Here in the northern hemisphere we are fast approaching the Winter Solstice when we celebrate the return of the Light after the darkest day of the year. Each turning of the Great Wheel of Time moves the procession of the seasons forward with their respective forms of celebration. This ‘turning of the Wheel’ is reflected in one of the old names for the winter festival. Yule-tide comes from the Scandinavian ‘hjul’ for wheel and ‘tid’ for time. Other cultures also eagerly awaited the reappearance of the sun and the lengthening of the days. The Egyptians celebrated the return of the Sun God Ra by parading the first boy child born after the solstice in the streets to jubilant cries of ‘Hu Ra’. Hu-Ra signifies the status of the Man-God which many ancient civilizations believed to be our ultimate destiny as humans. A remnant of this legacy lives on today and instead of ‘Hu Ra’ we now shout ‘Hooray’ to acknowledge a special accomplishment or person.
We have already entered the season of Advent – heralding the Coming of the Light. The birth of the Light of the World acts as a reminder of the great birth that awaits each of us when the Light of Essential Divinity within pierces through the obscuring clouds of un-knowing and fear. Christmas is a Festival of the Inner Light and a time of great hope and promise.
As a present from all of us at Meditation Mount, we offer the ‘The Promise of Light: A Christmas Story for All Ages’ as a joyful reminder of the birth that awaits each of us as we learn to open our hearts and allow the Fire of Love to flow into the world. Here is how the story begins:
“It was Christmas Eve and the stars hung crisp and bright in the northern sky. The small town lay hushed and sleeping under a thick blanket of snow as the two children snuggled closer to each other and gazed in wonder at the visitor at the foot of their bed. They had never seen a real Angel before.
The tingling sensation inside their stomachs was definitely not one of fear – more a thrill of unexplained delight and curiosity. It was Sophie who spoke first while her younger brother, Jasper, watched with fascination as the visitor stabilized itself: moving from a shimmering silver light to a gentle golden pulse.
“Who are you and why have you come?” came the awed whisper from the girl. There was a silence that filled the room – not the disconcerting hollow kind that sometimes grew around them in the night as they tried to sleep – this silence was a living peace that washed over them like the warm and happy waves they remembered from holidays by the sea.
The two children were not sure how the Angel spoke because the sound did not seem to be coming across the short distance between them and the end of the bed. It was as if the comforting tones of the celestial traveler called to them inside their own heads.
“I have come because you called me”, reassured the Angel. “Last night I heard you asking your brother why people give presents to each other at Christmas and your voice was so full of deep searching that I could not resist coming in person to bring you a response.”
(water wheel image courtesy of Kylie_Jaxxon / CC2.0)