Would you believe Christmas Day was two weeks ago!
Christmas time, whether you celebrate it or not, is full of traditions. Some are international, some national, some regional, some local, some within ones own family and some may be personal.
For example the widespread use of evergreen (including Christmas Trees) predates the Christmas tradition and comes from the pagan celebration of the celebration of the Winter Solstice, celebrating the victory of life over darkness. Greenery was brought into the dwelling to symbolize life and also ward off the evil winter spirits. Christianity then used this tradition to symbolise the new life of Jesus coming into the World.
Talking with friends and family many people have developed their own special traditions like, the family Christmas quiz, the youngest child (babies being exempt!) putting a star on top of the Christmas Tree or leaving a mince pie (another tradition) for Santa Claus and a carrot for his reindeer. So if you believe, “Christmas isn’t Christmas without…….” then that’s your tradition!
Whatever you do or don’t do is a habit which might be exclusively reserved for this time of year. Yes traditions are habits! Some of these traditions are to replicate happy memories, some might be from a sense of duty whilst others might simply come from gratitude.
The key is what emotions that sit behind these traditions. So for example a particular association with a smell (like the Christmas feast cooking) may evoke a range of emotions/feelings like joy, excitement, dread, obligation, sadness and loss.
These traditions can also act like an inhibitor. We stick with them regardless, never choosing to try something different. You might feel you don’t want to try anything new and that is fine, however what if you did? What would be the consequences? Could you have an even better experience?
Have you become a bit like a goldfish swimming around the same bowl? The goldfish doesn’t have a choice but you do! Of course change can be scary, particularly if you are venturing into something new. It reminds me of a pet budgerigar I had as a child. My parents decided it should be let out of its cage for “exercise” in our living room. I remember being very excited waiting for the bird to come out but alas, with the door of the cage open, it just sat on its perch. After a great deal of coaxing it eventually emerged and then enjoyed flying round the room, so much so we couldn’t get it back in the cage! Eventually the need for food and water enticed it back in.
If you reflect on your Christmas traditions do they restrict your experience? What if you tried something new? Self-imposed restrictions or “cage” does give one a sense of safety. It is familiar, we know it, we know what to expect. Even if we don’t enjoy it the discomfort is familiar and what we know. Yes it can be challenging “breaking with tradition” and doing something new but there can be better experiences out there but if there isn’t, guess what? You can always go back to it!
Our response to traditions around Christmas can tell us about how we respond to life outside of this time and can become a microcosm of the macrocosm of our life in general. So our response to Christmas traditions can help show us how we live our life more generally and in particular limit our experience.
Starting in January I am running ,together with Elara, an immersive, experiential, online journey designed to take a deeper dive into exploring your relationship with your patterns and how this may affect yourself and relationships. We do this by using the lens offered to us by Tantra. If this interests you then you can find out more here.
Wishing you a Happy, Health and Expansive New Year!
With love,
Jon