The meaning of Christmas...

Christmas has been, for me, something of a great mystery, at all levels, and one that I had to "solve", and it drove me mad, on more than one occasion, because it deals with the whole spectrum, from the turning point of the cycle of life and the changing of the seasons, to issues involving myth and metaphor, even lies (no I'm not saying that there wasn't a historical Jesus, and of course we all know that we wasn't born on December 25th, most likely in September from the research that I've done), along with very deeply seeded psychological origins and beginnings in relation to our own family of origin (although I had a wonderful family or origin). It's got it all. There is a lot wrapped up in Christmas, and whether it's a gift or a curse it's something that we all have to resolve in our own unique way. For me it had to be allowed to drive me insane, or off the usual rails of normality, let us just say, but I've since integrated those strange episodes of the transformation of the pyche, having to my satisfaction "solved" the mystery of Christmas (for more on this you can leaf through the thread linked in my sig below which touches on some aspects of it).

There's a TON of content, for me, in connection with this season, and it's not "just another day", the whole process, not for me.

In the Christmas season we have all the usual nonsense in relation to tinsel, murdered (chopped down) coniferous trees, turkey with all the fix'n's, enmity with uncle Bob, etc etc, but there is much more to it than that, with Christmas there is a lot more going on beneath the scenes, or above them, than meets the eye, and at some level most of you will agree with me about this, indeed there is such a thing as the "Christmas Spirit".

There's the death and resurrection of the cycle of life in the changing of the seasons, along with yet another round of the sun, while the earth is dynamically balanced in perfect equilibrium by the relationship between the earth, the moon and the sun, a relationship with profound characteristics, some of which I can relate at another point in this thread, but needless to say that they bear the hallmarks of an intelligent design.

Since Christmas 1996/97 to last year's Christmas 2011/12, on four occasions I've been hospitalized with what might be called an overdose of the Christmas spirit lol, and the work I've done integrating those profound experiences compelled me to continue my pursuit of resolving something of the most profound nature, meaning and significance, leading up to the big "Kahoona" of a spiritual awakening I had last Christmas, and it was a very very unusual experience and one that I can share more of as we go..

There's another layer, another depth of meaning and significance and even spiritual experience in relation to Christmas, ime, which causes things to well up within us, issues in relation to our family of origin, our childhood, our greatest hopes and dreams, along with our deepest sorrows and regrets. At the very least it can serve a process of transformation, not out of alignment with the very cycle of life, death and resurrection, which for many of us is something that we believe was also embodied and personified in the person of Jesus, who is magnified to the nth degree, while the sun moves to it's lowest point in the horizon, the new cycle of the new year and annual circle of the sun bounded up in a domain of as yet unrealized potential and of perhaps new hopes and dreams for a new year and a better tomorrow, so in the despair and depression of the ending of a cycle and it's death, is the hope for a newfound joyful experience as yet unrealized, and that's the stuff of the story of a human life, and a very human experience, all of it bundled up like an exquisitely wrapped and bowed present the likes of which any recipient would be afraid to open, if he could even begin to figure out how to begin with, that is. It's that astonished look of wonderment at receipt of a gift they could only have dreamed for, in the twinkling eyes of a child on Christmas morning, a child that was at one time, you and me.

It's enough to bring a grown man both to tears AND laughter at the far end of the simplicity of it all on the far side of complexity.

Um, what are your thoughts about it, about Christmas?



Best Regards,


NAM
I need a Christmas smiley, will go look for one.

on second thought, this thread belongs in Psychology, Philosophy and Metaphysics. Mod please move..? Thanks.

Well, we probably murder the turkeys, I'm not to sure about the trees, while we do also eat the trees.

I've seen many an episode of TV's 'Grumpy old men' including complaining about Christmas, and the farts they don't like, and the lack of farts they do like, and most of the time I just don't go with it. In the main they are disparate people with clouded judgement on others, but who are also mostly in their own TV domain. Now't wrong with Christmas if your own values are intact.

For whatever it's worth, merry Christmas to one and all and good will to mankind.

"Bah, humbug!"

reply to post by AbelMagwich


You're so predictable.

Sorry I didn't mean to freak everyone out over Christmas ..
and in regards to processing all the "material" involved THIS Christmas, of 2012, for me because I already got "it" all over with, last year, I'm a year ahead of schedule here with nose aglow and the Good News that all is well that ends well and begins anew, well.

Merry Christmas!

NAM

Joy to the World!