Christmas reflections, Part 3: Birth

At face value, Christmas is a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. But I think it is so much more than this. The Christmas story has great power as a myth, by which I don’t mean a lie, but rather a meta-narrative. Myths are stories or themes that repeat across cultures and across history, regardless of time or place, people or religion. We can see this with the birth story of Jesus.

Most Christians are not aware of how similar the account of Jesus’ birth is to those of the key figures in other faiths and religious traditions. If you compare it to the birth stories of Krishna (Hinduism), Abraham (Judaism), Zarathustra (Zoroastrianism), Muhammad (Islam) and Gautama (Buddhism), they all have common elements: divine intervention, celestial signs, humble beginnings, troubled times and special guides or guardians.

Hence, it is what these figures represent, rather than the religious dogma that they spawned, which should give us inspiration. In all cases, the birth of these spiritual leaders was a sign of hope. They were harbingers of change at moments in history where cultures had become moribund with rules and societies were being exploited by tyrants. They were all revolutionaries of their time.

The other meaning we can take from these stories is the importance of the child. In Jungian terms, the Child Archetype represents new beginnings, creativity and innocence. Often these are the very traits we need to take on the ugliness and messiness of the world, or the injustice of bullies and dictators. If we connect to the spirit of the child – our inner child – at Christmas, we are reaffirming new life.

Of course, children also have indefatigable energy. They are full of the zest for life and, much like animals, live in the moment. Their naivety can be their downfall, but sometimes we need to believe in the impossible, to have faith in the unseen, and to trust that life is on our side. For me, Christmas is about tuning into my inner reformer, while letting go of ubiquitous cynicism. It’s about remembering that life is as magical or even miraculous as we allow it and perceive it to be.