EXPLORING THE NATURE / MYTH OF CHRISTMAS & SANTA ...Saturnalia / Yuletide / Saint Nicholas the Wonder Worker, Santa as a Shaman on mushrumps, Santa & Coca Cola and Winter Solstice conscious ceremonies and summary by Guy ...Religion is a myth, which is perpetuated throughout the Ages in different forms as we attempt to describe the sense of the Sacred that moves in, through and around us and all things... For sure there was a man named Jesus, a Great man, a healer, a Teacher, a mystic, a Yogi, and, the legend of his birth at Christmas is neatly timed with the Winter Solstice and the Ancient pagan festival of Saturnalia. Saturnalia is a festival of Light leading to the Winter Solstice, with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing the quest for knowledge and truth. The renewal of Light and the coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun, on December 25. The popularity of Saturnalia continued into the third and fourth centuries AD, and as the Roman Empire came under Christian rule, some of its customs have influenced the seasonal celebrations surrounding Christmas and the New Year. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia YULE or Yuletide (Yule time) is a religious festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in, the now better known as Christmastide. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Modranicht. In Germanic Neopagan sects, Yule is celebrated with gatherings that often involve a meal and gift giving. In most forms of Wicca, this holiday is celebrated at the winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god,who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule SAINT NICHOLAS THE WONDER WORKER (4th Century) He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, a practice celebrated on his feast day―St Nicholas Day (6 December in Western Christianity and 19 December in Eastern Christianity);and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration of Saint Nikolaos. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas SANTA & SHAMANISM; Many of the traditions we see across the world that are tied to the Christmas holidays have a suprising similarity to the ancient traditions of Siberian Shamans. Through the description below, you can easily see the role of Santa Claus being filled by the local shaman. His gift to everyone on Chistmas (Winter Solstice)... dried out mushrooms that were hung by the fire with care. The Mushroom That Grows Only Under the Christmas Tree From SagaciousMama: It all begins with a mushroom. Yes. A mushroom. Did you expect it to begin with something man made? Then you’re not thinking far back enough. Humanity’s first interactions were with earthly things. The name of the mushroom is Amanita muscaria, also called Fly Agaric. Muscaria is a psychotropic, causing visions and altered states. It is also toxic, and must be handled in a particular manner so as to get the psychedelic effects without the toxic ones. You may have heard of the word “shaman”, which is a word from the Tungus-speaking people of Siberia, to connote a religious specialist.(1) The Tungusic are Russian indigenous people who live in the arctic circle (north pole) and they are reindeer herders. A shaman dealt with the mushrooms, as both a safety practice and as part of the spirituality of the people. The shaman would collect the mushrooms in a bag and deliver them to families, who would then often hang them in socks around the fireplace to dry – the mushrooms would be ready to share their revelatory gifts in the morning of the solstice. Amanita Muscaria grows only beneath a Christmas tree (coniferous/pine tree) in a symbiotic, non-parasitic relationship with the roots of the tree. It used to be thought to be the fruit of the tree. Ornaments and Santas Outfit And what about Santas outfit and Christmas tree ornaments? To this day Siberian shamans dress in ceremonial red and white fur-trimmed jackets to gather the magic mushrooms. First they pick and place the mushrooms to partially dry on nearby pine boughs which prepares them for ingestion and makes the load lighter. This is why we decorate our Christmas trees with ornaments and bulbs, because the gatherers would always adorn trees with drying mushrooms. Coming in through the Chimney And of course, the final touch is how the shaman would enter homes to distribute the gifts: The tradition of the Shaman was to go into the forests and collect these shrooms that grow under pine trees or evergreen trees. The Shaman would collect enough for the entire tribe and then go to each of the houses, sometimes due to heavy snow the doors would be snowed in and the Shaman would have to enter through the smoke hole in the roof! Flying Reindeer! And then theres the flying reindeer. How did they fly? Mushrooms of course. shamanswell.org/shaman/siberian-shamanism-origins-santa-claus-reindeer-pine-trees-and-mushrooms AND THEN THERES SANTA COCA COLA; The Santa Claus we all know and love — that big, jolly man in the red suit with a white beard — didn’t always look that