readoldthings | Entries tagged with esoteric advent

Ember Days

Of all of the neglected traditions of Christendom the Ember Days are among those most worthy of a revival. The Ember Days are a sequence of four three-day fasts, falling roughly around the beginning of each of the four seasons. Today marks the start of the Winter Embertide. Fasting is practiced on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of this week.

It's very interesting to look at the reasons traditionally given for the Ember Fast. Here is a selection from Jacobo de Voragine's discussion of the custom in the 13th century. (I'm going to quote it at length, and it's worth your time to read; I'm aware, though, that some people find medieval writing difficult to slog through; if that includes, you, I'll see you after the break.)

For the first time, which is in March, is hot and moist. The second, in summer, is hot and dry. The third, in harvest, is cold and dry. The fourth in winter is cold and moist. Then let us fast in March which is printemps for to repress the heat of the flesh boiling, and to quench luxury or to temper it. In summer we ought to fast to the end that we chastise the burning and ardour of avarice. In harvest for to repress the drought of pride, and in winter for to chastise the coldness of untruth and of malice.

The second reason why we fast four times; for these fastings here begin in March in the first week of the Lent, to the end that vices wax dry in us, for they may not all be quenched; or because that we cast them away, and the boughs and herbs of virtues may grow in us. And in summer also, in the Whitsun week, for then cometh the Holy Ghost, and therefore we ought to be fervent and esprised in the love of the Holy Ghost. They be fasted also in September tofore Michaelmas, and these be the third fastings, because that in this time the fruits be gathered and we should render to God the fruits of good works. In December they be also, and they be the fourth fastings, and in this time the herbs die, and we ought to be mortified to the world.

The third reason is for to ensue the Jews. For the Jews fasted four times in the year, that is to wit, tofore Easter, tofore Whitsunside, tofore the setting of the tabernacle in the temple in September, and tofore the dedication of the temple in December.

The fourth reason is because the man is composed of four elements touching the body, and of three virtues or powers in his soul: that is to wit, the understanding, the will, and the mind. To this then that this fasting may attemper in us four times in the year, at each time we fast three days, to the end that the number of four may be reported to the body, and the number of three to the soul. These be the reasons of Master Beleth.

The fifth reason, as saith John Damascenus: in March and in printemps the blood groweth and augmenteth, and in summer coler, in September melancholy, and in winter phlegm. Then we fast in March for to attemper and depress the blood of concupiscence disordinate, for sanguine of his nature is full of fleshly concupiscence. In summer we fast because that coler should be lessened and refrained, of which cometh wrath. And then is he full naturally of ire. In harvest we fast for to refrain melancholy. The melancholious man naturally is cold, covetous and heavy. In winter we fast for to daunt and to make feeble the phlegm of lightness and forgetting, for such is he that is phlegmatic.

The sixth reason is for the printemps [Spring] is likened to the air, the summer to fire, harvest to the earth, and the winter to water. Then we fast in March to the end that the air of pride be attempered to us. In summer the fire of concupiscence and of avarice. In September the earth of coldness and of the darkness of ignorance. In winter the water of lightness and inconstancy.

The seventh reason is because that March is reported to infancy, summer to youth, September to steadfast age and virtuous, and winter to ancienty or old age. We fast then in March that we may be in the infancy of innocency. In summer for to be young by virtue and constancy. In harvest that we may be ripe by attemperance. In winter that we may be ancient and old by prudence and honest life, or at least that we may be satisfied to God of that which in these four seasons we have offended him.

The eighth reason is of Master William of Auxerre. We fast, saith he, in these four times of the year to the end that we make amends for all that we have failed in all these four times, and they be done in three days each time, to the end that we satisfy in one day that which we have failed in a month; and that which is the fourth day, that is Wednesday, is the day in which our Lord was betrayed of Judas; and the Friday because our Lord was crucified; and the Saturday because he lay in the sepulchre, and the apostles were sore of heart and in great sorrow.

Here we see that the medieval mind explicitly linked together high theology and the liturgical cycle with the cycles of the natural world and an energetic approach to healing and medicine. If you've ever studied Traditional Chinese Medicine you may be familiar with the concepts of the qi nodes and of jia qi. The latter literally means "energy of the calendar," and refers to the cycle of yin and yang and the five elements throughout the year. The system of qi nodes is a way of tracking the calendar energy. There are 24 qi nodes set along the Wheel of the Year, including the solstices, equinoxes, and what we call the cross quarter days. In TCM theory, there are specific practices, ranging from dietary medicines to personal habits to meditation and qigong which one undertakes in order to promote health by aligning oneself correctly with the cyclic energy of the seasons. In the Ember Days, we see that the same set of ideas was present at one time in the Western world-- suitable to Western philosophy, religion and culture.

