Reprint from my book, Seasons of The Soul:

EPIPHANY- THE FORGOTTEN HOLY DAY

Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be retained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity, and to manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and apply the Art of Peace to all that you encounter.

Founder of the Martial Art of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba

Quoted in the book and compilation of Prayers for Healing

An Excerpt from a Sermon on Epiphany and Our Need for Adult Rituals:

Epiphany, and later in the year, Pentecost were the two most important holy days that our churches have regularly ignored. As our Western church tradition explains it, Epiphany commemorates the day when the Three Wise Men arrived at the manger and presented the Christ-child with their reverent gifts.

As some of you know, today is the last official day of the Christmas season- It is the twelfth day of Christmas or Epiphany. Today is the day when the decorations come down, for the celebration of the entire season concluded last night, which is the time of revels and parties made famous in Shakespeare’s play.

In our Western religious tradition, this time or date holds a special spiritual significance. Many of you who were raised in the high church traditions of Episcopal, Greek, Russian, Armenian, or Roman Catholic are familiar with the day of Epiphany in its original meaning, where Epiphany is translated as the word for “God appearing.” It is the day that marks when the Magi finally reach the baby Jesus, or when the special child is first revealed to the outside world.

In the original Greek, which is the foundational language of Western philosophy and theology, an epiphany means “a new manifestation or a new appearing.” But there is a more inclusive, broader understanding! It states that whenever a sense of true wisdom or recognition happens to us, this is our personal epiphany…

In religious understanding, and in transpersonal psychology, there are two kinds of epiphanies: A theophany, and a personal epiphany. A theophany is when a greater sense of God or good appears to us. It is a time, an event, or an instance of awareness that comes to you; Often comes as a dream or as a revelation that informs you in ways previously not understood or unknown. Culturally, we commonly frame it as when we feel as if “God speaks or appears to us”.

The second kind of epiphany has more personal and intimate definitions. This is when a person experiences a sudden insight, intuitive flash, or some sort of instant recognition that reveals or unlocks the essential meaning of an event or an experience. Our almost universal human response is “Aha, So that’s it! That is what that means, or now I get it!”

These insights, whether they are religious in nature or not, serve as our significant personal landmarks that can alter the course of our lives. They act as internal signposts, especially during those times when we feel that we are at a crossroads, or when we are feeling beset by the need to make a decision. These various inspirations that can come to us declare a new path to follow, a road less or never taken, but one that you are now able, open, and willing to walk.

An epiphany occurs whenever a greater sense of God or reality appears to us. Epiphanies can become times when each person is genuinely or authentically ready to declare their own spiritual and ethical journey- it acts as our intentional starting point- A baptism into the purpose of our lives. We progress, mature, and hopefully evolve from those raw and unrefined levels of consciousness and move toward higher, and deeper stages of development.

The Orthodox churches keep a veneration of Epiphany for another reason. Epiphany also celebrates the day of Jesus’ baptism by John in the River Jordan. This event symbolized the time in his life when he was mature enough and ready to claim his identity, or his holy purpose. It was when he publicly began to live out his spiritual mission for all humanity.

In following his example, it could be said that the true start of a person’s life, spiritually and psychologically speaking, is at one’s adult baptism, not just at one’s physical birth.

As a religious liberal, I believe that growth, learning, wisdom is ageless and never ending; epiphanies can always happen to us, at any age! You see, broadly speaking, our spiritual birth or symbolic baptism comes to us during unusual times in one’s life:

Most often, it comes during times of crisis, deep insight, after much esoteric study, or as the result of some truly transformative experience. Religions, East and West, when reflecting on the human need for more understanding of these significant times and events, will wisely create or design rituals that address those concerns.

(OK, are you ready? Right after church today, we can all caravan to the beach! We can have a group baptism- it will be like being spiritual polar bears, or at least agnostic penguins, who dedicate or baptize in the name of ‘To whom it may concern!’)

Unfortunately, these historical rituals of change and transformation, have lost a lot of their value. One of the main reasons why is that they are skewed towards youth and are regularly only done during the first quarter of our lives.

There is, in our churches, a great lack of affirmation for aging, and an almost disregard for those ethical and religious rituals that affirm the aging process. There is an absence of recognizing how we mature as a whole person, once we enter into adulthood.

In our larger Western culture, we have an adequate recognition of human beginnings and early development. We are given either a bris or a baptism, a dedication or christening, and then in early adolescence, either a mitzvah or a confirmation, or possibly some other recognition such as a “coming of age” ceremony.

Because of the complexity of modern life, it is clear to most of us that a person of 14 is not ready for the demands and responsibilities of adulthood. Increasingly, we have begun to recognize the stages of adult development that include the sociological, and the physiological changes that each person goes through during their lifetime.

Presently, let me see now, are there any church rites and rituals for adults? Well, other than signing the membership book, there can be a marriage ceremony, and when it is well-designed, can include some recognition of readiness, maturity and change, etc. But what do we have after that? The social sciences have recognized various adult stages, but what about our churches? What do our churches and spiritual communities recognize?

What do most churches offer after the marriage ritual?? Well, let’s see, umm. There’s your funeral! (Now, I will not stop to speculate on why those two events might be linked!)

What are some of the more adult possibilities? Well, in a few of our churches, there are special ceremonies designed to celebrate one’s independence; be it leaving high school, college graduation, or in some cases, a divorce ceremony! (Remember, the marriage laws about having only one spouse for life were designed when the adult life span was only 40-50)

Some innovative churches recognize that when a person wishes to change their name, or when they accept a new role or a new status, some kind of recognition of that fact is needed. There are many adult passages that we could celebrate to recognize: such as when all their children have grown, when a spouse has died, when a person retires, or when they first become a grandparent- all important events and personal experiences worthy of a celebration or an acknowledgment of some kind.

As I see it, our church communities and our intentional spiritual communities are the right places for such celebrations and personal affirmation. By including opportunities to celebrate life’s adult passages, changes and growth, rituals like baptism retain the value to us as we mature.

By offering other members a chance to share their journeys, and by making room for an expanded, having a more symbolic approach to baptism, our community can serve the growth, wisdom, and maturity of all its members.

PS: Given that I am looking for innovative and more spiritually aligned ways to serve my community, I have been asking for feedback and suggestions for both my FB page and my website: One-Spirit-Coaching.com

One of the possibilities is to design adult rituals of affirmation and change. Q: IF you were to decide for a more personal/public recognition of the ages and stages of your life, what would you like to acknowledge or celebrate? I could envision a Zoom ritual or to create a guideline you could enact in your local community/family/friendship circles… Let me know …