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Whee! We, Wee All the Way Home: A Guide to Sensual Prophetic Spirituality (Meditation)

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One of Matthew Fox's earliest books, this title explores the importance of ecstasy in the spiritual life. Fox considers the distinction between "natural" ecstasies (like sex) and "tactical" ecstasies (like meditation); he goes on to consider that a truly authentic mysticism must be sensuous in its orientation, so to cultivate the maximum amount of ecstasy for the maximum amount of people. From there he spins out to consider how we need a communal mysticism -- in his words: "We shall become ecstatic together or else we'll become extinct together." Few spiritual authors are so honest about the importance of ecstasy/sensuality in life--or in mysticism. Years ahead of its time when first published in 1976, this book is still bold and relevant today. Perfect for anyone who thinks mysticism needs to get out of the head and into the body.

Matthew Fox (born 1940) is a theologian and bestselling advocate of "Creation Spirituality." He became a Catholic priest of the Dominican order, but was removed in 1992, and has subsequently become an Episcopalian priest. He has published an autobiography, Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest.

He begins the Preface to this 1976 book (republished in 1981) by stating, "This is a practical book about waking up and returning to a biblical, justice-oriented spirituality. Such a spirituality is a way of passion that leads to compassion. Such a way is necessarily one of coming to our senses in every meaning of that phrase."

He justifies his use of the term "sensuous spirituality" by saying, "I feel sorry for these fearful people who have apparently never enjoyed the sensuousness ... of a home-grown tomato or a ripe peach. Have they never wallowed in the delight of a baby's smell, squeals, or a puppy's cuddling? Of the smell of a horse's sweat or a lilac's perfume? Shame on such people?" Somewhat surprisingly, he rejects the approach of Teilhard de Chardin "because he is chauvinistic, dualistic and ultimately afraid of the sensual; because he is unaware of political evil; and because he ignores Jesus for the Christ."

Here are some representative quotations:

"A spirituality is a way---a way of living in depth."
"Is bisexuality of God not what spiritual leaders like Buddha and Jesus and Francis have preached?"
"Because gays are so often excluded from society's institutions (like women are), we can hopefully depend on them to offer alternative institutions---ones that are more sensual, more alive and quickening than those we have inherited."

"WHEE! We, Wee" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy