Why a Classic Pagan Symbol Became a Symbol of Christmas
The symbols we use to process life go deeper than the traditions that come from them. The archetypes go deeper than tradition and even language as a whole because language came from an effort to express what we perceived as symbols. When looking at myth, religion and even personal dreams, it is best to see them through the symbols rooted in the deepest parts of us and not in cultural portrayals of them. The symbolism of the modern Christian Christmas scene for example doesn’t make any sense otherwise. “But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves.” Exodus 34:13 A nativity set and a Christmas tree are more like an alter/image and a grove than anything positively described in in the Bible. Does this mean it is bad? Or is it just archetypal language that has meaning to everyone Christian or not? There are two main symbols which seem to be the most fundamental language of our thoug...