A CHRISTMAS STORY
12-31-94
The following story was inspired by real dreams.
by Joseph E. Mason
"Mom! Mom!" Johnny exclaimed, "the other kids are saying there's no Santa Claus! Come! Come! Tell 'em quick that they're wrong!"
"Now, Johnny, don't get so excited," Mom said calmly, "come over here and sit down. Let's talk it over."
Johnny's Mom tried to gather her thoughts. She knew this moment would come, and had rehearsed the future conversation in her mind. It was a challenging task to explain to a child why his parents, indeed a whole society, had been telling lies to all the children for years and years. She did the best she could do to explain it to her boy, feeling all the while that she had been put into an uncomfortable position by the whole thing. After all, lies break down trust, and that is not good. And yet, Christmas celebrations are wonderful too, and the children enjoy it so much.
Gently, she tried to explain things so he could understand this rather odd tradition. The task became formidable, as she felt the fall into chaos. She could not resolve the issue in her own mind, let alone expalin it to a child. There seemed to be no good justification in telling untruths to a child.
Johnny went off to bed, in a state of feeling stunned, dazed. His brain was simply not mature enough to put all of this into a context. Confusion reigned, as questions of trust and truth seem shattered. Johnny cried and cried, feelig like an island cut off from everyone and everything.
Energy expended, draining his body, the exhausted Johnny drifted into sleep. Red triangles shot out of a central point in all directions, then blue ones did the same. An incredibly bright, pure white light began to shine from a single point and expand from the center of the triangles. The shadow of a human form took shape before the light. It looked like man, then like a child. Then the form transformed into a beautiful woman dressd in pearls that emitted lights of many colors.
With a face full of concern, she spoke. "My darling, you seem troubled."
"Oh, yes," Johnny answered. "I learned today that Santa Claus isn't real."
"I see," she answered, "But Santa is real, Johnny. He is just not understood."
"Whaddaya mean?"
"My dear, you are much too young to comprehend such concepts in your daily reality as a youthful person. But you are fully capable of understanding on this dream level. You already know it, actually; I am simply here to remind you, to awaken your memories."
The radiant woman moved closer to the boy. "All things on your plane of existence carry a symbolic meaning. When humans figure this out, they will understand the meaning of life. The story of Santa Claus represents a dream visitation."
Johnny's sleep-face frowned. "I still don't get it. What does this have to do with Santa Claus?"
"Well, just recall some of your other dreams. Remember the dreams where animals and humans appeared on the porch, patio, yard, or roof of your house?"
"Yeh, I remember some of 'em."
"We were trying to inform you that your house, or other types of buildings, often represent your reality. The areas outside the house represent realities outside of your normal perceptions, like the dream and spiritual realms."
Johnny did not understand the words spoken by the beautiful woman, but he knew the meaning. The woman could see that a strong angel with pink feathered wings knelt beside the child, holding glowing spheres in his hands. Rings of energy were pulsating from the spheres, creating holographic interference patterns across the child's brain. Precisely controlled, these patterns simulated physical perceptions and communicated thoughts telepathically.
Johnny's face brightened. "Oh, I get it...Santa is a spirit person who visits our house."
"That's right!" the woman said, as the colorful lights shot out in rainbows form the sparkling pearls of her apparel. The angel smiled.
A thought suddenly came to Johnny. "And the reindeer fly, because they're spirits too."
"Yes! And they have other symbolic meanings. Remember the dream where the bison rolled and a plant spring up from the ground?"
"Yeh!"
"We often use a horned animal to show the triangle that creates life. You can see this triangle in the face of the animal. The horns are like antennae which receive and send energy signals. They correspond to the Father and Mother in the spirit realm. The antlers of the reindeer are like trees. Do you recall the dream where a tree grew out of the top of your head?"
"Yup! It was bare at first and some of the branches were rotten. A little bird came and hopped around in the tree, and green leafs appeared on each spot where he landed. Someone cut off the rotten branches. Then all the leafs became butterflies."
"We were showing you that trees often represent your knowledge, or beliefs. They are like a tree, you know. People have two trees, just like the reindeer, but most people use just one of them almost exclusively, the rational one."
"I like Rudolf best...but I like Cupid, Donnar, Blitzen...all of 'em really."
"The name of the reindeer have meaning too. Cupid means love, which is the answer to...well, ...everything. It radiates, you know. Donnar and Blitzen mean thunder and lightening. We usually use those symbols to show the great power and energy from our realm to yours."
"How come Santa climbs down the chimney? The door would be easier...and cleaner too."
"Remember the dream where the little lion came down the chimney? The chimney symbolically represents the pathway between the realities . . . you know, the tunnel."
