“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”
-Dr. Seuss, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.”
-George Carlin
Merry Christmas to all on this most wonderful day of the year! This morning children everywhere will rise early in anticipation of opening their gifts, brought the night before by Santa Clause. Families will be together to share the joy and love of the Christmas Spirit. Christmas is celebrated in different ways all over the globe on or around December 25th.
Here in the U.S., families decorate the outside of their homes with festive lights and displays. Inside, stockings are hung over the fireplace to be filled with goodies and the Christmas tree is adorned with lights and decorations, and surrounded by gifts to be opened on Christmas morning. Later – the family, gathered together from far and wide – have a traditional turkey feast. But how did we come to celebrate Christmas the way we do?
We know that Christmas is an annual festival solemnizing the birth of Jesus Christ (or Jesus the Christ). It’s a religious and cultural celebration observed by billions around the world.
The gospels of Luke and Matthew state that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary. The pregnant Mary and her companion Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, Jesus being born there. The Angels then heralded him as a Savior for the world.
Although no date is given in the Bible, early Christians connected Jesus to the Sun with such phrases as “Sun (not Son) of righteousness.” The Romans marked the Winter Solstice on December 25th, consequently, the first recorded Christmas celebration was held in Rome on that date in 336 A.D.
The word Christmas is a shortened form of “Christ’s Mass.” The word is recorded as Christesmaesse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131. Christ is from the Greek Khristos, a translation of Hebrew Masiah or Messiah, meaning “anointed.”
The abbreviation ‘X-mas’ is based on the first letter Chi (x) in Greek Khristos. Christmas has been known by various names throughout history. Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as “Mid-Winter”. In Old English Geola (Yule) referred to the period corresponding to December and January which eventually became Christian Christmas. Noel (or Nowel) entered English in the late 14th century from Old French Nael, ultimately from Latin Natalis, meaning ‘birth’.
Christmas is celebrated in many countries around the world including many non-Christian countries due to periods of colonial rule, for example; Hong Kong. Another reason would have been because of a countries Christian minorities, Japan is one such country, where Christmas is popular despite a small number of Christians. Many of these countries have adopted Christmas traditions such as gift-giving and decorating Christmas trees.
So that is the History of Christmas, but what about the true meaning of Christmas. I know sometimes here in the U.S. we forget what it is really about. Almost everybody here celebrates; even the atheists. It has become more of a commercial holiday, with the television news reporting more on how much Americans spent on the holidays than on stories about the real meaning.
We all know the real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of a great man whose life was dedicated to spreading a message of love and peace. We should remember that the tradition of gift-giving is about the act of giving, not receiving.
I love this quote from American author Steve Maraboli:
“Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.”
Let’s try to remember what it is all about this holiday season. Try to spread joy and love to those you encounter, and remember, it’s about a man two thousand years ago who just wanted us to all get along. Peace. In the words of Dickens’ Tiny Tim – “God bless us, everyone!
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”
-Dr. Seuss, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.”
-George Carlin
Merry Christmas to all on this most wonderful day of the year! This morning children everywhere will rise early in anticipation of opening their gifts, brought the night before by Santa Clause. Families will be together to share the joy and love of the Christmas Spirit. Christmas is celebrated in different ways all over the globe on or around December 25th.
Here in the U.S., families decorate the outside of their homes with festive lights and displays. Inside, stockings are hung over the fireplace to be filled with goodies and the Christmas tree is adorned with lights and decorations, and surrounded by gifts to be opened on Christmas morning. Later – the family, gathered together from far and wide – have a traditional turkey feast. But how did we come to celebrate Christmas the way we do?
We know that Christmas is an annual festival solemnizing the birth of Jesus Christ (or Jesus the Christ). It’s a religious and cultural celebration observed by billions around the world.
The gospels of Luke and Matthew state that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary. The pregnant Mary and her companion Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, Jesus being born there. The Angels then heralded him as a Savior for the world.
Although no date is given in the Bible, early Christians connected Jesus to the Sun with such phrases as “Sun (not Son) of righteousness.” The Romans marked the Winter Solstice on December 25th, consequently, the first recorded Christmas celebration was held in Rome on that date in 336 A.D.
The word Christmas is a shortened form of “Christ’s Mass.” The word is recorded as Christesmaesse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131. Christ is from the Greek Khristos, a translation of Hebrew Masiah or Messiah, meaning “anointed.”
The abbreviation ‘X-mas’ is based on the first letter Chi (x) in Greek Khristos. Christmas has been known by various names throughout history. Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as “Mid-Winter”. In Old English Geola (Yule) referred to the period corresponding to December and January which eventually became Christian Christmas. Noel (or Nowel) entered English in the late 14th century from Old French Nael, ultimately from Latin Natalis, meaning ‘birth’.
