I posted “Pope Benedict Releases Bigoted Encyclical Vilifying Atheism” by Kelly O’Connor mainly to demonstrate the arrogant cock-sureness with which liberals dismiss religion. For a more enlightened, more knowledgeable reaction, conside this from my friend Robert Clarke. Robert is author of The Four gold Keys: Dreams, Transformation of the Soul, and the Western Mystery Tradition and An Order Outside Time: A Jungian View of the Higher Self from Egypt to Christ.
“Dear Frank
“Thanks for the message, I hadn’t seen this. But this shows yet again the vast importance of the discoveries of Jung, yet also how little they have got across to established religion, and to mankind in general. In other words, though much of the teachings of religion may not be literally true as physical facts, including the nativity, they are nevertheless true as eternal symbolism of the spirit through the unconscious. So the birth of Christ actually symbolises the birth of the cosmic Self in the man Jesus, though from the view of God it is nevertheless His incarnation as the divine Son.
“Unfortunately so little - or nothing - is understood of the symbolism by the church. For example, in mythology generally the saviour has the symbol of the star in his cosmic aspect, hence the Star of Bethlehem of Christ. This is as Son of the Father. But in lower aspect, the fish from the sea is the symbol as Son of the Mother. The name Mary is originally from Meri, Goddess of the Waters in Egypt who gives birth to the divine Son from the lower soul depths. All the words connected with water are from the same source, mere, mer, Mare, etc. Just as all creatures have a father and mother, so the ultimate Self is from the Great Father and Great Mother.
“The symbolism is worldwide, in various forms of course, because man has always experienced the incarnation of a saviour. At the birth of Krishna, King Kansa has all of the baby boys killed, shepherds visit Krishna at his birth, and so on. But Christ is the highest evolved form, as Jung, Blavatsky, and others have pointed out.
“I personally was unable to believe in religion until Jung opened the door to deeper meaning and understanding. Then it was a miracle as it all became true in a wondrous way, which could literally be experienced by many people potentially, or to a degree. So this is what the Archbishop and all clergymen should come to understand, although it’s nevertheless true that many other people would be unable to understand the symbolic version; they need the simpler, literal version.”
Now THAT, friends, is wisdom. Marry Christmas.