Christmas Reflections: Give Yourself the Gift of Your Transparent Story

Myths play an important role in our lives. As metaphors, they aid our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. They empower us to expand our worldview. Myths are stories we can understand that enable us to think about our own stories in relation to how other people live their lives.

 

Each of us has the stories of our parents and our families. On a larger scale, we have the stories of our gender, generation, culture, philosophy of life, occupation, and so on. And we all share the great story of humanity.

 

It’s important to understand that myth isn’t necessarily focused on the relationship between the story and reality. Some myths may have factual origins, while others are completely fictional. One of the main purposes of myth throughout history has been to define a group’s identity. Myths are the basis of our beliefs—and they can reinforce our beliefs.

 

Our family history was our first model of life, and our families’ stories are our stories. Generally, we honor blindly the stories of our ancestors and of the other groups we identify with. But have you ever considered exactly what you’re honoring? Have you considered whether the stories guiding your beliefs and interactions with yourself and the world and people around you truly resonate with your crystalline self? Have you given yourself the gift of uncovering your transparent story?

 

Today, let’s talk about Christmas and the myths and realities that surround the birth of Master Jesus.

 

In the West, Christmas was celebrated for the first time in Constantinople in AD 379. Those who are familiar with Christian traditions have learned about the birth of Jesus Christ through the New Testament and the Gospels of his disciples, Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. However, there are many other stories about his birth that may be less familiar.

 

A detail familiar to those who know Christian tradition is that Master Jesus died in AD 33. Between his death and the drafting of the Gospels, at least forty years passed. It seems that, after his death, the world forgot about him. His story was taken up again four decades later. What happened during those forty years? How were the words and memories of Jesus transmitted during this time? How do we know that the information was not misrepresented?

 

In academic circles, the prevailing view on the life of Jesus is that he was a historical figure whose biography and message were significantly altered by the editors of the source—editors who were motivated by their own interests.

 

From AD 38 to AD 400 there were many different groups of early Christians who were followers of Christ with different views, among them the Gnostics who believed that, inside each of us, there is a divine spark we must become aware of and awaken to. In 1945, the Gnostic gospels and sacred texts were discovered in Nag Hamady, Egypt. Included were the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts. The Nag Hamady library is the most complete record of the Old Testament, and it contains many of the books that hadn’t been seen since the church edited them in the fourth century.

 

In addition, a minority of scholars—through a radical critique of the sources—consider it likely that Jesus wasn’t actually a historical figure but a mythical entity, similar to other cult figures of antiquity.

 

In the words of North American writer Thomas Paine, “The Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the sun, in which they put a man called Christ in the place of the sun, and pay him the adoration originally paid to the sun.”

 

The church chose December 25 as the date to celebrate the birth of the Lord because it coincided with the pagan festival of the peak of the sun, Natalis Solis Invicti. Rather than condemn the festivities and idolatrous practices of the pagans, the Church of Rome Christianized them. Instead of celebrating the birth of the sun, the pagan god, the church would now celebrate the birth of Jesus, its child.

 

Images and sacred writings confirm the worship of the sun from 10,000 BC. It’s easy to understand why. Each morning, the sun rose on the horizon bringing with it visibility, warmth, and security, saving the world from darkness, blindness, and the predators of the night. Without it, the crops could not bear fruit. Nor could life on this planet exist.

 

Tracking the stars permitted our ancestors to recognize patterns and anticipate events. Astrologers grouped the stars into twelve constellations. According to astrology, the sun traveled these twelve constellations each year. The term zodiac relates to the fact that constellations could be represented by figures and animals.

 

Ancient civilizations not only followed the sun and the stars but also personified them in very elaborate myths. The sun was the representation of God, the light of the world, the savior of humanity. The constellations represented the different seasons, periods of the year, and eras through which the sun could move.

 

Now, I’ll tell you something more interesting. In the years leading up to the birth of Jesus, there were many amazing similar stories—some more or less identical—to the story of Jesus Christ. Among the principal figures of these stories were Horus of Egypt (3,000 BC), Attis of Phrygia (1,200 BC), Krishna of India (900 BC), Dionysus of Greece (500 BC), Mithra of Persia (1,200 BC), and hundreds more. In most of these accounts, the protagonists were born on December 25, to a virgin, and the birth was announced by the star of the east. After the birth, each was visited by three magi. All were master scholars by the age of twelve, were baptized at age thirty, and could perform miracles. Each had twelve disciples, was betrayed and crucified, and rose again three days after death.

 

But why do all these stories match?

 

The stories correspond with the humanization of the sun and the constellations in the zodiac. Allow me to summarize the astrological explanation. The eastern star, Sirius, is the brightest star in the sky. On December 24, it begins to align with three other brilliant stars, the stars of Orion’s belt, which in ancient times were called the three kings. The brightest star and the three kings line up on December 25 to mark the place where the sun rises in the sky. The Virgin Mary refers to the Virgo constellation. In Latin, Virgo means virgin. It also refers to the “house of bread.” This is also the meaning of the Hebrew word Bethlehem, which was where the Virgin Mary of Christian tradition gave birth.

 

During the second half of December, the sun’s presence diminishes in the northern hemisphere. Ancient civilizations associated this process with the death of the sun (December 15). By December 22, the sun has almost perceptually disappeared; in fact, on December 22, 23, and 24, it seems to not move—until on December 25 it resets its movement, prolonging its presence and bringing warmth to the days. The three days during which the sun doesn’t move represent the three days Jesus spent on the cross, and the day on which the sun starts to move is the day of his resurrection. This is why Jesus and other sun gods share within their respective stories the crucifixion (the metaphor of the pagan zodiac cross) and the resurrection.

 

However, ancient civilizations didn’t celebrate the resurrection until the spring equinox, during Passover or Easter. That was when the light of the sun lasted longer than darkness. The twelve disciples represent the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Jesus, obviously, is the sun. It’s interesting that the well-known symbol of Christianity, the cross, has been taken from the pagan cross, which symbolizes the sun (Jesus) in the center of the constellations (his disciples).

 

In the Bible, Jesus is the sun, “the light of the world,” “the savior rising from all the mountains,” and “the glory of God.” He defends us from darkness. He is born every morning, and we can see him in the clouds with his crown of thorns—or rather, his rays. John 9:5 reads, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Mark 13:26, says, “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with power and glory.” Another example is found in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath sinned in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (KJV).

 

Beyond whether the story is myth or reality, it is invaluable to reflect on our beliefs, whatever they are. Doing so is a necessary step to uncover our crystalline, transparent selves.

 

In addition, it’s important to be aware that many groups use myths to manipulate and control society. Religious myths are extremely powerful devices, precisely because they are established in our unconscious. Thus, they take on a life of their own and can even relate with true stories.

 

Ask yourself, what is my guiding myth? Am I repeating on autopilot the beliefs that I have learned from my environment without questioning their true origin—without knowing what is behind them? What parts of these beliefs resonate with my crystalline self? What is my transparent story? 

Merry transparent you!

 

Please do not forget to share your comments, if you feel a call to do so.

 

Crystal blessings! 

Beatriz