圣诞节的节日情结

我打算针对圣诞节说几句话，也许我现在就该这么做。

如果在你们看来，在基督教里所表达的理想与行动之间存在着巨大的差距，那么让我告诉你们，如果那些理想最初没有被表达，而且没有在每一年圣诞节被重申的话，情况的确会更糟。

正如你俩所想的那样，在节日期间会产生足够的建设性的心灵能量，可以说，在相当长的一段时间内“为心灵电池充电”。若非如此，整个人类都会陷入更严重的困境。 

约瑟，你过去缺乏节日精神的原因之一是你意识到理想主义和行动之间的差距很大。所以你无法融入你觉得是虚伪的节庆。更重要的是，因为你对历史上基督的存在并不特别确信，就像鲁柏一样。

我已经在某种程度上探讨了其中的一些问题，但全心投入到这种非常必要的时代精神之中对你们是有好处的，因为它是建设性的，是很有助益的。而在这样做的过程中，你帮助了自己，也帮助了他人。

并没有历史上的“处子怀胎”，也没有历史上的“耶稣受难”。这并不意味着这些不代表象征性的实相。

你感觉圣诞节代表着虚伪，这是你在圣诞节期间情绪低落的主要原因之一，因为它代表了一种相当深的理想幻灭——对于孕育你的文化产生的幻灭。

然而，基督的传奇有着巨大的精神意义，而且有着内在的真实性。这并不代表它是基于历史的事实。在很多方面，它比历史事实更真实，因为人类自己创造了那本未被提供的事物。无论如何，这个创造以相当真实的形式发生了，而且是人类对我说过的“金字塔完形”的内在认可的一部分。

这是人类所能达到的最接近本真的想象，而这是没有问题的。圣诞节背后的基本理念无疑是重要的，不管理智是否能看到它的意义。 

仅从心理上来说，这是有益的，因为它抵抗了那些在冬季可能蔓延的绝望情绪。借着提醒人们耶稣的出生和复活，它暗示了人类超越物质时空的内在能力。

所涉及自体的死后复生是极佳的治疗，而这个治疗不论对所涉及的自体还是他人都是好的。不过还不止于此。从文化上讲，它与异教的直觉知识有很强的连结，这种连结是深远而有意义的，它找到了更新更广的表达方式。

基督的性格，正如所描绘的，是一种极好的性格，因为它强调了人性而不是特定的男性特质。或者我应该说，它强调了人类的特质，而不是那些不幸被认为是男性的特质。它强调了整个种族的最佳特质。

基督的人格是一种理想化，是一种线索——暗示了每个个体人格所组成的“存有”。至于祈祷，尽管我知道你都不用那些方式祈祷，但确实有人在倾听。做祈祷的那个自己在倾听，然后做出必要的调整和改进。因为个人是“一切万有”的一部分，因此也共享了我们曾粗略谈到的“心灵完形”的能力。

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? 你就是每一个圣诞节！

? 你来自哪里？——一个不是童话的童话

SESSION 213

DECEMBER 1, 1965 9:50 PM WEDNESDAY

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.

I will now close our session, with my fondest good wishes to you both, and I believe that we have set Ruburt back on a fairly steady line.