Winter Ember Days: The Element of Earth

You'll notice that Bishop Voragine specifically links Winter to the Water element, which is understood as coldness and moisture. Elemental attributions are not arbitrary, but neither are they fixed; these days we're more likely to describe Winter as relating to the element of Earth. That works as well or better; Air would work poorly; Fire would not work at all.

In Esoteric thought, each of the elements is linked to one of the four archangels, and that archangel can be invoked as the governor of the element in question. The elemental archangels are as follows:

Earth -- Uriel
Air -- Raphael
Fire -- Michael
Water -- Gabriel

Now, the four elements, it must be remembered, are not four elementary particles. They are four phases of existence into which all things can be divided. In addition to its association with Winter, Earth includes all of the following:

Midnight in times; old age in a lifetime; the body in man; soil and stone in nature; the root in plants, and mosses and other plants that creep along the ground; among herbs, all those cold and moist by temperament; among animals, those that live in the soil; among professions, those related to the Earth, including farmers and miners, and all those who work with their hands, and also beggars; in society, it is the physical environment, both natural and man-made; among planets, it is Saturn (others say Venus); among numbers, the number 4 and all its permutations; among shapes, the cube.

The Ember Fast

This week, extend whatever fasting commitment you've made to Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. In addition, make at least one additional effort towards lightening your impact on the Earth-- turning the heat down a couple of degrees might be particularly appropriate, as it will allow you to more fully connect with the cold, which is Earth. On at least one of these days, spend some additional time in nature. Allow yourself to be aware of the Earth element as it manifests in the stones and the soil and the physical structure of the world in general, as well as those creatures that are specifically governed by it. You might also consider donating to an Earth-oriented charity, such as an organization dedicated to helping farmers, miners, the elderly or the very poor.

Prayer and Meditation

At least once, and preferably during all three days, practice the following meditation:

1. Make the Sign of the Cross

2. Say the Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, and Glory Be.

2. Perform the asperges with holy water and the censing with incense, using the prayers previously given. In a pinch, you can use ordinary water into which a little bit of salt has been added. Before using it, make the sign of the cross over it and ask God for his blessing.

3. Pray the prayer of the Holy Spirit:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit,

grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation,

through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

4. Kneeling or seated, take a few moments to relax your body and clear your mind with rhythmic breathing. Then call to mind the Earth element and the Winter season, and everything pertaining to them. Offer a prayer, such as the following:

Oh God, I thank thee for all the gifts of the element of Earth. For solidity and stability, the long nights and the winter snows, and all the gifts of the physical world. And I pray that thou wilt send thy holy archangel Uriel, who governs the element Earth, to be with us at this time. Holy Saint Uriel, archangel who governs the element of Earth, grant that the gifts and virtues of Earth, industriousness, temperance, and tranquility of spirit may be manifest in our lives. And grant, too, that the unbalanced manifestations of Earth, including avarice, sloth and despondency may be kept far from us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

5. Take a moment to visualize the gifts and virtues of Earth manifesting in your life. Then close your meditation with more rhythmic breathing.

6. If you like, you can repeat the asperges and the censing.

7. Close with a suitable prayer or prayers, followed by the sign of the cross. The Fatima Prayer is a good option:

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.

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Happy Second Week of Advent!

Today, as many of you know, is the Feast of Saint Nicholas. This saint has been venerated for quite a long time, and associated with the Christmas season and gifts for children since long before his current incarnation as Santa Claus. Let's talk about him, and the customs associated with his feast day.

The Life of Saint Nicholas

The historical Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Christian bishop, and the truth is that we know very little about his life.

That isn't really the truth, though. If you start paying attention, you will find that the phrase "we know" is, like its cousin "is known," used constantly in modern life to talk about historical and scientific topics. What these words really mean is "This is the current consensus among college professors and those members of the ruling elite who look to college professors to define the world for them." And so, the current consensus among college professors and their sycophants is that Nicholas was a bishop from the Greek town of Myra who may or may not have attended the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., and may or may not have punched the heretic Arius in the face over the latter's denial of the full divinity of Jesus Christ.

In the Esoteric tradition, our perspective is that Myth is more important than History. History happens once, and is over; Myth never happens, but occurs again and again and again. Myth unfolds the reality of spiritual things at a level the human mind can grasp, and it describes patterns the patterns that underlie our reality.

It can be said that Myth exists at one of the levels of being in between the world of Time that we experience and the Eternal Reality of God. They are outside of the Time that we know-- and yet they are not purely eternal. They come into being being at a particular moment in history. They change and evolve, their characters and the relationships between them shifting between geographic regions and eras of the world like the characters in a dream. And yet, they continually impact the the world we experience-- in this case, by impacting the behavior of human beings.

