The Gifts of the Magi: A Guided Meditation
The Gospel of Matthew tells us the magi brought the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Jesus. Gold represented Christ’s kingship, his sovereignty; frankincense represented his divinity; myrrh represented his humanity, his mortality.
Let us consider how these gifts have manifested in our own lives over the past year – taking them in reverse order to the order they are given in the gospel story.
We start with myrrh – the gift of humanity, of mortality. How have the gifts of myrrh manifested in your life in the past year?
Perhaps you have had a brush with mortality yourself or have lost loved ones.
How have experienced your own physicality? Perhaps your physical health has been poor or perhaps you have been filled with vitality and strength.
How have you experienced the world through your senses in the past year – sight, sound, smell, taste, touch? How have you experienced the physical closeness of others? Perhaps you have given warm hugs or felt the comforting touch of a hand on your shoulder. How have the gifts of myrrh manifested in your life in the past year?
[PAUSE]
We move on to frankincense – the gift of divinity. How have the gifts of frankincense manifested in your life in the past year?
How have you experienced the divine or the sacred within and outside yourself? Perhaps there have been times when you have felt particularly close to Spirit or Source, experienced awe and wonder, felt at one with the universe. How have you experienced divinity or the sacred reflected in others?
How have the gifts of frankincense manifested in your life in the past year?
[PAUSE]
Lastly, we consider gold – the gift of sovereignty. How have the gifts of gold manifested in your life in the past year? Have you felt in charge of your own destiny or have you felt that outside influences have controlled what has happened in your life?
Have you been free to make your own choices and to live your life to its full potential?
Have you owned your own mistakes and successes, taken full responsibility for your actions?
How have you experienced sovereignty in others? How have the gifts of gold manifested in your life in the past year?
[PAUSE]
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