Awakening the Christ Within

(Originally printed in The Movement newspaper in December, 1978.)

Each year we celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ, and it’s nice, at this time of year, to take the time to reflect what Jesus’ birth and life really mean to us.

Jesus’ life is very significant to all of us, although his message was extremely simple. Before the birth of Jesus, the earth was on a pattern of descending energy. The energy of creation was still going out, away from the supreme source. Through his life, and through his physical death, Jesus turned that energy and moved to the ascending energy-the power flowing back towards the God-head, toward life and Light. He brought to all mankind the experience of the Beloved and the key to eternal life.

The power of the Christ is the ascending energy. Those who know Christ consciousness are on the upward flow of energy; they are awakening to the Christ, to the power of the Light and Sound, to the greater God of all life. Their experience of the Christ is direct and secure. There is no need for intermediaries-no priests, no mediums, no masters are necessary. No one who is dealing with Christ consciousness is expressing on a downward energy. That cannot be; it’s a contradiction in terms.

At this time of Christmas there is, perhaps, a greater surge of energy as more people attune themselves consciously to the love that Jesus exemplified. And it’s easy to see those who are riding the upward flow of the Light they’re the ones who are so joyful and so filled with the love and brotherhood the Christmas season symbolizes. The people for whom the Christmas season is “blah” or depressing may be living on a downward energy pattern. It really is time to awaken more to the love within-not only at Christmas, but every day of the year.

The magic of Christmas rests with the attitude. When you catch the vision of Christ consciousness, then your attitude becomes one of joy and love and peace and upliftment. You feel those qualities come alive within you, and then as you express them more in every action, relationship, and situation in which you find yourself, you awaken even more to the Christ within.

To speak of the Christ is to speak of the Beloved. If we speak of a love or a lover, we separate ourselves from that other form. And that separation is illusion, for ultimately you are one with all things. You are one with God. That is the message of the Christ today, just as it was two thousand years ago. Jesus said, “He that seeth me seeth him that sent me.” (John 12:45) And he also said, “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30) Therefore, there can only be one form present. That form is God, who dwells within you, waiting to be awakened and freed from the bonds of the earth.

The Christ consciousness is an ongoing Spirit. It is always present. When Jesus was about to be taken to his crucifixion, he spoke to the disciples and told them that, although they were not to go with him at that moment, he would leave with them a comforter, a witness, that was called the Holy Spirit, which would reveal to them all things and give to them the memory of what he had taught. The Holy Spirit is wholly Spirit, entirely Spirit. It is a complete energy form, not corrupted by any lower level of consciousness. It is pure. It is of the positive realms of pure Spirit; it is of God. We cannot know the Holy Spirit on any level of our earthly senses. We cannot perceive it physically, emotionally, mentally, subconsciously, or unconsciously. It comes only to that pure part of us which is the Soul, that which can hold the office of the Christ.

When that Spirit that is holy touches to your Soul, that Christ consciousness within you begins to awaken. Then it is the Christ within you that awakens, also, to the Christ within others. Two thousand years ago, those who knew Jesus the Christ knew him because their own Christ consciousness was awakened. And those – who recognize the presence of the Christ today do so because the Christ within them is awakened.

The consciousness of the Christ is within everyone, but it is not manifested equally. Some are more awakened to its reality than others. In few is that pure consciousness fully awake. In many it is partially awake, and in many more, still asleep.

Was the Christ consciousness present prior to the time of Jesus? Of course, it must have been. It is that spark of God, that energy that keeps us all alive, that keeps us all going even when we want to die and think we’re going to and are afraid we really are. It’s life. It’s God. There were a lot of people walking around, knowing that spark of God inside, before Jesus came and manifested it in the great glory that he expressed. But that he fulfilled that promise more completely than anyone had before cannot be denied. And in bringing the power of the Holy Spirit into the earth’s force field and in tuning to the ascending energy of Spirit, he certainly used the power of the Christ in a way greater than it had been used before.

Jesus also stopped the Messianic delusion that was prevalent at that time. The Jews had expected a Messiah to appear for centuries, and there was much uproar about who it was and how he would manifest, etc. Jesus appeared on the scene and, in effect, said, “You don’t have to look any longer.” The Messiah consciousness ended with his form. And the Christ awakening began in all forms. How do you awaken to the Christ? Easy … love your neighbor as yourself… or better than yourself, if you’re one that rips yourself emotionally or confuses yourself mentally or creates illness in your physical body. It’s when you let go of all those levels that you begin to discover the inner Christ. When you have exhausted those levels of the body, emotions, mind, subconscious, and unconscious, you begin to find that you are dwelling in the consciousness of the Christ. When you see the Christ within you. you will excuse all the other levels and forgive yourself all things. The vision of the Beloved will allow you to transfer your energy into the positive, into the upward flow of Spirit, and you will resurrect into the Christ consciousness.

