the symbols of Christmas

The following was sent by TM by email:

Christmas was purely an ecclesiastical sacrament for four centuries after the birth of Jesus. Then, it was decided that December 25th would be a day to be celebrated by the people in their homes as well as in their churches. The gaity which accompanied many pagan customs kept in Christmas today are in keeping with the color and joy of this celebration. Other symbols have a mystical quality, which attunes one to the great reverence and power of this time.

The custom of gathering garlands of evergreen and mistletoe is a remnant of Druid influence.  The fresh green in the midst of winter reminds one that life is everlasting, and that it is at this time that one renews his life in Christ.

The Christmas tree symbolizes our Lord as the tree of life.  Keeping a tree in the place of honor in one’s house does homage to His presence in the midst of our hearts.  Martin Luther is credited with originating the domestic Christmas tree.  Whenever one sees this tree glowing in its splendor, it is a reminder of Isaiah’s tribute: “The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together to beautify the place of my sanctuary.” (Isaiah 60:13)

Christmas carols possess latent power for unifying men with the higher orders of life.  The Hole Ones also sing praises to the Lord of all the religions of the earth.  Carols are counterparts of heavenly music, sounding through the shores of our dimension.  The source of many of our cherished carols doubtless came from invisible choirs, audible to a few who were trained to hear and record.

The three kings represent the souls who have risen above their lower natures and found what is truly important.  The wise men spent their lives in study as they waited for that most important event of Christ’s coming.  The deserts they crossed during their quest represent the material world, empty of true fulfillment.  The empty wilderness resembles the uncharted times in one’s life when familiar ways no longer exist.  One must then strike out toward the star, or ideal, knowing that eventually one will reach his goal.

The three gifts that the wise men bestowed on the Christ child symbolizes the gifts of self that one offers to the Christ as he deepens his dedication.  Gold portrays the surrender of material success, which can rule a person not focused on spiritual realities.  When the Soul finds the true meaning of success the god of gold is a trinket beside the vast potency of Christ consciousness.

Frankincense reflects the sensuous nature which the Adept renounces to the Wayshower after much purification.  This gift is given in fractions, conquest after conquest, until the burden of earthly sensation is lightened to a featherweight.  The gift of myrrh represents one’s deliverance of emotional subjectivity.  One tends to acquire this weakness in physical incarnation.  The fears of death, pain and the unknown come from failure to see life in its continual wholeness.  One cannot fear death more than he fears stepping from one room into another as he remembers the eternity of life.  As one considers each testing a step toward fulfillment temporary pain no longer seems unbearable and the future can be accepted in Divine Guidance.

One can liken the manger scene to the soul self, which is attuned to the very center of being.  The Christ is the center of life.  The star that guided the wise men to Bethlehem is like the Monad, or God Spirit Indwelling, which guides the soul to perfection.  Bethlehem evinces the higher consciousness, the setting for all spiritual actions.

When the commercial décor of Christmas wears upon you, remember these meanings.  The colored lights strung about are reminders of the Christ Spirit’s radiations.  The decorations on the Christmas tree represent the ideal archetypes that shine in the auras of dedicated persons and groups.  The gifts that one carefully chooses for friends and relatives are symbols of the blessings which one wishes for his loved ones.

Candlemas is a potent drama, showing one’s conscious renewal of dedication to the living Christ.  The spreading of light to many from the Christ candle exemplifies the eventual spreading of continual Christ consciousness to humanity.

Christmas is the greatest event of the year.  It manifests in every area and level of the earth.  It touches every soul.  May you find Christmas symbols to lift your heart throughout each day of the dedicated year.

giving and receiving

As quoted by TM:

What we give consciously is of little value compared with what comes unconsciously. “Let not your right hand know what your left hand giveth.” When I speak of giving, I am thinking of giving things that matter, such as one’s time, one’s interest. Everyone has something to give us, and we and they are both enriched if we can receive from others something they have never been able to give before. Many people are shut into themselves because they think they have nothing to give, but they always have something to give us that we need. So I find every contact exciting because it is a joy to give someone freedom and release; when one receives from them, it releases their power to give. Jesus released in everyone with whom He came in contact the power to give. I understand now what a wonderful work He did in asking people to give Him something, since it released in them the power to receive His love.

