The Rev. Matthew Wright is an Episcopal priest, writer, and retreat leader working to renew the Christian Wisdom tradition within a wider interspiritual framework. He writes a monthly column, Belonging, for Contemplative Journal and serves as priest-in-charge at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock, NY. Matthew lives with his wife, Yanick, alongside the brothers of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY. You can learn more about his work through the Center for Spiritual Resources.
Transcript of this interview.
Interview conducted 3/12/2016
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction of Matthew Wright
00:03:06 - The Second Axial Age
00:07:03 - Questioning Fundamentalist Worldview
00:10:48 - The Components of Traditional Spiritual Systems
00:14:53 - The Living Presence of Jesus and Buddha
00:19:14 - The Presence of Departed Loved Ones
00:23:01 - Spiritual Journey to India
00:27:07 - The Encounter with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
00:30:41 - Unfolding, Awakening Body: The Body of Christ
00:34:44 - The Importance of Periods of Withdrawal
00:38:49 - Establishing Centers of Coherence
00:42:19 - The Palpable Atmosphere of Worship Centers
00:46:08 - Cultivating the Heart and Awakening
00:50:32 - Ego and Enlightenment
00:54:43 - The Power of Devotion
00:58:31 - Cultivating Qualities in Devotion
01:02:15 - Teilhard de Chardin and Second Axial Age
01:05:50 - The Bodhisattva Vow and the Emergence of Second Axial Consciousness
01:09:52 - Convergence and Creative Unions in Evolution
01:14:11 - Evolving Consciousness through Contemplative Practice
01:18:10 - The Importance of Keeping the Experiment Going
01:21:38 - The Universal Voice of Jesus in the Gospel of John
01:25:25 - Fear and belief in spiritual teachings
01:28:30 - The Shaky Ground of Belief
01:32:15 - The Call to Step into the Consciousness of Jesus's Lived Experience
01:35:45 - Moving Beyond the Masculine-Feminine Binary
01:40:13 - The Role of Nurturance and Femininity in Addressing Environmental Issues
01:44:31 - The Enlivenment of Consciousness and the Diversity of Being
01:48:25 - Diving Deep or Surface Skimming
01:52:17 - Cynthia Bourgeault and Richard Rohr at SAND Conference
01:54:54 - Farewell and Thanks