As the celebration of Christmas grows near, so too do the signs of the Wonder of Christmas; lights, nativity scenes, shopping and wrapping of special gifts, trimming of trees, and the look of wonder in the eyes of children. It is, as the song suggests, “the most wonderful time of the year.” Until it isn’t.
A day meant to fill our hearts with joy, and hope often gets lost in the stress of meeting expectations, our own and those of the world around us. For some, the day itself may be associated with painful memories or the loss of loved ones. “Where is the wonder?” Your heart may ask.
The Wonder can still be found. It lies in a deeper and richer understanding of the nativity story itself, one that goes beyond the words transcribed on the page. Historians and Bible scholars debate the facts and authenticity of the story. Dates and times do not align with the scarce bits of recorded history from the time. The story seems to be purposeful in connecting Jesus to the lineage of the House of David, which causes some to speculate its intention. But the Wonder is not to be found in aligning historical facts or scriptural prophecies. It is found in the deeper meaning of a story rich with symbolism.
Jesus taught through parables, stories that symbolized elements of the human experience, its challenges, endeavors, and divine potential. His followers would have done the same. They would have incorporated this compelling, symbolic story-telling into their work and embedded it in the most magnificent parable of all, the birth, life, and death of their Master and Way-shower, Jesus.
What then, are the characters and elements of the nativity story trying to tell us? Could each of them be an aspect of our own consciousness giving birth to an expression of God? Could they represent a recognition of ourselves as both fully human and fully divine? Could they describe the seeking of something greater, of hope and faith and joy, found not in a stable but in a humble place within the human heart?
Most of this spectacular story is found in the Gospel of Luke. But an additional, wonder-filled story is relayed in the second chapter of Matthew, where we find wise ones from the east following a star to an unknown place in the west. A songwriter calls it the Star of Wonder. And no doubt it was a wonder.
Imagine what kind of star or sign would cause you to embark on a lengthy and dangerous journey wrought with spitting camels, narrow mountain passages, desert storms, thieves, and a dubious, deceitful king. It would have to be a great sign, a wonder on par with perhaps the Seven Wonders of the World. Bigger than life. Awe-inspiring. Overwhelming. Beautiful. Perhaps an inkling of something wonderful being born, leading you to a place of perfect peace, hope, and wholeness.
This awe-inspiring light, one that would encourage you to traverse all obstacles to discover its source lies within you. The star represents a glimmer of light, an inspiring thought that stimulates the wise ones, the Power of Wisdom within you that sometimes lies dormant. The Star of Wonder is the great light of Spiritual Understanding, offering clarity and guidance.
Where there is light, we can see what we could not see in the darkness. Our way is made clear. This Light of Understanding within you continually guides the wisdom in you through the challenges and difficulties of human life to a place where you can lay down the worldly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh in exchange for the spiritualized gifts of Infinite Abundance, Divine Love, and a recognition of the eternal nature of the Essence of Life in you and all around you.
The gifts of the wise ones represent capacities that are always within you but are spiritualized or spiritually empowered when brought under the direction of the Christ or Higher-self. These wonders within you are most accessible when you make the journey from your head to your heart, where the Christ of you is continuously born anew and awaits your return in consciousness.
The Wonder of Christmas is not lost. The Wonder is you. You, as an expression of the eternal, all-pervading Essence of Life. Now that is a Wonder that can never be lost, only hidden. Breathe in the glow of the inner star and be guided in all that you do to the peaceful place of absolute wholeness with you.
Have a Wonder-filled Christmas, and enjoy a spectacular new You.
© 2019. Rev. Eileen Patra.
Eileen Patra is an ordained Unity Minister and the author of The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings. She is currently serving as co-minister at the Spiritual Life Center in Troy, Michigan and guest speaking at a variety of Unity churches. She is currently working on her second book, Living as the Ark. Learn more about The Mystical Ark at themysticalark.com
PAINT is a magical, miraculous substance capable of changing the color of an object. A vast variety of pigments and tints can be added to this liquid substance to create a coating of the desired color and hue. Easily changed or even removed in its liquid state, PAINT becomes fixed when it dries. Metaphysically, PAINT represents the thoughts and energy we project into our world and our experiences. We can PAINT our thoughts or experiences in the color or hue of our choosing. We can choose a color that vibrates with joy and harmony. Or, we can choose a color that constricts or vibrates with fear or anger. Thoughts and energies held for long periods of time become fixed and require one or more coats of a new color, or new thoughts. If I have been holding thoughts of fear or anger for a long period of time, it may require numerous affirmative thoughts to change the picture I have allowed to become fixed in my mind. Today, I paint a miracle. I paint the world with shades of Love, Healing, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Faith and Joy and they become fixed in my mind and in my life.
