It was my joy to sit down with my dear friend Alexander John Shaia recently, to talk about walking nature’s mystical path in our dialogue for the Mystics Summit. Thanks to special arrangement with Alexander John and The Shift Network, I’m now able to share this conversation with you in its entirety! Please tune in if you’d like to explore:
- What do we mean by the word “mystic”? How is mysticism accessible for everyone?
- Why is the sensual often denigrated as a mystical path? How can it be a useful way to the mystical?
- Not all imagery is helpful mysticism. How can we use imagery as way to be more vital and wise?
It’s fortuitous timing, as what we often think of as the “holiday season” is almost upon us. Have you ever paused to consider what a holiday even is? It’s a holy day…yet the way we often celebrate these days is anything but. Christmas, for instance, wasn’t always a whirlwind of commercialized rituals and frenzied shopping like it is for so many today.
In fact, much of what we now call Christmas was originally part of the Winter Solstice, recognized by the Celts as a time of change, a threshold from one season to the next, heralding the rebirth of the sun and the enduring promise of life. Many followers of Jesus have traditionally marked this as an entire season, called Advent.
For too long, we’ve been told that the Winter Solstice and Christmas are not compatible feasts. No more! As Alexander John will show us in another dialogue, a free online teaching debuting tonight, the Celtic and Christian worlds created a marriage – a unique synthesis that expanded both traditions. Each in their own metaphors tell of the greatest truth: the deepest dark is precisely the womb from which fresh radiance is born.
This is true in nature. This is also true for each of us in our life.
Tonight at 8:30 eastern, you can explore where Celtic and Christian rituals have converged throughout time to create our most beloved Christmas traditions — and learn long-lost practices for reconnecting with Christ, the Earth and the sanctity of the holiday season — long before Christmas day.
You can register here for Rediscover the Generosity, Generativity & Awe of the Winter Solstice Through Long-Lost Celtic & Christian Rituals.
In this insightful teaching, you’ll:
- Rediscover the rich symbolism of the Sacred Feminine, the Sacred Masculine, and the Golden Child — sanctifying your holiday season with new meaning, depth, and tradition
- Learn how to embrace a sacred darkness Advent so as to be born anew — and why lighting candles in and not against the dark is an antidote to the pain of insularity — and a way to meet the dark time with generosity and generativity
- Explore why the Celts used the wood of the sacred tree to entice the Green Man to return to Earth — and how this tradition can enrich your holiday season
- Learn Celtic rituals for choosing, erecting, decorating, and laying to rest your Christmas tree that revivify the sacredness of the solstice and the season
- Add merriment and fun to the season as we discover the true intent of our most joyous rituals – from lighting candles and decorating a tree, to even reveling in our grumbles.
- Be guided through a deep meditation with the Great Tree — a visceral experience of the senses to reignite wonder and awe amidst the dark season
- Bridge the Celtic and Christian festivals into a seamless tapestry, enhancing your love for the planet and Christian faith alike.
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