The Saints are human beings who, through their spiritual practices, have ascended beyond the realms of Time and Matter to the higher worlds. As such, their biography, even when it is known, matters far, far less than the legends that gather around them.

Here are some of the legends of Saint Nicholas.

The Real Life of Saint Nicholas

Once there was a man who had lost his money through the machinations of the devil. Now, this man had three daughters, and, with no dowry to provide for their marriages, he would be forced to sell them into prostitution. Hearing about hte girls' plight, Nicholas resolved to help, but his mdoesty was such that he would not do so openly. And so, under the cover of darkness, he snuck up to the family's house and tossed a gold purse through the window. Upon discovering it the next day, the girls' father was overjoyed. He immediately provided his oldest daughter with a dowry, and she was able to marry.

Upon hearing of the success of his first outing, Nicholas repeated the action a second time, and so the second daughter was able to marry. But the third time, the father resolved to resolved to stay awake and catch his secret patron in the act. Upon discovering that it was the bishop Nicholas, the man fell to his knees and kissed the saint's feet. Nicholas admonished him to keep his charity a secret. Of course, the admonishment was ignored, otherwise I would not be able to tell you about it.

Another time, three children were playing in the field, and forgot to keep an eye on the Sun. As there were no street lights then to tell the kids to get home before dark or to light their way back home, the children found themselves quite lost. Fortunately, they came across a lighted butcher's shop on the road. Unfortunately, no one had told them that, in fairy tales, little children should be all means avoid lonely houses while lost in the woods, especially if they are lit up and welcoming, and especially if the nature of the house has anything at all to do with food. The butcher who kept the shop welcomed the children, fed them dinner, and provided them with a place to sleep for the night. Then he crept into their room, chopped them into pieces, and stored their salted bodies in a barrel.

Seven years later, the good bishop Nicholas happened to be wandering through the land. He came to the butcher shop and demanded to be let in. When he spied the barrel, in which the children's salted bodies were still aging, he demanded the butcher open it. Then he made the sign of the cross over it and said "Arise, oh children!" And the children got out of the barrel just as alive and well as the day before they'd got into it.

Another time, Saint Nicholas heard about a tree which was possessed by a demon. Resolving to do something about it, he took an axe and cut the tree down. Now, ordinarily, such a thing is not sufficient to drive a demon off, but when the axe is swung by a saint, it does the job. Word of the saint's miracle spread throughout the region, so that several other villages suffering from demonic trees called upon Saint Nicholas, and he cut those down, too. And that's all that anyone really has to say about that.

Someone reading this is upset that Nicholas cut trees down, and even more upset about the idea that a tree spirit could be evil. Let me tell you, as one who has experienced many tree spirits who were not evil, that there are some tree spirits out there who are very evil indeed, and others who simply hate human beings. If you happen to run into one of these latter trees, you can be sure that your Greenpeace membrship will not impress them-- but an invocation of Saint Nicholas just might!

The Practices of Saint Nicholas Day

In earlier times, many of Saint Nicholas's Christmas Eve duties were performed on the eve of his Feast Day. It was only later, with the spread of Protestantism, that his cult was rolled into Christmas itself.

I have in my collection a fine old volume entitled Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, by Clement A. Miles. Writing over a century ago, Miles is quick to interpret everything interesting in Christianity as a "pagan survival," but if you can ignore that, he presents an enormous wealth of information on the subject of Christmas traditions. Regarding St. Nicholas Day, Miles writes:

St. Nicholas's Eve is a time of festive stir in Holland and Belgium; the shops are full of pleasant little gifts: many-shaped biscuits, gilt gingerbreads, sometimes representing the saint, sugar images, toys, and other trifles. In many places, when evening comes on, people dress up as St. Nicholas, with mitre and pastoral staff, enquire about the behaviour of the children, and if it has been good pronounce a benediction and promise them a reward next morning. Before they go to bed the children put out their shoes, with hay, straw, or a carrot in them for the saint's white horse or ass. When they wake in the morning, if they have been “good” the fodder is gone and sweet things or toys are in its place; if they have misbehaved themselves the provender is untouched and no gift but a rod is there.

In various parts of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria St. Nicholas is mimed by a man dressed up as a bishop. In Tyrol children pray to the saint on his Eve and leave out hay for his white horse and a glass of schnaps for his servant. And he comes in all the splendour of a church-image, a reverend grey-haired figure with flowing beard, gold-broidered cope, glittering mitre, and pastoral staff. Children who know their catechism are rewarded with sweet things out of the basket carried by his servant; those who cannot answer are reproved, and St. Nicholas points to a terrible form that stands behind him with a rod—the hideous Klaubauf, a shaggy monster with horns, black face, fiery eyes, long red tongue, and chains that clank as he moves.