A TELESCOPE houses a set of lenses that allow us to see over a great distance. As I look through my telescope I can see the eagles nesting in the cellular tower ½ mile away. They are just tiny specs, almost imperceptible to my physical eyes, but focusing this set of lenses I can see them as they build their nest, raise their young and then fly off to distant places. Through these lenses I can see the stars, satellites passing by, and the craters of the moon. I can see things that are always there but too far away to see. Did you know that we each have a telescope within us? There are lenses we see through that can be focused to see more clearly. We call this perspective and we can choose a new perspective any time. We can also widen the lens to include other perspectives, gaining a greater view. We also have within us the ability to see the invisible. Some call this faculty the third eye. Some call it clairvoyance. The Hebrew Scriptures called those who could see the invisible prophets. This inner telescope does not need to stretch out to see more clearly. Rather, we simply need to allow the physical eyes to grow dim, to see through them less and behold instead the vision within us. Seeing through spiritual eyes is like viewing a holograph that takes shape in our very midst. The holograph is malleable, formable and greatly responsive to Light. As I view the holographic image of myself and the world around me I see more clearly. Judgment transforms to discernment. Heaviness transforms to movement. Shadows become illuminated. Telescopes are miraculous devices and the telescope in me is miraculously and wondrously made.
BRIDGES are a miracle of human ingenuity. A bridge allows passage across great expanses of water or great chasms in the earth. BRIDGES are wonderful feats of engineering, and they are replicas of BRIDGES within us. Our brains create BRIDGES, or neural pathways, connecting various neurons, and increasing our capacity to acquire, store and take new action on new information. There is a mighty but invisible BRIDGE from head to heart that connects the Power of Divine Love with the thinking and feeling natures, creating greater balance and healthier, more compassionate choices in our lives. And then, there is an innate BRIDGE, seldom fully traversed, that provides a pathway from the personal consciousness to the higher or Christ consciousness. Stepping across this BRIDGE, we bring the personal consciousness under the direction of the Christ Mind and we are transformed. 
MIRRORS provide us with the opportunity to see ourselves as others see us. That first moment when humankind caught a glimpse of self in a still pond must have been an amazing experience. There would have been an instant of recognition of the self being much like the others in the clan, yet somehow different and distinct. MIRRORS that reflect our physical appearance give us that opportunity today; a glimpse of the self as a similar, yet unique member of the human experience. Metaphorical MIRRORS provided by other people in our lives reflect characteristics we may not have noticed or owned about ourselves. These are MIRRORS that help us grow and evolve in self-awareness. But there is yet another type of MIRROR that reflects much more than our physical being. There is an inner MIRROR that gives us a view of who we are beyond our physical appearance. Because it is within however, does not make it small. Instead, this is a MIRROR without limit. It might be called a “cosmic” MIRROR, one which reflects the image and likeness of God in us. This MIRROR sees through the physical being and beyond the perceived limitations and cultural baggage we might carry. This MIRROR allows us to see ourselves as a member of an infinite, ever-expanding clan of consciousness, yet a unique and individualized expression in it. This is a reflection that lifts us into seeing and being all that we are meant to be. MIRRORS are miraculous and they are all around us and deep within us. 
ALIGNMENT, the ability to arrange items or ideas in a correct or appropriate position, creates a portal for miracles to occur. When baby ducks align themselves behind their mother, they travel in safety as they learn the ways of a duck. When sea locks are aligned, the levels of two bodies of water are equalized, providing safe passage for ships. When a chiropractor aligns the discs in one’s spine, there is a greater experience of comfort and health. When we align our thoughts, words and actions with the greater self, the Christ Mind in us, we create a passageway for God to be more fully expressed and we find that indeed, “… all things come together for good.” ALIGNMENT is a miraculous ability bestowed upon humankind and expressed throughout the manifest world. What we ALIGN with is a choice, for choice is also bestowed upon us. What will you align with today?
WORDS, our ability to form them and use them are a miracle. The human mind is capable of forming and using an infinite number of words, each presenting us with a vast variety of interpretations. Yet each word begins with an original intention or idea. Each word created and formed then spoken is meant to connect, to find a common understanding of something. Each spoken word creates a vibration in the universe and attracts to it like vibrations. Words of love and kindness attract love and kindness. Words of anger and judgment create a stream of dense vibrations that block the higher vibrations of love and kindness. According to the Gospel of John, all the manifest world is the result of the “Word” that was with God in the beginning. God is Love. The Word is Love. This is a vibration that expands and multiplies and presents us with an infinite variety of experiences and interpretations. Yet behind this one Word lies one original intention; the expansion and expression of Love. The Word is the miracle that manifests as you and I. The WORDS we use and form are indeed miracles when we align the thoughts and ideas behind them with this original WORD.
ROOTS. A Tree or plant is nurtured by its roots which absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil in which is planted. This is the miracle of nature, the miracle of life; seeking, growing, expanding, thriving and then being fruitful and multiplying. Like a tree, I have roots. When I get back to my roots, I get back to that which feeds me, that which nourishes me. When the roots of a tree are trimmed, the tree responds. An expertly trimmed bonsai will result in an exquisite replication of the roots.
NOW. In The NOW moment, I take a breath and recognize the miracle of “NOW.” Free of what has been, assured of what can be, I rest in the NOW. It is the only, true moment. Everything else is an illusion created by the movement of objects; matter, in a constant state of flux and contrast with the space between which is still and whole, complete and full. In the miracle of NOW, I breathe the breath of Spirit and see with eyes that see. I see that all things emanate from this wholeness; expanding, stretching, manifesting, soaring, and then are gently pulled back again to NOW; where 
Eileen Patra 