At this time of year, and I apologise to readers who are not Christian, it’s easy to get caught up in the commercialism and materialism of Christmas.

But I try to remember to focus on Christ. and why he chose to come to earth. And I believe that the aspect I am going to write about in this post applies to all religions.

I believe that his primary purpose was to teach us about unconditional love and as such, the message is an important one for transpersonal psychology. Not love in a romantic sense, although most relationships would benefit from applying the lessons in the full. And certainly not lustful love. Rather, it points us away from lust for material posessions and sex and focuses on internal qualities, qualities that only we can develop in ourselves. I find the checklist in the new testament to be awe inspiring – just take a look:

Love is patient
Love is kind.
It does not envy,
It does not boast,
It is not proud.
It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

My challenge to myself for 2010 is to develop and demonstrate this kind of love in myself and share it with family, friends and customers.