In Lower Austria the saint is followed by a similar figure called Krampus or Grampus; in Styria this horrible attendant is named Bartel; all are no doubt related to such monsters as the Klapperbock. Their heathen origin is evident though it is difficult to trace their exact pedigree. Sometimes St. Nicholas himself appears in a non-churchly form like Pelzmärte, with a bell, or with a sack of ashes which gains him the name of Aschenklas.

Notice the two features of Saint Nicholas: He only brings presents and candies to good children, leaving a rod for the bad ones; and he is accompanied by a goblin or monster who carries off the worst.

Never doubt, by the way, that St. Nicholas actually did these things. He is no longer a man in a body, but a spirit and a saint. Unlike us sojourners here in the world of Matter and Time, spirits are not limited to a single body, and will happily make use of whatever body is provided for them. Of course, they often require that certain conditions are met before they'll descend into a human body-- such as dressing up as a bishop, or donning a red coat and a red fur-trimmed cap.

Practices for Saint Nicholas Day

Most children in America and, I suspect, the rest of the Anglophone world, are unacquainted with St. Nicholas Day. At a Catholic school near where I live, the children leave stockings outside the hall during their last period of the day, at which time they are filled with candy by the principle. And I know that converts to the Eastern Orthodox Church (often via the Antiochian archdiocese) often celebrate after the traditional manner. It probably isn't going to be possible to shift the entire tradition of St. Nicholas back to his feast day, and it may not even be desirable to do so.

That said, we can still take steps toward reincorporating the old practices into our family Christmas celebrations. Last night was the appropriate night to leave out stockings or shoes for candy, but it can be done today as well. I'll confess that the only reason that I didn't have my kids do it last night is that I was so tired I forgot-- we spent the weekend preparing the house for Christmas, which meant deep cleaning, rearranging the living room, cutting down the tree and stringing the lights for it. By the end of the day yesterday I could barely see straight. So, on the drive to school this morning, I casually mentioned to my son that it was the custom in earlier times to leave shoes out for St. Nicholas, but that I didn't know if it worked because I'd never done it. "I wonder what would happen if we tried it?" I said. "Maybe we should leave the biggest shoe we have outside and see what happens?" he said. That was several hours ago and the shoe has yet to be filled with candy-- but, on the other hand, I have yet to finish writing this blog post and go to the grocery store.

Meditations for Saint Nicholas Day

Set up your prayer space or altar with a Saint Nicholas icon or prayer card, if you have one. Enter into meditation the usual way, opening with the sign of the cross and additional prayers. Then either concentrate on the icon or simply bring the saint to mind. If you like, you can visualize one of the stories from the life of Saint Nicholas. Then, imagine him coming to your home-- perhaps as he used to in the olden days, on his white horse in his bishop's robe, rather than his new guise, in order to invoke older meaning. Imagine him blessing the house and bringing gifts to all-- but understand that the gift that he brings is not a material thing, but the spirit of giving freely of oneself.

And there is another gift he brings, too. St. Nicholas is the patron, especially, of children, and is well-loved by them. Recall that Our Lord himself teaches us that we will only enter into the kingdom of Heaven if we do so as little children.

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

This is a deep, mystical teaching, and it would take time to unpack it here; we're getting to it in the Gospel of Matthew discussion, and so the full meaning will have to wait until then. For now, though, consider that children arrive on this Earth directly from the presence of God, and the work of learning to function in ordinary human society is also the work of obscuring the light of Heaven from our eyes. Imagine that the gifts of St. Nicholas are not merely given to children, but given to all of us, to awaken the part that is child-like in all of us. This is the part that the Taoist tradition calls the yuan shen, or "original spirit"-- the part of our being that stands beyond all the conditioning of our culture and the experiences and traumas that shape our latter habits of thought and mind.

In meditation, imagine the experience of experience of the Christmas Season awaken us to our true being, and let this be the true meaning of the gifts of St. Nicholas. If your St Nicholas icon or holy card has a specific prayer, you can close with that, or with your own prayer, such as:

Oh God, we thank you for Saint Nicholas, and we pray that he may visit our homes this year, and awaken us to the joy of freely giving, and awaken, too, the original and child-like spirit within all of us, that we may become as the little children are, and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Good Saint Nicholas, patron of children, sailors, and the helpless, pray for us this day. Amen.

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

The Second Coming

As we've discussed, Advent means "coming." In it we remember and re-live the First Coming of Christ. But we also prepare for his Second Coming.