Christmas is for giving

Christmas is upon us, and I find myself at the same point — financially, to be specific — as I was in last year.

In fact, I think I had more money to spend last year, thanks largely to some projects the payment of which had accumulated to late last year. Not good for my bank account in those months preceding, of course.

I’m no Scrooge. Let’s get that out of the way right now. I love giving people things that I think they need or want. But I must remind myself that giving does not necessarily mean brightly wrapped gifts. Maybe precisely the reason I come to this financial “low” at this time of the year is for me to learn this lesson. I must give more. It sounds a little corny, especially with that old Michael Jackson song, but it is true.

Thus, this reminder quoted by TM is very appropriate:

Wherever we go, we give to the world that which we have and are. Because we are able to receive, we are bound to give. Do not dwell so much on what has happened in the past, but be full of hope for what can happen in the future.

one with the Christ

As quoted by TM:

Christ radiated harmony not only with humanity, but with all the natural elements, and this was what enabled Him to perform His Miracles. We do not understand the true nature of harmony. It is not by making two things on one pattern that harmony is achieved, but by reconciling two opposite conditions. To strive to imitate Christ by our own efforts is not the same as becoming one with Him. Christ did not imitate the Father, but said: “I and My Father are one.”

The sharing of ourselves with Jesus makes us one with Him. We share His Name, and with it, His equilibrium, receptivity, and givingness, becoming in that sharing, one radiation of human achievement, so that the things which He did can be done by us again.

exotic spirituality

When I started acupuncture sessions several weeks ago with TU, she recommended that I do tai qi or qi gong so that the qi would flow. This gave me a good excuse to finally sign up after the false start of last December.

The movements I’ve learned for the couple of sessions I’ve attended have been very relaxing. Yet I could feel my muscles getting a work-out, my breathing becoming deeper and more even, and my mind focusing quickly. 

All these benefits I used to get from tai qi — whether physical or “mental” (i.e. just doing the moves in my head, whenever I found myself out of time or space to do them physically). The reason I chose qi gong over tai qi — or over other schools of qi gong, for that matter — is that with this particular school of qi gong, the moves were named after and dedicated to Higher Beings. So I got all the tangible, practical benefits of regular qi gong such as the calmness and getting the qi flowing, while being of Service in a way. I mean, why would I want to imitate (and therefore, visualize) a crowing rooster or a heron moving through grass, when I could focus on the Precious Kuan Yin or the Loving Jesus?

Anyway. This post isn’t supposed to be about qi gong per se. What I really want to blog about is these “imported” forms and channels of spirituality. Tai qi, qi gong, yoga. Buddhism in all its forms, such as KT and Zen as practised by JC’s group. None of these descended from my country’s traditions. In fact, they are all ancient practices — embraced by people all over the world after having been preserved and practised in their countries of origin. Particularly for the last two I mentioned, the commonality is that there is a merging of two traditions, and a “re-awakening” (my words) because of the merging. 

Practised here, it seems exotic. One has to learn the ways of a foreign, even secret, culture; the strange new language alone is a shroud of mystery and exclusivity which the eager student must break through.

Yet, it has been done and continues to be done. People are always searching, searching, searching for salvation — and will take it in the form that works for them. Sometimes, the more exotic, the better. The fact that one is able to break through the secrecy and imbibe the mystical and often ancient philosophy being offered makes it all the more rewarding. 

But spirituality is not always exotic, nor always secret. The notion that it is can be misleading. And more than that, perhaps it is an easy way out of practising spirituality within the milieu we find ourselves in. 

I have fallen into that trap — of thinking that an Eastern discipline is more challenging, is better, than that I grew up with. Only now am I beginning to realize that spirituality is here and now, the little moments, the daily rituals.

Qi gong can help me, but it does not — should not — be practised in a vacuum. It should be part of a life where breathing itself is a spiritual experience, as much as driving in traffic or writing a feature story.

karmic banking

I thought about karma tonight as I stopped for gas. It’s actually been on my mind a lot lately. Maybe I feel I’m not doing enough to balance it out.

I remember KT and his talk at Bliss Cafe. Nothing he said about karma was new to me, but he said it in such a way that it made sense all over again. I could also see that the others in the audience were really getting it. (That, they say, is what the NKT is all about — making difficult concepts clear and accessible to all.)

