Articles Tagged ‘history of christmas’

Christmas Message & Meaning

On this page: Neo-Spiritual Symbols Festive Factoids Lore & History Winter Solstice's St. Lucia

Jule tree Christmas tree

Dear Friends Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Cualli Netlācatilizpan, Joyeux Noël, Happy Holidays, Mele Kalikimaka, Happy Kwanzaa, Geseënde Kersfees, Glædelig Jul, Frohe Weihnachten, Buon Natale, Sheng Dan Kuai Le, Καλά Χριστούγεννα, Shubho Bôṛodin, Meri Kurisumasu, Nollaig Shona Dhuit, Happy Winter Solstice, Happy Hannukah, Il-Milied it-Tajjeb, Счастливого рождества!, Milad Bayramınız Mübarək and Nizhonigo Keshmish,

I remember when I was very small, sitting next to the tree on a quiet night. The house of five kids and two parents and a dog was surprisingly still. Mom was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner and I was a very little, wide-eyed girl. I remember staring into the depths of our six-foot fresh scotch pine tree, carefully adorned with all our famiy's favorite decorations. We had hand-placed silver tinsel strands, candy canes, large colored lights, colored glass ornaments and our family ornaments, like the one with the "angel's hair in the round silver cage". Beneath, lay our manger scene and tiny flocked trees on a bed of soft "snow." I felt a wash of peaceful calm flow over me as I gazed into the tree's depths. The memory is strong and my heart grows very full when I think about that simpler time of my life.

As I look back I realize the depth of my little child's mind and how my curiosity, over time, brought me to these understandings. From a historic perspective we understand how much of our Christmas traditions stem from the church as well as from ancient teachings, yet there is an even deeper meaning often overlooked.

The Christmas Tree

"As above, so below", an indigenous phrase for what the heaven's show us we can experience here on earth.

A sort of top down/bottom up 'axis mundi' perspective (from the Hebrew Sephirot: Mayyimto Malkut - many heavens to our roots) mystery.

Our chakra system's roots immersed in a (red) bowl of water to the star-studded crown (halo).

The Tree of Life as the foundation of this Christmas Tree's crown (Kether) of another tree above it, seeing limitless trees and limitless possibilities. We notice the arms and limbs reaching outward in all directions also representing the myriad "trees" of the Holy Sephira Trees of Life reaching out like our own fingers and toes, reaching to touch the hand of God.

Santa Claus

Now you may be surprised to hear this but Santa Claus (or St. Nicholas) holds a great spiritual significance for us as this beloved icon is a direct representation of God within our own lives. When a small child writes his or her Christmas wish list to Santa asking for their favorite toy; whatever it is, be it a bicycle, dolly or train set, they know beyond a shadow of a doubt as they write this list that they will receive this gift from Santa Claus simply because they asked for it. They know with certainty, come Christmas morning when they run to the living room where the tree stands shining and tall, underneath its fragrant boughs, their little dolly will be waiting for them or their bicycle donned with a pretty red bow and so on. Then follows resounding squeals of delight (i.e., ahhh, further confirmation of their innate trust in "the System's ability to deliver the goods").

96301 400x265 Santa claus old fashioned

We as parents do know a thing or two about Santa and therefore we guffaw and say, "Yeah, right but I'm Santa, that child just thinks it's some mystical imaginary person from the North Pole." Truly, however, there is a mystical truth in the innocence and unfailing trusting abilities of a child's power to wish certain things into existence. All it takes is to BELIEVE.

Breaking out of the influence of our parent's inner circle. From birth until modification from or release from the influence of their parent's inner circles' (the tribe's) strong influence (a very important work in one day becoming sovereign individuals), children naturally have a greater understanding of the natural order of things, the laws of the universe. Therefore, it's a natural progression that children just inherently know that they will receive whatever they ask for and it will appear under the tree on Christmas morning.

 Don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain. Like the Wizard of Oz working away behind the great green curtain, parents work tirelessly behind the scenes wrapping presents late at night, stringing lights and hanging ornaments and getting everything in order so our children have a magical and beautiful Christmas. And, we believe we are helping make beautiful Christmas memories for our child; however, the underlying message of truth is simply reminding ourselves, every single year, of the real truth; the truth that we too can simply ask God/Creator for whatever we want and just know/believe that we will receive it.

We reenact this scenario every year at the same cosmic (cycle) time as a constant unending reminder. When we "lose the Spirit of Christmas" its due to the fact that we have lost the effectiveness of refreshing our higher cosmic (truth) memory as Sons and Daughters of the Divine and Wise Father and Divine Mother (Mrs. Claus) and that is why the long-standing films about people such as Ebenezer Scrooge are so popular; they act as reinforcement of the ultimate and inherent good in everyone, that God-spark within.

