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Whenever we place a star or an angel on top of a Christmas tree, set up a model Nativity scene complete with manger and adoring shepherds, light Yule candles, or sing carols, we are celebrating the birth of the Divine Child born in the depths of winter. Christians call him Jesus, but others in Mediterranean lands knew him as Apollo, Dionysus, Osiris, Adonis, Attis, Mithras, as well as other names, while in the far north the Norseman called him Frey or Balder.
Answer for yourself: And who is this child? It is the infant Hours or Osiris or Dionysus or Adonis or Attis or Mithra or whomever was chosen to symbolize the God's "infant Sun" as it emerged "born" from the dead following the Winter Solstices after its war with darkness for 3 days.
Christmas Day, December 25, was the old date of the Winter Solstice (which now falls on December 21). In the solar calendar, this solstice is the year's "midnight." Although the world may seem very dark and bleak, it is a time for great hope and rejoicing for God's Sun is due to be reborn. Before the solstice, the Sun is at its weakest, and the solstice itself is the shortest day of the year: but then the Sun is born again, and begins its growth from infancy to full manhood which he will achieve at the Summer Solstice. Such a momentous turning point inevitably inspired celebration and th Winter Solstice is a long-standing and widely observed time for joyful acknowledgment of the birth of the new Sun as well as God's salvation come to mankind anew under his myriad names such as Osiris, Horus, Dionysus, Adonis, Attis, Mithra, and even including that of Jesus.
In early Christian tradition, Christmas Day was once celebrated as the first day of the New Year, and in fact the significance and customs of New Year, which now falls six days later, are so inextricably bound up with those of Christmas that it is best to treat the two feasts as one and the same.
Because of changes in the calendar, there is confusion about the dating of Christmas day. In the Old Style Julian calendar it was deemed to be January 6 and is still observed on that day in the Christian Orthodox churches. Since the loss of eleven days in the calendar with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar it has been celebrated on December 25 in Western Europe and countries which were in its sphere of influence.
Both dates have pagan significance: January 6 is the date, recorded
in the fourth-century Egypt, when Aion, a composite of the god Osiris, was
born to Kore, "the Maiden" which is but another personification
of the ancient goddess Isis and December 25th was the birthday of the god
Mithra, celebrated in ancient Rome as Dies
Natalis Solis Invictus, meaning Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.
Mithra originated from the Persian 
Mitra,
whose name is first mentioned around 1,400 B.C.E. He
was the embodiment of Light itself and, like the Greek
Sun god Apollo, rode a
fiery chariot across the sky. He achieved preeminence in
the Hellenistic period of Greek civilization, which lasted from 323 to 27
B.C.E. In Roman times, Mithraism was the chief rival to Christianity,
exceed it in popularity and holding sway in both Asia and in Europe, where
it reached as far north as Scotland. The
soul of the winter solstice and the symbolism of renewed light which is
the birth of the Sun from the darkness of winter has been represented down
through history with evergreen trees sparkling with flames and lights
topped with a star of promise which shines out of the darkness of life.
Although a pagan religion, Mithraism was patriarchal, like Christianity. In the fourth century AD in an attempt to oust the competition the Church claimed the birthdate of this god of Persian patriarchy for its own. According to one St. Chrysostom, the choice of December 25th as the birthday of "the Sun of Righteousness" was justifiable because "while the heathen were busied with their profane rites, the Christians might perform their holy ones without disturbance".
The guiding light that supposedly led the three wise men to the
stable is an emblem of profound significance.
We already have seen that the 3 wise men come from the 3 stars in Orion's
belt.
But the star that led them is none other than Sirius that pointed west of
Persia from where in the myth these astrologers and magi were from. "Stella
Maris", Latin for the "Star of the Sea", was another name
for the Goddess in several manifestations, while the Evening Star is
identified with the goddess Venus. This
star Sirius is also an obvious symbol of hope, a beacon of light shining
out of the surrounding darkness and is found in many other traditions.
Like the "star of wonder" of Christian legend connected to the
Roman Christ, the rising of the Dog Star Sirius over the horizon in Egypt
signaled a "new beginning" and a "new hope" that
alerted all Egyptians to the beginning of the flooding of the Nile, which
was not only the salvation of God to them since it fertilized the areas
surrounding the Nile thus guaranteeing their future harvests and security
for their families but was also understood as symbolic of the flood of
tears wept by the goddess Isis that would bring back her lover Osiris to
life. This
light, the star Sirius was God's signal and message of His salvation to
come and His salvation comes to us in many, many ways. I
learned quite early in my 5 year study of Judaism that there were 17
different words for "salvation" in both the Old and New
Testaments and only one of them refers to events that occur following our
deaths. In other words God's salvation, 16 out of 17 uses by different
words, is something to be experienced while we are alive on this plant and
not after death. God' wants to save us now, ever day and reserved only one
word for our ultimate salvation when we experience our own personal Winter
Solstice.
