However, what if we go beyond the “is it myth or is it literal” question and ask if the Guiding Star might also be a metaphor.
You see, I have seen on occasion the Divine Spark that exists within each and every one of us. Native Americans say we each have a piece of the Creator. In energy healing paradigm this Divine Spark or piece of the Creator is called the “Core Star.” That is because that is exactly what it looks like. At the center of your being and body is a brilliant light that looks like a star, shining out in all directions in brilliant white and yet at the same time multi-colored rainbow light.
So perhaps regardless of whether the magi’s Star is literal or mythic, it is also metaphor for this Inner Star that we are all seeking in order to find the Christ Consciousness within. This Core Star is pure divinity. It needs no fixing, no healing, no saving, no nothing. It is eternally True, infinitely Source. I have seen and know that within each of us is the Divine Light we are seeking.
Now we exist in layers, and so this Guiding Star within that has quite literally taken my breath away whenever I’ve seen it in people, can get covered with layers of life, just like any jewel’s luster can’t be seen if it’s got layers of dust, or anything else on it. And so our great spiritual task in life is to uncover and clear more and more of what is just stuff, just temporary, just not the true us, until finally we can see a speck of that ever-glimmering Star within. Others might even be able to see our Light shining too. And when we clear enough of the layers away, then we can consciously tap into our Divine Light and follow that moment-to-moment and big picture guidance that it’s always giving. Your Guiding Star has been there all along. You are always connected to it, even when not always aware of it. It is always eternally shining, even when you don’t always see that in yourself or others. It is there—this beautiful gorgeous spark of all things divine: love, joy, peace, abundance, generosity, wisdom, etc.
So for me what some people think is outrageous or awe-inspiring: the belief that Jesus is both fully human and divine is nothing compared to when you realize that the truth about him is the truth about all of us. We are each Christ, each “God dressed up in drag” as they say. We are fully Divine and human: A Divine Spark, a Core Star of light all dressed up in human form. What a concept! How absurd! How outrageous! How wonder-ful!
Meditate and contemplate on this bright Star within. Picture it in your mind’s eye. See it glowing and expanding in all directions, reaching everyone and everything on the planet, and then reaching out into the Cosmos. Get quiet and ask for guidance from this Center.
The Divine Incarnation is everywhere! This is the good news for me.
The Core Star Within
(Sing to the tune of “We Three Kings", adapted from the chorus)
O, Star of Wonder, Star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Loveward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us with this Perfect Light.