Let’s listen to our informants, who’ve traversed the divide between physical and non-physical life….
Christmas on the Astral Planes
In plain words, there are other realms immeasurably more beautiful than that in which we were now happily living; realms of unsurpassing beauty into which we cannot penetrate until such time as we have earned the right to enter, either as visitors or as inhabitants.
But though we may not pass into them, the glorious souls who dwell in them can come into realms of less celestial rarity, and can visit us here. … Indeed, they constantly make visitations to consult and converse with the dwellers here, to give advice and help, to give rewards and commendations. (Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson through Anthony Borgia, medium, Life in the World Unseen. M.A.P., 1993. , 55.)
At certain times, too, these transcendent beings make special visitations when the whole realm is celebrating a great occasion, such, for example, as the two major earth festivals of Christmas and Easter. (Ibid., 55.)
It is at [times like Christmas and Easter] that we have visitants of the higher realms to see us, perfect beings, among whom is he of whose earthly birth we are celebrating. And these beauteous souls have but to pass upon their way to fill us with such an ecstacy of spiritual exaltation as to remain with us for long after their return to their high estate. (Ibid., 57.)
To those who had already witnessed … visitations [such as the one we were about to witness], [the] arrival [of the lesser figures] was at once the indication of the coming of the high personage, and we all accordingly rose to our feet.
Then, before our eyes, there appeared first a light, which might almost be described as dazzling, but as we concentrated our gaze upon it we immediately became attuned to it and we felt no sensation of spiritual discomfort. In point of fact – as I discovered later – the light really became attuned to us; that is to say, it was toned down to accord with ourselves and our realm. It grew in shade to a golden hue upon the extremities, gradually brightening towards the center. And in the center there slowly took shape the form of our visitant.
As it gained in density we could see that he was a man whose appearance was that of youth – spiritual youth – but we knew that he carried with him to an unimaginable degree the three comprehensive and all-sufficing attributes of Wisdom, Knowledge, and Purity. His countenance shone with transcendental beauty; his hair was of gold, while round his head was a lustrous diadem.
His raiment was of the most gossamer-like quality and it consisted of a pure white robe bordered with a deep band of gold, while from his shoulders there [descended] a mantle of the richest cerulean blue, which was fastened upon his breast with a great pink pearl. His movements were majestic as he raised his arms and sent forth a blessing upon us all. We remained standing and silent while our thoughts ascended to Him Who sent us such a glorious being. We sent our thanks and we sent our petitions. …
It is not possible for me to convey to you one fraction of the exaltation of the spirit that I felt while in the presence, though distant, of this heavenly guest. But I do know that not for long could I have remained in that temple while he was there without undergoing the almost crushing consciousness that I was low, very, very low upon the scale of spiritual evolution and progression.
And yet I knew that he was sending out to me, as to us all, thoughts of encouragement, of good hope, of kindness in the very highest degree, that made me feel that I must never, never despair of attaining to the highest spiritual realm and that there was good and useful work ready for me to do in the service of man and that in the doing thereof I would have the whole of the spiritual realms behind me – as they are behind every single soul who works in the service of man.
With a final benediction upon us, this resplendent and truly regal being was gone from our sight. (Ibid., 101.)
When we visited the temple in the city, and, from a distance, beheld the radiant visitor whom we had come to honor, he represented to the eye the appearance of perfect – and eternal – youth. Yet the degree of knowledge and wisdom and spirituality which he diffused [sic], and which we could feel with our minds, was almost overpoweringly great. It is the same, in varying degrees, with all those who visit us from the higher realms. (Ibid., 156.)
I have been to the heavens of Christ, and know their beauty. (Judge David P. Hatch in Elsa Barker, medium, Letters from a Living Dead Man. Mitchell Kennerly, 1914, Letter XLVIII.)
I have met the Master from Galilee, and have held communion with him. There was a man – and a god! The world has need of Him now. (Ibid., Letter XXVI.)
