Christmas, a festival which Christians, Catholics, Protestants and the rest of the world celebrate towards the end of the year. Christmas has become commercialized and misinterpreted from what it was and what it stood for. People are under the impression that they're celebrating the birthday of this dude who's a king, a son of God, who died for all their sins and will redeem them one day. I see people over indulging in food in this season, spending on decorations, drinking liquor, parties, meeting relatives and going on vacations. I've done the same, I'm not a hypocrite. Unfortunately, Christmas now has become more a festival on a calendar than a festival of the Heart!
Christmas was created with a very special intention. Not just a birthday celebration. It's very symbolic and here's my interpretation. The Earth has four seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Spring symbolizes Birth and Childhood. Summer is a Adolescence and Youth, Autumn is Maturation and Middle Age and Winter is clearly Death. But wait, the cycle continues again in Spring. This is Rebirth. Being a part of the Earth. We are the Earth.We are subjected to the same cycle, every year! Ok, so day, month, year, etc. are clearly created by Man. But not the Seasons. We have no control over the Seasons just like we have no control over our Aging and our Mortality.
Getting back to the topic, there is a reason why Christmas is tentatively positioned in Winter. It is a preparation for Spring i.e. Rebirth! Only the rebirth is in our Hearts! Christ is not a person who lived in 0 B.C/1 A.D... Christ is a level of Consciousness! Called Christ consciousness, it is the next evolutionary step for Man! Jesus, son of Joseph was called Jesus Christ because he attained this state of consciousness! He set an example for people! Through his Learnings, Teachings, Miracles, Philanthropy, Attitude, Radical Views, Divinity, Humanity, Example, Conscience, Yoga, Travels, Sacrifice and ultimately Consciousness!
The Christmas symbolism also beautifully adds on to this. Firstly, the birth of Christ happened in the humblest of places - a manger not in an superficial palace made of precious stones. Shows that the heart should be but humble to attain this consciousness. Being a King, it's shows how we are in control and rule our own destiny. The only people who came were the Shepherds and the simple folks, this shows that the ordinary, honest working people are the only ones who will matter, not the pompous arrogant fools! The 3 gifts - Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh are again symbolic. Gold depicting Royalty or Kingship which I already explained. Frankincense depicting the growth in Spirituality and Myrrh being an embalming oil which depicts preparation for Death!
The Christmas that we celebrate is hence, not an average Calendar + Birthday festival but a preparation for rebirth. The birth of the Christ Consciousness! Every year, we learn, experience and evolve so much more physically, mentally and spiritually. We all should work towards this Christ Consciousness more than having a gala Christmas. Draping yourself in costly new clothes, indulging cake and wine, meats and sweets, going to places of worship, partying with friends and relatives and gifts aren't what Christmas is about! I don't condemn these activities as bad or dumb or a waste of time... They're just superficialities of the Season, nothing more and nothing less.
Please take some time to think over this and work towards attaining this Consciousness through Forgiveness, Charity, Knowledge, Tolerance, Assistance, Leading, Following, Truthfulness, Love, Faith, Hope, Belief, Wisdom, Experience, Godliness, Spirituality, Teaching through Example, Sacrifice and and ultimately Consciousness. I am disturbed by how this has evolved into a season of Commercialism and Hedonism and Greed and Superficiality and Misinterpretation and am Hoping, Wishing, Praying, Waiting for and EXPECTING a Change! I am not condoning or demeaning all that Christmas may have stood for you for. All I'm asking is for a different perspective!
I conclude again by saying, "Christmas is not a festival on a Calendar: a Birthday Party... Christmas is a festival of the Heart: a Rebirth of Consciousness - Christ Consciousness!"
~Niranjan son of Joseph~
Christmas was created with a very special intention. Not just a birthday celebration. It's very symbolic and here's my interpretation. The Earth has four seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Spring symbolizes Birth and Childhood. Summer is a Adolescence and Youth, Autumn is Maturation and Middle Age and Winter is clearly Death. But wait, the cycle continues again in Spring. This is Rebirth. Being a part of the Earth. We are the Earth.We are subjected to the same cycle, every year! Ok, so day, month, year, etc. are clearly created by Man. But not the Seasons. We have no control over the Seasons just like we have no control over our Aging and our Mortality.
Getting back to the topic, there is a reason why Christmas is tentatively positioned in Winter. It is a preparation for Spring i.e. Rebirth! Only the rebirth is in our Hearts! Christ is not a person who lived in 0 B.C/1 A.D... Christ is a level of Consciousness! Called Christ consciousness, it is the next evolutionary step for Man! Jesus, son of Joseph was called Jesus Christ because he attained this state of consciousness! He set an example for people! Through his Learnings, Teachings, Miracles, Philanthropy, Attitude, Radical Views, Divinity, Humanity, Example, Conscience, Yoga, Travels, Sacrifice and ultimately Consciousness!
The Christmas symbolism also beautifully adds on to this. Firstly, the birth of Christ happened in the humblest of places - a manger not in an superficial palace made of precious stones. Shows that the heart should be but humble to attain this consciousness. Being a King, it's shows how we are in control and rule our own destiny. The only people who came were the Shepherds and the simple folks, this shows that the ordinary, honest working people are the only ones who will matter, not the pompous arrogant fools! The 3 gifts - Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh are again symbolic. Gold depicting Royalty or Kingship which I already explained. Frankincense depicting the growth in Spirituality and Myrrh being an embalming oil which depicts preparation for Death!
The Christmas that we celebrate is hence, not an average Calendar + Birthday festival but a preparation for rebirth. The birth of the Christ Consciousness! Every year, we learn, experience and evolve so much more physically, mentally and spiritually. We all should work towards this Christ Consciousness more than having a gala Christmas. Draping yourself in costly new clothes, indulging cake and wine, meats and sweets, going to places of worship, partying with friends and relatives and gifts aren't what Christmas is about! I don't condemn these activities as bad or dumb or a waste of time... They're just superficialities of the Season, nothing more and nothing less.
Please take some time to think over this and work towards attaining this Consciousness through Forgiveness, Charity, Knowledge, Tolerance, Assistance, Leading, Following, Truthfulness, Love, Faith, Hope, Belief, Wisdom, Experience, Godliness, Spirituality, Teaching through Example, Sacrifice and and ultimately Consciousness. I am disturbed by how this has evolved into a season of Commercialism and Hedonism and Greed and Superficiality and Misinterpretation and am Hoping, Wishing, Praying, Waiting for and EXPECTING a Change! I am not condoning or demeaning all that Christmas may have stood for you for. All I'm asking is for a different perspective!
I conclude again by saying, "Christmas is not a festival on a Calendar: a Birthday Party... Christmas is a festival of the Heart: a Rebirth of Consciousness - Christ Consciousness!"
~Niranjan son of Joseph~
1 comment:
"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!'" ~ Scrooge's Nephew (Charles Dickens)
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