The Gifts of the Magi

Who are they, those sages who come from far away to offer gifts? Where do they come from? Why do they come to us? How do they find us?

Sages have left us scriptures, so we can read what they have written. But it is far better first to understand the eternal message for ourselves that the scriptures of the sages and saints are bringing us. Once we have recognized the essence of the eternal message in ourselves, for ourselves, and only then, can we start to recognize it in the scriptures, can we begin to discern it under the dust of ages. Then we can see that the deepest wisdom teachings that our traditions hand down to us all tell us the same thing. They invite us to turn within and to look for ourselves.

First and foremost the magi bring themselves. They have cultivated in themselves the most precious of all qualities, the ability to be guided by an inner star. If we choose to learn from them, they can teach us that skill. They can bring us the ability to carry on in a direction dictated by that quiet inner voice that can be heard in all of us once we have learned to wait and truly listen. They can teach us to relax and wait until all the distracting noises disappear. And then the magic can happen: the quiet voice can speak to us and guide our next step.

Step by step we come to know, ever more surely, what we could do next, and after that, and after that. In this way we come to know what we can do with our lives, where we can go to give our life purpose. Not the purpose of someone else but our own purpose. It is a precious skill to know how to find the direction that is just right for us. Knowing our direction we can start to develop our gifts, unique to us, and bring them to the world. Slowly but surely we can turn into magi ourselves. When we have learned to give ourselves to the world without asking anything back, our life turns into magic, and we bring magic to those around us.