According to the ancient Hebrew tradition,
At the very core of reality,
At the heart of our being,
Is a boundless primordial light.
Since this light precedes the creation of the world,
It is not bound by the limitations of time and space.
As such,
This light is understood to be fundamentally dimensionless and unconditionally loving.
Let's explore this in relationship to Christmas.
In the Nativity narrative in the Gospel of Matthew,
The Magi,
Or wise men,
See a star and proclaim the birth of the Messiah.
These mysterious travelers are called in the ancient Greek the Magoi Aponatalon,
Which is typically translated as wise men from the east.
To appreciate the mystical meaning of Christmas,
We want to understand more fully who are these wise men and what is it that they see.
In ancient Hebrew mysticism,
The Hebrew word Chochmah,
Meaning wisdom,
Is a code term that refers to the first light of creation,
The timeless light of unconditional love that underlies all of reality.
In the mystical texts,
The word Kedem,
Which means east,
As well as primordial or ancient,
Also points to this dimensionless light that precedes time and space.
Thus,
The wise men from the east represent those who embody the realization of the primordial state of being.
They are the wisdom holders of the eastern primordial light.
Another code term for the primordial light in the mystical texts is the Hebrew word Kochav,
Meaning star.
This is because the primordial light of creation oftentimes appears in the depths of our consciousness as a scintillating point of light,
As a timeless dimensionless star,
Eternally shining in the vastness of space.
And finally,
In the ancient texts,
The Hebrew term Mashiach,
Which is typically transliterated into English with the word Messiah,
Refers to one who has realized this dimensionless light.
In the original Hebrew,
The word Messiah literally means one who is anointed with oil.
And since the term oil is a common code word in the mystical texts for the primordial light,
One who realizes the timeless star of light is called a Messiah because they are in a sense anointed with the oil of this dimensionless first light of creation.
Furthermore,
Since kings were traditionally coronated with a ritualistic anointing of oil,
The Hebrew term Melech,
Meaning king,
Is also a reference to someone who is immersed in this timeless light of being.
So,
When the Magoi Aponatalon,
These ancient wisdom holders of the eastern primordial light,
See a star and it guides them to Jesus,
The first gospel states that they proclaimed him king.
They call him king because,
Mystically speaking,
This term represents one who is a Messiah,
That is,
One who embodies the star of light,
The primordial point of pure being,
Shining in the vastness of infinite space.
The Messiah is thus the light that transcends time and space,
And that,
When we experience it,
Frees our soul from the bonds of suffering,
From all the imprints of our past deeds.
This primordial light of pure goodness is referred to by the ancient texts with the word Yeshu,
Which is usually transliterated into Greek as Jesus,
Or in English as Jesus.
In the original Hebrew,
This name Yeshu,
Or Jesus,
Can be mystically read as Yeshu,
Meaning he is existence.
The word existence in Hebrew Yeshu being one of the classical code terms for the timeless light of creation that animates all of reality.
This is also reflected in the book of John,
Where Jesus states,
Ego eime to pahos tu cosmo,
I am the light of the world.
So on Christmas,
We celebrate the birth of Jesus,
Which,
Mystically speaking,
Is the discovery of the star of light,
Shining at the core of our own being.
Since this light is always already at the center of our being,
Since it is always already just beneath the surface of our perception,
All it takes is a subtle shift of our awareness to perceive it directly.
So if you feel inspired to do so this Christmas,
Or at any other time that the Spirit moves you,
Gently open your heart to the subtle light of goodness that shines just beneath the surface of all things.
Put your faith in the miraculous potential of this light to alter time and space and to transform your past into blessing in the luminous light of the present moment.
In this Spirit,
Together,
Let us bring this loving light into all the dark corners of the world,
And let us reveal the eternal star,
Forever shining in the vastness of our collective inner space.