Now, it's probably the case that modern Christians, particularly if they are of the esoteric bent, either don't think about the Second Coming much, or don't want to think about it. But there really is no getting around it-- It's a central part of the Christian tradition as a whole, and a central part of Advent in particular. In the Christian tradition, Jesus is coming again, at an hour unknown to us, to judge the living, and the dead, and the world by fire.

So let's talk about the end of the world.

The Final Judgment

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Apocalypse 20:11-15

The perspective of this blog is that the Bible is Myth, and the Christian tradition must be understood mythically.

As I'm fond of repeating, Myths never happened, but always are.

That is to say: A myth is a story which expresses a fundamental principle of nature, human life, or reality itself in a form the human mind can grasp.

When we understand the teachings of the Christian tradition mythically, and then apply them as guides to spiritual practice, we have what we call Occultism or Esotericism.

How To Understand the Second Coming Esoterically -- And How to Misunderstand It

If myths never happened, but always are, then the end of the world is something that is always happening.

On some level, we all know this. The only constant in our world under Heaven is change. Think of your own life-- Is it different now from the way it was ten years ago? One year ago? How about a month ago? How about last week? I bet if you think about it, it isn't even the same as it was an hour ago. Sometimes the changes that we're talking about are very big. I have friends and loved ones who were alive ten years ago but are no longer with us today; on the other hand, I have other friends who I had not yet met, and family members who had not even been born! I bet you do too. All change is an ending. The places, people, habits, thoughts and emotions, even the larger cultural patterns that characterize are world, and that truly are our individual worlds, are changing, and ending, all the time. All change is a kind of death, a kind of apocalypse.

The mystic traditions of the East refer to this constant process of change and dissolution as anicca, or impermanence. The awareness of anicca is a central feature of many Eastern systems of spiritual development. The proper response to anicca is detachment from impermanent things, which is to say, from all things. Attachment leads to dukkha, or suffering. This must necessarily be the case, as all the objects of our attachment are always melting away, always dying.

Now, many Eastern systems stop at this point, framing the goal of the spiritual life as the awareness of anicca and the release from attachments in general.* In the West, we have always had a different approach. The Western Mysteries say that, yes, everything in the world of Becoming is characterized by anicca, impermanence, but there is a world beyond the world of Becoming. This is the world of Being, which is permanent. The correct objects of our attachment are not the illusory things of the world of becoming, but the real things of the world of Being.

It's actually more correct to say that there are many worlds beyond the world of Becoming, each a little more stable, solid and permanent. Above, beyond, beneath, and upholding it all is the One, that eternal permanence beyond even Being itself by which all the worlds are held together, and from which the great fire of existence constantly pours through creation. In Christianity we call this power God the Father.

We say that Christ is returning. For those who are ready, his arrival will be as the arrival of the bridegroom at the wedding feast. For those who are not ready, his coming will be as the coming of a thief in the night.

This is not meant to terrify us; God isn't an abusive father coming home to beat us up if our room isn't clean. These images are tools and they are meant to teach us. How do we live, and who do we become, if we live in the awareness that Christ could return at any moment? If, at any moment, the book of life will be opened, and we will be judged according to our deed?

The Unpredictable Apocalypse

There are some ends-of-the-world that we can predict. Cycles exist in history and astrology; we can see them coming, have a sense of their general shape and tenor, and plan accordingly. Strauss and Howe accurately predicted that a generational crisis was coming to America, way back in 1996. Now, no one knew the exact shape the crisis would take-- and we still don't, as it is still unfolding, all around us. In the same way, nobody in the middle of September knows exactly what Winter will be like that year. Will it be long and cold, snowy and wet, warmer than usual? We can't know that in advance, but we can know that Winter will come, and prepare accordingly.

There are other apocalypses that cannot be predicted. You never know when a sudden economic downturn will put you out of work, or a natural disaster will render large parts of your state or country uninhabitable. You never know when you'll get that phone call telling you that someone you love has died. The only way we can prepare for these crises is by maintaining ourselves in a constant state of readiness, by forming and maintaining conscious contact with God, and the Heavenly world.

A Word to the Wise

By the way-- never doubt that the end of the world could also simply happen, exactly as your Catholic grandma or your fundamentalist neighbor thinks it will. If the last few years haven't taught you that you have no idea what's really going on in the world, you haven't been paying attention. And besides that-- it's the central claim of the Christian religion that, at a particular moment in time, the world of Myth erupted into the world of History. This is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Did it really happen, as a historical event? I think so, but I also think it's far more important to understand it as Myth than as History. That said, if it can happen once, it can happen again.

Meditation

During Advent, we unite ourselves with the changing tides of Nature in order to prepare our spirits for the return of Christ.

