 Happy Holidays! It is now Hannukah, the Festival of Lights, for my Jewish friends and I love how so many of us share the idea of lights at this time of the year. Lights, of course, are symbolic of the light of God, and of enlightenment.
Funny story: my ex was Jewish and, while we could do Christmas, he wanted it all Santa-themed and not about Jesus. Which, for someone like me who grew up in Sunday School, who once starred as the Virgin Mary in the St. James Episcopal Church’s Christmas Pageant, bummed me out. And so, I kept a tiny, secret nativity scene stashed away as my rebellion. It had very simple figures, hand carved from wood. It is only about an inch and a half tall. I still have it. This year, there is no hiding. The Christmas Holiday started for me when we saw Peter Mayer and friends* with their Christmas show at Delmar Hall last week. Mayer was the son of missionaries, and he grew up in Africa for part of his childhood. The whole enchanted evening, with the lights, music, stories and lyrics got me thinking: WHAT IF the Christmas nativity is the ultimate parable? Hear me out before you roll your eyes that I might be getting too Jesus-y, or if you’re more fundamentalist, you might call me a blasphemer here. I accept that my views are not traditional. But: WHAT IF we are all born of the pure mother Earth, and reside alongside the animals in the kingdom of life? What if during our darkest days, if we bother to look, we can see that we are guided by stars and by angels? What if the shepherds and the wise ones who came before us will steer our direction and give us the gifts we need? What if the nativity story is to teach us that we are salvation for ourselves and for the world? You are the light of the world, friends. These short, dark days of winter are cold and can be tough. Despite that, I hope that you shine, shine, shine! In other news, here is an interview with me from MysticMagazine: https://www.mysticmag.com/uncatego…/juliabramer-interview/ Enjoy! *I mistakenly called this a PM Reunion on Facebook and Twitter. It was not the group PM, just Peter Mayer with other musicians. CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS PAGEANT, DELMAR HALL, ENLIGHTENMENT, FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, HANNUKAH, HOLIDAY, LIGHT, NATIVITY, PARABLES, PAUL MAYER
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