Christmas is celebrated in many countries around the world including many non-Christian countries due to periods of colonial rule, for example; Hong Kong. Another reason would have been because of a countries Christian minorities, Japan is one such country, where Christmas is popular despite a small number of Christians. Many of these countries have adopted Christmas traditions such as gift-giving and decorating Christmas trees.
So that is the History of Christmas, but what about the true meaning of Christmas. I know sometimes here in the U.S. we forget what it is really about. Almost everybody here celebrates; even the atheists. It has become more of a commercial holiday, with the television news reporting more on how much Americans spent on the holidays than on stories about the real meaning.
We all know the real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of a great man whose life was dedicated to spreading a message of love and peace. We should remember that the tradition of gift-giving is about the act of giving, not receiving.
I love this quote from American author Steve Maraboli:
“Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.”
Let’s try to remember what it is all about this holiday season. Try to spread joy and love to those you encounter, and remember, it’s about a man two thousand years ago who just wanted us to all get along. Peace. In the words of Dickens’ Tiny Tim – “God bless us, everyone!
Our religions say that God is the best healer. He heals us by forgiving our failures and shortcomings. We all have this divine power to heal ourselves and others with forgiveness. It is in healing through forgiveness, and by forgiving those who multiply our suffering, we come closest to God. Before we discuss the importance of forgiveness in spiritual practice and the need for cultivating forgiving nature or the attitude of forgiveness, let us contemplate upon some healing truths.
Whether you hurt someone or hurt by someone, you are invariably disturbed. Therefore, whether you forgive yourself or others, forgiveness is always an act of letting go and finding peace. Forgiving others is a good karma. It is an opportunity to heal yourself. If you do not forgive them, you will carry that burden until the end, and perhaps into your future lives until it is resolved.
When you seek forgiveness from others, you help them do good karma, which is also a good karma in itself. However, you know that you cannot control others, but you can control yourself and your attitude. Therefore, when it comes to seeking forgiveness, it is better to keep your expectations low and practice humility. It may be assuring to know that if you seek forgiveness with sincerity and right attitude, you are forgiven, whether others forgive you or not, since God is the witness to all our actions and he knows a good deed when he sees one. Some sins are unforgivable. Only time and retribution will heal them. From the wisdom of our scriptures and spiritual masters we know that through suffering all sins are forgiven.
It is difficult to forgive others when you feel you are wronged, and your anger is perfectly justified. It is where you have an opportunity to rise above yourself and show your compassion. Whether you forgive someone, or not, is purely a personal choice. It depends upon your thinking and attitude and your beliefs and values. Sometimes, it is very difficult to forgive, especially when the hurt is deep and cannot easily be forgotten. Sometimes, it may last for a lifetime. Past life regression suggest that it may even last for several lifetimes and become a source of suffering. It shows how difficult it is for people to practice forgiveness.
However, we also know the consequences of unforgiving nature. People who are unforgiving and hold on to their grudges and grievances experience a lot of suffering and negativity. It shows up in their behavior and attitude, as they carry their distrust, anger and bitterness for long and become self-defensive. Consumed by their feelings of negativity, which effects their judgment, reason and discernment, they may also suffer from social alienation, monetary losses, depression and ill-health,
In some cultures, certain offenses can never be forgiven, since God himself does not condone them. In some, forgiveness is done by retaliation or by seeking an eye for an eye. How and why you forgive others depend upon your beliefs and personal values. It is not even necessary that you have to tell others that you have forgiven them. You can just internally do it and be free from all negativity. It is difficult to generalize and say what motivates a person to forgive others. However, we know that a person is forgiving to the extent he or she is spiritual and enlightened. Knowledge and education also help.
Forgiveness is self-cleansing. It has transformative power. It is a virtue and good karma. The attitude of forgiveness can be cultivated by practice. It is encouraged in almost all religious and spiritual traditions. Forgiveness is a virtue in itself and has its own physical, mental and spiritual benefits. Everyone needs to practice it for their own peace and happiness. By forgiving others you mend your relationships, feel good about yourself, overcome stress and anxiety, improve your physical and mental health and heal yourself.
Factors that contribute to forgiveness
As long as you have a body and depend upon food, you cannot avoid hurting others for your survival. Therefore, you must constantly seek forgiveness from all things that sacrifice themselves to sustain you and nourish you. It is why we have the tradition of offering food to God before eating it. By offering it to God, you are passing on all the sinful karma that is associated with it, the pain and suffering of all the beings that went into its making.