At least on Fridays during Advent, perform the following meditation.

1. Opening

A. While seated in front of your altar or prayer space, with a candle lit and incense burning (if you like). Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Remember to do this slowly and reverently.

B. Say the Our Father, Three Hail Marys, and the Glory Be.

C. If you like, perform the asperges with holy water and censing with incense, as described in the post on Advent Sunday.

2. Profession of Faith

Return to your seat, and make a profession of faith suitable for you and your practice. Here are several options:

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Confession of Faith of Saint Patrick

There is not, nor ever was, any other God – there was none before him and there shall not be any after him – besides him who is God the Father unbegotten: without a source, from him everything else takes its beginning. He is, as we say, the one who keeps hold of all things. And his Son, Jesus Christ, whom we declare to have always existed with the Father.

He was with the Father spiritually before the world came into being; begotten of the Father before the beginning of anything in a way that is beyond our speech. And ‘through him all things were made’, all things visible and invisible. He was made man, and having conquered death was taken back into the heavens to the Father.

‘And he has bestowed on him all power above every name in heaven and on earth and under the earth, so that every tongue may confess that our Lord and God is Jesus Christ’. In him we believe, looking forward to his coming in the very near future when he will judge the living and the dead, and ‘will repay each according to his works’.

And ‘the Father has plentifully poured upon us the Holy Spirit’, the gift and pledge of immortality, who makes those who believe and listen into ‘sons of God’ the Father and ‘fellow heirs with Christ’.

This is whom we profess and worship, One God in Trinity of sacred name. Amen.

The Profession of Faith of the Liberal Catholic Church

We believe that God is Love and Power and Truth and Light;

that perfect justice rules the world;

that all His sons shall one day reach His feet, however far they stray.

We hold the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of man,

we know that we do serve Him best

when best we serve our brother man.

So shall His blessing rest on us and peace for evermore.

Amen.

3. Confiteor

Now is the time to make a humble confession of your sins. When doing so, remember the purpose of Confession. It is not to harm us. It is to heal our souls by, first, removing any foreign element; second, restoring the soul to its original wholeness; and, third, re-aligning the soul with the path of spiritual evolution whose summit is God Himself.

You can do this simply by calling to mind your sins, and then praying one of the formulae given below. Afterward, take a moment to imagine a current of holy fire descending from Heaven. Imagine it pouring into you, burning away the black impurities of sin, and restoring you to wholeness.

Roman Catholic Confiteor

I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

May almighty God have mercy on us*, and, our sins being forgiven, bring us to life everlasting. Amen.

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins. Amen.

Liberal Catholic Confiteor

O Lord, Thou hast created us to be immortal and made us to be an image of Thine own eternity; yet often we forget the glory of our heritage and wander from the path which leads to righteousness. But Thou, O Lord, hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are ever restless till they find their rest in Thee. Look with the eyes of Thy love upon our manifold imperfections and pardon all our shortcomings, that we may be filled with the brightness of the everlasting light and become the unspotted mirror of Thy power and the image of Thy goodness; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

May God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve and sanctify us; may the the Lord in his loving kindness look down upon us and be gracious unto us; may the Lord absolve me from all our sins and grant unto us the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

*In both these versions of the Confiteor I'm preserving the first person plural form from the mass, in order to remind us of the fact that we are never alone in this journey. If it feels more appropriate to you to use the first person singular-- that is, "I," "me," in place of "we," "us"-- please do so.

4. Meditation on the Second Coming

Now is the time to enter into meditation. Do this as described previously, first taking time to relax your body and still your energy with a few minutes of rhythmic breathing.

Then, call to mind the images from the Book of Revelation from the beginning of this post. See the return of Christ; imagine it happening tomorrow, or next week-- or right now. Imagine the Book of Life being opened, and your deeds read out before the assembly of Heaven and Earth. Who are you, at this moment? How have your actions shaped your present life? Who were you intended to be? What place have your works in this life merited you in the next?

Remember that the "next life" is a term with many meanings. It means the eternal fate of your immortal spirit, once all of time is over and done. It means your next incarnation, which will allow you to work out the consequences of your actions in this life and learn from any mistakes you may have made and failed to correct. It means the life that you will live from the moment you get up from your meditation chair and begin the rest of your day. Who will you be? Who are you meant to be?

Call to mind that healing, divine fire that descended during the Confession. Who will you be-- now that have been restored to wholeness and the grace of God?

5. Closing

Take a moment to visualize the best possible outcome for all of the various next lives that you will live. Pray that it may be so, and ask for the guidance of your Guardian Angel. Pray that, as the austerities of Advent prepare you for the coming of the Christmas season, so too you may be willing to suffer what you must in this life, for the sake of the next. This is also a good time for any other particular prayers or devotions you may want to add.

