How to Kindle Calm During the Holidays
Whole for the Holidays.
Now that “the Holidays” are here, what does that really mean? The word holiday actually means “holy day.” And the word holy is about feeling “sacred,” “consecrated,” “godly,” “uninjured,” “healthy” and “whole.”
It’s ironic that so many people get stressed out at this time of year, when it’s about the miracle of light overcoming the darkness, the birth of the Christ child, the love of being with family, and expressing generosity.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of consumerism and obligations, how can we experience and share more holy-ness?
No matter what the common worldview may be, we don’t have to focus on materialism. We can direct our attention to slowing down to take joy in the simplest of things.
We can cultivate holy moments.
Light a candle.
Whether we light the candles of an Advent wreath, a Hanukkah menorah, or a Kwanzaa kinara, when we stare at a candle’s flame, its mystery goes deep: The outer flame is continuously in motion, in a constant state of change; yet there’s a blue, very much hotter, inner flame, which doesn’t change. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh refers to this inner flame as “the paradoxical latent presence of the power of change within the changeless.”
Human life appears to be in a constant state of flux, but the underlying spiritual truth is the Eternal Flame — God’s Reality — the Love which remains steadfast and reliable no matter what’s happening around us.
It’s clear why the lighting of a candle in houses of worship — and for so many other solemn or festive occasions — is no small matter, but rather an essential ritual with many layers of meaning that resonate in our heart, mind and soul. Rabbi Edward Hoffman points out that in order to strengthen our understanding as we pray, we would do well to “focus on a candle’s flame and its subtle characteristics.”
With the act of candle-lighting, a space opens where wordless communication can take place.
Think about how many ways we use a candle to sanctify a moment. Even a candle-filled birthday cake brings a moment of hush to a room before the merriment begins. It’s no wonder so many folks find a campfire a grand place for fellowship, celebration, singing and truth-telling. Perhaps, like me, you find staring at a campfire or fireplace a soothing, even rarefying experience.
Now doesn’t it make sense that God would appear to Moses in a burning bush?
God — Life Itself, Love Itself — makes every moment holy. We just have to slow down and take notice.
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” — Hamilton Wright Mabie
Pass it on.
Let’s seek to recognize the divine spark that ignites every one of us — even those relatives, neighbors, co-workers or strangers with whom we do not necessarily agree. Each individual life burns like a fire, kindled by and uniquely reflecting the Divine Essence. In fact, the Hebrew words for “man,” ish ( איש ), and “woman,” isha ( אישה ), also mean “fire.”
Every day — but especially at this time of year — whenever you can carve out a little space for solace, keep that flame of wonder, trust and calm alive.
And share it with someone else. We could all use a little more serenity, lovingkindness and peace.
As the campfire sing-along goes, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” Pass it on:*
It only takes a spark to get a fire going, / And soon all those around / can warm up in its glowing. / That’s how it is with God’s love. / Once you’ve experienced it, / You spread the love to everyone. / You want to pass it on.
What a wond’rous time is Spring, / When all the trees are budding. / The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming. / That’s how it is with God’s love, / Once you’ve experienced it. / You want to sing, it’s fresh like Spring, / You want to pass it on.
I wish for you my friend / This happiness that I’ve found. / You can depend on God, / It matters not where you’re bound. / I’ll shout it from the mountaintop, “Praise God!” / I want the world to know / The Lord of Love has come to me. / I want to pass it on.
I’ll shout it from the mountaintop, “Praise God!” / I want the world to know / The Lord of Love has come to me. / I want to pass it on.
*by Kurt Kaiser ©1969 Bud John Songs / EMI Christian Music Publishing.
©2022 Janis Hunt Johnson and CS Renewal Ministries. All rights reserved.
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A spiritual author/editor/prayer coach/healer, an interfaith advocate and spiritual activist, my mission is to teach, preach, and heal — following Jesus’ example. If you like this piece, please help sustain my work by clapping for it, and please kindly pass it on, follow me and subscribe, too! This post is the 77th installment of my Medium series, “Christian Science Redux,” with some material adapted from a passage in my upcoming second book, tentatively titled Seven Words to Freedom, Eight Days a Week: The Healing Power of Living Prayer, in which I take a deep dive into the original Hebrew of the Shema and demonstrate its power to heal.
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+newstalgia: My word for loving the past with an eye toward a hope-filled future.
