Each year during the holiday season, we take up the mythic story of the journey of Mary and Joseph going up to Bethlehem and the birth of the Christ-child. We do so for the human and spiritual symbolism represented by every character and feature of this tale.
I was brought up Catholic, enjoyed it very much and was quite devout. Through my spiritual journey, the legends of the world’s faiths and native peoples have always interested me. Additionally, being a contemplative and introspective person by nature, deeper meaning has always drawn me. As a result, much that is offered in this meditation is the result of my own contemplations and intuition. My guess is that you would find similar meanings! For the last several years, as a practicing Buddhist, I apply the same processes to Buddhist imagery and symbolism with the equally rich results.
This meditation begins the Intermediate cycle of meditations with the Christmas story. In it, we focus on trust:
- the trust of Mary to her faith, in the angel that spoke to her, in her not being crazy in experiencing this angel, and trust in what he said to her of the future she would hold in her womb.
- the trust of Joseph in Mary, in her faith and innocence, in his ability to take on the responsibility of father for a child that he did not create, and trust in himself as a person who could meet the unknown and engage it.
- the trust that you or I bring to our life, to that which we hold dear or sacred or truth, trust in our capacity to meet the responsibilities of a lighted being who has chosen the life that each of us has, and trust in this journey that is our life.
The meditation does not list all these things. That would be too much talking! But, instead, we meditate.
Downloadable: Intermediate: a-mythic-journey-trust