This celestial event impacted natural events. Egyptian Priests understood that this was God's message to them of their approaching salvation and deliverance from want and lack of food that ensured their continued life. A similar good omen was watched for at the festival of Dionysus in Thrace. If a bright light shone in the sky, it promised an abundant harvest; it the sky remained dark, however, it was a waring that the harvest would be poor. Out of the darkness came light and God's life to mankind!
Fire has always played an important part at this crucial turning point in the solar calendar, the birth of the new Sun at the Winter Solstice. If you have not read and are not thoroughly familiar with the celestial events surrounding the Winter Solstice stop right now and read the link and get this firmly in your understanding.
The Ancients looked
at the Sun as the very symbol of
God our Creator since like the Sun our God was the life bringer and
sustainer of all life. If
the Sun is the very symbolic embodiment of the divine, then
fire-made in His image-becomes one of the most potent agents of magic, and
a mystical medium of worship.
Without the
heat and light of the Sun there can be no life, so fire, as God's
representative on Earth, is seen as a life-giving force-a "light to
lighten the darkness."
I mentioned in the earlier article that years ago when reading Christian commentators before and during Seminary I was led to believe that all "Sun Worship" was idolatry. Well that was before I learned of Nicea and how the Roman Church both copied the "paganism" they decried against while at the same time they used these same "ideas" and applied them to their "historical Jesus". It was during this time when influenced from Christian writers that I basically ignored what these other "ancient religions" had to say about God and their "godmen". But the more I studied I began to see the need to understand what these "mystery religions" and rival religions of Christianity had to say since they were so similar to what Christianity had to offer in their "Jesus" but yet at the same time was denounced so heavily by the early Church Fathers. Over time I would be able to study in-depth such fields of study as comparative religion and gnosticism and Egyptian religion to the degree necessary to see the Gnostic influence and the allegorical genius inherent in all of them. I found that all these "sun gods" which were denounced as "pagan" and "heathen" in Christianity's eyes were not that at all; rather these "pagan sun gods" were but allegorical representations of God and the Descent of the Soul into matter (that "matter" of course being the flesh of mankind). These ancient religions and these mystery religions, instead of being "pagan" and "demon inspired" revealed to me some of the deepest understandings of God that I have ever received. They, in my estimation, were simply revealing a much deeper picture of God while at the same time revealing deeper spiritual truths told through the medium of personification and anthropomorphism and these "pictures" were never to be understood or taken literally as has been the "Jesus Story" which is basically the same story retold but with a different name in a different time. Lost in all this Christian rhetoric are these deeper truths and denouncements of Gnosticism are the deeper truths of God as held and taught by these Ancient Spiritual Masters and in place of them we have today sadly but ironically a gross distortion and misinterpretation of these deeper spiritual truths not only of God's special "Appointed Times" surrounding the Equinoxes and Solstices but a distorted view of "the Christ" which Rome purposefully crafted to replace the "faith once given the saints". This faith as if you have not yet guessed is not the Roman Christianity we have been given today.
Now back on track let me speak about "fire" as a symbol for God and as a symbol of God's energy as reflected in the Sun. In the flames on a small scale we see the very energizing force of the Divine Sun spreading His blessed rays on all living things. But more than that the flames also work as a purifying and refining agent to destroy evil and corrupting forces, for there are few substances that can escape the effect of fire as an all-consuming power. At the same time, the wood being burnt in the Yule log embodies and symbolized the God which consists in all vegetation (Nature) and His power to fertilize the Earth. These ashes of the burned log was used to fertilize the earth and renew Mother Nature. It is a picture of our God and Creator on two levels:
Egypt knew this plus they knew that this same Cosmic Creator/Energy lives not only in the invisible metaphysical realm and natural realm but in them as well for they knew so well that all mankind was "created in the very image of this Cosmic Energy we call God the Father".
Such was the power of fire (symbolic of the Sun) that it played an important part at man religious festivals throughout the year, when great bonfires (from the Anglo-Saxon banefijre, literally bone-fire, or fires made from bones) would he set ablaze on the hilltops, like the great Jul bonfires that pierced the blackness of the Norse midwinter sky. The fires of this winter festival were a solemn ritual to prepare the way for the birth of the Divine Child (the infant Sun emerging from the Winter Solstice) and to help him gain in strength (rising to full glory at the Summer Solstice) so that the cycle of life might continue (Winter solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, etc.). The Winter Solstice marks a crucial part of the natural cycle. In a real sense, the Sun begins anew its journey toward longer days, times of new growth and renewal of the world once again following its birth after the Winter Solstice. In a spiritual sense, it is a reminder that in order for a new path to begin, the old one must end and that spring will come again.
