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ARTICLES (INSPIRATIONAL GIFTS OF LOVE)
& MUSINGS
CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS, LORE AND HISTORY
by Deidre Madsen
ALSO ON THIS PAGE
Festive Factoids & Christmas Solstice Santa Lucia
What is the Spiritual Significance
of the Christmas Tree and Santa Clause?
I remember when I was very small, sitting next to the tree on a quiet night. The house was still, Mom was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner and I was a very young little girl. I remember staring into the depths of our six-foot fresh scotch pine tree, adorned with 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 the 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 its depths. The memory is strong and my heart gets very full when I think about that simpler time of my life.
One of the many messages of the Christmas Tree is that it represents us as individuals with our chakra system's roots immersed in a (red) bowl of water to the star-studded crown (halo).
The Tree of Life too holds great significance as we see the foundation of this Christmas Tree is also the 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.
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").
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
Children naturally have
a greater understanding of the natural order of things, the laws of the universe. |
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, we as adults work tirelessly behind the scenes wrapping presents late at night, stringing lights and hanging ornaments and getting everything in order so our child has 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 SONG
Let's take a partial look at the lyrics from the holiday song, 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.
MYSTICAL INTERPRETATION
These lyrics imply 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, and moreover, what is so important about what happens when we are sleeping anyway, why is it important for this being to even be concerned about what we do when we are sleeping? Because '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 it or concealing or camouflaging it in our day-to-day activities, busying ourselves with work we think we need to be doing, organizations we feel we have to be involved with, justification after justification of what we think we need to be doing in our lives, where 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 facade to the real version and using balanced and fair discernment, is able to assess whether we have been 'good or bad' (aka positive or negative, light or lesser light), and respond in kind.
STAYING POSITIVE - STAYING LIGHT
To continue, we therefore are recommended to not enter 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.
Then Santa has a list with our name on it. Could this be a representation of God or Creator in our lives, 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 for their children to behave so there is this veiled threat within these lyrics. Perhaps it is not so much a threat as it is a strong suggestion because, in the end, good always overcomes over evil. Hmmm, my thoughts will continue on ...
LUMP OF COAL
And, then there's the lump of coal. A lump of coal according to Wikipedia It 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 Blessings,
Deidre Madsen
'tween's author
Deidre Madsen, O.M. ~ Imagery Consultant, Author, Lecturer, Life Coach. As a tenured Imagery Consultant Deidre works body, mind and spirit whole-brained holistic retreats and sessions with clients worldwide. Shangri-La Sedona Soul Spa is Deidre's latest, a beautiful line of meta-spiritual bath and beauty products incorporating crystals and flower elixirs, oils, where eastern philosophy meets western. "Shangri-La Sedona Soul Spa". And, her self-help book "Everyday Enlightenment" is soon to be published. BIOGRAPHY :: EMAIL
FESTIVE FACTOIDS ... FOOD FOR THOUGHT FROM FIONA
Christmas 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.
The 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.
The 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.
The 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.
Santa 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.
Older 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'.]
~ Fiona Hopes fiona@song-of-the-earth.com
SANTA LUCIA
Artwork and Santa Lucia's History by Joanna Powell Colbert. Used with permission. To view more of Joanna's beautiful artwork, please visit her website.
Thank you, Joanna! Blessed Be! |
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HAPPY SOLSTICE
In love and honor of my Danish/Viking Twin Ray, Michael, and his homeland ...
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.
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