What Child is This?

Spiritual and religious freedom. The modern soul resounds to that phrase. Many people today have no formal religious connections, while others find them sustaining and renewing. How might we consider anew the Christmas festival that began so very, very long ago celebrating the birth of the Holy Christ Child and the giving of gifts?

In our time the season is usually filled with family and friends gatherings, at once warm and social, yet often overlaid with loneliness and commercialization to the point of overwhelm. Nagging inner despair can persist amidst the outer bustle and gaiety and isolation feels deeper. We need solace but know not where to find it. Could we consider this can be a call of our own souls’ longing for remembrance and connection? A reminder of a promise we made and have forgotten - a commitment to take an inner journey of life along with the outer one? - a calling to begin the quest and journey to find again

our own Holy Child that Christmas time is reminding us of?

In truth, the Christ child, The Holy child, the true Spirit of Christmas lives in our own soul. We are called to the search for our own ‘holy’ spirit. We need courage, insight, gratitude, forgiveness and deep self compassion for the journey. Like shepherds and kings wandering over hills and deserts, guided by angels and stars, we hope to find the humble hallowed sanctuary as they found the stable cave in a hillside in the dark of the star spangled night, and discover within the treasure and affirmation of our own primal divinity.

This is the Christmas gift we seek -the spark of divine pure goodness that lives deep in every human heart. the source of our highest humanity, the very core of our being, the well spring of our life’s meaning and renewal for our mission on earth. It is like the walking of an Advent spiral going into the darkness to light the flame of our candle. Then to join with others doing so that together we may dispel the darkness. We are called to go within to find our own holy light.

There in the heart is the chalice of a sacred manger is the inmost pure and simple sanctuary where eternal life resides. As a little child, before we could remember we still belonged to the universe. Before self consciousness, before we have memory, before we knew that we knew, before we had sorted ourselves out as separate beings, as unique individuals -in that brief unsullied window of time in our biographies we were as holy as any child - mirrors of heaven, reflectors of the deepest possible reverence and devotion the eternal unconditional Cosmic love of the universe. We had not yet been inscribed with learned and conditioned behaviors, haunting grief, anger, and sorrows of the past forming our persona or the imprinting and carving into our being of challenges to the unfolding of our higher self. It was a time before prejudice, hatred, guilt, fear, rage, unworthiness, and nagging self doubt were written on our innocence and pure morality. Vulnerable and unaware in our parents arms, we blessed everyone around that was awake to the magic of our purity even in face of our great neediness for devoted physical care. We were there for everyone who could realize that the highest unbounded devotion and selfless love that shone from our eyes. It is heavenly gifts and blessing we were bringing. Love was our name and if it was met with earthly love we couldn’t help bestowing its radiance.

Who is the Holy mother that creates the hallowed space for the spirit child? She is that precious pure chaste corner of our heart and soul that never left heaven - that never knew the pollution of earthly life and self seeking egotism. She is the selfless source of eternal life that forever bestows acceptance, mercy, and forgiveness, compassionately and gently, aiding us to bear our human suffering in

this life on earth.

Who is the holy father? The Protector - the one who recognizes the treasures of the holy mother and child in his care, he is the courage the selflessness of soul to defend against all invaders the hallowed heart to keep it from harm. He is awake, he knows and is ever ready for deeds to block the invasion of sacred inner space from the ravages of a world so the divine spark of deepest goodness may not die. He guards the spirit fire of the heart.

Who are the shepherds? Our humble, childlike grounded earthiness, our love of life connected to the all the natural world with simple primal awe and devotion and innocent hearts ever open to faith and wonder.

And the kings? The ancient eternal knowers of wisdom bearing gifts of power for our soul and spirit that permeated us before we were born, the universal wisdom of the stars guiding us through the aeons of time - the light shining through the babies eyes bestowing purity and star light.

And Herod? - I need not tell you of him, you all ready know. He is found lurking in every alley, ever corner of society of political power corruption and thrives in darkened unconscious convoluted recesses of our souls, gleefully promoting our fears, arrogantly reigning in our self serving egotism and hardening us with the cold clever cultural materialism of our godless thinking, priorities and values, ever ready to waylay and slay the holy child of our deepest truth of our true divinity, innocence and goodness.

Rejoice! Though the saying goes, ‘we have met the enemy and he is us’ - this is the good news, every time we connect with our inner true source or with a little child ‘we have met divinity and it is us!’

Springing eternal the holy Christ child seeks to be born again and again…. in the hallowed chalice, the manger of the holy sacred place of our hearts shone through again with the universal light of unending Cosmic love. Seek the inner holy child of your existence, in the cave, in the amazing stillness and purity of the inner sanctum, the star spangled night of revelation. Respond to the star led spirit’s call, felt most urgently at this time of year. This is what Christmas offers us.

Guard the precious heaven connected genesis of your life. Treasure, honor, protect and nurture this for it this the very well spring of our humanity— the eternal source of conscience, faith, hope, joy, enthusiasm, wonder, devotion, reverence, astonishment,

awe and selfless overflowing Cosmic Love for all the world - awaiting birth and rebirth. now and forever. Gifted again and again through the

Holy Child so we may know our true ‘I am’ ringing and resounding

through us like Christmas bells and we can stand in the world making moral conscious choice to serve the highest and most noble within us. In spiritual freedom, may we choose to let the universal holiest radiant healing love shine through us. May we choose to join with many other dear awakened souls. Together we can once again bless the world as we did in our precious sacred beginnings and become emissaries on earth striving to bring life renewing love, peace and good will to humanity -the timeless message of Christmas.

Nancy Jewel Poer,

Christmas, 201