- The second night becomes the meeting of two
On the second night we go to Him with
the inner experience of the night before, before our soulic nature,
becoming evident also to the ego. Just as the song 'The Twelve Days of
Christmas' goes on to repeat itself and recap the earlier days within
the current day, so our experience gathers over the twelve nights
(during the global fourteen). Our experience shifts now from being
unconsciousness to recollective and from that into further knowledge. In
this we experience Christ also, whose presence becomes apparent through
this self-conscious reflection.
He is apparent to us in all meetings. In this power of two we find a unity of self and Father, Father God and Christ. There is a peace experienced in this unity (two turtle doves). Our meditation on this night is of marvelous meetings - of conjunctures. Of meetings that will come to us also in the year ahead. May we be aware of not only the Great Ones' Presence, but of our being with them and our being together.
-B.Hive
From Wiki:
ReplyDeletePerhaps because of Biblical references (especially the well-known verse from the Song of Songs), its mournful voice, and the fact that it forms strong pair bonds, Turtle Doves have become emblems of devoted love. In the New Testament, two turtle doves are mentioned to have been sacrificed for the Birth of Jesus. In Renaissance Europe, the Turtle Dove was envisaged as the devoted partner of the Phoenix. Robert Chester's poem Love's Martyr is a sustained exploration of this symbolism. It was published along with other poems on the subject, including William Shakespeare's poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle" (where "turtle" refers to the turtle dove).
May we be as eternally well met as these two turile doves
ReplyDeleteAccording to the law of Moses, a lamb was to be given as a "sin offering" on the birth of the first born son, or if you were too poor, a pair of turtle doves.
ReplyDelete"But if you cannot afford to bring a sheep, you may bring to the LORD two turtledoves or two young pigeons as the penalty for your sin. One of the birds will be for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.
- Leviticus 5:7
And that is what occurred soon after the birth of the Jesus Child:
Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. Luke 2:22-24
In Renaissance Europe, the Turtle Dove was envisaged as the devoted partner of the Phoenix. William Shakespeare's wrote an obscure poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle" (where "turtle" refers to the turtle dove).
ReplyDeleteRobert Chester's poem Love's Martyr or Rosalins Complaint is a sustained exploration of the symbolism.
"The poem is a long allegory, incorporating the story of King Arthur, in which the relationship between the birds is explored, and its symbolism articulated."
"It begins with the personification of Nature observing that the magnificently beautiful Phoenix is apparently about to die without an heir. The physical description given of the Phoenix is as a human female rather than a bird. Nature visits the Classical gods and pleads with Jupiter to find a way to give the Phoenix a child. Jupiter says that she must bring the Phoenix to the "isle of Paphos" to meet the Turtledove whose lover has apparently died. The Turtledove is guarding the fire of Prometheus. Jupiter gives Nature a magical "balm" to anoint the Turtledove, which will make him fall in love with the Phoenix."
"At the island, the Phoenix and the Turtledove fall in love, apparently without the aid of the balm. But first the Turtledove asks the Phoenix to forgive him for some unspecified wrong. They then agree to die together in a self-sacrificing fire, building an altar to Apollo, the patron of poetry. As they are consumed, the Phoenix laments the death of the Turtledove. A watching pelican observes the Phoenix's own death and describes a new and even more beautiful Phoenix emerging in glory from the flames."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Chester_%28poet%29