and so it is stolstice

in wandering through some information about the origins (or coincidences) of X-mas, it seems that so many of the traditions and belief systems are based around the winter and spring solstice and have so many specific events in common, the primary one being the egocentric humanizing of the weather and celestial events… the season seems to bring out the most biased explanations of history as if something could actually be proven by belief in a tradition or text…

history is largely based on hypothesis and belief… each person perceives history as they choose to see it… i think, for a few minutes, i will explore my perspective on history as it relates to this time of year, the holiday season, and most specifically, christmas… tomorrow, or later, i may choose a completely different perspective, it is speculation, after all, and i do not buy into the blind faith that pretends to know truths that may or may not be true… but that may be a completely different blog…

after all, everybody's got an opinion...

most writings, if you believe the words that are consistent across specific belief systems, point toward christmas as the christians version of an ancient celebration of the winter solstice that was going on thousands of years before christians coined the term and claimed, for what seems to be convenience, the date and holiday for their own… the romans, from emperor constantine on, revised history to erase much of what was considered detrimental to emperial control and approved history, including the bible, that was viewed as the best way to placate the masses and maintain emperial control and the general peace… as is usually the case with humans, many sought power and the few closest to the top branched off to form various christian sects… and over a thousand years or so, through war and missionary work, wiped out many of the indigenous cultures of humanity and took over much of the world… today, many view christian history and the only history and remain ignorant, often by choice, of the larger history of which christianity is but a small part…

some may call it coincidence, or even deny any validity to the history that claims a surprising number of deities were born on december 25th… some, afraid to see beyond their chosen blind faith, might even argue vehemently against any history that challenges the supremacy of their beliefs… yet the coincidence, if you believe in coincidence, is obvious down to some fine details… virgin births… wise men visiting with gifts… so many signs claiming to prove divinity, each ignoring the similarities of the other's history…

but for me, the saddest part of this holiday season is not the denial of others rights and beliefs, nor is it the blood spilled and death that has been born of such beliefs in virgin births (ah, most people have so much to learn about sex, but that's another story, the saddest part of christmas, or the winter solstice holiday, is how humans actually do seem to show to ability to genuinely and even actively care and live in peace (except when shopping) for a few short weeks each year and then, like clockwork, forget that ability for the other eleven plus months…

i don't think belief should be a power struggle...

whatever you believe, try to remember it is your belief and may not be someone else's belief… try not to let your beliefs limit your potential to be who you are and experience what you can offer to others in this life… try not to let your beliefs diminish your love or your ability to actualize the deepest message of your beliefs…

i hope you take the opportunity to love without judgment, to feel without fear, to care freely, and to share without seeking compensation… live the best of what you believe and encourage others to do the same… and when your belief conflicts with another's belief, allow the space for differences by remembering that you certainly have enough to deal with being responsible for your own actions and that you are not a judge of others, but just another traveler between birth and death…