I just wrote an article based upon the writings from Dr. Tom Harpur's The Pagan Christ for the Freemasonic Holy Royal Arch December Notice. For those that have no idea the Holy Royal Arch is another adjunct body within Freemasonry that speaks to deeper truths of finding the missing word symbolic of the missing spiritual or component of enlightenment within each human being. I just finished writing an article that pertains to this annual time of the year which contains nothing of a secretive nature but rather hopes to spark the thought on what this season or time of the year may represent. In doing so i was drawn to the painting of mine i called "Genesis" that may indeed fit perfectly to what i am delivering in the Royal Arch Notice.
"The Real Meaning of Christmas-
Christmas as an annual festival of light and the element fire once more returns and how many realize that the Christian holiday is far more pagan and ancient in complexion? We can see the symbolism of fire everywhere- the annual burning of the yule log, the lighting of candles, the decorated tree and house decorations and the fact that December 25th marks the older pagan holiday ‘Die Natalis’ or birthday of the Sun which comes after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, thus light triumphs once more over darkness. December 25th was the birthday of all the ancient sun gods, especially Mithras the figure from whom the early Christian took and reinvented their Christ figure from who was born in a cave. The Christos spirit of light is symbolically born December 25th in every human soul. To mythographer Dr. Joseph Campbell the virgin birth represented the potential birth of the spiritual to the merely natural life and recognition that there are higher values and aims in living rather than self-preservation, pleasure, reproduction, the acquisition of money and things, struggle for power and status. It symbolizes the birth of the heart- of love and compassion- or the idea of cyclically being given the opportunity at this time to be spiritually ‘born again’ that Jesus spoke of which is so completely misunderstood by fundamentalists today. "So the question posed by the annual Christmas celebration is not if you believe in a literal virgin birth or not, but rather have you experienced your own divinity born from within you?" Are you claiming your spiritual inheritance as being more than human animal but rather as a divine fully spiritual human being who is self aware? "According to Herodotus, the ‘father of history’, the Egyptian correspondent Jesus was Iu-em-hetep or Iusu, was one of eight great gods who were described in papyri almost 20,000 year ago. He bore different names as specific cults changed but the ancient messiah was a anthropomorphic representational figure that came from age to age which represented cosmic lunar and solar symbolism. The solstices and equinoxes marked his waxing and waning presence and his constant repetition was the assurance of unfailing fulfillment." The elevation of human consciousness into the divine and the fulfillment of a kingdom born of goodness, truth, beauty and love. Interesting that the phrase “Our Lord the Sun” was used by every Christian up to the sixth century CE until it was changed to “Our Lord, the God.” (The Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur) The essential truth of all human cultures presented by all wisdom religions of antiquity is that there resides within each of us a divine spark or ‘sun’, a divine light that is part of the ONE eternal essence (whatever that may be- the great and eternal mystery spoken about in ancient Hebrew mysticism, the Kabbalah). All sun symbolism of all religions and the great initiatic Mystery cults of ancient Greece, Egypt, Persia and further East were an attempt to express the one truth of all Christ like figures found in ancient antiquity who were denominated sun gods that each human being all share in the potential, we all share in this holy, divine and primordial fire."
For more read The Pagan Christ by Dr. Rev. Tom Harpur and The Jesus Mysteries by Dr. Timothy Freke and Dr. Peter Gandy. I would also suggest The Gnostic Gospels by Dr. Elaine Pagels.
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