December 24, 2003
-
Christmas Eve
What if there had been no special baby born in a cave under the stars? What if all we had had to celebrate the past few thousand years were millions and millions of babies born under the stars — small humans, growing into wise humans, with no special being to mediate between us and the heavens, no special being given the task of uniquely loving, laughing, bleeding, dying, rising? What if there were just us, the lovely earth, the watching stars? What if…….?
What if all the love and tenderness for earth and each other had to come from us alone, witnessed only by the stars? What if the gods themselves have decreed that we alone hold responsibility for the wonder and fragile beauty of this planet? Could we not then do a better job of all this? — with no one to fall back upon but ourselves? I’m not suggesting that there are no deities or Watchers out there, only that perhaps we have too long depended upon rescue from “out there” instead of focusing upon the innate wisdom and compassion long ago seeded within us.
In this season of Light’s birth from the holy, all encompassing, pulsing Darkness, perhaps we could remember that what’s really being born, hopefully, is our own ability to mature and navigate gracefully through both Darkness and Light, for the dance between these seeming opposites profoundly enriches the deeper wisdom lying too long unclaimed within us……. (reprinted from www.mythinglinks.org)
Deep Thought:If you ever discover that what you’re seeing is a play within a play, just slow down, take a deep breath, and hold on for the ride of your life.Today I am grateful for: Hope
Comments (10)
Hope is what it’s all about.
I am not one who believes that any birth was particularly special. I think we all need to strive to grasp that sense of great responsibility….and wonder. Thanks for sharing this!
Dear Andrea, I keep trying to find hope in your reflections this morning, but I’m afraid that I’m far too cynical about the reality and fragility of women and men. I believe with my whole being that there is more to the universe, to our lives, than just us. I can’t buy into the idea that humankind fails and falls short because we feel we can fall back on a greater power. We fail and fall short because we are imperfect beings. How much more noble is our quest for good when it requires that we seek it in spite of our flawed nature? I believe that our hope can be found in the pattern for a perfect life which was given to us as a gift — a pattern that lights the way to redemption, should we choose to embrace it and follow it. I believe that our hope was embodied in a human child, and that human child was also a deity. I believe that this human child lived and worked and taught, that he was killed for his perfection, and that he defied death and the grave. I believe there is something beyond death, and that there we will find God. I also believe that God exists in my heart, in yours, and in the heart/soul of every little baby born on this earth. That spark of deity imbues our world with potential for a better world. That bit of the divine in us is our hope.
Andrea, I’ve blogged in your comment box again. Merry Christmas, and I hope you find joy and hope in the faces of your children and grandchildren today. I hope you see the face of God in your babies and wherever else you seek. I wish you joy and hope and peace.
mary jane
merry christmas mom
I feel tempted to remove this blog. It seems to have really upset folks.
Well, I think these are wise words we should all think about, regardless of whether or not we believe in “something”– ultimately there is hope in finding wisdom, and in finding wisdom we draw on our personal responsibility. I hope you don’t remove them.
Peace.
Merry Christmas!! =)
Well, a day later, I’m thinking what’s wrong with a little thought provocation. The quote wasn’t intended to be a criticism of Christianity I don’t believe. To me it was just a gentle way of saying that whatever higher power we may have it has supplied with us with a great deal of innate wisdom which we may not be using to full capacity.
Sometimes, we just have to agree to disagree, and are all none the worse for the wear. Thought provocation is a good thing, and we should use the good brains God gave us. Merry Christmas!
and you were dead on. Sorry. i was having a day of over-sensitivity and raw nerves. feeling a little ragged with helping many people deal with the darkness of the season. I am, on one hand, glad I felt comfortable and safe enough to express myself, but horribly sorry to have come across as I did — and then to have fallen down a christmas mouse hole and disappeared from a dialogue for a couple of days. It’s hard sometimes to express yourself using just words and to convey ALL of what your heart was saying. I wasn’t upset or angry, but my brain was buzzing and I had to let the words out before the buzzing drove me crazier than I already am. Merry Christmas, Andrea. I do wish you joy, hope and peace. have a great day with Jane.