One should therefore cultivate forgiveness even if one is nonviolent and leads a dedicated, spiritual life. The attitude of forgiveness is a culmination of your spiritual practice and inner growth. By cultivating it, you can cultivate all other related virtues. The following factors facilitate the attitude of forgiveness. You can practice forgiveness by cultivating them. At the same time, by practicing forgiveness, you can cultivate all of them as they reinforce each other, just as the branches of a banynan tree. As you learn to forgive others, you will become more virtuous and spiritual. You will become God like and develop a healing personality. By that, you will heal your relationships, your past, others and yourself.
Attention: Pay attention to the world around you. It helps you see the deeper aspects of life, which we usually miss, and connect with your own deeper thoughts and feelings.
Connection: Find yourself in others. See the similarities. By that you will connect with the people around you, establish affinity and share their thoughts and feelings from deep inside.
Reflection: By reflecting upon things, people and life, we gain insight in the nature of our existence, and our behavior, which in turn help us become more understanding and forgiving.
Self-acceptance: We all make mistakes. When we realize that just as we are, others too are vulnerable to certain weaknesses and errors in judgment, we become more tolerant and forgiving.
Egolessness: Egoistic people rarely forgive or forget. The ego is responsible for conflicts, aggression and selfish behavior. By controlling it, one can cultivate tolerance and understanding.
Humility: When you practice humility, you will set aside your egoistic pride, vanity and self-importance, recognizing others as your equals and their right to self-expression and self-esteem.
Compassion: Forgiveness is an offshoot of many virtues. Compassion is one of them. If you have compassion for others for their suffering, you will naturally forgive others and let them go
Nonviolence: The essence of nonviolence is you do not disturb anyone and you are not disturbed by anyone. It means, you will not give any cause to forgive others or seek forgiveness from them.
Friendliness: By cultivating universal friendliness or agreeableness, you will seek harmony rather than rancor, and willingly forgive others with compassion for their weakness and wrong actions.
Empathy: By feelings the feelings and emotions of others, you develop an understanding of others, as you observe their actions and suffering. It will help you cultivate the attitude of forgiveness.
Understanding: Problems in relationships mainly arise due to misunderstandings as each side fails to understand the other. With understanding you become more tolerant and forgiving.
Open-mindedness: If you are open-minded, you listen to others and understand their viewpoints. You will also have greater tolerance for your mistakes and shortcomings and those of others.
Flexibility: It is difficult to forgive if you stick to your point of view. By being flexible and changing your thinking or your perspective, you will see the same problem in a different light and feel differently.
Minimize expectations: If you have expectations, you may not easily change your thinking or attitude towards others, nor can you think and act objectively. Therefore, lower your expectations.
Spirituality and forgiveness
Forgiveness means letting go of the negativity or the feelings of resentment, anger, animosity, etc., which you may hold in your mind towards others. Even if you are fully justified in having such feelings, you must be willing to let go of them for your own good, so that you are not oppressed by your own thoughts or your resistance to let the wrong doers go unpunished. To be able to forgive the most unforgivable actions, the injustices, wickedness and cruelty of the world, it requires a large heart, which only a few can possess. If you can repeatedly do that, it means you have made the attitude of forgiveness an integral part of your consciousness and essential nature.
The attitude of forgiveness is a direct outcome of the attitude of spirituality. Spiritual practice essentially involves the cultivation of all the virtues which we are mentioned here. They arise as one focuses upon cleansing the mind and body by restraining the mind and the senses, overcoming egoism, desires and attachments and cultivating the higher virtues such as detachment, equanimity and sameness.
As someone said, forgiveness is not for the weak. It requires strength and a large heart to forgive others and let go of the hard feelings that settle in the mind. Since all virtues are interrelated and work in tandem, and since the cultivation of one leads to the cultivation of others, by practicing forgiveness, you can also simultaneously cultivate all others that contribute to it. In other words, you can transform your nature and life by practicing just one virtue, the virtue of forgiving yourself and others.
“How should a mystic conduct oneself in everyday life? This question is both simple and complex. Being a mystic is to be aware of and shoulder one’s responsibilities in one’s family life, working life, and spiritual life. A thinking, active, responsible mystic does not feed on what is negative and unhealthy. A mystic does not make hasty judgements, and does not condemn without having tried to understand the why and the how of things and events. The mystics attitude is an open one, respecting everyone’s right to be different and to exercise freedom of expression. A mystic is able to give assistance, bring calm, and speak in a compassionate manner to whoever is in need. A mystic accepts philosophically – without becoming disenchanted – the tests that are experienced during one’s life: for a mystic is not exempt from lessons, we just find it a little bit easier to learn them.”