Three wise men and their gifts. The trinitized power of the three wise men (star systems, beings of Light) return bearing gifts (frankincense, myrrh and gold - significant in this combination) to assist us in our lower to higher transcendence (birth-death-birth cycle) back to our God-selves/I AM/Source.

Hidden messages in a children's Christmas song. Let's take a partial look at the lyrics from Santa Claus is Coming to Town:

Oh, you better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout, I'm tellin' you why, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
He's making a list, And checking it twice, Gonna find out whose, Naughty or Nice, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
He sees you when you're sleeping, He knows when you're awake, He knows when you've been bad or good, So be good for goodness sakes.

Christmas-childrenadultsmagic Christmas Message & MeaningThese lyrics suggests a higher power (aka someone who can wield enough power to make our dreams come true, read as Mom, Dad, God?!) can inherently and mystically know what we are doing at all times, even when we are sleeping. Why would this individual power source Santa-being want to, or need to, know what we are doing while we are sleeping? Perhaps it has something to do with what occurs when we are sleeping. 'Sleeping' represents our subconscious; where the deeper truth of who we are exists. We cannot hide from our subconscious. We may think we are masking, concealing or camouflaging ourselves in day-to-day activities as we keep busy with work. Often, we fool ourselves by scurrying to and from organizational functions in which we simply must involve ourselves. Justification after justification of what we think we need to be doing in our lives. However, all along we are really running from our subconscious need to be loved, and loved deeply. So the true nature of a deity or higher power has the ability to see through our façade to the real version. By using balanced and fair discernment, they are able to assess whether we have been 'good or bad' (aka positive or negative, light or lesser light), and respond in kind - read as, karma.

We are advised not to enter into a negative state (Fear not! - let's instead rejoice) over the fact that "Santa" is coming to town, to see us. And we had better prepare. Santa has a list with our name on it. Could this be a representation of God or Creator in our lives? God, the all knowing being who knows each of us by name, who has our names written in the Book of Life?

And, then we see that it is recommended that we behave. Well, all parents want their children to behave. Is this a veiled threat within these lyrics? Coersion? Perhaps it is not so much a threat as it is a strong suggestion because, in the end, good always overcomes over evil. Besides, the higher power seems to have a crystal ball looking into our future and sees how things will turn out in the end.

Lump of Coal. And, then there's the lump of coal. A lump of coal is composed primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, chiefly sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. So the story goes that if we misbehave, then we will receive a lump of coal in our stocking on Christmas morning. What exactly is misbehaving anyway? Let's back up for a sec, my understanding of 'sin' is 'lack of flow' or 'not allowing flow' i.e., 'not allowing our light to shine, or being in the divine state of flow and light.' So, if this axiom is true then the lump of coal is a vital reminder of the potential to are to be reminded that our main objective is to TRUST and have FAITH (ye, have faith as of a little child). In the end we transcend from carbon-based matter energy into silica (crystal)-based energy patterns of Light. Let us all be reminded of our need to transcend from a carbon based (fear based) into our inherent birthright of a higher Light being of silica crystalline form and Adam Kadmon structure.

To end, let the children believe, they will teach us all. May the Star on your Christmas Tree be the Light that lights your way, your path.

Holiday Holy Day Blessings All Through the Year,

Deidre Madsen

Festive Factoids

Festive Factoids Christmas Message & Meaningchristmas ballChristmas is celebrated on 25 December, as it is the first day after the solstice ('sun stands still') that the longer day length can be measured ie, the 'birth' of the sun/birth of the Son. Most religions have some celebration of rebirth of the light on 25 December; it is not unique to Christianity.

christmas ballThe twelve days of Christmas are holy days.They can be seen to symbolize the journey around the zodiac, through every sign on the ecliptic, one day per sign, the Fool's journey from birth towards enlightenment, which is when you have an 'epiphany'. Epiphany is celebrated on the twelfth day, which was the day that the three magi arrived, carrying sacred gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, all three very precious materials used in the embalming process, and symbolic of gaining enlightenment and wisdom. This symbolism also connects to the Fool's journey around the 22 cards of the higher arcana of the Tarot.

christmas ballThe Christmas tree can be seen as symbolic of the 'axis mundi', the great tree that connects the underworld to the known world to the heavens. The lights or candles placed on the tree represent the stars in the heavens.

christmas ballThe star placed at the top of the tree is the Pole Star, around which the heavens turn. The pole star is usually represented with five points, a pentangle, which is symbolic of the path of Venus in the sky. Venus makes an exceedingly accurate looped pentangle, returning to the same point in the sky almost exactly eight years later. The pentangle also encodes the angle of 72 degrees, and the golden mean, phi. Phi is the mathematical ratio that is encoded in all living things, as well as the relationship and timings of the sun and moon. The geomagnetic field (remember putting a magnet beneath a piece of paper and sprinkling it with iron filings to see the pattern that it makes) goes from the top of the earth at the North Pole to the bottom of the earth at the South Pole.