Anyway, back to karma. What KT said was true — about karma being comparable to making deposits and withdrawals of energy or fortune. I must have done something right in the past, the karmic equivalent of a huge trust fund, perhaps. But I don’t want to just use it all up in this embodiment. I want to put some away — and not that I intend to come back, if I can help it. I mean, to put some away not necessarily for myself or a future self, but for the rest of humanity. 

I can’t help but be grateful for all my past selves for their deposits. I’m sure they did not mean for me — the present self of this Lifestream — to just spend, spend, spend it all! They worked hard for all that I enjoy now. And then this outer self comes along and thinks she’s special, she’s privileged, she deserves it all? That can’t be right.

This certainly runs parallel to the outer state of affairs. So what if others have worked hard to provide for me in the outer sense? That doesn’t mean I should just take it and not lift a finger to either pay it back or pay it forward. Either way, it won’t hurt.

So today, I resolve to do more, work harder, strive more, and never let up. There is too much on the line — personal redemption and the evolution of humanity — for me to just rest on my oars and rely on what’s in my karmic bank account to pull me through. It’s time I started paying off loans and made a hefty deposit as well.

meaning

I never had a problem knowing what the meaning of Life is. Even when I was very young, I think I instinctively knew.

What is much more elusive for me is the knowledge of what my life should be, what meaning my life should have. 

I want my life to have meaning. I want All who brought me here and All who invested in me to ultimately be pleased with me. I want to live in such a way that I bring Love to the Universe and Glory to the I AM.

But what does this mean, really?

How does this translate to the daily grind that a human being’s life is? What kind of occupation should I engage in? Is one job better or more pleasing to the Higher Self than another?

No one really wants to live a meaningless life.

reality blogs

What in this world is real?

Just now I spent some time browsing other blogs randomly. I was amazed but not at all surprised at the range of topics I encountered: a pastor blogging about politics and current affairs, a young techie whose last post indicated that he was taking a break from blogging to determine whether he wanted to continue at all, a mother blogging about raising 3 young children, a newly baptized young man blogging about his faith and his art (with my compliments on the very creative header), a young woman blogging about her sexual experiences, and an investigative reporter blogging about things of a more personal nature.

People blog about things that are real to them — what moves, inspires, fascinates, grabs their attention. Whether they are paid for blogging or not (none of them were pro-bloggers, by the looks of it) doesn’t matter. It cannot be any other way.

What is real to one person may not be real to the next. One’s life is not the other’s; one’s thoughts and feelings are one’s own.

But in spite of all the different realities, there is only one Reality with a capital R. We may be unique and distinct and outwardly different, and yet, we are all One. 

We have all come from One Source and are all headed for One Destination. The paths we choose may be different and some may take longer to traverse, but these are all part of One Plan, manifestations of One Life. 

 

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I take much comfort in this lesson, especially because that brief blog-browsing experience left me wondering about it all. For a moment afterwards, I was a little lost. There are millions of blogs, millions of posts, millions of words. What does it all mean? What are we all really saying? What are our realities? And why are there so many?

Ultimately, the greater comfort lies in the fact that yes — there is a lesson to be learned here. It is easy to lose oneself, even in a virtual world. It is still a world of the senses, and a fascinating one at that. What’s important is staying grounded in one’s reality — that is, knowing when one’s reality is separate and distinct from another — while keeping faith in the One Reality. 

This is my reality. This is why I blog.

thought for the day

We are not brought into existence by chance nor thrown up into earth-life like wreckage cast along the shore, but are here for infinitely noble purposes. (Katherine Tingley)

possibilities

Things to look out for and eliminate:

• anger
• resentment
• bitterness
• envy
• self-righteousness
• selfishness and pride
• self-pity
• worry and fear
• laziness
• ingratitude

The outer self has no right to ever feel these things. If I do, it means I’ve let my guard down.

Things to cultivate and strive for:

• peace
• joy
• harmony
• kindness and helpfulness
• good will to all
• wisdom
• optimism and faith
• self-determination
• humility
• gratitude

These are qualities I admire in others and hope to find in myself someday.

I aim for these because I can — because You have given me the idea that I can and must aspire towards them.

And with this, I know that no matter how difficult it seems at the moment, it is possible to achieve these qualities.

I AM all these possibilities!