From “Christmas for Mystics,” by Marianne Williamson. Happy hippie Christmas, everyone!

According to the mystical tradition, Christ is born into the world through each of us. As we open our hearts, he is born into the world. As we choose to forgive, he is born into the world. As we rise to the occasion, he is born into the world. As we make our hearts true conduits for love, and our minds true conduits for higher thoughts, then absolutely a divine birth takes place. Who we’re capable of being emerges into the world, and weaknesses of the former self begin to fade.

Beyond the mythmaking, doctrine and dogma, [Jesus] is a magnificent spiritual force. And one doesn’t have to be Christian to appreciate that fact… Beyond the nativity scenes, beyond the doctrinal hoopla, lies one important thing: the hope that we might yet become, while still on this earth, who we truly are.