christmas ballSanta Claus lives at the North Pole. He dresses in red and white, or carries parcels wrapped in red and white, or both.  Red and white are the colours of the mushroom (Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria) that grows in the northern countries, and is hallucinogenic, giving out-of-body experiences. Reindeer also love to eat this mushroom, and so can fly with Santa Claus. Often, when people have Out Of Body Experiences, they tend to fly over the North Pole, on an orbit that follows the lines of force of the geomagnetic field. The elves who help Santa are probably 4th dimension astral beings, our higher dimensional selves.

christmas ballOlder houses in Siberia used to have their doors in the roof (for access in deep snow). This hole is also a smoke hole, or chimney.  So of course, because Santa is basically the Russian saint Niklaus, he would enter a house down the chimney. [Note: Another recipient of the information pointed out that the smokehole doorway of Siberian houses acts like the crown chakra, and that is where the energy of the gifts comes in, carried by Santa Claus on his 'trip'.

christmas ballMistletoe (Viscum album) is from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan, which means “little dung twig” because the plant spreads though bird droppings.

christmas ballAncient peoples, such as the Druids, considered mistletoe sacred because it remains green and bears fruit during the winter when all other plants appear to die. Druids would cut the plant with golden sickles and never let it touch the ground. They thought it had the power to cure infertility and nervous diseases and to ward off evil.

christmas ballEach year there are approximately 20,000 “rent-a-Santas” across the United States. “Rent-a-Santas” usually undergo seasonal training on how to maintain a jolly attitude under pressure from the public. They also receive practical advice, such as not accepting money from parents while children are looking and avoiding garlic, onions, or beans for lunch.

 ......

christmas ballThe poinsettia is native to Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs, who called the plant Cuetlaxochitl (“flower which wilts”). For the Aztecs, the plant’s brilliant red color symbolized purity, and they often used it medicinally to reduce fever. Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia is not poisonous, but holly berries are.

christmas ballSanta Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey), he is the world’s most popular non-Biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking, pawnbroking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New York City.

christmas ballWassail is from the Old Norse ves heill, meaning “good health. Wassail is a beverage of hot mulled cider, traditionally drunk as an integral part of wassailing, a Medieval English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year. Source

Wassail Christmas Message & MeaningIngredients
1 t whole cloves
1 3-inch stick cinnamon
2 qt apple cider (or apple juice)
1 qt cranapple juice
46 oz pineapple juice
12 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed and undiluted)
6 oz from lemonade concentrate (thawed and undiluted)
1 c water (plus 2 tablespoons)
2⁄3 c brown sugar (firmly packed)
1⁄2 c sugar

Instructions:Tie cloves and cinnamon in a cheesecloth bag. Place spice bag and remaining ingredients in a large kettle; stir well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Remove the spice bag.

Listen to "Here We Come A-wassailing" performed by the U.S. Army Band Chorus.

christmas ballChristmas stockings allegedly evolved from three sisters who were too poor to afford a marriage dowry and were, therefore, doomed to a life of prostitution. They were saved, however, when the wealthy Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna (the precursor to Santa Claus) crept down their chimney and generously filled their stockings with gold coins.

christmas ballThe first person to decorate a Christmas tree was reportedly the Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546). According to legend, he was so moved by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree, he brought home an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image with his children.

christmas ballIn Germany, Heiligabend, or Christmas Eve, is said to be a magical time when the pure in heart can hear animals talking.

lucia littleyule Christmas Message & MeaningWinter Solstice and St. Lucia

God Jul With Love and Honor to All My Danish, Viking and Svenska Friends,

When I first heard of this story, I fell in love with the idea of the beautiful saintly Lucia. Before dawn on December 13, "Little Yule," the eldest daughter of a Scandinavian household arises and sets a wreath of greenery upon her head to which are anchored several candles. With these all ablaze in the pre-dawn dimness she walks the corridors, calling on each bedroom with a gift of hot coffee, lussekatter ("Lucy kats," yeast rolls) and gingerbread. She is the Lucia bruden, the Lucia Bride, Saint Lucy.

Lucia exhibits traits of many ancient goddesses. She is almost certainly a face of Freya, "Mistress of Cat," whose special season was Yule and who was dedicated to the dispensing of wealth and plenty. The Norse sun-goddess Sunna, whose emblem is the fiery wheel, is also present in St. Lucy, and the Italian midwife goddess of "first light," Juno Lucina, may have lent her name to this bright figure.

More than anything, Lucia is the Lightbringer, the Child of Light who appears mysteriously out of the darkest night with hope and sustenance for all. Source

Watch this beautiful video showing the celebration and enjoy this angelic song.

Merry Christmas,

Deidre

 

 

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