Run to the Manger

Last night I had a nightmare in which I was in an unfamiliar city. Suddenly and without warning a lockdown order was issued. No one was allowed to be on the streets. This order was being enforced by armed personnel. I had nowhere to go. I was thrust into survival mode and was panicked. I hid from the guards as best I could and ran when I had the opportunity. But there was nowhere to run. I was trapped in this unfamiliar and scary place. The dream seemed so real that I awoke with a fright.

I am not a dream interpretation expert. I am certain that there are many ways that the symbolism could be understood. However, the simplest and most obvious is that I have, at times, felt trapped by the constraints of this pandemic as I am sure many of us have. I have not felt panicked, at least not consciously. I have certainly felt anxious at times.

I am aware that many of us may be feeling sad, disconnected, and possibly anxious as we approach Christmas, a time when we traditionally spend time with family and friends. It may seem like we are living in a foreign land. The physical and emotional landscape is unfamiliar. We are not sure how best to navigate it, how we can escape it, or where we can run.

This morning, as I sat on my trusty meditation cushion and quieted my mind and contemplated the dream, the lyrics to a Christmas song came to me. It is a song I sang several years ago with the choir at Unity of Arlington. The title is “Run to the Manger.” I got the message and a smile came to my face.

In the Biblical story of the nativity, the manger is the place where Jesus is born. It is a humble place in a stable. Metaphysically, we understand that all aspects of the nativity story, as with all Bible stories, represent parts of us. Places represent states of consciousness. 

The manger represents a place, which is no place at all, but a state of mind and heart – a state of humble acceptance where the Christ, the purest Essence of Self, is born and awakened within us.

The Christ is that aspect of each of us that is unaffected by the conditions of our lives or in the world. It is forever untouched by any event or circumstance. Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, called this our “hidden wholeness.” The Light of Christ is the eternal aspect of us that awaits our recognition and acceptance of it. And when given its life in us, saves us from any thought that we could ever be controlled by outer circumstance, or alone with no place to run. 

My lesson and my recommendation for all of us when we slip into thinking that we are in lockdown or trapped by any situation, whether it be a pandemic, illness, financial hardship, job, relationship, or any other life experience, is to run to the manger as quickly as possible.

The great news is that you don’t really have to run anywhere. You simply need to stop, breathe, focus your awareness in the heart, invite the image of your inner Christ however it may appear to you – Jesus, Buddha, an angel, a burning bush, a candle, or other form – feel into the space of the heart – the manger – and allow the awareness to be born in you.

Anytime you feel alone, trapped, or afraid, “Run to the Manger!” It is right here in your heart.