These days, many of us are working through the reality of the global pandemic, the awakening to centuries of entrenched racism and colonialism, societal unrest and upheaval, the ever-present reality of climate change, and so much more.
These times hold many challenges and a deep sense of uncertainty...
Thankfully, we’ve been given a powerful roadmap of wisdom that’s already led seekers through some of history’s bleakest moments — so they didn’t just settle for surviving, but emerged from their struggles with a renewed sense of gratitude, wonder, and connection to the Divine, and a new understanding of the action they were called to take in this world.
The wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas, Christian mystic and theologian, helped followers build strength during the Black Plague, laid the foundations for an ahead-of-its-time cosmic awareness and eco-friendly consciousness, launched a non-dualistic (and thus femininst) perspective that few had ever heard before, laid out the idea of “the common good,” and more.
Now you can apply Aquinas’ profound wisdom to the circumstances of your own life, no matter what you’re facing.
Join Matthew Fox, a modern-day spiritual luminary, welcoming him as your mentor during this new 7-week live video course...
He’ll guide you to follow in the footsteps of Aquinas, whose teachings still speak to our deepest experiences — and whose calls for compassion, courage, and resilience are needed tremendously in today’s world.
As you’ll discover, Aquinas’ philosophical insights were far ahead of their time, ultimately shifting societal tide toward progressive ideals. He stood up — often alone — against centuries of entrenched dualistic orthodoxy. His influence in history has been immense, as evidenced by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quoting Aquinas in his seminal “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”
He stood with the Poverty Movement (before the idea of the Populist Movement had been invented), proclaimed non-dualism as a philosophy (which later became the heart of feminist philosophy), asserted that humans were actually “not the most excellent thing in the universe,” and put forth many more “radical” ideas that greatly influenced Western thought.
Aquinas also maintained that combining a spiritual life with a scientific worldview significantly expanded our capacity to express our essential goodness.
As you travel Aquinas’ inspiring path and bring his profound teachings into your own life, you’ll discover that despite our modern-day turmoil, you can deepen into your spiritual journey toward wisdom, justice, and compassion, and away from fear and indifference.
Join us and discover how Aquinas’ wisdom can not only direct your path of contemplation, but inspire you to action — no matter the challenges you’re facing.
In this timely offering from one of the world’s most respected voices of reason and inspiration, you’ll learn how Aquinas’ insights can be embodied today, shielding you from the turmoil of confusion, toxic thinking, and emotional triggers.
Matthew will guide you to fortify your heart with the will and confidence to become the clearest and most powerful version of YOU yet — coming into your own, when the world needs you most.
You’ll connect with Matthew and experience his teachings through live streaming video. This connection is easy to use and will enhance the impact of Matthew’s wisdom and guidance. Or you can easily connect just via audio if you choose — through your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.
(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 high-quality format at your convenience.)
This course will feature LIVE teachings, interactive training sessions, and experiential practices with Matthew and special guest Meshi Chavez. 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 put your faith into action — cultivating compassion, courage, and resilience to meet life’s greatest challenges.
In this opening week, you’ll delve into Aquinas’ teachings and discover how they can guide you — and meet you right where you are in your struggles today.
You’ll explore his spiritual genius of profound substance — a fount of pre-modern wisdom for our post-modern times — and his ability to unite those of various traditions and no tradition at all. We all belong to nature, and Aquinas’ worldview begins with nature.
In this first module, you’ll explore stories from Aquinas’ adventurous life as you discover:
What happens to a society when science and spirituality split?
This week, you’ll explore how we’ve inherited a powerful split between religion and science. The result is a mainstream loss of respect for the sacredness of nature, and a loss of human dignity and moral direction.
When a society or educational system is cut off from intuition, says Matthew, it soon becomes a culture without values — merely mimicking inherited cultural values, without true self-reflection and cultural criticism.
While the modern era effectively killed the connection between science and religion, our post-modern era longs for it — and Aquinas has given us a powerful roadmap showing us the way forward.
In this module, you’ll discover:
Who are you — and who are we, as a species?
Where do we want to go? And what sacrifices do we need to make to get there?
This week, you’ll explore how to cultivate your most noble sense of identity, according to Aquinas — and how our species’ current existential crisis is directly related to our identity crisis.
