The Gift of Christmas
by Michelle Rios Rice Hennelly and R. Kevin Hennelly
 
As we enter the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season, let us recall what Christmas is all about. The Divine Mother, whom we call Mary, says of Jesus' life and mission: "My Son came with light and new possibility. He shifted the balance and the darkness for the possibility of love and light to exist." We celebrate Jesus' birth and the precious gift of Divine Love He gave to our world, yet Christmas is also about something more. It is also about recognizing the birth of the Christ consciousness of Divine Love within us.  

 

The birth of the Christ consciousness takes on special significance at this time of global change. As many people know, Mary is revealing to people around the world that we are in a period of unprecedented transition that will bring to our planet and to those who are open to it a new consciousness. She identifies it as the Christ consciousness and says it will allow us to become who we truly are.

 

The Christ consciousness is known by different names: the pure mind, the Buddha mind, the intellect of the heart, the mind of love. Jesus taught that it is the Kingdom of Heaven within us and promised that when we enter it we will do greater things than He. How will we be able to turn water into wine, multiply loaves and fishes, heal the sick, and walk on water?

 

These things will be possible because, when we enter the Christ consciousness, we merge with God. Identifying Christ consciousness with what she calls the Sacred Heart, Mary explains: "The Sacred Heart is the hidden chamber of the heart, which is beyond the depth of the heart chakra. Anyone who wants to experience truth must move into the heart chakra and purify it and then move beyond it, past its depth, into the Sacred Heart. Once one moves into the Sacred Heart, one is enlightened, awakened, holy. When one is in this place, one is beyond duality. It is the place where you become one with all and all becomes one with you. It is the place where God sits within you and God is you."

 

We begin to open to the Christ consciousness, Mary instructs, by deepening our understanding of who we are. Our perceptions of ourselves and others, based on belief systems shaped by culture, religion, society, education, and family, are mere illusions concealing from us our true identities. According to Mary, these illusions are created by the ordinary mind and ego and are little more than individual points of view that vary from person to person. Yet we cling to them as sacred truths and construct our lives and world upon them. Addicted to them, we fear losing them even though they blind us to the truth of who we are.

 

For the inner Christ–our true identity–to be born in us we must let go of these illusions and move beyond the ordinary mind and ego. We do this, Mary says, by purifying our hearts and minds through prayer, meditation, and spiritual practices using light and visualization. This sacred work opens us to the Christ consciousness of pure love in the depths of our hearts. The transformation then continues from within as the higher vibration of pure love dissolves the lower vibration of the illusions of the ordinary mind and ego and the fire of pure love forges within us a space for the birth of the Divine Child. Mary reminds us that this divine birth, which she calls "the miracle of miracles," is possible for all of us.

 

As Jesus taught, we must be like children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Still unfettered by the ordinary mind and ego, most children pass through the ups and downs of their daily lives without the experiences sticking to them. This state of grace falls away, however, as they grow older and the illusions of the ordinary mind and ego coalesce and take control. The birth of the Christ consciousness frees us from this bondage–the only true freedom–and we become like children once more.

 

As the Christ consciousness awakens in us, we experience moments of detachment from the things and ways of the world. Recognizing their illusory nature, we learn that detachment comes not from a lack of love, caring, or compassion, but from a way of perceiving truth that opens us to a greater love, caring, and compassion. We also begin to develop a one-pointed awareness of God as our relationship with our Creator deepens and, as Jesus taught, we live in the world but are not of it.

 

Conquering the ordinary mind and ego is not easy. It is the fiercest of all battles, as the lives of saints and spiritual masters attest. Our reluctance to engage in this battle may be why we cling so desperately to our illusions. Yet, as Mary tells us, the birth of the Christ consciousness, which is  possible only when we overcome the ordinary mind and ego, is the only way to bring true peace to our lives and world. It is, she claims, what we must do to free ourselves of illusions of fear and separation that have overtaken our world and become the magical and mystical beings of love and light that we are. Everything Jesus did, His mother relates, was to show us how to enter the Christ consciousness and live and love as He did.

 

Christmas is a time for giving, and Mary says that the greatest gift we can give to anyone, including our children, is to become pure love. She notes that the things of the world pass away, but pure love never passes away. So, as we enter once again this sacred time, let us give to ourselves and others the miracle of miracles and the only gift that will last forever–the gift of Christ consciousness. If enough people do this–take the risk and make the sacrifice–we can shift the balance and create new possibilities of love and light for ourselves, our loved ones, and our  world.

 

Michelle, a visionary and healer, and Kevin, a former attorney and psychotherapist, are the authors of "Mary's Way: Romantic Love as a Path to God," which discusses messages from the Divine Mother on romantic love, sexual intimacy, sacred marriage, the origins of Christianity, and spiritual transformation. More information about the Divine Mother's revelations on these topics, as well as on political events unfolding on the world stage, is available at www.OurLadyofLightPublications.com. Michelle and Kevin can be reached at truthinlight@aol.com or PO Box 6323, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502.