This morning in the Daily Meditation, Cynthia Bourgeault talks about contemplation and centering prayer. She talked about the idea of a self-emptying practice, the life that Jesus lived. She talked about the Jesus life as being a path and less of a decision.
While some Christians are still reluctant to think of Jesus as teaching a path (isn’t it enough simply to be the Son of God?), in fact, the Gospels themselves make clear that he is specifically inviting us to this journey (of self-emptying/gentle release) and modeling how to do it.
I was thinking about that this morning in light of Christmas and Solstice. We’re having a solstice party tonight and also, Christmas is here.
I’ve struggled the last few years with Advent and Christmas. What to do with decorations, the creche, etc.
The thing I put on the dining room table this year is our pyramid that turns w/ the air of the six candles. On the two pedastals in the middle, the figures in the Nativity story. As they were turning this morning, I saw these two ideas come together: that solstice honoring is an honoring of the stability and beauty of nature, that we can depend on the seasons and depend on God.
The Nativity story is a story of people and values. My spiritual tradition is built around largely the stories of ordinary people and how they responded to and talked about God.
All the sudden, the idea of the Nativity characters and the story itself spinning and spinning made sense, just like the celebration and repetitiveness of the natural rhythms of the world.
My faith and values are a daily practice built on a story and many stories. I can celebrate that this season, that these are values I weave more deeply into my life each day by how I act, think and feel. In celebrating nature and the circle of story, I’m more deeply committing to living a certain way that I believe is in line w/ the overall energy and rhythms of nature and God.
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I saw a functional nutritionist this morning.
She made a comment about being “the witch doctor”, and the experience was definitely unique in terms of diagnostic tools she used.
I am hopeful it will provide my stomach some relief. It might help my pelvic pain. I don’t really know what’s next in all this but by day’s end, my pelvic pain was almost completely gone and I have no idea why. I ate a bunch of chicken for lunch? I took an hour mid-afternoon break instead of doing tons more little chores all day? I had wine??
I’m just thankful for the relief.
We had our solstice party tonight w/ the little group plus El. We went on a lantern walk and ate soup, read from Ecclesiastes about the seasons. My German pyramid spun around. El is home, and my stress around my kids is going down. It was a good day.