Increasingly violent and disruptive storms, droughts, floods, crop shortages, rising of seas, and pandemics are bearing down on us. We can’t face and overcome these crises without understanding who we are as a species.
Aquinas was a committed student of human nature — not only because he studied the advanced writings of Aristotle, Moses Maimonides, Avicenna, Averroes, and others… but he also synthesized them and taught us how important it is to put them into action.
In this module, you’ll discover:
If human beings are spiritual beings, then we must explore the spiritual journey more deeply.
This week, the first of Aquinas’ 4 Paths of Spiritual Experience, Via Positiva, will guide you through this transformative process.
Experience alone is not sufficient for learning about and teaching spirituality. We also need concepts, according to Aquinas. Among these experiences and concepts is the Via Positiva, the tasting of original goodness — and awe and wonder.
As you focus on the beauty and goodness of creation, you’ll soak up Aquinas’ powerful truth — that both the poet and the scientist begin at the same place: with the wonder of creation.
As you’ll discover, wonder opens the mind and the heart, ultimately leading you to a sense of profound gratitude.
In this module, you’ll discover:
This week, you’ll discover Aquinas’ respect and appreciation for the quiet, dark, and still path of cultivating your soul.
You’ll explore the second of the 4 Paths of Spiritual Experience, Via Negativa, which includes silence and emptying of the mind as you move into meditation.
Matthew will also walk you through the deep experience of loss and suffering we encounter in the Dark Night of the Soul — and how valuable an experience that can be.
Through the wisdom he’s left behind, Aquinas invites you to an encounter with the God of darkness and the mystery of silence — reminding you that every being is a name for God, and no being is a name for God.
As you discover Aquinas’ teachings on meditation, you’ll see they even line up with the Buddhists’ practice of letting go of your discursive brain — and find rest from your busy mind.
In this module, you’ll discover:
Art and creativity play a significant role in Aquinas’ view of the world and in his theology — indeed, he frequently referred to God as the artist of artists.
This week, you’ll discover how creativity is the work of the Holy Spirit — and how a theology of creativity is a theology of spirit...
These teachings took root within the imagination of Aquinas’ disciple Meister Eckhart, who went on to further deepen understanding of the role of the artist — and of the spirit and creativity — in humanity’s development and expression.
In the Via Creativa (the third of the 4 Paths of Spiritual Experience), the image of God in the human comes to its fullness. Virtues are the habits you choose to cultivate — they create your personality and values, and the character you birth and bring to the world.
You’ll also explore how, with Eckhart and later with Julian of Norwich — both influenced heavily by Aquinas’ teachings — the role of the creatrix, the Motherhood of God, became more richly developed.
And you’ll discover how the beauty that humans are and that humans create is a participation in the overall dance of Divine Beauty in creation...
In this class, you’ll:
In your closing class, Matthew will share how your creative energies can go to work to heal the world — as you respond to Aquinas’ invitation to use your creative impulse for the greater good.
To avoid merely inflating ego, amassing power, or otherwise doing evil, creativity needs a direction — and the final of the 4 Paths of Spiritual Experience, the Via Transformativa, can be your guide.
Your work is born of Spirit with both your inner and outer work finding their fulfilment in justice and compassion. Indeed, justice is the most important of all the virtues, according to Aquinas. And justice and compassion are the best names for God.
Aquinas lays out an entire theology of work — including how the Holy Spirit works through us as we do our good work in the world, giving back to others.
In this final module, you’ll explore:
In addition to Matthew’s transformative 7-week virtual course, you’ll receive these powerful training sessions with leading visionaries and teachers. These bonus sessions complement the course and promise to take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
Thomas Aquinas’ teachings can guide our spiritual journeys toward wisdom, justice, and compassion — and away from dullness and indifference. Listen in as Matthew Fox and Andrew Harvey (author of The Hope and Turn Me to Gold: 108 Translations of Kabir) discuss the most challenging and exciting perspectives found in Matthew’s most recent book, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times.
True wisdom doesn’t just guide you in contemplation — it inspires you to action in your life. Throughout this conversation, Matthew Fox and Caroline Myss (author of Anatomy of the Spirit) delve deep into Thomas Aquinas’ many essential teachings found in Matthew’s book, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times.