Last night [Christmas Eve], after visiting various places upon the earth, I went to one of the highest Christian heavens. Perhaps I could not have gone so easily at any other time; for my heart was full of love for all men and my mind was full of the Christ idea.
Often have I seen Him who is called the Saviour of men, and last night I saw Him in all His beauty. (Ibid., Letter XLVIII.)
So you want to hear more about angels. … They do not penetrate the lower etheric atmosphere excepting at Christmas and I think Easter, to some extent. But Christmas is the feast of Earth – Easter, that of heaven.
On the Eve of Christmas, angels can be seen almost everywhere in the holy places – Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s, Iona, Glastonbury, and so on. (Arthur, Lord Sandys in Cynthia Sandys and Rosamund Lehmann, The Awakening Letters. Jersey: Neville Spearman, 1978, 37.)
Christmas on the Mental Plane
Christmas is the holiest of festivals because then the figure “Jesus” beheld the Earth for the first time. This was the preparation for all the majestic events to come.
“Christ” was present there.
He Himself received the little Babe in order to assay whether it was really pure enough for His later great and difficult mission, imprisoned as He would be in matter, amidst imperfect humanity. He blessed the little child, knowing the same would become His own flesh and blood.
All the phenomena that took place at the birth of the Jesus child resulted from the lofty Spirit “Christ Jesus,” who approached the child. The nature of the birth was not the miracle, no. The delivery was like any other, except that the mother was a perfect virgin, pure in body and spirit: but the nearness of the Son of God, the highest of all beings, caused the wondrous happenings in nature.
This is the event we celebrate: the approach of Christ.
You all, who have celebrated this appearance with me so often, now only do I recognize the importance of it! You are so right in celebrating this day. We also honor it here but the date is different.
Oh, this magnificent festival, this indescribable solemnity! We kneel in spirit and pray, while above the most glorious songs sound simultaneously from the regions that are unknown to us. But we may hear them today.
The whole celestial regions are permeated by them, down to the beings of the deepest spheres. These, too, are granted to sense it in their often doubting hearts. Many become believers, and for everyone of those, it will also be a festival of birth, the birth of their faith. (Sigwart, in Joseph Wetzl, trans., The Bridge Over the River. Communications from the Life After Death of a Young Artist Who Died in World War One. Spring Valley: Anthroposophic Press, 1974, 95-6.)
Last night [Christmas Eve], after visiting various places upon the earth, I went to one of the highest Christian heavens. Perhaps I could not have gone so easily at any other time; for my heart was full of love for all men and my mind was full of the Christ idea.
Often have I seen Him who is called the Saviour of men, and last night I saw Him in all His beauty. He, too, came down to the world for a time.
I wonder if I can make you understand? The love of Christ is always present in the world, because there are always hearts that keep it alight. If the idea of Christ as a redeemer should ever grow faint in the world, He would probably go back there and relight the flame in human hearts; but whatever the writers of statistics may say, that idea was never more real than at present. It may have been more talked about. …
Jesus of Nazareth is a reality. As a spiritual body, as Jesus who dwelt in Galilee, He exists in space and time; as the Christ, the paradigm of the spiritual man, He exists in the hearts of all men and women who awaken that idea in themselves. He is a light which is reflected in many pools.
I wrote the other day about Adepts and Masters. Jesus is a type of the greatest Master. He is revered in all the heavens. He grasped the Law and dared to live it, to exemplify it. And when He said, “The Father and I are one,” He pointed the way by which other men may realise mastership in themselves. (Judge David P. Hatch in Elsa Barker, medium, Letters from a Living Dead Man. Mitchell Kennerly, 1914, Letter XLVIII.)
How do I know that it is Christmas day? Because I have been looking in at houses which I used to frequent, and have seen trees laden with tinsel and gifts. Do you wonder that I could see them? If so, you forget that we light our own place. When we know how to look, we can see behind the veil. (Ibid., Letter XLVIII.)