Afterward, return for a few minutes to simple, rhythmic breathing, awareness of the presence of God. Close with a suitable prayer and the Sign of the Cross.

The Meaning of the Christmas Tree

The Tree is the best known symbol of the Christmas season. These days, most Americans, from what I can tell, put up their tree as soon after Thanksgiving as they can manage, and light and decorate it that day. Traditionally this was not done; the tree would be put up near Christmas and not lit or decorated until after Mass on Christmas Eve. Certainly that was the custom in my family, but especially if you have young children, you may find it hard to buck the trend. (I'll be getting my tree this Sunday and decorating it that evening.)

As with the Advent Wreath, the Tree can be understood on many different levels. Let's discuss a few of them now.

The Tree is the mightiest creature in the plant kingdom; it stands in relation to herbs and vegetables as humans do to animals. In the forest, every tree becomes a kind of world unto itself, providing a living space for hundreds of creatures, from insects to birds and mammals. As such, it is a symbol of the entire world of Nature which has been created by God, and even of the cosmos beyond our world. In many traditional cosmologies, our world is one of many, all of which hang from a single great Tree; the Christmas Tree thus symbolizes the power which unites all the worlds, drawn into the smaller world of our own homes. And in Western Esotericism, it symbolizes the Tree of Life, the great symbol of the unfolding process of creation that is at the heart of the Cabala.

Like all green plants, trees turn sunlight into energy. In this way they literally turn sunlight into their bodies. As we eat of their fruits, or of the flesh of animals who have eaten of them, we then turn that sunlight into our own bodies. The Sun Himself is an icon of the Hidden Sun of Spirit, which is Christ. As the body of Christ nourishes our spirits, the body of sunlight, which is all plant and animal food, nourishes our bodies.

The Christmas Tree is always an evergreen, usually a fir or a spruce. As its leaves stay green even in the darkest months, we are reminded of the eternal reality of God, and of the eternal presence of God which can guide us even in the darkest times.

You can and should use the practice of meditation to go deeper with any of these ideas and explore new ones, whether from traditional sources or your own personal inspiration.

How to Use Real Trees Responsibly

Our world needs more trees in it, not fewer, and so many people prefer an artificial tree to a real one. If that's the case for you, you can still use the material in here. The artificial tree still expresses the symbolic ideas, and it can still be ritually blessed, as described below.

I personally prefer real trees, though; it's quite simply the case that a living tree has power, as in magical power, that an artificial tree does not and cannot have. But a tree is a living being. Apart from any environmental concerns, that means it must be treated respectfully, just as an animal must be treated respectfully. Let's talk about how to do that.

Cut Down Your Own Tree

If at all possible, find a farm in your area that allows you to cut down your own tree. This has a great number of advantages. First, you're supporting local agriculture, and putting your money and time into your local economy and the land where you live. Second, it allows you to put your energy into the tree from the very beginning. You find the tree yourself, and you do the work of cutting it down and hauling it to the barn to pay for it. By doing this, you mix your energy, which is the very substance of your body, with that of the tree. That's very important on an esoteric level, as we'll discuss presently.

Understand You Are Working Alchemy

One of the great secrets of magic is that we are all doing magic all the time. Now, that branch of magic by which physical things are transformed and led to express their hidden spiritual nature is known as Alchemy. Usually when we hear that word, we picture medieval wizards working in secret laboratories in high towers under the moon. But Alchemy, like magic as a whole, is something we practice all the time. Every act of cooking is a work of alchemy, and every cook is an alchemist. This is a secret that good cooks as well as good psychics know-- every meal contains a trace of the person who prepared it. Eat a meal cooked in a filthy kitchen by someone who hates you and doesn't want to be doing the work, and you'll feel it, if you have the least bit of sensitivity; eat a meal made with love in a clean and happy kitchen by a cook who cares about their work, and you'll feel that too.

In just the same way, the process of taking a tree from nature and transforming it into a living symbol of the Christmas season is a great work of alchemy. As such, it must be undertaken with the greatest care. Before you even leave the house, take a few minutes to still your mind and say a prayer. You can ask Saint Francis, as patron of ecology, or the archangel Uriel, as the archangel who governs the Earth element, to guide you in your day's work. Play Christmas music in the car on the way to the farm-- good Christmas music, the kind that inspires you and invokes the Spirit of the Season. (For me, in an ideal world, that would mean something like Adrian Willaert's Christmas Vespers. Since my wife and kids have to share the car with me, Frank Sinatra's 1948 Christmas album works well enough!)