Discover how Christianity once celebrated beauty, compassion, and justice — and provided a path of positive knowledge and ecstatic connection with all of creation. Matthew Fox and Jaih Hunter-Hill (public speaker and mechanical engineer) dive deep into Matthew’s daring view of historical Christianity — and a theologically sound basis for personal discovery of spiritual liberation.
In this powerful dialogue, Matthew Fox and Brian Thomas Swimme (professor, author, and cosmologist) discuss how those who feel called by their faith to take action face a challenging future — and deserve deep wisdom from the past to succeed. Listen as Matthew and Brian unpack the wisdom and direction Thomas Aquinas left behind for becoming courageous and creative in thought, spirit, and action.
Jerry Maynard, priest and Catholic worker activist, has said that we must not let external forces stop us from giving birth to global justice and cosmic oneness. Follow along with this powerful dialogue as Jerry and Matthew discuss how to embrace Thomas Aquinas’ wisdom and get to work.
Absorb the wisdom of Matthew Fox and author Adam Bucko (co-author of Occupy Spirituality and The New Monasticism) as they discuss how Thomas Aquinas’ wisdom offers us a roadmap for spirituality in action — and can help us overcome today’s specific elements of greed, despair, and the threat of extinction.
I have shifted from resistance to activism. Big difference in how you approach what is going on in today’s world and how I can facilitate change in progressive movements.
— Christine Betts, Denver, Colorado
I felt inspired, validated, and empowered by the brilliantly holistic, open-minded, deeply thoughtful, and truly spiritually powerful course. It helped me integrate the comprehensive knowledge I already had in a more synergistic way, and come to terms with a deep conflict I hitherto had regarding the POWER aspect of the Sacred Feminine. This course has been highly motivating and truly healing for me. I am very grateful.
— Doris Koob
Matthew’s erudition and deep knowledge of the many ways to relate to the sacred was and will remain a wellspring on my soul’s journey to realizing spiritual freedom and channeling it toward the common good. Prior to this course I was so caught up in thinking that there was one path toward this goal, and that I may or may not be on the correct one. However, Matthew’s emphasis on the dynamic, creative essence of spirituality and the many paths to manifesting its truth really hit home.
— Colin, Canada
This course was a reinforcement of the sacred work we must be about at this time. I feel an empowerment to move forward and am excited about the possibilities. I am filled with gratitude.
— Karen Harte, Deer Island, Oregon
This course gave immediate access to Matthew Fox’s vision for transforming toxic aspects of our society — facing difficulties with courage. His personal struggles with patriarchy have yielded hard-won wisdom, which he shares in these very personal videos. I am sure I will go back to the lectures multiple times.
— Patty McGrath, Potomac, Maryland
I’ve been walking the spiritual warrior path for a long time, and am also a caregiver. I had thought that these two were incompatible, but Matthew Fox showed me how essential the spiritual warrior is to my role as a caregiver!
— Bob Goldthwaite, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Matthew’s incredible ability to synthesise all his years of profound knowledge and insight is a treasure for anyone on the path of transformation.
— Jacqui, Melbourne, Australia
Matthew Fox is a brilliant spiritual mentor who opens the doors to the past, present, and future, which inspires the mind and opens the heart.
— Suzanne, Oakland, California
Matthew Fox has a great intellect and is a prolific writer, but through this live course I now understand his spiritual concepts in much greater depth.
— Paula Hartman-Stein, PhD, Asheville, North Carolina
Matthew Fox provided an avenue to the birth of my prophet’s voice. The readings and challenges were new to me. I feel blessed, in particular, with the discovery of St. Hildegard’s music. She has become a new guide on my journey.
— Christine, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Reclaiming Original Goodness 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.
Experience a unique opportunity to be mentored by and learn from Matthew Fox — renowned spiritual pioneer and author of over 30 books that have sold millions of copies — from the comfort of your own home. Each class session includes a live streaming video option and guides you to discover specific skills and abilities to cultivate compassion, courage, and resilience to meet life’s greatest challenges. Course sessions are on Thursdays at 5:00pm Pacific.
After each class, the video will be available for you to download or stream in high-quality format. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can watch anytime and anywhere — on any connected device and at your convenience.
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 — on any connected device and at your convenience.
In addition to the high-quality videos and MP3 audios, you’ll also receive the entire class transcription in PDF format after each session is completed. You can then review, print, and highlight the most important insights and practices you were given.
