Guest Author - Linda J. Paul

We have all probably heard the story of the Three Wise Men who visited the Christ child on the night of his birth. But, did you know that if you look skyward on Christmas Eve you can see them in the heavens? They are the three beautiful bright white stars that are a part of Orion’s belt. They form a straight line that points to the nearby star of Sirius, or the Christ star.

On a spiritual level, the Three Wise Men represent parts of ourselves; our will, our creativity and our emotions. Our will can make us strong and brave in the face of adversity, our creativity can allow us to bring positive and worthwhile challenges into our lives, and our emotions can foster empathy and understanding for those in need. When we use all three of these parts with wisdom and love, we begin to understand the heartfelt love of Christ himself.

The gifts of the Magi are also symbolic. Gold represents materialism. When used to serve the needy and humanity in general, materialism can be a positive and world changing force.

Frankincense symbolizes wishes, hopes, longings and emotions. When these emotions are based on hope, faith and charity they are self-fulfilling as well as world fulfilling. Incense is a symbol of purification. When our thoughts are clear, loving and free from fear, we come from a place of pure compassion.

Myrrh can be bitter, as can our thoughts. The obstacles, which we face in our lives, bring us pain and suffering. When we choose to learn from the obstacles in spite of this and gain wisdom instead of bitterness, we can use this wisdom to guide others along their pathway when pain and suffering enters into their lives.

So, we too can stand before the Christ child on Christmas Eve and offer him our own gifts of heartfelt love and compassion, generosity, hope, faith, and wisdom.

Merry Christmas to all… and may you be blessed with the gifts of the Magi.