I've noticed in recent years that unconsciousness increases during the holiday season. By "unconsciousness" I mean patterns of thought and behavior that are less present, patterns that stem not from awareness but from ingrained socialized beliefs.
In much of the Western world, Christmas gives people warm fuzzy feelings if they had warm memories of receiving gifts, and not having to go to school. Nostalgia is a force that sustains many people, though it doesn't truly satiate anyone. If we're not content with our life situation, nostalgia can be a temporary escape that we use to find a relief from the fact that our career and/or relationships are not satisfying. I believe that life can be enjoyable every day, and so I advocate that people don't use escape (including living in the past) because only in the now can we find the answers to what will align us with our true path.
For those who don't have warm memories of the past, or who are no longer close with those they once enjoyed the holidays, this season can increase feelings of isolation. The feeling that one doesn't "fit in" can be deeply uncomfortable because of our biological programming related to tribal survival. In reality, it doesn't matter if we have a "tribe" in the traditional biological sense as long as we have self-love...but to understand this we have to overcome a great deal of conditioning. When we learn to love ourselves with a huge unconditional embrace, we increase the likelihood of attracting relationships that won't drain our energy.
I personally stopped celebrating Christmas several years ago when I stopped believing that Jesus was a real person. It didn't feel congruent to celebrate a mythological figure, even though I like many of the teachings that were attributed to him. I also found the holiday's emphasis upon happiness coming from material things to be off-putting.
Much of my spiritual path has been about deprogramming my socialization to get to what is real. There aren't any holidays to which I have any strong attachments anymore, so I find the best way to utilize them is to witness my thinking while most of the Western world "does their thing." If any shame arises from not feeling like I "belong" in a cultural sense, I observe it, grieve any feelings of loss, and return to my wholeness.
I encourage others to utilize the holiday season for self-reflection. Are your work and your relationships with others nourishing your development? I used to live for weekends, holidays, and vacations when I didn't enjoy my work. When I began living in alignment with my values and beliefs, I was guided to a life that is easy and enjoyable on a daily basis. I believe this is possible for everyone, as long as we avoid the trap of buying into socialized concepts about what life should look like, what we should "live for" (such as materialism, nostalgia, and numbing our emotional unfinished business with family members by using overeating and alcohol during the holiday season).
A life that isn't fulfilling every single day still needs some work.
Peace,
Chris
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In much of the Western world, Christmas gives people warm fuzzy feelings if they had warm memories of receiving gifts, and not having to go to school. Nostalgia is a force that sustains many people, though it doesn't truly satiate anyone. If we're not content with our life situation, nostalgia can be a temporary escape that we use to find a relief from the fact that our career and/or relationships are not satisfying. I believe that life can be enjoyable every day, and so I advocate that people don't use escape (including living in the past) because only in the now can we find the answers to what will align us with our true path.
For those who don't have warm memories of the past, or who are no longer close with those they once enjoyed the holidays, this season can increase feelings of isolation. The feeling that one doesn't "fit in" can be deeply uncomfortable because of our biological programming related to tribal survival. In reality, it doesn't matter if we have a "tribe" in the traditional biological sense as long as we have self-love...but to understand this we have to overcome a great deal of conditioning. When we learn to love ourselves with a huge unconditional embrace, we increase the likelihood of attracting relationships that won't drain our energy.
I personally stopped celebrating Christmas several years ago when I stopped believing that Jesus was a real person. It didn't feel congruent to celebrate a mythological figure, even though I like many of the teachings that were attributed to him. I also found the holiday's emphasis upon happiness coming from material things to be off-putting.
Much of my spiritual path has been about deprogramming my socialization to get to what is real. There aren't any holidays to which I have any strong attachments anymore, so I find the best way to utilize them is to witness my thinking while most of the Western world "does their thing." If any shame arises from not feeling like I "belong" in a cultural sense, I observe it, grieve any feelings of loss, and return to my wholeness.
I encourage others to utilize the holiday season for self-reflection. Are your work and your relationships with others nourishing your development? I used to live for weekends, holidays, and vacations when I didn't enjoy my work. When I began living in alignment with my values and beliefs, I was guided to a life that is easy and enjoyable on a daily basis. I believe this is possible for everyone, as long as we avoid the trap of buying into socialized concepts about what life should look like, what we should "live for" (such as materialism, nostalgia, and numbing our emotional unfinished business with family members by using overeating and alcohol during the holiday season).
A life that isn't fulfilling every single day still needs some work.
Peace,
Chris
Get 5 Free Minutes ~ Live Psychic and Tarot Readings
Get 10 Minutes for $1.99 ~ Live Psychic and Tarot Readers
This blogger is supported by ethical reading sites which offer live online psychic readings, tarot readers and astrology.
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