I sit this morning, knowing our connection, holding you in prayer and meditation as I move gently into another beautiful November day. I know for each of us, and for our Community, the inherent Peace and Harmony of Spirit, present and active in every aspect of our lives.
As we gracefully move through this season of gratitude and thanksgiving, I feel the great-fullness melding into the Season of Advent, which begins tomorrow. And so, seeking to create and experience more meaningful Holy-Days for myself this year, I offer these contemplations to you in hopes that they add a richness and fullness to your Spiritual Practice and Celebration. Recognizing the importance of the Nativity Story to this shared cultural observance, I would like to offer some thoughts and contemplations about the word nativity, and maybe a bit about how it plays a part in the upcoming Season of Light.
From its Latin roots, nativity simply means arisen by birth. In modern usage, the definition is similar: the occasion of a person’s birth. So, the Nativity Story as we know it is the story of the birth of Yeshua Ben Yosef, or Jesus, son of Joseph. We have also heard him called by other names, such as Jesus of Nazareth; Jesus Christ, son of God; Jesus, the Christ; Rabbi; and the Master Teacher, Yeshua, among others. By whatever name we know him, he has come to represent the Divine Potential in all human beings. As the month unfolds, I will talk more about the many aspects of this amazing teacher’s life (as we believe we understand it) and about the metaphysical implications for our lives. But for today, I would like to talk about the archetype known as Miraculous Birth Stories, or Archetype of the Virgin Birth.
The Christian Nativity story is not unique. It was similar to, and grew out of, the common mythology of its time. It is thought to have begun in pre-history, passed down as oral tradition. Here are some other examples of such tales. In the Ancient Hebraic tradition, Melchizedek was said to have been born of the virgin Sofonim, the wife of Nir, a brother of Noah. The story has it that the child came out from his mother after she had died, and sat on the bed beside her body, already physically developed, clothed, speaking and blessing the Lord, already marked with the badge of priesthood.
Another myth from the Greco-Roman tradition tells us that Dughdova was a virgin when she conceived Zoroaster by a shaft of light. From this same mythology, Attis was born to the virgin Nana on December 25; Heracles was born of a virgin, also on December 25; and Romulus and his twin brother Remus were born to Rea Sivia, a mortal Vestal virgin.
From the region now known as Iran (the Biblical Persian Empire), the god Mithra was born of a virgin in a cave on the 25th of December. It is said that he “travelled far and wide as a teacher and illuminator of men. His great festivals were the winter solstice and the Spring equinox (Christmas and Easter). He had twelve companions or disciples (the twelve zodiacal signs). He was buried in a tomb, from which however he rose again; and his resurrection was celebrated yearly with great rejoicings. He was called Savior and Mediator, and sometimes figured as a Lamb; and sacramental feasts in remembrance of him were held by his followers. He was dated about 1400 BC.” (Wikipedia)
From the Buddhist tradition, Siddartha, who became Gautama Buddha, was born in 567 BCE to Queen Maya following an immaculate conception that took place as she dreamt that a six-tusked elephant pierced her side with one of its tusks. “She understood the dream to mean the resulting child would become a monarch whose domain was the world.” (Wikipedia) Similar to the story of Jesus becoming the Christ at his baptism, Siddartha sets out on a journey to find a way past pain and death, and ultimately attains enlightenment, or Buddha Nature. There are comparable stories in the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian cultures, as well as the Hindu tradition. The point is to realize that the story of the Virgin Mary and the birth of Jesus is likely one of the most recent incarnations of a timeless tale, pointing us toward the Light, or enlightenment.
Evelyn Underhill, an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion, spiritual practice, and Christian mysticism, in her book The Spiral Way (1912), offers a message for today:
“So many had gone up the mountain to that one desired encounter; only to be thwarted by the cloud that broods upon the summit, and hides from human eyes the Shining Light within. The great prophets, poets, and philosophers of the antique world – all these had gone up, all had marked classic moments in the ascent of the race…Consciously or unconsciously, all are candidates for (the) high office” of virgin birth.
She goes on to say,
“…the virgin posture of the soul is an attempt to bring about an inner state, an inner feeling of fertility and love towards your invisible and unknown potential – purity from preconceived ideas – the offering of your whole being as material for your potential to use in creating a new self…There should arise a feeling of warmth toward and desire for the unseen Life, openness to any possibility Life may have in store for you, good or bad, allied with trust. If you have a temperament capable of this, then make it an act of love, a real devotion…When you manage to let go of what you think God or Life is, what you believe yourself to be, or what you are convinced is so about yourself and the world, then you are ready to receive something new. Then, that divine conception can take place in you that enables the spiritual (that which exists beyond the barriers and boundaries of your own ego) to gain a foothold in you. Then you become pregnant with new life and eventually give birth to the More of yourself in the way you live and act. This conception and the following birth will become known to you in some way.”
And so in closing for today, let us simply see the Nativity Story as a tale of Every Human, pregnant with Potential, pure as the driven snow, born in Original Goodness, here to experience the Light within, and to express It to the world, each in our own unique way. I look forward to our Journey together, one that marks our passage to a greater understanding of ourselves and our cultural stories. I invite you to check in tomorrow as we explore the meaning of Advent. (This will be the theme of our Taizé Meditation Service, as well.) Until then…
Know that today and always, I am here to support you.
Know that today and always, you are stronger and wiser than you know.
May we all look to the Light…be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive! And…
May we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day, as Infinite Intelligence continues to pour Its blessings upon our world.
