At a Christmas party a few weeks back one of my coworkers asked what my favorite Christmas movie was. The answer came easily: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ I’ve always loved this movie! I’m clearly not alone in this. The movie has been standard fare at holiday-time for as long as I can remember.
As I think about it, my love of 'It’s a Wonderful Life' ties in a lot with my love of astrology. After all, the movie’s central theme involves concepts of time and destiny. Astrology gives us glimpses into these mysteries.
We’re all familiar with the story of George Bailey. On Christmas Eve George finds himself in crisis. Things have gone terribly wrong, and he blames himself. Standing on a bridge and ready to end his life, he wishes aloud that he had never been born! His guardian angel, Clarence, intervenes, pulling him from the water. Clarence then takes him on a journey through an alternate version of reality, one where he never existed. Starting from his childhood, Clarence shows George how different things would be at every turn had he never been born. George begins to understand how much he has affected those around him--not just his loved ones, but his entire community. Without him and his contributions, everything is changed.
There’s a great truth in this, one that would apply to any character or, indeed, to any of us. Remove one person from the fabric of reality and the whole thing changes in ripple effects throughout time. We each have our part to play, our contributions to make. Everything we do is woven into the fabric of reality in an intricate design of vast complexity, where everything is interconnected. On some level we all know this to be true, which is why the idea has found its way into popular culture.
What if we carried this awareness with us more often? Would it change the way we think of ourselves, or the choices we make, or what we choose to focus on? What might it inspire in us, moving forward into the New Year?
Food for thought, isn’t it?
My best wishes to all of you for a happy and fulfilling 2015!