At this time of year, we are celebrating the presence of miracles. We are celebrating the coming of the light. We are celebrating the potentiality for peace, an engaged presence, love, joy, harmony. We imagine the possibility. We hope for the resolution of conflict within families, cultures and countries. We want miracles! And, at the same time we resist being open to miracles! What????
Christmas—Bah-Humbug!
As much as we want to believe in miracles, we instead, ignite our inner cynic—the one that says, Bah-Humbug!!! As cynical as you may consider yourself to be, you can only be cynical in relation to that part of you who truly believes in something greater, something beyond what your logical mind is screaming about.
The Cynic Doesn’t Want to Be Bamboozled, Hoodwinked or Fooled
All of us at some time or another have experienced being fooled. We hate that we were duped and misled. Feeling humiliation, ashamed, disgraced and degradation in front of others, is unbearable to re-experience. We refuse to allow it to happen again! So, we create cynicism as a way to remain invulnerable. It works! However, we can’t experience peace, love, joy, wonder or enchantment, or miracles, while remaining invulnerable. It’s Ironclad!
Living in cynicism is great if you want to remain invulnerable. It’s not great if you want connection, fun, playfulness with people. It’s not great if what you want to truly know is your heart’s desires. Maybe you do, and maybe you don’t! For me, I want to know and allow wonder, enchantment and delight into my life. So…
For a number of years now, I’ve been growing my Belief Muscles. These muscles govern my capacity to experience myself in the presence of wonder, to see beyond my cynicism, beyond my fear of being bamboozled, disappointed and hoodwinked.
I wished to be miraculously transformed so as to experience overnight the delight and wonder of believing. However, this process has been more of an arm-wrestling match with my inner-cynic. So, the training regimen is taking the time it takes. Slowly, but surely, my heart and spirit are winning, and the prize is more presence in love, joy and delight! And most importantly, I’m believing!!!
Believing is Seeing
To allow myself to believe requires a suspension of disbelief. It requires me to allow evidence to the contrary of disbelief to show itself. It requires noticing when cynicism steps forward and says, “Hell No!” It requires focusing on what it is I truly desire to experience through believing.
What is the Experience through Believing?
For me, it’s not about believing that I’ll get what I want, exactly as I want it. It’s about reveling in the state of wonder and rapture that is. It is! In this state of is-ness, I get to experience me, without “stuff.” The word “Stuff” stands in for a whole lot of fear-based beliefs, “junk,” that I know isn’t me. Only my belief in this stuff and junk is what interferes with experiencing the delight of believing. And I feel restless, irritable discontent, that no one sees me or gets me. So, I have to train myself to choose to experience life through believing in my “stuff and junk,” or believing in something beyond. It’s a big practice!!!
Back to the Holidays
The delight of experiencing a re-enchantment with the world, is what I believe each of us are attempting to create with all of the accoutrements of the holidays.
We are creating the presence of enchantment with tree-trimming, cookie baking, gatherings, singing, going to synagogue or church. When we allow enchantment and wonder into our hearts, the worries of the world evaporate. Conflicts and concerns melt away. We experience moments of peace, joy, and warmth within our hearts. With that, we come to know miracles!
Dismantling Disbelief
We believe war is inevitable and that we are powerless to make it go away. That is one belief I’m dismantling for myself.
If what we see is founded on what we believe, then we have to dismantle those beliefs that we truly don’t want to exist. We have to believe that we can and are creating new ones. This is actually now hard science, so I suggest you and I both get over ourselves—or not!
For some, hard science and facts aren’t enough to give up the habit of disbelief. We have to train ourselves to let go of what we are afraid to let go of. We have to want what we want enough to release our death-grip on that which we are afraid to experience—vulnerability of disappointment. We have to focus on the evidence to the contrary. Or not! Only you can choose to believe what you choose to believe!
Santa is Real
Saint Nicholas was known for many things. Among them, he was the patron saint of impoverished children, and for his legendary habit of secret gift-giving.
We Are All Children with Impoverished Spirits
The more of a cynic we are the more impoverished in spirit we are. Impoverishment has us believe we have less than we need to survive. We consistently live in fear of not having enough or being enough. If this isn’t true, that we are all impoverished in spirit, our families, communities and countries would experience generosity, love and kindness always everywhere. There would be no conflict within ourselves, within our families. The “Haves,” wouldn’t hesitate to share with the Have-nots.”
As long as there is one single being on the planet that is in need of shelter, clothing and food, we are in need of engaging our inner-Santa.
I realize the degree to which I justify ignoring my inner-Santa. The list of judgments and justifications about why I shouldn’t be generous is a mile long, which includes the whole money conversation “I don’t have enough.”
However, generosity of spirit has nothing to do with money. It is all about releasing limiting beliefs of all kinds. Limiting beliefs keep each of us from knowing our incredible capacity for experiencing generosity of spirit. So, training ourselves to let go of limiting beliefs is all there is to do. Not all at once!! Just one belief at a time! Or not!!!
Who’s On Your Naughty List?
Santa never judges a child. Nor does he have a naughty list. For as the embodiment of generosity of spirit, Santa knows no one as naughty. Santa knows each individual is doing their very best with what they have. He knows that each one of us is only attempting to be seen, heard and gotten. It may not look pretty or “right.” But it’s the very best we can do. He loves us for that!
To be seen in the light of loving kindness, to be seen through the eyes of Santa, is a gift greater than anything. I believe it is the foundation of everything we wish for. To be given a gift we desire, means that we are seen, heard and gotten. That’s all that we truly desire, isn’t it?
My wish for each and every one of us is that we delight in the moments of generosity in spirit, however brief they may live. And that we allow our inner-Santa free rein to express love and kindness anywhere and everywhere. Enjoy the experience!!
Ho Ho Ho!!!
P.S. Fun fact: The picture of Santa at the top of this blog is one I painted!