“One must dig deep in order to build up...”
Friends and Fellow Travelers,
We are almost half way through our journey to Epiphany. Just around the corner is the threshold where the old and new year meet. It is a traditional marker of the circular nature of our journey, a pause in the circle of the seasons where we reflect on the past and the future. Thus, in the days around New Years Eve we will guide you into reflections on the old and anticipation of the new. From there it is just a short sprint to Twelfth Night and Epiphany.
But do not feel rushed on this journey or anxious for its end. For in our pilgrimage towards the heart of Christmas we always arrive where we began, at our own heart. Where else shall Emmanuel, God-with-us, be birthed? Where shall the light of hope find shelter, the Eternal word find its dwelling if not in the humble stable of a human heart?
Where else shall Emmanuel, God-with-us, be birthed?
Where shall the light of hope find shelter,
the Eternal word find its dwelling
if not in the humble stable of a human heart?
Friends, we are almost at our goal. If we hurry we can cram a few more meditations into the days left us. The spiritual marketplace is crowded with opportunities. And perhaps if we order a whole bunch of things, something will work. We can send the others back in return mail.
Let us resist this impulse and instead deepen what we already have. Kierkegaard writes we are often taken by the promise of a famous teacher who shows you the easy way to accumulate more spirituality. This teacher sells finely packaged bits of insight and thoughtfully curated spiritual feelings.
But the difficulty, he says, is that when it comes to existence we are all learners and not consumers. If we eat without digesting we become sick. If we only take in spiritual experiences without grappling with their implications, without deepening them, without taking them to heart, we will lose our way. The deeper self is not a thing we find when digging deeper, but what grows within us through our deepening.
So friends, we are already at our goal — we already have our hearts with us. And every year again we are pulled by the longing and the need for Divine incarnation. There are no teachers for such a journey. There is just practice, centered in and guided by the heart. The journey is strenuous. It might lead you through the dark streets of little Bethlehem or into the birth pangs of Mary. Or into the long travel of the wise (wo)men. It might lead you through some valleys you did not know would be on the road.
And you will surely fall down several times on the way. Yesterday, while writing on shared solitude and forbearance, we totally messed up on it. We fell down. And we found our task was to get up again, forgive each other and ourselves, and begin again.
Do not lose hope, traveler. If you grasp it, even failure, especially failure, can be the door to the heart. Take courage. We are all on the same journey towards the stable of the heart.
Practice
Today we invite you to a deepening practice. Below you will find all the meditations so far in our journey. Visit or revisit a meditation from our journey which speaks to your soul, ponder a thought you had wanted to come back to. A word or phrase or image which had grasped your attention. Revisit it, taste it, ponder it and cradle it in your heart as you would the Christ child. Ask it questions and listen with an open heart.
Or, find something entirely different which calls to you today for some deepening. Not some chore to be checked off, but some opportunity to practice and to train the heart. As Therese of Lisieux reminds us, not some great work, but some small thing done with great love. E.g. tend to some one or something you had meant to do for some time. May be a closed up grief, a distant relative, or a shortcoming for which you have not forgiven yourself. Or give someone a gift you had meant to give for a long time.
Practice hope even in your humble stable.
And may Christmas dwell in us today.
Yours, Almut & Chuck with little one
This post is part of our 12 Days of Christmas Series 2020/21: Cradling Hope, a Contemplative Journey towards the heart of Christmas. You can still enroll and follow along. To enter our virtual gathering space click here. To share your thoughts with us, write us here or comment below. To offer your gift, click here. If you are looking for personal consultation, visit our PathFinder.
Peace and Blessings, Almut & Chuck