Christmas Gifts

As Christmas Day draws really close, we are constantly reminded of the material aspect of the celebration in our world today. Our shops and on-line stores are full of potential gifts and pressure to buy so our families and friends feel truly cared for by an extra special token of our love. It can be very stressful and some people opt out altogether. Others make a charity donation instead of presents. This is a lovely thing to do, of course, for this is a time of year to remember those who have little or are in great need for whatever reason. However, the giving of an actual present is very meaningful too, and it doesn’t have to be an expensive gift. As the saying goes, ‘It is the thought which counts!’

 

I love the symbolism of the Wise Men following the Star to the simple little stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born (as the Bible story goes). They brought with them three gifts, which each have an inner meaning for us all. They are gifts from heaven for every human soul of every country and every religion. They are gifts to be truly treasured and will last our whole life through. White Eagle has given beautiful teaching about the inner meaning of each aspect of the traditional story of Christmas, including the gifts of the wise men. He tells us that gold symbolises the love of God which is always with us. Frankincense is the angelic help, the sweetness and wisdom of heaven which flows freely upon us (like incense) if only we can open ourselves to be aware of it. And myrrh is symbolic of the difficulties of physical life (the suffering and pain) which bring the hidden blessings—the rose blooming on our cross!

So I pray that this Christmas time the Christmas rose will bloom for you, no matter what is happening in your outer life and that the magic of the light will touch your heart and help you feel your loved ones who have passed on, are really close with you.

I wish you a heart full of spiritual blessings and joy on Christmas Day.

What is Freedom?

We often find these days stories in the media about political prisoners and infringement of human rights. Even though we are now very much in the Aquarian age, issues of brotherhood are arising all the time. The wonderful ideal of the Declaration of Human Rights in 1776 at the end of the American War of Independence (and to which Grace Cooke refers in her opening chapter on Who is White Eagle, in `Memories of Reincarnation`) seems incredibly hard for nations to actually put into practice. In some ways I feel the Declaration marked the real beginning of Aquarian energy manifesting in the world, but, as with all deep change it is a long process with much opportunity for individual and collective learning and transformation!

An Aquarian age charity which works for individual human rights, Amnesty International, gives many examples in its magazines. One quote which stands out for me is from Fred Bauma of the Republic of Congo. He says his country is one of the world`s richest in natural resources and in natural beauty. It could be paradise, but instead it is like hell, due to war and political dicatorship. Freed, after years of imprisonment for speaking out against the Regime, Fred says: `Losing my freedom showed me how precious it is.`

Freedom is not just about not being within a physical prison, of course, and the Aquarian energy is bringing so many opportunities to free ourselves from old patterns of thought, old boundaries, restrictions and judgemental ways of living. It is also about the realisation that whatever our outer circumstances we can live inwardly in the freedom of our body of light and the realisation that we can all learn to transcend earthly restrictions and persecution, whether real or perceived, and fly freely into the sunlight of heaven.

Whenever I read media stories, such as the one about Fred Bauma and other cases of infringement of human rights, I always think about the magical power of the Star, and how our prayers can and do help bring about miracles and speed up the change of consciousness which is happening as humanity collectively awakens to the new energy of true brotherhood. And always, we have the wonderful White Eagle teaching to inspire and reminds us: 

‘Look to the light. The light shall overcome all darkness and set you free. Freedom means peace of soul, happiness, joy abounding, and abundance of all needful things. Yes, humanity is approaching the time when you will be able to command for the good of all people the action of the light in matter.’

The Storms of Life

On Monday, Ireland and western parts of the UK experienced ex-hurricane ‘Ophelia’ and our western shores were battered by high seas and winds. The fact that this coincided with the thirty year anniversary of the terrible storm of October 1987 did not go unnoticed by the media. Added to this, much of the country was enveloped in dust from the European continent so the atmosphere took on a strange dark orange hue. My eight year old grandson and his friends were scared that ‘the end of the world’ was coming! Probably not many adults thought this, but our hearts went out, even more than hitherto maybe, for all those in the Americas and Caribbean (and other parts of the world) whose homes were totally swept away by the recent bout of one storm after another.

As our hearts open in greater compassion (and we do what we can to help through our Star prayers and possibly joining in actual relief efforts, or fundraising for these), maybe one other thing to ponder is the image of the Great Healer Jesus stilling the storm. Water is of course symbolic of our emotions and I believe as important as opening our hearts in love and compassion, is keeping still and steady within. We need to re-affirm again and again what White Eagle teaches. His actual words (in The Quiet Mind, p.95) are:

In your daily life you can, by an effort of the will of God within you, instantly attain, under any conditions, tranquillity of mind. Whatever the conditions, you can still the storm and know tranquillity. Be tranquil and serene. A Master is never perturbed.’

By remaining calm within, we can be stronger channels for the angels of peace and healing, and we can be more receptive to inspiration for ways we can help spiritually and practically as well.

Looking from a Heavenly Viewpoint

I had an inspiring email from a friend the other day, telling me about the success of her cataract operation. She wrote: ‘Cataracts, as we know, prevent some of the light from reaching the back of the eye due to the cloudiness or mistiness caused by the cataract. My recent experience has made me even more aware of the wonderful work which we are involved in which must be surely be helping remove the mist which at present seems to be enveloping Mother Earth and we who walk on her. How wonderful it will be when the mist clears and we will all see clearly again the wonders of the beautiful planet we all inhabit.’

This reminded me also of White Eagle’s words about getting a clearer understanding of earthly things by viewing them from a higher perspective. On page 63 of THE QUIET MIND he says: ‘If you want to get a clearer picture of any condition in life, don’t try to see things with your nose on them! See them from the highest point, from the place of spirit, and you will be surprised at how different your problems look.’

Our world seems so full of sorrow and suffering of every kind at the present time, and it can be hard to keep faith in the long term goodness of God’s plan for all life on Earth.

My advice is to ‘follow the shining Star’ leading to the mountain tops. Try not to get bogged down in the ‘slough of despond’ and a downward spiral of negative thought, but ever look for the lessons being learned by us all, and as White Eagle says (these words are given in SPIRITUAL UNFOLDMENT 3):‘Think of spiritual evolution as a most perfect procedure…… all the pieces and broken fragments of life are used and brought together in an indescribably lovely way to perfect the pattern of man’s life on Earth.’

I Am Doing This For God

I have just opened White Eagle`s book,  HEALING THE WORLD, at a page where he says, `Whatever you are doing,  even if you are perhaps weary and unhappy, think to yourself, I am doing this for God, not for myself, but for God...God...God. Your thought of God brings healing to your heart, and healing to the particular condition or person you desire to help.`
Reading these words has touched my heart and opened a new window in my understanding of God`s love and power to uplift our thoughts and bring light to shine upon even the darkest and most difficult situations.

He goes on to say: `Hold fast to courage and the deep faith that the light can never be extinguished.`

When things seems dark around us, with so much pain and so many problems in the world, or simply too many things to do, too many people relying on our help, just to remember that `the light can never be extinguished` and that God is always there, no matter what, I find so comforting and empowering. God`s love enfolds us all, and His/Her strength upholds us through any crisis. Believing this can make all the difference, as does the realisation that every positive thought, every positive act,  every effort to lift ourselves up out of darkness to light, is something we are doing for God! `I am doing this for God` is a thought I am carrying in my heart now.