-Rosicrucian Manuscript
Quaerite Et Invenietis “Seek and you will find”
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
These treatments are from Ernest Holmes’ book ’34 Spiritual Treatments.’ Use these treatments as prayer or affirmation. If used as prayer, feel the words as originating from your heart and going to that place inside you that God resides. If used as affirmation, pay close attention to the words and truly believe what you are reading. If you don’t believe in God, substitute the word God for anything you choose, and tweak the words to make them work for you.
“The greatest of all discoveries is dawning on my consciousness. I am now, part and parcel of that all-pervading Goodness which for some excellent reason created me to have another channel of Self-expression. No longer then, can I think of myself as if I were inferior to others, limited, ill, unhappy, lacking. I cease thinking of myself as a “Has-been”, or, “Never-been.” Nor do I consider myself an “As-is on the bargain counter of life. The glorious truth is, I am indeed a child of God right now just as I am, heir to all God has, on equal terms with all others, even with Jesus. I assure myself I am whole, complete, perfect. I am first-grade, triple-quality, God-perfect and God-guaranteed for time and eternity. I am at peace, joyous and jubilant in my recognition of the God-Self within me that maintains me in vital health, the fullness of strength, and the know-how to live at top-notch efficiency. I am thankful!”
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
“The truth is more complex than it seems and a good heart has more impact than anyone with a thousand words or actions.”
-Robin Sacredfire
“Researchers have proven, scientifically, that humans are all one people. The color of our ancestors’ skin and ultimately my skin and your skin is a consequence of ultraviolet light, of latitude and climate. Despite our recent sad conflicts here in the U.S. there really is no such thing as race. We are one species – each of us much, much more alike than different. We all come from Africa. We all are of the same stardust. We are all going to live and die on the same planet, a Pale Blue Dot in the vastness of space. We have to work together.”
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
These treatments are from Ernest Holmes’ book ’34 Spiritual Treatments’. Use these treatments as prayer or affirmation. If used as prayer, feel the words as originating from your heart and going to the place inside you that God resides. If used as affirmation, pay close attention to the words and truly believe what you are reading. If you don’t believe in God, substitute the word God for anything you choose, and tweak the words to make them work for you.
“As I recognize that the Christ within me is the Christ within you it is as if to say: the Love, Life, Intelligence, Goodness and Peace of God within me, salutes the Love, Life, Intelligence, Goodness and Peace of God within you. I automatically dissolve in my consciousness and yours any thought of discord, any hint of the less than Good. In Christ we become brothers, branches on the same vine, partaking of the same Substance, one in the Spirit. Because I trust the Christ Self of every man, I trust life to bring me my highest good. Because I love the Christ in every man, I love all men and that love returns to me enriched a thousandfold. As I unify with the Christ in every man I unify with all of Life and in that sense of Wholeness I find that I am whole and the thoughts with which I once contended have no power to disturb me. The Christ in me salutes the Christ in you and we are one. And so it is.”
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
‘Dare To Be’ by American author Steve Maraboli teaches us that we don’t have to be at the mercy of our circumstances if we just have the audacity to dare.
“When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great, too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”
These treatments are from Ernest Holmes’ book ’34 Spiritual Treatments’. Use these treatments as prayer or affirmation. If used as prayer, feel the words as originating from your heart and going to the place inside you that God resides. If used as affirmation, pay close attention to the words and truly believe what you are reading. If you don’t believe in God, substitute the word God for anything you choose and tweak the words to make them work for you.
“The purifying Presence of Devine Love in me keeps me at peace. God through love gave Himself to His manifest world. That same love manifests my perfect expression. Devine Love permits no disintegrating force to operate in my consciousness. Hatred and resentment have no place in me. My unified Self is perfect in understanding. I am not subject to prejudice of any kind – racial, national, nor personal. My understanding of man’s basic unity in God permits no prejudices. I can choose freely the things and experiences which I like. I can reject with equal ease any experiences which I do not desire. It is not necessary that I like everything because I do not hate anything. I cultivate those experiences which I like and which are beneficial to my unfoldment. I intensify that which is desirable. That which I love reaches the greatest intensity of all because I am unified with that which I love. This keeps me emotionally stabilized and at peace.”
I posted the poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling on October 15, 2019. I think it is a wonderful poem. Written for his son in 1895, it offers great advice that can be used by anyone.
I came across ‘If For Girls’, a complimentary poem for Kipling’s ‘If’, by American writer J. P. McEvoy. This is a wonderful addition to this series of blogs, especially in todays world where women are becoming more empowered than ever; and it’s about time! Women and men can use this advice, so let’s celebrate the Divine Feminine.
Dedicated to my mother Sylvia Patricia, and my love, Erin.
“If you can hear the whispering about you
And never yield to deal in whispers, too;
If you can bravely smile when loved ones doubt you
Kelly's Quest 