First Week of Advent, Monday: Possibility

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

It’s been awhile since I set up a nativity scene in our home during Advent. Over the decades, a few nativity sets have come and gone—some broke and were discarded, others were lost in moves, and some may have disappeared into the nether realms of the attic. This year I decided to purchase a new one online. After wading through a wide assortment, I selected one that includes the animals mentioned in scripture as well as the central figures of Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus, angels, shepherds, and wisemen.

The qualities that each figure in the nativity can represent, including all of the animals, has always captured my attention. To consider the nativity scene as a symbolic out-picturing of our own inner qualities, can be inspiring and bring surprising insights.

When the nativity scene arrived and I unpacked it piece by piece, I was delighted with the artistry of the figures. When I got to the last compartment and removed a little standing lamb, I noticed that its back leg had broken in transit. It would have been easy enough to send it back. But as I held the tiny figure, I was aware that I did not want to return it. I wanted to repair it. With a little carpenter’s glue, some careful alignment and pressure, the lamb was once again able to stand. I placed it on my desk to dry. There it remains, waiting to join the others when the crèche is put together.

I am not sure why the lamb with the broken leg appealed to me. Yet, I know that it can be useful to simply follow the heart, do what it prompts, and then pay careful attention to what is revealed. As I was repairing the lamb’s leg, I remembered a story about the Indian sage Ramakrishna Paramahansa, who served as the temple priest at Dakshineswar. When another priest was moving the image of Krishna, he accidently dropped it and broke one of the legs. The local Pandits were asked for their advice about what to do since it was considered inappropriate to worship the divine in a damaged image. They recommended that the broken image be discarded in the Ganges and a new one be created for the temple. When Ramakrishna was consulted, he pointed out that if one’s child had a broken leg, it would be natural to seek healing, not to look for another child. He encouraged them to approach this situation in the same way and to repair the statue. Although the Pandits were skeptical, Ramakrishna himself repaired the statue so skillfully that the break was not apparent and the statue was restored to its former function.

One of the great promises of the advent of the Christ consciousness is healing. The ego limits, divides, and turns away from imperfection but the Christ consciousness reveals wholeness and brings healing in the midst of brokenness. What was once considered impossible becomes possible with God. During the days of Advent, we can cultivate a greater receptivity to healing.  

Practice:
Set aside some contemplative time to view a representation of the nativity. Instead of seeing the scene as depicting something historical or even mythological, explore it as symbolic of your own wholeness, containing qualities that exist within us all. This contemplation of nativity scenes can be done with three dimensional sets, with art images in books or online, or through our imagination as we read scriptural accounts of the Christmas story. 

As you contemplate the nativity scene, look at each part individually. What do you notice?  What comes to your mind? What feelings are present? See if there is any part of the scene that particularly captures your attention. Be curious about it. Write about it.

Contemplate:
Christ has ever abided in me. He has preached through my consciousness to all my rowdy and hypocritical thoughts…I was mentally blind, my will was lame; but I was healed by the awakened Christ in me. 
 –Paramahansa Yogananda

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
–Isaiah 11.5-6

Reflect:
Am I open to healing? Are there situations, relationships, or conditions in my life to be healed or transformed?