You don’t have to die to discover the Christ. You can move into that which is your own spiritual inner awareness and move upward through the levels of your own consciousness until you find that which is the Christ within you. When you do, you will protect it as a pearl of great price. You may find many things changing in your life, as you awaken inwardly. You may find that you associate with people who are also on an upward path. You may sacrifice some old friendships, if those people are expressing a downward path of energy. That’s being smart. You may find that you stop doing those things that make you sick physically. You may change your diet, stop smoking, get a job that makes you happy and fulfilled, find relationships that support you and people with whom you can share love. These things are healthy. If you don’t want to change, that’s okay, too. You can sleep a little longer. It’s all your choice.

If you know what to do, why not do that? If you know what makes you ill or upset or in turmoil, why not turn from that? You are a creator, and you are responsible for your actions. So why not create those things that will bring you health, wealth, and happiness? Why not shift your focus to your own beingness, to that which brings you joy and fulfillment? As you awaken to the Christ, you will do those things that are right for you.

One way you can tell if you are functioning in the consciousness of the Christ is to see if you complete things in this world. If you do, you’re ascending. If you don’t, you’re descending. If you have too many jobs, too many things to do, cut out some of them. Be wise. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Take on just the things you can complete. Those things that are not completed are thrown right back at you, and you must take the responsibility for them. Christ is the perfect completor. If you strive toward perfection, the work you have started will be finished by the Christ. Your responsibility is to get on with the state of being perfect. Work toward it. Focus toward it. And when you leave the earth, the work will be completed. And you will perfectly arise into the heart of God. Jesus, our eider brother, promised this. And we can complete it and fulfill his promise.

Christmas is a good time of year to take stock of your life. And it’s a good time of year to complete old actions that have been left “hanging.” It’s a good time to share your love with those you care for; it’s a good time of year to pay off your debts, to clear the air, to attune yourself more closely than ever to the Christ within you … and to the Christ in others. The Christ awakens according to your focus, your direction, and your attitude.

You can lift yourself out of darkness by stopping your complaining, your tears, your bemoaning and feeling sorry for yourself. Why not say instead, “I get along really well. God is with me. All my needs are being supplied. I’m loved, and I’m taken care of”? What if that’s wrong? It’s a nice approach; and you will create that for yourself, because you are a creator.

Often, as you begin to awaken to the Christ, as you begin to transfer your energy to the upward path, you will feel pain and irritation and confusion, and you won’t be able to identify where that’s coming from. You’ll try to ‘’pin it” on all the worldly causes that have been the causes in the past. You’ll think it’s the food, but you’re not eating any differently than usual. You’ll look at the emotions, but realize that everything has been fine. You’ll look at the mind, but things seem okay there. But there is still this great disturbance inside. You search and search for something outside of you that is the cause. It’s not out there. It’s inside. It’s your disagreement with yourself. It’s your inability to manifest completely and fully that thing that is bursting inside of you. It is your inability to make the outer life match the fullness and the beauty of the inner life that is beginning to take place. When you experience this turning of energy within, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The indwelling Christ sings a beautiful song. That is the Sound of God, the audible Light stream, the current of energy that is flowing upward to God. It’s the invisible route to God, and the only way to God is by that invisible route. The outward trappings of any religion or spiritual group are not for the Christ within, but for the body, mind and emotions-to hold them still and keep them distracted long enough for the Christ to awaken to itself.

To awaken the Christ, go within your own inner consciousness where your emotions, mind and body will leave you alone for a little while. Find the peace and comfort that is within your own inner kingdom. Your inner journey will be protected by the Spirit that dwells within. You can reach into your inner kingdom through meditation, contemplation, prayer, spiritual exercises, by reading enlightening books, being with enlightened people, continually moving forward and awakening the love within you. But even in your wildest dreams, you’ll fall short of the glory that is within you.

Awaken into God’s heart. Become the Christ in your imagination first, then in your love for all men, then in your mind, and finally in your Soul, which is pure. And then you ride up into God’s heart, forsaking all things to come into the kingdom.

And you will know the significance of Jesus’ life and teachings, the meaning of Christmas, the love of the Father, and the presence of the Beloved.

Merry Christmas and Baruch Bashan