To Tree or Not to Tree, That Is the Question 


Jim's quest for the meaning of Advent progresses. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, in this blog, I professed to make my heart a simple and humble dwelling place. I professed to search for the true meaning of Advent. No Christmas cards or carols, no fa la la la la-ing! But, of course, that did not stop the cards, carols and gifts from rolling into my life and consciousness. One of my friends, Rosanda, gave me a Holiday Clock that sings a carol on the hour. My sister sent me a snowman that plays the piano and sings carols. I've already received ten Christmas cards. The universe seemed to be saying, "Fuck you, and your pious isolationism!"

I struggle with these things, you know. I didn't spend ten years in graduate school studying philosophy at various premier big ten universities for nothing.

But, hark, all is not lost. For I am still achieving a semblance of my original goal, all the while baking christmas cookies and trimming Christmas trees. It was not a mistake to make this vow that friends and society will not allow me to keep just as I made it. As it turns out, there are only two things that I needed to do to understand with some depth that "Jesus is the reason for the season." That phrase does sometimes make me want to puke, especially when it is sweetly mouthed by some Bible bandying, proselytizing fundamentalist relative. But you know, it has a point that even this wannabe hip senior citizen can get.

I did NOT need to deliver a low blow to Father Christmas or to scorn the rampant holiday frivolity and commercialism that is ever with us. The two things I needed to do, did, and am glad that I did was to engage in a serious program of Bible study over the last two years and to go to church and pay attention to what the readings, the liturgy and the rector were trying to communicate in the first place. Even though we have two more Sundays to go in advent, and to which I am looking forward, here is what I have concluded.

At the center of the Judeo-Christian tradition is this belief that there is one God who loves us and wants us to love God back, enough to be grateful for the gift of our existence and to live a righteous life. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures we read again and again of YHWH's attempt to turn the Hebrew people towards right living. The stories of Abraham, the Arc and the rainbow and Moses, the Law and the stone tablets are designed to turn us towards God's love. After that, various Hebrew prophets told again and again of a Messiah who would come and deliver Israel as the leader of the entire world to the land of God's promise. The stories of Jesus' humble birth, but as God's chosen, even God's Son, are still designed to turn us towards God's faithfulness and God's promise to bring the Earth to a New Creation.

Surely a PART of the meaning of Advent is to remember these stories and the promises they contain, and to wait in silent, joyful expectation of their fulfillment. Commercialism, canned carols, and Hallmark cards need not deflect us from this purpose.

This morning, I went down into the basement and hauled up the heavy, remarkably realistic made-in-China six and one half foot Christmas tree and set it up in the dining room. The night before, Stephen and I had had a long talk about how we would be spending both the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany seasons. We won't be here during the 12 Days of Christmas, we'll be visiting my mom and Stephen's new grandson out east. And we pretty much have to go then. So it's have a Christmas tree now, or not have one at all.

As I began the tedious and sticky task of unfolding its branches, I began to hear in my mind some music. But not Deck the Halls. Instead, I was hearing the lovely, peaceful music of Suzanne Ciani. I have one of her earliest recordings that has on it the Velocity of Love, possibly one of the most moving compositions I have ever heard. This is what we need to be listening to during this season, I thought, the music of peace. So I put it on, along with Jim Chappel's Living in the Northern Lights.

I'm beginning to feel the Christmas spirit in my heart. It's the feeling of joy. Do you know what I am talking about? Students of the etheric body will tell you that gratitude is actually experienced between the heart and the throat in the upper heart chakra, or energy center. It's a wonderful feeling, and BECAUSE I am feeling it, I won't be contributing so many negative vibes to our troubled world.

It doesn't make me care less about the troubles of our world, in fact, it makes me sad about them, rather than angry. Of course, if I were cold or hungry or homeless or in prison, I couldn't elevate my consciousness by digging a Christmas tree out of the basement or putting New Age music on my CD. That's even more to be grateful for, and more reason to spend some of my time helping to remove these conditions from the world.

I don't have a snappy conclusion to this piece, but then, I have a couple of more Sundays to reflect on the meaning of the season, don't I?
 

Posted: Wed - December 7, 2005 at 12:05 PM          

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