“Christmas our Spiritual Awakening” By Rev. Christine 12/12/21
My talk today is titled “Christmas our Spiritual Awakening.” I’m sharing about our awakening or rebirth. I am distinguishing between human being and spirit being as another level in living; to be living consciously at one with all life verses unconsciously living in separation of all life.
In today’s world, and in particular for the past several hundred years or so, human kind has taken liberty to use this planet for its own purposes. There has been a sense of separation from our planet, each other and all life that lives here - the seen and unseen. It began in the book of Genesis when Adam was told to name every creature, and to take dominion of this planet. A literal understanding of this story gave the impression that we were superior, and that it was our job to conquer and dominate rather than to be caretakers, to protect the balance of nature.
Eventually, as we gathered in cities, and further removed from nature we forgot our connection with nature. We called this being civilized. We were told that nature was dead, and like a machine without any consciousness. The indigenous people that lived close to nature were looked down to as being uncivilized, ignorant and to be conquered for their land and wealth. There was an indoctrination from childhood to believe in separation and inequality based on appearances; race, sex, religion, and way of living.
Instead of being superior, the so called civilized had actually gone into a deep sleep of unconsciousness. We talk about the dark ages as though they are over. But, we still have a ways to go. Each year Christians are reminded of the nativity story of Jesus birth. This is our story to awaken to our true spiritual nature.
Stories have long been used to teach deeper messages. In 2009 the movie Avatar came out in the movie theaters was one of them. This movie so impressed me that I saw it twice in 3D. Just this past Thanksgiving weekend I saw it again, this time on TV with my family. Not quite the same as in 3D. Although the message was just as moving. Meaning I cried in sorrow and in joy.
The story took place on another planet, one that was occupied by its own system of life. Much like our earth, but so much more vibrant, beautiful and consciously alive and interconnected. It was inhabited by people that looked very different from us, that lived in tribes and in harmony with all nature. They saw nature as a life system of intelligence. They respected the wild animals and creatures, and understood they were all sharing and living together on this planet. They had an inner sense of knowing. They could see the spirit of life in the plants. They could listen within, and hear the ancient ancestors wisdom. They were so connected to the spirit of the planet.
The villains of this movie were people sent from earth by corporations to mine the planet of its valuable ore so they could get richer. They had already destroyed their home planet, and were now continuing to do the same on this new planet. They saw it as a job, without any concern of the life on the planet, and without any understanding of its system of life that sustained all life. Nor did they understand the people, and so they didn’t matter to them. Because of their simple way of life, they were thought to be ignorant, and nothing more than beasts that were in their way to getting what they wanted.
Not to give away the whole story, but one person from earth lives with these people and learns their ways. His eyes and inner senses are awakened to truly see the beauty and the connection of all life. He can now listen and speak to the spirits of the trees and flowers, and live in harmony with the wild animals.
The message of this story is about how we are unconscious to our true reality. We can’t see it because of our clouded vision of beliefs, and indoctrination of separation to all of life.
Awakening to our true nature is the story of the birth of Jesus the Christ. This is a birth, a reawakening within us. I believe we as people of the earth, have been awake before, and slowly fell asleep and forgot our connection with each other and all of life.
This is symbolic in Adam being put to sleep to have a rib taken to create Eve, and then being expelled from the Garden of Eden where everything had been provided. Adam was never awakened from that sleep. There is a memory deep within us, that we are one, that we are one in God and each other just waiting to resurface.
We are becoming aware of our connection to mother earth. Our souls are interconnected, and to the planet as well and all life on and within it. It is one living organism that is connected to larger organisms; our planetary solar system, other star systems and everything in between.
Because we cannot see or touch the air we breathe, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there, or has life, and is life giving life. The invisible and visible living energy that sustains all life is love. We are awakening to love; the all life sustaining all powerful love. Our true nature is love. There is a chant we have sung by Melissa Phillippe “I am remembering who I am.”
Yes we are remembering. We’re not trying to acquire or to transform into something totally different from who we already are. In fact, we already have it all - it’s just allowing it to unfold from within us. Acknowledging it exists is the first step.
When I think of Jesus the Christ, my first thought is love and compassion. He taught to have love and compassion for others, “To do to others as you would have them do to you.” This is not just for our family and friends, but strangers and enemies as well.
During the Christmas season we’re reminded to be giving, forgiving, helpful, respectful, grateful and joyful. All these qualities we have the capacity already within us to bring forth in our life and share with others.
