Contemplative Christmas

Thursday, January 2

The Eighth Day

Reading:

“And the (side) that the Lord God had taken from the man (God) made into a woman…” [1]

Reflection:

In the song, the gift of the eighth day of Christmas is Eight Maids a-Milking. The eight maids signify the eight Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount.[2] The task of milking is a menial but necessary work that elicits images of the types of humility and nurturance called for in the Beatitudes. The number 8, when turned on its side, is the symbol for infinity.

On what could be considered the eighth day of creation, or the beginning of a new cycle of creation, God split the androgenous human into two halves – male and female. Much unnecessary suffering has resulted from the mistranslation of the Hebrew word for side in Genesis as rib. In common readings, woman was created from a rib of the man, often assumed to imply inferiority and laying the foundation for generations of patriarchal domination. When that word is understood to mean side or half, the woman and man become co-equal sides of humankind – masculine and feminine. In other words, the first created human being (in the allegorical Genesis story) was wholly human, containing both male and female aspects. This separation of male and female integrates the symbolism of the number 2, which is the splitting of One into two parts or sides, with the number 4, which symbolizes stability, order, and symmetry. The number 8 is the product of 2 x 4. As the male and female natures of humankind are rejoined in relationship, the result is a more stable, complete entity.

In the 7-day cycle of creation, the eighth day begins the cycle again, but at a different level. The coupling (or recoupling) of masculine and feminine energies allows two people to function at higher level together than alone. Thus, eight is often associated with perfection. In the eight Beatitudes, Jesus couples pairs of opposites: being poor with possessing; mourning with comforting; oppression with justice; and so on. Joining a need with what is lacking creates the conditions for both the need and its fulfillment to find perfection or completion in each other.

Closing Meditation:

As the New Year begins, ponder ways you might live your life at a higher level of conscious awareness.

Journal the thoughts and feelings that arise.

This daily series, Contemplative Christmas, is replacing my weekly Life Notes until January 6, 2025, when my weekly blog will resume. The thoughts expressed here are mine. To engage with me: ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

---

[1] Genesis 2:22

[2] Matthew 5:3-10