Introducing “The Spirit of Christmas” in Seth’s teachings
Seth offers a profound exploration of the symbolic and psychological significance of Christmas, providing a unique perspective that transcends traditional religious interpretations. His teachings delve into the complex interplay between cultural traditions, human ideals, and the deep psychic energies generated during the holiday season.
Seth acknowledges the apparent gap between the lofty ideals of Christianity and their imperfect expression in human behavior. However, he emphasizes that these ideals serve as essential anchors of hope and inspiration, providing a vital counterbalance to despair and disillusionment. By recognizing the intrinsic value of Christmas as a symbolic event, Seth encourages individuals to embrace its spirit—not as a literal historical reality but as a profound mythic and psychological truth.
For Seth, the legend of Christ—though not historically factual—is a powerful creation of humanity’s collective imagination, representing our innate ability to aspire to greater ideals and transcend physical limitations. He sees the festive season as a time for cultural and personal renewal, a period when humanity collectively generates constructive psychic energy that uplifts individuals and societies alike.
By reframing the concepts of birth and resurrection, Seth connects Christmas to universal themes of transformation, unity, and hope. He underscores the importance of participating in the season’s joy and generosity, not out of obligation but as a therapeutic act that nurtures both the self and others. In doing so, Seth offers a vision of Christmas that is inclusive, deeply meaningful, and profoundly human, inviting individuals to rediscover its true significance beyond dogma or historical literalism.
This teaching encourages us to engage with Christmas as a symbolic celebration of our shared humanity, our capacity for renewal, and our connection to the greater psychic and spiritual realities that shape our lives.
Prague, December 2024
Seth on “the spirit of Christmas”
Citations chosen by John Blair
“There were a few remarks that I intended to make concerning the Christmas season, and perhaps I shall make them now.”
“If it seems to you that there is a great gap existing within Christianity, between ideals expressed, and actions, then let me tell you that conditions would indeed be far worse if these ideals had not initially been expressed, and if they were not yearly reaffirmed.”
“As you both suppose, enough constructive psychic energy is generated during the holiday season to recharge psychic batteries, so to speak, for quite some time. Were it not for this your whole race would be in much more serious a predicament.”
“One of the reasons, Joseph, for your own lack of festive spirit in the past has been the result of your realization that this gap between idealism and action is great. You could not therefore enter into what you felt to be the hypocrisy of the season. All the more since you have no particular conviction, anymore than Ruburt has, concerning the historic existence of a Christ.”
“To some extent I have explored some of this, but it will do you well to join wholeheartedly into the very necessary spirit of the time, for it is constructive and most beneficial. And in so doing you help yourself and others.”
“Now. There was no historic Virgin Birth, and no historic Crucifixion. This does not mean that these do not represent symbolic realities.”
“This feeling that Christmas represented hypocrisy has been one of the main reasons for your own low spirits during the season, for it represented a rather deep disillusionment with the culture in which you were nurtured.”
“The legend of Christ is of great psychic import however, and is intrinsically true. This does not mean it is based in historical fact. In many ways it is more true than historic fact, for man himself created that which had not been provided. The creation nevertheless happened in quite real terms, and is part of mankind’s inner recognition of the pyramid gestalts of which I have spoken.”
“This was as close as man could come in his imagination to that which is, and this is all right. The basic idea behind Christmas is definitely important, whether or not the intellect is able to see its significance.”
“Now. Psychologically alone this is beneficial, for it acts against those feelings of despair that can creep up during the winter season. And by reminding men of a birth and a resurrection it hints at the innate abilities of the race to transcend physical time and space.”
“The getting out of oneself that is involved is excellent therapy, and therapy that does others good, as well as the self involved. There is much more here, however. Culturally speaking, there is a strong connection with pagan intuitions, deep and meaningful, that found newer and broader expressions.”
“The character of Christ as it is portrayed is an excellent one, since it stressed human rather than specifically male qualities. Or should I say it stressed human qualities rather than those unfortunately considered male qualities. It stressed the best qualities of the race as a whole.”
“The personality of Christ is an idealization, and a clue to the entity of which each individual personality is composed. And as far as prayer is concerned, though I realize that neither of you pray in those terms, someone does indeed listen. The self who prays listens, and makes necessary adjustments and improvements. For the individual is part of All That Is, and therefore partakes of the abilities of the psychic gestalts of which we have so sketchily spoken.”
The Early Sessions: Book 5, Session 213 December 1, 1965, © 1999 Laurel Davies-Butts.
All images are artificial generated by Dirk Bosman and licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0