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 with, to help further integrate the weekly lessons. Practice sessions are available for live attendance only, 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.
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.
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.
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 over 30 books, whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and transform ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about discovering St. Thomas Aquinas’ spiritual legacy of hope, 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! If you don’t absolutely LOVE Reclaiming Original Goodness — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form on or before July 16, 2020 and we’ll happily issue qualifying customers a refund.
With his characteristic vigor, wit, and startling insight, Matthew Fox reclaims living wisdom from the murky recesses of theology. Who knew that Thomas Aquinas was so extravagantly brimming with a vital blend of earthy reverence and contemplative quietude, blessing the holiness of all that is incarnational while exalting the One that transcends all distinction? May these distilled teachings contribute to mending the torn web of the world.
— Mirabai Starr, Author of God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity & Islam and Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics
— Andrew Harvey, Author of The Hope and Turn Me to Gold: 108 Translations of Kabir
In the future, when we look back at the individuals who had the greatest impact on Christian thinking in the early 21st century, I believe that Matthew Fox will be among those at the top of the list… Fox has a special ability to recontextualize the deep mystical wisdom of the spiritual masters of the church in a way that makes them urgently relevant for our times. This is exactly what he has done with Thomas Aquinas in his new book — showing us how this medieval Dominican scholar has much to teach us about mysticism, modern psychology, the environmental movement, science, and social justice. Fox has once again taken some of the gems of the Christian tradition and made them sparkle anew.
— Paul Engler, founding director of Center for the Working Poor and co-author of This Is An Uprising
In my 20s, I encountered Thomas Aquinas while studying the Creation Spirituality of Matthew Fox. This turned out to be an event that changed my life forever. It felt like I had discovered a secret energy source, like I was this lonely geologist who had stumbled upon an untapped oil field as vast as Saudi Arabia, but filled with a psychic form of energy a thousand times more potent than oil or gas. Thomas Aquinas’ wisdom supercharged my life and my creativity for decades. You have in your hands the magical switch to the spiritual energy you need to accomplish the great work for which you were created. Nothing can stop you now.
— Brian Thomas Swimme, California Institute of Integral Studies, cosmologist, and author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe
Matthew Fox brings Thomas Aquinas to life in a way that transcends intellectual arguments. There is a deep love for Aquinas here, a profound appreciation for the way Thomas delighted in divine freedom and goodness spilling over into creation, instilling an exuberance within creation that awakens within us a desire for beauty, wholeness, and the deepening of love; a creation drunk with beauty and wisdom.
Thomas’ God soars like the wind beneath our feet, propelling us on to more beauty and truth; a God who is a living God, active and alive in our midst, in our cells and bodies, a God breathing new life into everything that exists. What else could religion be but one long continuous act of gratitude?
— Ilia Delio, OFM, Author of The Unbearable Wholeness of Being and The Emergent Christ
Matthew Fox has condensed the deep and complex theology of Thomas Aquinas into delicious bites of wisdom, riffing on key quotations from this medieval churchman who dared to introduce Aristotle’s pagan science to Christian Europe, and serving up the choicest morsels with their relevance to 21st-century life.
— Nancy Abrams, Author of View From the Center of the Universe and A God That Could Be Real: Spirituality, Science and the Future of Our Planet
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
Matthew Fox is a prolific author of books dedicated to renewing the ancient tradition of Creation Spirituality. 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, 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. He was a member of the Dominican Order for 34 years, and 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 College in Oakland.
He founded the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California 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 Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award; other recipients have included the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and Rosa Parks. He is a visiting scholar at the Academy for the Love of Learning in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Meshi Chavez is a choreographer and movement teacher of 20 years. He has taught and performed across the United States and Europe. His students range from professional dancers to individuals who have never experienced dance training yet have found dance as a way to enhance the quality of their lives. He began his teaching career in Soul Motion®, and then got seduced into the pursuit of Butoh. He is a student of Natsu Nakajima (the first female Butoh dancer) and Denise Fujiwara. He presents Movement as Meditation workshops with renowned author and theologian Matthew Fox and is co-founder of Momentum Conscious Movement in Portland, Oregon. Meshi has been a guest teacher in various locations such as Schumacher College and Middlebury College.
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 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, giving preference to those in developing countries or doing important but underpaid work to which they can apply the training material immediately. 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 July 16, 2020. 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.