Smaller sacred fires were also lit on the domestic hearth at Midwinter involving a special piece of wood the north of known as the Yule Log. The history of the Christmas Yule Log originates in the ritual known as Yuletide, a pagan festival of fire. This festival uses the burning of a log on the eve of the Winter Solstice to usher in the power of the Sun. A special log was chosen on the eve of Yule, for the holiday fire. A small piece from last year's log is used to light the fire. The lighting of the fire was a festive family event, to hurry the return of the Sun. The day traditionally falls on December 20 and is the shortest day and longest night of the year. Thereafter nights will grow shorter and the Sun will grow stronger in the longer days. However the name Yule derives from the Norse words "Yul" or "Jul". The earliest known burning of a Yule-style log was in ancient Egypt in about 5000 BC to honor Horus, their Sun god. The Sumerians had a similar ritual. In 68 BC the Romans adopted Mithras, Persia's Sun god, into their Saturnalia Festival. For the whole of the first of 10 nights they burnt a Yule-style log to usher in Mithras' strength (the new emerging Sun following rising from the dead at the Winter Solstice). Even after the Roman invasion of Britain in 54 BC the influences of Mithraism remained. In 1954 a Mithras temple was uncovered in the City of London. In about the 4th century AD the early Christians, who celebrated Christmas, then called the Feast of Lights, burnt a log to symbolize the end of the world's darkness and the rebirth of Christ as the light of the world.
Depending on the local custom different rites accompanied the bringing in of this sacred log. First, on Christmas Eve, a suitable tree had to be found; say, an oak or a fruit tree, and a stout log, as large as possible, cut and ceremonially carried home. In some cases, a massive, gnarled oak root might be chosen. The log was then placed on the old fire, and hailed with music and song, or perhaps with a special incantation, such as "Goodly be thy birth". Once the log was alight, the fire had to be maintained until New Year.
The log itself, as well as the fire it fed, was venerated. Because the log symbolized the vegetation deity, the Green Man (symbolic of God in Nature), its ashes had magical, fertilizing powers. They might be scattered on the soil, like sacred seed, to make the Earth bear fruit-a custom that links in with the Hindu belief that ashes are the seed of the fire god Agni, from which new life springs. Alternatively, an unburned part of the log might be used to fashion a ploss to fertilize the real seed in the soil, or kept under the bed until Twelfth Night to make poultry thrive.
Keeping a piece of the Yule log during the year was believed to ensure plentiful crops, helped cattle to breed easily, and also protected against fire and lightning. Some of the log was also kept to rekindle the sacred fire again at the next Winter Solstice.
In some regions, notably Britain and Scandinavia, the Yule candle provided another sacred solar flame, and it was most important that it be kept burning for the required length of time, or dire consequences would ensue. Sometimes it had to be kept going for a whole day, sometimes it was relit every night from Christmas to New Year. As long as the flame flickered, it promised abundance in all things; to strengthen its beneficent powers, piles of money, clothing, food and drink were laid out within the circle of its golden rays. If the flame was allowed to die and darkness fell, it was believed to foreshadow death. To obtain full use of the candle's magic, its remains were not wasted but, like the ashes and remnants of the Yule log, used in various ways for good luck. In Sweden, for example, the plow was first smeared with leftover tallow before being used in Spring.
The imitative magic of the midwinter fires was one way to call back the Sun, but it was not the only means available to deliver the infant (symbolic of the infant Sun following the Winter Solstice) of promise out of the darkness. Just as flame can cleanse and destroy, so the behavior of man can speed up the process of purification needed to bring the new out of the old. The seasonal excesses of Christmas and New Year as two faces of the same rite have fundamentally this purpose.
At a superficial level, of course, the merrymaking of this time has a straightforward celebrators nature. At another level, however, it is an enactment of the death throes of the old rule, whose decline, like that of any living system, is marked by fragmentation, disintegration and decay. Going even deeper still, these Winter Solstice rites signify not just an annual death and beginning, but also the very Beginning, when the world was born from the womb of Chaos. Such symbolism was hugely important. If Creation could triumph over Destruction, if the God (symbolized by the Sun) could vanquish Death and be reborn, then man, too, might survive for another year, or past death. In this ancient mankind saw God teaching them of Eternal Life and life after death. We have here the Divine concept of resurrection from the dead!
