What Does the Cross Mean to You?

    

     The cross has different meanings to people depending on their religious persuasion. I grew up in a Protestant church where I learned that our cross was empty, unlike the crucifix in the Catholic Church, because Jesus had risen from the dead and the cross symbolizes the risen Christ. 

    Once, a Mormon friend, told me that the cross is not displayed in the Church of Latter Day Saints, because an instrument of torture and should not be revered. I kind of feel the same way when "The Old Rugged Cross" is sung in church. How can I sing about loving the old rugged cross when it was was used to kill Jesus and MANY other people in a sadistic, horrible manner?

  Sometimes I wear a silver necklace with a Celtic cross on it. The four arms of the Celtic cross are thought to be representative of the four directions of the compass, the four elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water, and as representation of our mind, soul, body and heart. The center ring of the Celtic Cross is said to be evocative of the Celtic symbol for infinite love.

  

    The cross was an important symbol in many pre-Christian religions and cultures. The swastika was a type of cross historically used as a symbol in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. It was widely popular in the early 20th century as a symbol of good luck or prosperity. Unfortunately this symbol was adopted as a symbol of Nazism in the 1920s and 30s so it has become a symbol of fascism. 

   When I see a cross I think about the metaphysical symbolism: that the horizontal bar represents our earthly life, and the vertical bar represents our connection with heaven. Heaven and Earth meet at the center of the cross which represents the inner sanctum - the still, quiet place within where we connect with the Divine Mystery. 

    When my husband went on a mission trip to Ethiopia he brought back a pair of Ethiopian cross earrings for me. Ethiopian crosses are made of elaborate latticework - each one uniquely fashioned.  The intertwined latticework represents everlasting life. I like this meaning, too. And yes, I believe that Jesus died on a cross and returned to prove to us that life is everlasting. 

Heaven and Earth Collide on Halloween

    Wow. Suddenly this fall I am seeing skeletons everywhere. Skeleton lawn decorations are all the rage here in Wisconsin and the popular twelve-foot skeletons tower over many homes. I wonder if skeletons have taken over the whole country? The world?

    In recent years I have noticed that a lot of people go all out decorating for Halloween, sometimes even more than they do for Christmas. There is something about the macabre that captures the human imagination and gives rise to all kinds of jokes and imaginary creations such as animated skeletons, vampires, and the walking dead. 

    Halloween originated with Samhain, a three-day ancient Celtic pagan festival that marked the end of summer with its bountiful harvest, and ushered in the long, cold winter. The Celts believed that during this period of time, halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds was at its thinnest. This belief was carried into Christian tradition with All Souls' Day honoring the faithful departed on November 2nd, and The Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday when families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives. 

    There are a variety of ways to celebrate Halloween, the season of fall, and the thinning of the veil. I prefer pumpkins and chrysanthemums to the fake graveyards and gory mannequins favored by many of my neighbors. I also like to think that the thinning of the veil between the third dimension and the higher dimensions creates opportunities for us to connect, not only with our departed loved ones, but with the angels, spiritual guides, and all the Company of Heaven. 

    I have a vision for future Octobers, when, instead of celebrating the physical aspects of death, people will celebrate and connect with worlds beyond the veil, where higher beings dwell in peace, love, and harmony. If this is the time when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest, it must be the best time for prayer, meditation, and invocations. It is the best time to pray: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." That prayer may mean different things to different people, but to me it means a permanent thinning of the veil, so that we on earth will live peacefully, according to God's will.