What do you think of when you think of Christmas? Fairy lights, carols and eggnog? Parties, parades and presents? What is fundamentally a religious holiday has become more of a marathon of excessive consumption, quite far away from its sacred origins.
The extent to which people are conscious or even aware of why they are celebrating is interesting. The birth of Jesus Christ, and religion in general, may not seem very real or relevant. However if we look to the essence of his presence, whether that be in our own lives or in the history books, we see that what he represents is very relevant to all of us; love.
Love is definitely something we may associate with Christmas time, spending time with loved ones and exchanging gifts. However that is often very separate to any kind of spiritual concept of the word, which would by nature be unmotivated and unconditional. Whether we accept Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life”, as a good-hearted role model or a fabricated figure of folklore, his words and actions no doubt represent this highest form of love.
If we look past any perversions of practise or interpretation, we can see a similar stream of love running through the heart of many religions. Hoping to cut straight to this experience of the Divine, many people are increasingly channeling their ethereal energies to “spirituality”. It implies a sense of openness and unity, bypassing the divisions and dogma religion tends to breed.
Indeed as Jesus offered “the way”, this implies the path to a goal, not the goal in and of itself. Religion offers ancient knowledge to channel our contemplation and establish supportive guidelines, but without the spiritual essence this remains merely on the level of culture and mortal morality.
On the other hand, spirituality without religion can also be dangerous. Lack of clear knowledge and practical application can easily lead to confusion; people can do justify doing anything under the guise of “spirituality” and misinterpret their psychological or sensual experiences as such.
We see many religions without spirituality, and some attempts at spirituality without religion, though what we are really looking between these extremes is the true essence. We see our unification in this quest in the form of our shared consciousness, the living force or “soul” in each living entity, and the common striving of each soul for lasting happiness in a world of temporary pleasures.
Bhakti yoga (the art of connection in love and devotion) offers direct knowledge and perception of that essence in each of us, and the deep satisfaction in relation with our Supreme Source. It is a non-sectarian spiritual science that pragmatically synthesizes philosophy, culture and experience.
So if we identify with a religion, we can ask ourselves if we are getting the result of our rituals by really engaging our heart and soul into our practise. If we consider ourselves spiritual, we can ask ourselves whether we have the clarity and compassion to share love with others the way that Jesus exemplified. If we don’t have either, we can ask ourselves if our religion of materialism is bringing us real fulfillment.
As consciously evolved humans, and especially in this transitionary time of year, we owe it to ourselves to ask these deeper questions and find answers. Or at least we can add it to our New Years resolution lists :)
The extent to which people are conscious or even aware of why they are celebrating is interesting. The birth of Jesus Christ, and religion in general, may not seem very real or relevant. However if we look to the essence of his presence, whether that be in our own lives or in the history books, we see that what he represents is very relevant to all of us; love.
Love is definitely something we may associate with Christmas time, spending time with loved ones and exchanging gifts. However that is often very separate to any kind of spiritual concept of the word, which would by nature be unmotivated and unconditional. Whether we accept Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life”, as a good-hearted role model or a fabricated figure of folklore, his words and actions no doubt represent this highest form of love.
If we look past any perversions of practise or interpretation, we can see a similar stream of love running through the heart of many religions. Hoping to cut straight to this experience of the Divine, many people are increasingly channeling their ethereal energies to “spirituality”. It implies a sense of openness and unity, bypassing the divisions and dogma religion tends to breed.
Indeed as Jesus offered “the way”, this implies the path to a goal, not the goal in and of itself. Religion offers ancient knowledge to channel our contemplation and establish supportive guidelines, but without the spiritual essence this remains merely on the level of culture and mortal morality.
On the other hand, spirituality without religion can also be dangerous. Lack of clear knowledge and practical application can easily lead to confusion; people can do justify doing anything under the guise of “spirituality” and misinterpret their psychological or sensual experiences as such.
We see many religions without spirituality, and some attempts at spirituality without religion, though what we are really looking between these extremes is the true essence. We see our unification in this quest in the form of our shared consciousness, the living force or “soul” in each living entity, and the common striving of each soul for lasting happiness in a world of temporary pleasures.
Bhakti yoga (the art of connection in love and devotion) offers direct knowledge and perception of that essence in each of us, and the deep satisfaction in relation with our Supreme Source. It is a non-sectarian spiritual science that pragmatically synthesizes philosophy, culture and experience.
So if we identify with a religion, we can ask ourselves if we are getting the result of our rituals by really engaging our heart and soul into our practise. If we consider ourselves spiritual, we can ask ourselves whether we have the clarity and compassion to share love with others the way that Jesus exemplified. If we don’t have either, we can ask ourselves if our religion of materialism is bringing us real fulfillment.
As consciously evolved humans, and especially in this transitionary time of year, we owe it to ourselves to ask these deeper questions and find answers. Or at least we can add it to our New Years resolution lists :)
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