"You mean the tunnel I came through just before I was born? The one that seemed so familiar?"
"Yes Johnny. That's the one." The woman sat down on the bed next to Johnny. His spirit body was sitting up now, looking into her face. Her beautiful eyes glistened and sparkled with pure love. "Remember the dream where the giant bull's horns were mounted above the fireplace?"
"Oh yeh...there was a bull's skull too...and a little broom beside the fireplace."
"Like many symbols, the fireplace has a dual meaning. The burning of wood represents the light kindled by ideas and thoughts. As long as one light burns, the universe can never be dark. Wood comes from a tree, which is symbolic of the Tree of Knowledge. The role of the human species is to burn this wood, that is, to consume the ideas by manifesting them into a reality. This creates a light in the world, but the ideas are consumed in the process. You see, the ideas are not static and unchanging, but are in a constant flux. The fire provides light, but the old wood is consumed. It shows a spiritual evolution."
"I'm getting it...Santa brings ideas from the other world while we are sleeping. When we are sleeping, we are dreaming...so Santa is the one who brings us the dreams...right?"
"Right! And the dreams help you evolve spiritually. Why don't we have a snack, then we'll talk more about Santa Claus."
Suddenly, the pair were in the kitchen. The woman took a cup of apple yogurt from the refrigerator.
"Mom bought that for herself and my twin sister, Sophie. I don't like it much."
"I'm sure they won't mind, my dear. Try this...it is very special yogurt."
Johnny and the woman ate about half a cup. "That is good," said the boy. Suddenly they were back in the bedroom, as before.
Johnny noticed the rose in her hair as she leaned forward. "What does Santa bring you?"
"Why, presents naturally. Everyone knows that."
"And where does he put the presents."
"Under the tree...oh boy! I bet you're gong to say it is the Tree of Knowledge."
"Yes, and the Tree of Life."
"You mean..."
"The Tree of Knowledge becomes the Tree of Life. This is a symbolic way of showing how ideas and beliefs become the reality. What do you suppose the presents signify?"
"Ummm...let's see. You get things from the dreams that make you happy?"
"Well, that's part of it. Remember the dream where you saw a big ball of string and felt confused?"
"Yeh! I was confused for a long time...then I found the end of the string and pulled. The string unraveled, and a little toy was inside...a velvet heart."
"Can you see how this is related to Christmas presents?"
"No! Not really...wait a minute...when you unwrap the pretty packages, the gifts are inside. So you have to unravel the packages to get the gift."
"Yes! But the gift, like the other parts of the story, has a symbolic meaning. Can you guess what it is?"
Johnny's features bunched up in a thoughtful frown. "Uh...well...nope. You got me on that one."
"When do you open the presents?"
"On Christmas morning," Johnny said, his eyebrows rising.
"When you awake in the morning and remember a dream, what kinds of things do you remember?"
Let's see...I don't know...just a bunch of crazy stuff...could be anything...Wow! Those things are the gifts! Am I right?"
"Right again!"
The boy slapped his knees in delight, as the woman continued.
"You see, you must unravel these dream gifts by interpreting them. That means to figure out what they really mean. Otherwise they seem meaningless, and you forget them. It's important to do this yourself. Other people can help, because many of their dreams are similar, but we spiritual beings bring very special messages to each person. Only that one person can understand all of the meaning. The symbols are the language we use in communicating with human beings."
"Gosh!...Seems complicated. Why not just tell us straight out what you mean? Why make it so hard?"
"That's a long story. Let's save it for another night. But I will tell you...human beings have agreed, on a higher spiritual level, to do it this way for a long time. It's part of an agreement, a sort of contract or covenant that all of us agreed upon a very long time ago. We knew that it would be a difficult challenge, but we also knew that much learning and growth would come of it. So we decided to be separated apart for awhile. But we kept this one major link, dreams, and a few other ways of communicating, like visions and inspirations. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for humans to change their ways of things and being. And that would be awfully boring."
"I just thought of something. Santa's elves make the gifts. So, they are spirit helpers who make the symbols."
"Very good! They are part of the Elohim, entities concerned with earth matters. It's very complicated."
"Does Rudolf have a meaning too?"
"Remember the dream where you smelled perfume?"
"You mean the one where the sweet smell led me to the pretty yellow flower?"
"Yes, that's the dream. Remember, it was raining hard at the beginning of that dream?"
"Oh yeh! But it became sunny when I found the flower."
"A flower symbolizes the soul, which has many aspects, like the petals of a flower. We were showing you that the nose represents the sixth sense...You know, the kinds of things you know but can't see or hear or touch, or even explain how you know them."
"Oh...so that's why Rudolf's nose glows so bright! He has lots of sixth sense. Is that what you are saying?"
