ISSUE DATE: DECEMBER 2008
This month's spiritual solution:
Become a ten second Christmas meditator
This Christmas I am spending the holiday with my boyfriend’s family, who are really lovely people, but they have no spiritual beliefs and just see it as a chance to have a good time. They have gone to a lot of trouble to make it a really fun Christmas with an enormous tree laden with presents and even a flashing lights Father Christmas, complete with reindeer, outside their house! I don’t want to be a party pooper but I like to meditate each morning and it will be very difficult for me to do that whilst I am there, because it is quite a boisterous household. I was wondering if there is any way that I can handle this situation so that I can join in all the festivities without losing sight of what is important to me.
Staying in other people’s houses is sometimes quite challenging, especially if they have a large family. We generally have to concede on some issues and may not be able to follow our normal routine. When we are used to meditating on a regular basis, we naturally miss the benefits when we don’t get to practise. However, it may be easier to deal with the situation than you think, all it takes is a different approach.
On a practical level, you could get up a bit earlier when all the house is quiet and do your meditation practice then, but if they are the fun loving, party revellers you describe, they may well keep you up until quite late, so this may not be the best solution! So I have another one!
The purpose of meditation is for us to reconnect with the Spiritual Source within us. One of the main methods of reaching this awareness is to close our eyes and practice quiet contemplation of this Presence. However, it is not the only way.
Joel Goldsmith, the 20th century mystic, advocated a 10 second meditation, on the hour every hour, throughout the day and advised us to blend it in with our daily life. Doing this helps us to tune in to the Infinite Presence, any time, anywhere. It is also possible to do it without even closing our eyes and nobody even needs to know about it.
We begin by reminding ourselves of a spiritual principle and then allow that Truth to permeate our consciousness so that the real meaning can be acknowledged. If this practice is repeated frequently throughout the day, it has a very profound effect. In fact it would seem as though you will have some of the perfect “tools” around you to practice what is called “mindful meditation” whilst staying with your boyfriend’s family. It’s just that the symbols they have brought to their home to represent their idea of Christmas, are somewhat different to those that you might have chosen.
Let’s take the tree, for example. How did it get to be associated with the Christian festival? Long before Christianity, Druids, Pagans and other “nature based” religions, honoured trees. It was mistakenly believed that they worshipped trees, when in actual fact they were acknowledging the Spirit within the trees and in the whole of Nature and Life itself. When they celebrated what they would call, Yule, on 25th December, they were celebrating the birth of the sun at the time of the Winter Solstice. We still have Festivals of Light taking place around that time and this is celebrated by other religions and cultures too, they just have different names for it. The tree was also seen as a symbol of Life and fertility and was decorated to reflect this.
The origins of the fir tree’s association with Christian religion go back to St. Boniface, who in the 8th Century was sent to Germany on a mission to convert Pagan tribes and to teach them the principles of Christianity. Legend tells us that being in opposition to their beliefs, he cut down a sacred oak tree, which was revered amongst those tribes, revealing in its place, a small fir tree growing in its roots. He was said to have used its triangular shape to illustrate, the nature of the Christ and was reported to have said at the time,
“This humble tree’s wood is used to build your house, let the Christ be at the centre of your household. Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days, let Christ be your constant light. Its boughs reach out to embrace, its top points to heaven, let Christ be your comfort and guide”
You can use the symbolism of the Christmas tree to honour both the Spiritual Presence and the Christ principle. Metaphysically speaking we do not translate the Christ as a person or a concept limited to any one religion, but rather, the Divine Presence inherent in us all. We are reminded of the Principle of Oneness. God being everywhere evenly present and individualising Itself as the True Identity of each one of us.
Use the image of Father Christmas and his sleigh filled with presents to remind your self of several spiritual principles. The root of the word, father, is Source, so perhaps you might think about the principle of Abundance. The Presence (The Father) is our Spiritual Source from which everything manifests. When we feel connected to this Omnipresent Allness, we trust Life to take care of our needs. Maybe you can also remind yourself of the qualities of both giving and receiving and ask how you might balance them in your life.
Of course, the image of the modern day Father Christmas is quite a recent one. Most people are familiar with the connection with St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop who was renowned for his generosity and his love of children and the term Santa Claus is a derivative of his name. Whether he actually existed, or whether he is figurative character is debatable. Some people say that he is a composite of a saint and an ancient Shaman with the traditional red coat with its white trimmed fur and black boots. Whatever is true, this is a chance to remind our selves of the precious nature of children, to take care of their innocence and to nurture their souls. We need also to honour the Child within us too. Most of us have a wounded child somewhere within us that needs our love, acceptance and the reassurance that we are valuable and worthwhile. Let us stop waiting for somebody else to give us this recognition and give it to our selves.
When you look at that “flashing lights” Santa with his sleigh, don’t ignore the flying reindeer, there is some very valuable symbolism there. In the ancient Shamanic religions, antlers were symbolic of our connection to the Universe. The Shamans considered the reindeer to be a sacred animal and would often wear head dresses of deer antlers, with the branches symbolically reaching out into infinity. They would also use special plants and herbs in their ceremonies to reach higher states of consciousness (I am in no way advocating that you do this, by the way!) and some of these indigenous plants would be eaten by their reindeer herds, resulting in the reindeer prancing around in a state of exhilaration. Hence, the imagery, which has come down through the ages and ended up as Santa and his magical flying reindeer. Use these images as a reminder to put on your invisible sacred antlers, your symbolic connection to the Universe, which will remind you to raise your consciousness to a higher level, so that the Spirit in you can “fly high”and meet the Spirit in all the people with whom you are sharing your Christmas.
Here’s a fun thought! Tradition generally gives us the impression that all Santa’s reindeer are male. It is not very well known, that around this time of year, most male reindeer shed their horns, so they would probably have been quite bald around Christmas time and waiting for them to grow back some months later. However the females do retain theirs and only shed them after they have given birth in the Spring.
So maybe Santa only employs female reindeer at Christmas (Apart from Rudolph of course!) Perhaps he knows that it’s the feminine energy that helps to open the heart at this special time and that at least one red nose is needed for a fun time!! After all spirituality is supposed to be a joyous thing!
Have a wonderful festive season and use all those lovely fun, Christmas symbols, as tools for a Quick Cosmic Connection and you’ll handle everything beautifully. Many blessings, Christine
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A Season''s Blessing
May the Light of the Spirit illuminate my path. May the Joy of the Season fill my heart. May the Loving Presence of the Universe embrace me. And may I be a blessing to all who enter my life.
Quote for the month:
" I am ever present to those who have realised me in every creature. Seeing all life as my manifestation, they are never separated from me"
The Bhagavad Gita
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