Sometimes I wish my spiritual life was more simple and I would be drawn to celebrating just one of these holidays, but I can't, they each mean too much to me, too much to my spirit. I could not imagine this season without our walk up the hill to sing to the Sun (deep connection with nature and her cycles), or our preparation of our Christmas stable (how magical it is to live in a holy story), or bringing in the New Year with our hoping circle (the power in manifesting dreams). I will not let go of any of these, but I do wish for simplicity.
This year I am trying to be more simple, or at least have some clarity in my mind about why I celebrate these three days. To what part of my spirit do each of these three birth cycles speak?
Today I will look at the Christmas birth cycle. It is one of those great birth narratives that I like to live in each year. And because it is so close to my own experience of the birth of my first child, I can easily live in this story in this season. I like the idea that God comes to us in human form. It helps me to see that there is something special about humanity, that we carry the holy and the sacred, even in our less than perfect bodies. I also like to celebrate birth because it is so worth celebrating.
The waiting. First, there is Advent. The waiting time. Preparation. Getting the house in order. Nesting. Wondering when it will happen. What will it be like? What will the baby be like? Look like? Smell like? Will I be able to make it through the delivery? Advent reminds me of my own waiting and wondering and preparing. It is a time of year when waiting becomes a spiritual practice.
Birthing. Then, there is the birth. The pain, the excitement, the long hours, the joy, the new life, huge sigh....of relief... followed by elation. This stage holds the gift of surprise. Like opening a stocking stuffed by my child with things he thought I would really love (a small journal, a new pen, a moonstone, a shell found on the beach, a piece of my favorite chocolate), my surprise tells me (and assures me) that he knows me in a way that all of us want to be known. It is a time of surprises, recognition, honoring, and paying close attention to each other.
Time changes. Then there is the newborn stage. For the new family, there is lots of sleep, hibernating, and enjoying that prepared nest. Time changes. Sleepless nights turn to sleepy days. There is no rushing around, no desire to go out of the house/nest, the pace evenly slow. Throughout the Christmas season there are more days for reading books, napping, and playing in pajamas. Time for staying close to each other.
Welcoming. There are visits with family and friends who bring meals, share food, and offer gifts to the baby. Are these visitors the wisemen in our lives who travel far to bring gifts to the newborn baby? It is a time of celebrating with others our new life--that out of darkness shines a bright star. It is a star we learn again to welcome--a star we gaze upon, and yet a star we hold deep within.
Thank you for writing your thoughts out on this... As you might have read, I am finding my way toward bringing more spirituality into our winter holidays, and what you've written really resonates with me.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Stacy