Now, don't stress about maintaining the right mood or the right attitude-- that's the best way to make sure you won't! Just do the work to the best of your ability and aim to enjoy yourself, but also to act in the energy of the Christmas season, and to invoke the divine to guide your actions.

Bless Your Tree

When you find your tree, talk to it. Tell it your intention-- "I'm cutting you down to place you in my house. You will be covered in lights, and be a symbol of joy and an icon of the Great World Tree itself."

I like to carry a water bottle with me, filled with water or something else-- wine is traditional, but coffee will do, and hot chocolate might be even more appropriate-- so that I can surreptitiously pour out an offering to the spirit of the land. Actually I do this anywhere I go hiking.

When you get the tree home, bless it. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops provides a functional blessing ceremony, which you can use as is or modify. I personally prefer to use the methods of ceremonial magic to invoke divine light into the tree. Here is another option:

A Simple Blessing Ceremony

For this ritual, all you need is yourself and your tree. If you want, you can provide yourself with holy water and incense.

Before the tree, make the sign of the Cross, and then pray the Our Father, Three Hail Marys, and Glory Be, as we've discussed.

If you have holy water, hold it aloft and say the words, "Cleanse me with hyssop, oh Lord, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow; have mercy on me, oh God, according to thy great mercy." Then sprinkle holy water in the four corners of the room, 3 times each.

If you have incense, hold it aloft and say the words, "Let my prayer be directed, O Lord, as incense in thy sight, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." Wave the incense three times to each quarter of the room.

(If you have two participants, they should alternate the following section, with the person leading the rite as the reader. If you only have one person, they can do all the reading. When you see a +, make the sign of the cross over the tree, visualizing it in the form of brilliant white light descending from Heaven above.)

Reader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Response: Who hath made the Heavens and the Earth.
Reader: Let us pray.

Reader: Oh God, who made the Heavens, and who made the Earth to bring forth vegetation, and the tree to bring forth the fruit of its kind, we pray for your blessing + be upon this Christmas Tree. Let your divine light fill it, that it may bring light, and joy, and peace our home during this Christmas season. Let it be a visible reminder to us of the gifts of Nature and of the realty of the Life Eternal during this time of cold and darkness. Let its spirit be blessed, and may the blessing of Almighty God bring fertility to the soil and the land where it was grown and peace and prosperity to the people of that land. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Response: Amen.

The tree is sprinkled three times with holy water, and censed three times with incense.

Reader: We thank thee, O Lord, for the gift of this tree. May thy blessing

Response: Amen.

Close with the Sign of the Cross.

Use Your Tree!

Whatever you do, do not be one of those people that throws the tree out on the curb on the 26th of December. In the first case, it should stay up and lit through Epiphany, on January 6th. But more to the point, you should not throw it out at all. Every part of your tree can and should be used.

But how?

Many different ways. You can toss a handful of twigs and needles into a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil; let it go all day and it will fill your house with the scent of evergreen. Or boil for a few minutes to make a tea which is both tasty and rich in Vitamin C. You can use dried-out twigs with needles as incense-- be careful with this, as the needles will burn very quickly. And at the end of the season, you can chop it into firewood. I like to burn the very last of the Christmas tree on Candlemas, which is the true finale of the Christmas season.

You can also eat your tree. A fine book written a few years ago discusses this in detail. At minimum, you should consider making at least one round of Christmas Tree Tea-- this is a way of bringing the magical energies of the tree directly into your body.

A (very, very) Simple Christmas Tree Beer

Start by boiling a gallon of water on the stove. Add one to one and a half pounds of either molasses (light is better; you can use blackstrap but it will taste salty) or maple syrup.

Add green needles from your tree. Exactly much is up to you-- not too much, and not too little. You want it to have the flavor and scent of the tree. Continue boiling for 5-10 minutes.

Take the pot off the stove, and cool it down as rapidly as you can to room temperature; the easiest way to do this is to put it in a sink full of cold water.

Now, pour into a gallon jug, and add sufficient cold water as necessary to make one total gallon of liquid.

Add one teaspoon of Fleischmann's bread yeast. Shake.

Best practice is to cap it with a plug and an airlock, like this. In a pinch, you can put a screw-on cap, fitted loosely; loosen it more once a day to release any excess gasses.

In 2-4 weeks, it will be ready to drink. Boil 1/4 cup of sugar in a cup of water, cool and add to the mix. Then siphon into bottles, and allow 1-2 weeks to carbonate. Enjoy!

Finally, a word of warning: Be very careful when consuming trees! Not every evergreen is healthy for humans. Yew trees are deadly poisonous; cedars can kill you in large amounts. Know what type of tree you have before putting it in your body.