The Divine Light of Advent
Why I celebrate Advent as a non-Christian, and finding reverence in a season without light
Advent is a time when the world awaits new life.
For some that life is spiritual. Their Advent culminates in the celebration of Christmas, the observed birthday of Jesus Christ.
For others that life is literal, counting down the darkest days of the year. With the solstice, the darkness begins it's retreat and the Sun once again travels to its life-giving peak.
For me it's somewhere in between. There's a sigh of relief that comes knowing the darkest times are over, that the Sun will return and spring grows ever closer. But that in itself holds a spiritual renewal...everything feels lighter, more hopeful.
I live in a heavily Christian area. "What church do you go to?" is a common ice breaker.
Needless to say, this is an area that keeps Christ in Christmas.
And I have no problem with that.
I don't talk about my faith with neighbors, but when I'm invited into a conversation about theology I have no problem joining in.
But Christ isn't really at the center of my Christmas rituals.
I've been somewhat averse to deities my entire life. I grew up Catholic. Not just Sunday Catholic: my mother taught catechism, my grandmother had many friends who were nuns. I led our church choir. But even then the whole Father/Son/Holy Spirit as literal entities felt wrong to me, like I was only given a small piece of a much larger puzzle.
To me, Christ makes a lot more sense as a metaphor.
Jung claimed that Christ was representative of the truly integrated man, all levels of consciousness in harmony. That's why living a Christlike life is apirational, regardless of religion. It's not about vying for a spot in a potential afterlife or looking for salvation from suffering, but holding Jesus as a model along the path of individuation.
Advent becomes the story of integration, the harmonizing of all forces to awaken the higher self.
When considering how I want my daughter to celebrate the season, I found myself very attracted to Steiner's philosophies and his educational model. His school openly celebrated Advent, with and without religious trappings, as a time to rediscover the wonders of the Earth. Each week explores a different kingdom of life, following a very traditional chain of being recognizable through countless traditions.
It's a ground-up model of Divinity, each with its part to play:
The minerals which makes up stones, crystals, shells, bones, and enrich the soil in which plants grow.
Plants which carpet the Earth, brilliant ornamental blossoms and curative roots, the leaves and shoots and sweet fruits which feed the beasts.
Beasts who graze and shape the Earth, who hunt alongside us and help plow and plant, who grow wool and fur and milk and eggs which feed humanity.
Humanity, made up of countless individuals, each with their own drive and purpose. Craftsmen and artists and storytellers who keep history and tradition alive, farmers and hunters and midwives and healers who nourish the people. Each one, like everything before them, a shining representation of the divine on Earth.
And the Divine, a short step across the firmaments, with its sprays of stars and swirling timeless wisdom. Seen as the mathematical perfection of all space and time, the ever-musical spheres, the cosmic energies, or any number of deities, it's the source energy all are plugged into.
On the day when the Sun disappears, we give honor to the life possible through its light.
Stay close to those you love. Cherish their divine light. Speak gratitude for the life you have with them, made or given.
This is our first Advent together as a family with children of our own. She may be too young to remember what we do, but she's not too young to feel. The environment we establish now will shape parts of her that live forever, the attitudes she has towards all forms of life, the way others feel around her.
And if that's not divine, I'm not sure what is.
Beautifully said!