement compassion toward Mother Earth as she is beset by climate change
- Explore how to apply Eckhart’s sermon on the mystical side of compassion
- Delve deeply into Eckhart’s idea that we birth the Christ (or Buddha and Image of God) — and in this way, are “Mothers of God”
- Learn how poet Denise Levertov equates evil with a failure in imagination — and how M.C. Richards sees creativity as inherent to nurturing moral imagination in the idea that “we must get out of its way...”
- Contemplate Navajo painter David Paladin’s teaching that all people are artists — and how art and compassion go together
Module 5: Discover the Opposites of Compassion to Create Healthier Work, Politics & Economic Models (June 4)
One way to approach a spiritual concept is to go to its opposite first. This week, explore some opposites of compassion — including fascism, injustice, and denial.
We practice compassion not only on a one-to-one basis, but also in structuring our work and professions so that compassion finds a space to operate in our daily lives.
You’ll also contemplate Eckhart’s instructions on what constitutes healthy inner work and outer work — such as healthy politics and making justice central to our spirituality.
In this session:
- Explore self-hatred from psychologist Erich Fromm’s point of view: the psychological roots of fascism — and how to mend it
- Learn how fascism banishes self-love and love of others
- Ponder how to align with Eckhart’s teaching, “Compassion begins at home with one’s own body and one’s own soul”
- Discover Eckhart’s ideas on the role of justice and compassion in work and economics
Module 6: Honor the Divine Thread of Compassion & Ecumenism in Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Africa & African American Religions (June 18)
Compassion is universally taught in world religions — Matthew will share what many of them teach.
You’ll also contemplate what would happen if all the world’s religions were to get together to focus on compassion and justice for Mother Earth — and among all peoples and all religions...
And, how you can apply those principles and values to work, economics, and politics.
In this session, you’ll explore:
- How compassion is universally taught in world religions
- What Buddhism teaches about compassion — from the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, and others
- What Islam teaches about compassion both in the Quran and among Rumi, Hafiz, and other mystics
- What Hinduism teaches about compassion
- What African religion teaches about Maat and justice and compassion — and what African American religion, including Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr., teach about compassion
- How Native Americans teach compassion through the idea of “all our relations”
Module 7: Embody Compassion & Your Noble Self to Renew Your Spirit & Uplift a Chaotic & Uncertain World (June 25)
Compassion answers the question: “What is the human being at its best?” This week, Matthew shares why compassion is divinity present and at work in humans — to be fully human is to be compassionate.
You’ll revisit what compassion is not: sentimental, dualistic, pity, or action/reaction... but rather, action from being — from a deep place.
Compassion is what Pere Chenu calls our “noblest selves,” his very definition of spirituality is our “true nobility.” You’ll explore Meister Eckhart’s discourse on our nobility — through the “kingdom of God” — and how compassion then is the bringing of the kingdom of God into our world.
This week, you’ll:
- Explore how compassion answers the question: “What is the human being at its best?”
- Learn what compassion is not — sentimental, dualistic, pity, or action/reaction
- Expand your understanding of compassion as divinity present and at work in humans
- Learn how compassion is the bringing of the “kingdom of God” — where contemplation and sacred activism unite
- Discover the efforts afoot around the world to design education that teaches compassion
The Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality Bonus Offering
In addition to Matthew’s transformative 7-week online course, you’ll receive this special bonus offering to complement the course and take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
A Spirituality Named Compassion
Video Teaching With Matthew Fox
Matthew discusses his book A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice in this 90-minute lecture and Q&A with host Janet Doyle. Among Matthew’s hot topics of discussion is St. Thomas Aquinas’ thought that “Compassion is the fire that Jesus came to set on the Earth.” This lecture was recorded at Weber Retreat Center at Siena Heights University by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Register by May 2 to claim this bonus before it expires.
Compassion Is an Ocean — The Mystical Side to Compassion
PDF Excerpt From Matthew Fox’s Book
This 4-page PDF excerpt from Matthew Fox’s book, Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart, offers a rich immersion into Meister Eckhart’s Sermon 31, with partial commentary from Matthew. In this sermon, Eckhart examines the mystical side to compassion, the side of consciousness itself, and he declares that to have a soul is to have compassion. This thought-provoking piece is sure to bring clarity and courage to your daily life.
Broaden Your Understanding of Compassion
PDF Excerpt From Matthew Fox’s Book A Spirituality Named Compassion
This compelling PDF excerpt from Matthew’s book, A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice, offers an expanded perspective of what compassion is — and is not. Feel your consciousness and heart deepen to a greater understanding with this powerful piece.
What Graduates of Matthew’s Courses Are Saying...
“I found this course with Matthew Fox extremely rewarding and enriching.”
I found this course with Matthew Fox extremely rewarding and enriching. I look forward to accessing this material frequently in the days and months to come. This course exceeded my expectations fabulously.
— Tom Gardiner, Mamaroneck, New York
“So inspirational!”
So inspirational! The way Matthew depicted the lifestyle, politics, geography, weather, and other principal players was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, which also connected it to my present day experiences with Native American teachings, the Waldorf and Biodynamic communities, my connections to my Celtic background, and work with Mary Magdalene in Sacred Relationship.
— Wendy, Rawdon, Canada
“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 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 see the bigger picture in how we are meant to live our lives and co-create with nature and the Universe.
— Carmelina, United Kingdom
Join the Global Community
Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality offers some of the most transformational 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 program.
You’ll join an international community on the leading edge of manifesting a world grounded in the 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 — from the comfort of your own home. Each class session includes a livestreaming video option and will guide you to become a compassionate conduit for the Divine in troubled times. Course sessions are on Tuesdays at 5:00pm Pacific.
Seven Video Recordings of Class Sessions
After each class, the video will be available for you to 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 stream. 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
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 Zoom call to interact, share, and do additional practices to help you further integrate the weekly lessons. Practice sessions are not recorded for playback; if you’re unable to attend the live sessions, 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 Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality Bonus Offering
- A Spirituality Named Compassion
Video Teaching With Matthew Fox
- Compassion Is an Ocean — The Mystical Side to Compassion
PDF Excerpt From Matthew Fox’s Book - Broaden Your Understanding of Compassion
PDF Excerpt From Matthew Fox’s Book A Spirituality Named Compassion
An Unprecedented Opportunity to Join the Online Course, Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality
We feel honored that Matthew Fox has chosen to partner with The Shift Network to offer this exclusive LIVE online course. This is a unique opportunity to interact directly with a renowned theologian whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and awaken ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about harnessing the wisdom of the mystics to navigate troubled times, then you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, and our world to take this one-of-a-kind program.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your own evolution, 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 Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form on or before May 21, 2024 and we’ll happily issue qualifying customers a refund.
More Praise for Matthew Fox ...
— 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”
“I think of Matthew Fox as ‘God’s talent scout’…”
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 is 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. Matthew’s 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 with live and pre-recorded teachings and each other from the comfort of your home! All you need is any connected device. 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.
Q: Can I still benefit from the course if I miss the live classes?
A: Absolutely! You can stream the recordings and download the transcripts of all course sessions, so you never need to worry about missing live calls. You can also engage with the full community and leaders in 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 May 21, 2024. 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.
