Day 6 - Christmas Day

[Joan Marie]

Here we are, Christmas Day!

Hope it is a wonderful day for you.

Please share in today's reading with us. It doesn't matter if you have been following up to now, just jump in if you can.

In any case, have a beautiful peaceful day.

Today's theme:

Day 6. Festival of Life, Christmas: - Dec 25th
This card shows us how to connect directly with Spirit.

[Joan Marie]

I keep drawing the funniest cards.

This card along with things I've been thinking about lately, a book I've been reading, and some other things, feels like it's saying to NOT force it, no force the feeling of a spiritual connection.

Sure, an effort can be made, but I have to be cautious to not fall prey to the kind of wishful thinking that can hijack a spiritual quest, make you think you are experiencing something that is only in your imagination (sentimentality?) as opposed to authentic experience.

Milan Kundera once described sentimentality like this (I paraphrase)

Look at this painting of a sad child. Now look at me, looking at the painting. See how moved I am? I've even worked up a little tear in my eye. Aren't I lovely?


We have to be careful when engaging in pursuits of the spirit to not do this, to not force it and turn it outward, looking for approval or be comepelled to put words on it for others.

I know I'm a bit all over the place but that's how I feel this Christmas morning.

[Rachelcat]

2 Coins
I can connect with spirit as an equal exchange. I’ve always been interested in religion and religions, it’s just something that grabs me for study. At one time I thought I should pick a religion rationally and then stick with it. That didn’t really work. And now it’s all come to its culmination. I’ve realized you can’t make yourself believe something, and now I’m on a studying atheism kick!

This might sound strange, but I should take whatever I want from religion and spirituality and just leave the rest. Religion isn’t for god, it’s for people. If god is all-powerful, what does he need from people? And I don’t mean a bargaining equal exchange, like “if you cure my disease, I’ll work in the soup kitchen for the rest of my life.” I mean just be aware of what’s in it for me, and stay away from people who would use it for their benefit, not mine.

I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. Maybe that there’s more to spirituality than “take it or leave it.” But right now, I’m mostly leaving it. Except as something interesting to read about.

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas! Enjoy the day in your favorite way!

And thank you Joan Marie for leading us! I'm enjoying the "togetherness" aspect!

[chiscotheque]

Day 6. Festival of Life, Christmas: - Dec 25th
This card shows us how to connect directly with Spirit.

Card: Temperance 14

I pulled this card as I was contemplating today's reading by Joan Marie, which very much impressed me. And the card I pulled, Temperance, seemed to tie in and relate directly to JM's reading.

Dylan relates to life through music. He has called it his spirituality. He developed his inner talents by learning folk songs and he connected to the outer world through the Great American Songbook. At various points in his life, when he struggled with his art, he turned to the old tried-and-true for inspiration, recording albums of cover tunes (Self Portrait, World Gone Wrong, Triplicate) - often to his fans' dismay. Temperance's upright song is The Night We Called It A Day, Frank Sinatra's first solo recording, written 80 years ago in the year of Dylan's birth. Also aligning with Jesus' birthday is the card's reversed song, Do You Hear What I Hear from Dylan's unexpected Christmas in the Heart. The proceeds for that album went to charity, and the Temperance card in part represents Dylan's philanthropy, most of which he does anonymously.

So, what I take from today's card is the need, when things go wrong or feel pointless, to return to the things you love and that hold value for you, regardless of how uncool they may be. These things are for you, not others or the outside image of you. Just as sometimes to move forward you must step back, sometimes to get out of a situation you have to move in. There is strength in the communion with commonality and, in line with Joan Marie's reading, we need to keep an ear to the ground we stand on.



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