Another thought about Christ Jesus was his wisdom; his ability to share stories having multilayered messages, and the message received was dependent upon the person’s ability to understand - having ears to hear and eyes to see. Jesus’ deeper understanding of scripture brought new life and understanding for the people of his time.
Then there is Jesus the Christ’s generous willingness and compassion to answer the call to help heal. He understood that it wasn’t his personal ego that healed, but the Father within, the spiritual power within him did these works.
Christ Jesus’ demonstrations to multiple the fish and loaves of bread, the drawing forth of the fish from the sea, the gold from the fish’s mouth, and walking on water were all showing his ability to understand the spiritual laws of this world we live in.
Although, we may not have done these things so far in this lifetime, it doesn’t mean we can’t. It just means we haven’t truly believed what Jesus said, “These things you to shall do and even greater than these things shall you do.” Or, we have not gone deep enough in our studies and practices.
Let us take this Advent season to recommit ourselves to our beliefs. One thing is for sure, is that we do what we believe.
I recall in my classes teaching people that had never experienced seeing the energy around plants and people. There had been over a hundred students having participated, only one person was unable to see the light energy. This one person before trying, declared she didn’t believe it possible for her, and the result was she couldn’t see. She also seemed quite pleased to be right.
I also taught about feeling this energy. How our fingers are like sensors. First we would do a few Tai Chi exercises to build our chi energy. I had them hold their hands facing together, and then slowly separate. They could see this energy as wispy silvery light, and then feel their hands tingling.
Another experiment was to have people pairing up, and we would put our hands facing upward and palms outward towards each other. Then they would slowly walk away from each other to the point of no longer being able to feel the energy between them. They could be 10 feet apart from each other and still feel this energy between their hands.
I’m sharing this with you to help understand how we are connected with each other. That we too have these capabilities. Many pet lovers have experienced this for years. They can understand what their pets needs are, and the pet can understand them. How? By mental telepathy.
When my children were young we had a dog that would beg for food while we ate. We would hold a picture in our mind of what we wanted the dog to do which was to sit down several feet away from the kitchen table. Without a word spoken, he did exactly as we imagined.
We all have these capabilities, we just need to exercise them like strengthening a muscle. Intuition, is natural. We may call it a gut feeling, inspiration, or a still small voice within. All these abilities beyond what we call normal, in this material world, is natural for a world of spirit and spirit beings. To just shift our concept of this world can create a new paradigm in which we live.
Master teachers have had these kinds of capabilities. I know people who have been gifted by Sri Satya Sai Baba materializing objects out of the air for them. A doctor of Osteopath shared with me how he had fallen asleep on the bench, and was suddenly awakened from being pushed off by his spiritual teacher Kirpal Singh who was in India at the time; this we call bi-locating.
Then we have documented of Yogis that have so much control over their mind and body that they can sweat while sitting in the freezing cold. Scientists have done tests documenting people with having psychic abilities. There have also been studies done of people being healed through prayer, laying of hands, and by exchange of energy.
I shared not too long ago how a person was healed of a cancerous tumor within 3 minutes by trained people chanting “already healed”, and this was video recorded. Doctors call these miracles, missed diagnosis, or remission. Why? Because its not part of their schooling and belief system.
Jesus the Christ returned to this planet after having been dead and buried for three days. He is an awakened multi dimensional spirit being alive eternally; we all are multi dimensional spirit beings alive eternally. The only difference is that we are still awakening from our human experience of limiting beliefs in having a material body and a time clock of life.
Again we all have these capabilities. What we believe is so powerful in making things so. We can change our world of experience with our belief system. To have the expectation of knowing it is at hand, and the wonder of what we may yet unfold in this world is exciting. Christmas is a wondrous time of mystery, fulfilled expectations and joy.
The following is an exercise to help expand your consciousness of Oneness provided by Malinda Cramer, in Divine Science Its Principle & Practice:
Practice daily the transferring of thought from creature to Creator, and think that which represents the Creator. Think life, love, intelligence, knowledge, power, and presence of All Good.
Practice thinking what it would be like to be present everywhere at the same time sustaining, embracing, and pervading all that live. Think what it means to be one with all power, all substance, all law and all love; today, and forever the same. Just in proportion as you succeed will you comprehend the all-pervading Spirit and be rewarded with divine knowledge.
Extend your thought beyond limitation, transcend forms, enter the Source of all form, traverse all time, become eternity in thought, live in the present. Lift the thought above all heights, descend below all depths, that you may conceive of and know the omnipresent Spirit and the true relationship existing between the Creator and creation; and that what is perceived is contained with the perceiver. To thus perceive and think is freedom.