As Christmas approaches, and without taking any stance for or against the occasion, those who celebrate may experience Christmas and the days leading up to it as stressful. What was originally meant to be a time of stillness and peace has been made into its opposite by the human mind. The occasion we are celebrating at Christmas is, of course, the birth of Jesus two thousand years ago. In a deeper sense, however, Christmas represents the birth of Christ within the human soul, the arising of who you are in your essence – stillness, the unconditioned, timeless dimension of consciousness.
Just as Christmas is the celebration of light arising when the darkness is greatest and the nights are longest, the spiritual birth in the human soul often happens at a time of great despair and suffering. This is the dark night of the soul that often comes before the spiritual awakening. Once the awakening has happened, most people undergo a process during which the darkness within them, the unconsciousness of the ego, is seen more clearly and dispelled by the light of consciousness, the light of Presence. In other words: living in the Now dispels the darkness!
Collectively, Christmas comes to symbolize the spiritual birth on earth, the arising of a new consciousness in humanity. This is what lies at the core of all religions: the realization of enlightenment, the Christ within, or your Buddha nature.
Excerpt taken from Eckhart Tolle's newsletter.
May the spirit of Christmas deepen the stillness, love, peace and joy that we are.
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