Ever since I can remember, the Christmas season has been one of family, ritual, reverence, beauty and celebration. Over the decades however, many family members have moved to various places in the cosmos and we don’t see each other anymore. What we do see however, is the special nature of this time that comes in December  and ushers us into January and beyond. The twelve days of Christmas are a launch pad that invites passage from darkness to light, from endings to new beginnings.

Innate in the human psyche is a need for regular communal celebrations that touch the soul and point beyond themselves. This emphasis reaffirms our common human/divine identities, strengthens our communities and binds us to a world nurtured and supported by Divine Energy. Peace on Earth and Goodwill for All are values that bring us together in a spoken and unspoken mystery of unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperation, purpose, creativity and faith. Here we discover our unity in our diversity.  

This is a time of special reverence for the creator and creation; a time of blessing, of commemoration, of recommitment to the highest cultural ideals and best practices we can know. It’s also a time for celebrating the goodness, awesomeness and ordinary day to day involvements and engagements of Life. It’s not reserved for a ‘special‘ group of people but for the whole human family to know and experience our Oneness through a common Source known by many names. It speaks to hearts and awakens souls.

The word Christ comes from Christos, a Greek word meaning anointing and blessing. It was given to one man who gave it to all humanity. In this divine energy, we are all anointed and blessed to be a blessing. It’s an unconditional gift given everyone at birth that connects our humanity and divinity. Unfortunately, we are taught that only people of our tribe receive this anointing and blessing with conditions. This teaching separates  and divides us rather than unifying and bringing us together. It’s imperialism. Not God.

Not coincidentally, the Winter Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa are all celebrated within a week of each other at the end of December. Each of them started out within a small group of people; Pagans, Christians and Africans. Each also started out with the same purpose which was to celebrate and affirm their common identity which eventually was recognized as the common identity of all humans as described above. Intuitively, in the depths of our souls, we all know that we are of One family, One community, One Being.

Like so many things we see as separate, we’re coming to know that they, we, are One. The time set aside to commemorate the past is always in pursuit of the experiences and lessons learned and taught through those whose reverence, respect and remembrance moved them to a higher level of consciousness. It’s in giving that we receive, in letting go that we let come. It’s in death that we find new life, in wonder that wisdom is awakened. It’s in love that we let go of fear. It’s in serenity that we find peace.

All this requires our utmost Presence. This Presence is beyond thoughts, words and good intentions. It’s a contemplative dimension that allows us to see through the illusions of our conditioning while opening ourselves to the possibilities and potentialities of our original anointing and blessing. It’s being receptive, ready, willing and committed to grow with curiosity and delight on a journey beyond resistance, fight and flight. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride of a lifetime here and now. Taste and see. Learn how.

“Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.” says the patron saint of our contemporary Christmas, Saint Nicholas. From this place, we can see the beauty that surrounds us, flows in, out, around and through us. From this place, we can join the cosmic community of all and everything to sing songs of anointing and blessing day by day by night all the way Home. Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Christmas Presence!

• This week into the next, meditate on your original anointing and blessing. Let go of all the negativity you’ve heard about yourself and rest in the wonder and beauty of the Who that is Truly You. . . .
• Become aware of how you receive and reject the gift of love for yourself and others. Awaken to the conditioning you received in your life about who you are and who you’re not. Observe how you accept and reject your original anointing and blessing. . . .
• During this Christmas season, become aware of your innate and wonderful blessings. Find the humility and gratitude to live into them. Practice Christmas Presence everyday for the next five years and see what happens. . .  Make it your Mission. . .