During the ancient Egyptian turn of the year celebrations, magical rituals reminded the new God of his recurring victory over the old. Each year, in the eternal cycle, the red-haired god Set, to whom the ass was sacred, murdered his brother Osiris, the vegetation god of Egypt (and also the bull god), and every New Year (which in ancient Egypt due to their unique geography fell on July 20) Osiris was triumphantly conceived again as the Nile flooded. But not every nation had this Nile which flooding brought the fertilization of the desert and the harvests at this time of year so in this respect Egypt was unique. But the principles are the same. The Egyptians celebrated Set's defeat (Satan, personified darkness). The Egyptians celebrated Set's defeat by Horus by rolling red-haired men in the mud, and even going so far as to drive asses over cliffs. Thus, in symbolic fashion, the ass-god of the Old Year was driver out, and the way was cleared for the coming of the new Divine Child (the reborn Sun as it triumphs over darkness at the Winter Solstice).
Answer for yourself: What again was the symbolism in this myth? We see in this myth the victory of darkness over light as physically understood by the Winter Solstice (shortest light) victory over the Summer Solstice (longest light). Egypt was unique because of the Nile and time of the melting of the mountain snows in lower Africa that forced the Nile to rise bringing with it rich silt to fertilize the barren deserts of Egypt. But in other nations the parallels and typology is perfect to what we and all other nations experience in the Northern Hemisphere. Light and corresponding harvests and photosynthesis was waning since the Summer Solstice until the harvest died each year officially at the Winter Solstice with the dying of the Sun. The dying of the harvest and the Sun was symbolized in the myth of Set killing Osiris the vegetation god. Behind this myth of course let us not forget that the real meaning was the tilt of the earth and other celestial events as described in our study on the Winter Solstice.
Answer for yourself: So what have we seen in these articles? Deep in the bleak midwinter mankind since the beginning of time with his understanding of the moments of the Cosmos and Universe along with the Sun in its path in the Heavens celebrated the return of God's blessings to them by personifying these celestial events in the forms of various solar and savior gods and did so with the grandest birthday party of the entire year, to which all are invited. Preparations may begin weeks, or even months, ahead, as seasonal dishes are made ready for the great day. In some countries the sacred feast begins on the eve of December 25, the old date of the Winter Solstice; in others, it is held on the day itself.
To increase the air of optimism, homes are decorated with traditional greenery-holly, mistletoe, and, of course, the Christmas tree, dazzling with lights, glitter, and jeweled baubles like some fairy tree from an Aladdin's cave. These evergreens, undying in the midst of winter when most other plants are bare, are tokens of promise that life will renew itself once more. It is my hope that Christians who study the "roots" of their faith don't overreact to what they at first read as I did many years ago but are more patient in their studies to come to some of these deeper meanings in the traditional symbols associated with Christmas. That is especially seen with the Christmas tree and the celebratory tree indoors at festival time has been observed since antiquity for the hope and promise it gives for God to again renew the world through His laws as they operate in the Cosmos. In ancient Rome, on the night before a holy day, such as during Saturnalia, priest knows as "tree bearers" would go to the pinea silva, the sacred pine grove of the Goddess. They would then choose a pine, which they would ceremonially cut down, decorate, and bear back to the Goddess' temple to receive the effigy of the sacrificial god (let us not forget that the sacrifice was God, in the symbol of His Sun, which poured out His life and energy abundantly that man might prosper and continue to live). This Roman pine with is pyramid form represented the fertilizing powers of the God, as does the modern Christmas tree. Understood in another way the tree was but a symbol for God and embodied the God himself as the spirit and energy of vegetation; and this tree is not only green but evergreen. Living when all else was dead, the Christmas tree promises rebirth, and a prayer for new life is at the heart of the midwinter festival know as the Winter Solstice or Christmas.
The star at the top of the tree is a sign of hope, the Goddess rising as the Star of the Sea. This star had many names: Isis, Ishtar, Aphrodite, or Mary and came to announce the birth of her own particular manifestation or attribute of God. The figurines hanging from the branches are suggestive of the vegetation spirit embodied in the tree who died and was reborn (God again pouring out His life to mankind....in the form of God who sacrificed Himself for us). The balls, baubles and bells are but the burgeoning flowers and fruits of this reborn spirit of life, while the tree lights or candles are reminders of another life-force, the returning Sun.
Behind this whole Winter Solstice celebration is the symbol of the rite of passage from death to rebirth.
The winter solstice demonstrates the enduring cycle of the Heavens by an event that has been directly observable, year in and year out, century after century, for millions of years. The new year begins with the turning point of the Winter Solstice, as it has down through eons-an unending cycle of dark and light, waning and waxing, ultimately representing nature's birth, death, and rebirth. The winter solstice is a time to affirm our spiritual ties to nature through celebrations and traditions that are thousands of years old.
Whether celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Yule, we can all delight in the season as a time to renew family ties, take joy in our natural environment, reflect on the events of the old year, and look forward in anticipation to the new. As the winter solstice demonstrates to us, as does the birth of the "infant god" as seen in the birth of the "Karast-Horus/Christ-Jesus" every ending is a new beginning.
Bennoah1@airmail.net