Why Give at Christmas?
Every year, millions of people get into a frenzy of buying and giving gifts, but few consider why. We suggest it is better to stop being a robot that repeats itself endlessly, and instead slow down, breathe, and be present here and now, to experience a real Christmas.
The modern word Christmas is derived from Christ Mass, and refers to the ritual of the Eucharist, the ingestion of blessed food and drink, a celebration and preparation for the birth of the Cosmic Christ inside the human being. This is a sacred event celebrated at the solar solstice of winter, which relates to the rebirth of the solar light of the Christ within matter.
The initiates on the path follow the example of Christ by making sacrifices for others. That is symbolized in the Christian tradition by the three wise men who make sacrifices to divinity by offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newly born Christ. Every religion encourages us to sacrifice, but few of us truly do. We might give a little, but rarely do we truly sacrifice.
We encourage you to return to the genuine Holy Days, and celebrate Christ Mass consciously. Here are the best ways to honor Christ in the coming days.
To do this well, one must first understand what Christ actually is.
What is Christ?
The word Christ comes from Greek krestos, "savior," and esoterically means "fire." All religions are about Christ, and each has their own name for it: Osiris, Hermes, Krishna, Quetzalcoatl, Zeus, Avalokitesvara, Apollo, Chenresig, and many more.
Christ is a sacred fire that emerges from the virgin Divine Mother.
Christ is the fire of life, the intelligence behind all creation.
Christ is a force, not a person.
Christ is selfless love, the power of sacrifice, compassion. This is not just an ideal: it is a living substance, a quality of consciousness, that in Buddhism is called bodhichitta.
Christ can incarnate within the prepared individual.
Jesus incarnated Christ. So did Buddha, Krishna, Joan of Arc, and many others.
The whole purpose of the spiritual path is to earn that right: to become a bodhisattva, an incarnation of Christ.
Christ Mass is a preparation for and a celebration of that possibility.
Perform the Ritual of Christ Mass
The word Mass comes from the Latin missa, and has many interesting correspondences.
- Hebrew מַצָּה matzah, "unleavened bread"
- Greek μύησις myesis, "initiation"
Primarily, the word Mass is used in Christianity to refer to the ritual of blessing and consuming bread and grape juice, so Christmas derived from the celebration of that ritual at the winter solstice.
Christ Mass is a ritual. On holy days, the initiates perform the ritual of consuming blessed food and drink. This is particularly powerful at the winter solstice (December 24-25).
Everyone who longs to escape suffering should take advantage of the power of the Eucharist, which fills us with powerful Christic forces. We can practice this ritual any day of the year, and it is especially powerful at Christmas.
"Except ye eat the body of the Son of man, and drink his blood [through Eucharist], ye have no life in you." - Yeshua (Jesus), John 6
Learn more: Get Spiritual Strength Through Blessed Food and Drink: Perform Eucharist / Communion at Home
Meditate on the Universal Cosmic Christ
The whole of the path to liberation is measured by our understanding of Christ. Those who do not understand Christ remain very far from perfection.
“The fundamental objective of our esoteric studies is to reach Christification... The inner Christ is what counts. Unfortunately, people only think about an historical Christ, and this is how they separate themselves from reality. They forget that Christ is what is, which always has been, and what will always be. They forget that Christ is the life that beats in each atom, as it beats in each Sun. They forget that Christ vibrates from instant to instant, from moment to moment. To incarnate Christ is fundamental.” —Samael Aun Weor
Christ is selfless love, compassion: the very nature of divinity. In Asian mysticism, this is represented by Avalokitesvara, Tara, Kuan Yin, and many other symbols. Initiates of the path seek to incarnate that love by means of bodhichitta.
We encourage you to meditate daily on the nature of Christ. Concentrate on visualizing one of the great Christified masters: Jesus, Krishna, Quetzalcoatl, etc. and imagine their great acts of kindness, love, and sacrifice for others.
Learn more about Christ: How the Sun-Christ Enlightens by Dissolving the Clouds of Suffering
Give, and Give More: Sacrifice for Others
What is it to sacrifice? It is:
"an act of giving up a desirable thing for a higher object or to a more pressing claim," also "something given up for the sake of another"
The nature of the Christ is sacrifice for others: to give and give of oneself continually, so that others may escape suffering. However, one must know how to give wisely. Giving useless trinkets is not a sacrifice. Giving a few pennies to a charity is not a sacrifice. Contemplate how the great masters give up everything for others; their every act is for others. They take nothing for themselves, but give everything, even their very lives, because of love for others. Be sincere with yourself: are you really sacrificing for others?
Here is what Christ said about this through Krishna:
"Action does indeed bind the self [through cause and effect, karma] except when done as sacrifice; so work one must consecrated, offered to Deity high above.
"When beings came from Creator He ordained all to sacrifice; By sacrifice are worlds sustained and by it everyone does live. [...]
"Things exist through all other things, all things are knit with all others, so that the being of a thing is contribution by others. No one exists independently, since all are also all others, thus existence of anything is sacrifice by other things." —Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 3
Meditate on these words of Christ. They can transform your life.
How can you help others most profoundly? How can you truly change the suffering that people are experiencing?
"Only unselfish service, chastity, and sanctity take us to the ineffable summits. Now, sibling of mine, you have seen what the great service is. I know many spiritual brothers and sisters, good and virtuous, who fight for their perfection. I know many brothers and sisters who fight indescribably to correct their defects and to purify themselves. Yet, they do not remember others... They feel alone, they fight for their own spiritual progress and for their moral self-development. However, they do not remember that they have brothers and sisters, and that all of us are children of the same mother. Their spirituality is selfish spirituality. Therefore, the masters do not owe them anything. There is nothing to pay them because nothing is owed to them. They do not assist anyone. They do not sacrifice themselves for anyone, nor do they fight for the spirituality of anyone. Every initiation is a payment that must be given to the human being. Yet, if nothing is owed to the human being, then nothing is given to him. Therefore, even if he screams and cries out asking for an initiation, he will become old before receiving it." —Samael Aun Weor, Igneous Rose
That is why we sincerely encourage you to convert these holidays into genuine Holy Days: a time of self-reflection, contemplation, and sacrifice for others. Let us follow the example of those beautiful masters who have pointed out the way.
Learn more about sacrifice: The Sacrifice of Pain and Sufferings for the Increase of Consciousness
Learn More About Christmas
Here are some articles about the symbolism of Christmas.
- Alchemical Symbolism of the Nativity of Christ by Samael Aun Weor
- Christ and the Virgin by Samael Aun Weor
- The Kabbalah of Christmas by Gnostic Instructor
- Kabbalah of Christmas Part Two by Gnostic Instructor
- Light from Darkness by Samael Aun Weor
- The Nativity of Christ by Gnostic Instructor
May the light of Christ guide you!