By Rory McKay
I’ve always loved this time of year. My earliest memories are of an exciting, magical occasion; with shining lights appearing everywhere, along with beautiful trees, tinsel, baubles and garlands. Of course, back then, being just a kid, I was particularly focused on the excitement of Santa Claus and the gifts he was certain to bring.
As I grew up, my innocuous childhood avarice diminished but my love of the celebration remained, even though I observed many people succumbing to cynicism. Sure enough, in a culture so seeped in capitalist hyper-consumerism, there is legitimate cause for criticism. But, as with all things in life, the festive period is only what you make of it; nothing less and nothing more. You certainly don’t need to buy into the mindset of crazed materialism, go spiralling into debt and end up trampling others to the ground in the Black Friday sales. Indeed, if you do, I can safely say that the problem isn’t Christmas—it’s you!
The best things in life are free and you don’t need to spend a penny to appreciate the turning point of the year, when the days once again begin to lengthen, promising both an end to the long, dark nights and the anticipation of brighter, warmer days to come. The Winter Solstice has been celebrated for aeons, certainly long before Christianity stepped in and reappropriated the pagan traditions.
Whatever you make of Christmas, and whether you are Christian or not, there’s a lot to be found in the symbology. The Christ represents the light within the heart of all beings; that deepest, truest, purest and incorruptible essence of who and what we truly are. The birth of Christ is symbolic of our Realisation of that inner light which, upon analysis, is our own true Self; what we actually are beyond the mirage of name and form. This birth is a rebirth for the human heart; a turning away from ignorance and a reclaiming of the light within.
According to Christian mythology, there was no room at the inn for the Christ child’s expectant parents. This basically means that the average human being has no place, no room, or space for the birth—for the Realisation and Actualisation—of this inner light. The reasons are manifold, but the truth is that most people are too caught up in the game of life—and understandably so, because life is rarely easy and the world will more or less constantly throw demands your way. That’s why worldly people rarely have much time for or interest in the quest for enlightenment. There’s just no space for it, so it gets cast onto the periphery; or into a stable, you might say—if it doesn’t get turned away altogether.
That light is always there, however, whether a person is aware of it or not. It is the light of all lights! Nothing would be here without it, and no life, no consciousness would be possible. The birth of Christ esoterically represents the birth of a higher spiritual consciousness in humankind; the ability to become aware of and to align with the divinity shining at the heart of our being as our innermost Existence and Consciousness. It is the realisation that, as the Christians say, “the Kingdom of God is within”.
Christmas is a time when you can find symbols of the divine Self all around you: from the shining lights, to the stars on top of trees, to angels and, of course, the iconography of the nativity. You don’t need to identify as Christian to appreciate these things, for they tap into the collective unconscious of humanity and unite us in recognition of our shared divinity.
Since time immemorial, people have celebrated this time of year by decorating their homes with evergreens, which symbolise strength, courage and everlasting life (after all, the evergreens are hardy enough to endure the winter extremes and never lose their leaves). I look upon Christmas trees with wonder and joy. With its roots in the earth and its branches reaching upward to the light, the tree has long been a spiritual symbol of the individual being. The lights on the tree symbolise illumination in the darkness, while the baubles and decorations represent our successes and gains as we progress through life and, hopefully, grow in wisdom and spiritual knowledge. The star at the top of the tree is, of course, the perfect representation of the divine Consciousness that is our Eternal Self.
Self-Realisation should always be at the heart of our lives and endeavours, for it is the doorway to lasting freedom, peace and joy. It’s all to easy to get pulled in by the storms and stresses of a turbulent world and the many issues confronting us individually and collectively. We need to change how we respond, however.
The real secret to living is to stay centred in the Self and to abide in that light AS the light.
The moment the ego relinquishes the reins, providence is revealed and we realise, wonderfully, that our lives are a spontaneous divine unfolding. Only then can we see the perfection inherent in our Self and all “others”. If we can surrender our personal will to the greater Will and offer ourselves as instruments to serve and contribute to the world of which we are part, life becomes sublime state of flow, grace abounds and love flows unobstructed because, in actual fact, love is our nature.
Have a Happy Christmas, blessed Yuletide, or whatever you celebrate or don’t celebrate! Wishing you peace, joy and deepest illumination