The woman laughed and nodded her head to indicate that Johnny was right. "Do you recall the dream where the cowboy, John Wayne, told you to take the Indian pony?"
"Uh-hunh. I went with a tribe of Indians. Then I was alone in a forest on my white pony. I couldn't see anything but fog. Then I crossed the stream and the fog parted. I saw a really big tree that sparkled and shined...Ooooh...okay. The whole world is foggy when Santa askes Rudolf to lead the way.!"
"What do you supposed the fog means?"
"You can't see well...you can't think clearly...the road ahead is unclear...Okay! Okay!...Rudolf's nose provides the light so that Santa can find his way!"
"Yes! Johnny. Rudolf shows that major new ideas are brought to people in their time of need. This is not only on an individual level, but for the larger societies of people as well. The date we celebrate Christmas has a similar meaning."
"How's that?"
"Christmas is on a day close to the winter solstice, where the position of the earth in relation to the sun causes the shortest day and the longest night. it is a very cold night. Symbolically, this is the darkest hour, your time of need. Cold represents a lack of love. The most important dream gifts are brought to you at that time. From that moment forward, your days become longer and the nights shorter. The world warms up, until it is time for the next round of learning."
"How come the other reindeer laugh at Rudolf and call him names? That's not nice."
"When really new ideas are brought into your world, they are often condemned and ridiculed in the beginning. They seem backwards from the way people have been thinking. It takes time before they are accepted. We try to communicate to people that it is important to respect others who are different."
"That makes sense. These dream symbols do seem to unravel into a meaning, once you get ahold of the string. I like this. It's fun...sorta like putting a puzzle together...But wait a second...baby Jesus was born on Christmas day. What's that got to do with Santa Claus?"
"Well, Johnny! That's a complex issue that we will pick up on another night. The little heart and the little lion were messages about some of the meaning. You will understand it better when you grow up. You see, all people have a Christ-self within them. The lion part of themselves helps them to find it at their own heart's center. In your path ahead, you will run into many kind people who will help you. They will share their own dream gifts and you will use their tree's strength. But that last mile, you must walk alone. You will become One Who Serves, and many people will use the strength of your tree to uplift themselves. Someday, perhaps soon, a great change will occur. The two trees will stand up, and all of earth's people will find their heart's center, and then they will learn to live like us in a place we call the New Jerusalem. The lion-kings of the earth will bring their light and glory into it."
Suddenly Johnny saw Santa Claus sitting there beside the woman.
Ho! Ho! Ho!," laughed Santa, his tummy jiggling. "I knew what you were thinking, Johnny. I came to show you that I am real. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I am as real as your dream-mother here and the angel behind you. I am as real as your dreams."
Johnny's dream body stirred, and he mumbled aloud. "Oh! Santa! Oh! Santa!" A joyful tear ran down his cheek.
The angel shifted his position. The great muscles of his forearms rippled as he gripped the glowing spheres with a more powerful intensity. Johny had been in a deep level of sleep. That level cannot be remembered directly. It was time for the rapid eye movement stage, as Johnny progressed toward wakefulness.
The hologramatic wave forms induced images that danced in Johnny's head. His eyes began to dart back and forth under the lids. He saw a sick boy laying in a cold, night-lit street. A giant eagle came down next to the boy. It had very strange eyes, turned to the infrared. The big bird lifted the boy and hugged him, and the boy hugged the bird. Suddenly, he was in the kitchen with his mother eating yogurt. A little fuzzy toy lion was sitting near the sink. It had a little heart on it's chest.
Johnny's eyes sprang open. Beams of sunlight pierced through the window, as a rooster crowed in the distance. He squinted his eyes and heard noise out in the kitchen. He went in to investigate. Mom was cleaning up, as usual.
"Good morning Johnny," Mom spoke brightly. "Looks like you're feeling better."
"Yeh!" He walked to the kitchen counter, and put his arms around her waist.
"Will you take out the garbage please? And here, take this too." Mom threw the half-eaten cup of apple yogurt into the trash. "I guess Sophie ate this late last night."
A vague remembrance came into Johnny's mind, as he heard a song come on the radio. It was Gene Autry singing, "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
"Oh No! You and I ate the yogurt, don't you remember?"
"Ha Ha!" Mom laughed. "I don't think so. You don't even like yogurt, remember?"
"But we did...and you know what? I think you're wrong about Santa Claus. He is real."
"Don't be silly Johnny. Maybe you were just dreaming."
"Yeh! I guess so...But aren't dreams real?"
If you have any questions of comments, please e-mail jmason4557@aol.com
MERRY CHRISTMAS
FROM JOE AND DEE