way. In fact, many people are surprised to learn that prior to 1931, Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf. He has donned a bishops robe and a Norse huntsmans animal skin. In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harpers Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he’s known for ...From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola advertising showed Santa delivering toys (and playing with them!), pausing to read a letter and enjoy a Coke, visiting with the children who stayed up to greet him, and raiding the refrigerators at a number of homes. In 1942, Coca-Cola introduced Sprite Boy, a character who appeared with Santa Claus in Coca-Cola advertising throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Sprite Boy, who was also created by Sundblom, got his name due to the fact that he was a sprite, or an elf. (It wasn’t until the 1960s that Coca-Cola introduced the popular beverage Sprite.) coca-colacompany/holidays/the-true-history-of-the-modern-day-santa-claus#TCCC CONSCIOUS WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATIONS; The December solstice is on either December 20, 21, 22 or 23. It is called Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year. Winter solstice takes place on December 21 this year, marking the moment when days begin to lengthen, and nights become shorter. Many people, including Pagans, Druids, and other nature-lovers celebrate the return of the light on the solstice. Thousands of people gather at Stonehenge in England to mark the occasion each year. The Dongzhi Festival is celebrated in China, marking the winter solstice. The event is marked by family get-togethers and feasting. Ancient Scandinavians celebrated their holiday of Yule for 12 days, celebrating the return of the sun by burning large pieces of wood, known as Yule logs. Celebrations were also common in Ancient Rome. techtimes/articles/22661/20141222/winter-solstice-the-science-behind-it-and-the-history-of-celebration.htm Perhaps this year, with some preparation and planning, we can plant the seeds for a more intuitive, simpler, and natural holiday season. Winter solstice, which takes place in late December, can be a profound way to tune into the magic and beauty of the season. For people throughout the ages—from the ancient Egyptians and Celts to the Hopi—midwinter has been a significant time of ritual, reflection, and renewal. Creating a meaningful celebration of winter solstice, either in place of or in addition to other holiday activities, can help us cultivate a deeper connection to nature and family and all the things that matter most to us. Winter can become a time of feeding the spirit and nurturing the soul, not just emptying our bank account and fraying our nerves. Pre-Christmas celebrations While we don’t know how long people have been celebrating the solstice, we know that ancient cultures built huge stone structures designed to align perfectly with the sun at specific times, such as dawn or high noon. And some ancient peoples performed sacred rituals and made offerings when the sun dipped below the horizon to ensure its daily return, especially during the darkest days. Many of the traditions now associated with Christmas are believed to have originated centuries earlier with nature-based communities and indigenous peoples. For example, the idea of Santa Claus may have come from the story of the first shamans who were said to climb high into the upper worlds and return with gifts of wisdom and prophecies, postulates Tony Van Renterghem in When Santa Was a Shaman (Llewellyn, 1995). The word “yule” may derive from an Anglo-Saxon term that means “wheel,” and in pagan Scandinavia, village people sat around bonfires of burning yule logs throughout the night while drinking mead and listening to the stories of minstrel-poets. Richard Heinberg, author of Celebrate the Solstice: Honoring the Earth’s Seasonal Rhythms through Festival and Ceremony (Quest Books, 1993) describes the solstices as “times of danger and opportunity; times for special alertness and aliveness.” In Iran, families often kept fires burning all night to assist the battle between the light and dark forces. In ancient Rome, where it was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, or the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, masters even celebrated as equals with their slaves. Throughout history, celebrating the solstice has been a way to renew our connection with each other and with the numinous through acts of goodwill, special rituals, and heightened awareness. Make your own rituals “Solstice” comes from two Latin words: sol meaning sun and sistere meaning “to stand still” because it appeared as though the sun and moon had stopped moving across the sky. This longest night of the year, followed by a renewal of the sun, demonstrates the cyclical order of the cosmos. In this way, celebrating the solstice can be a beautiful remembrance that our lives are part of a larger order, always changing, always renewing. In Celebrate the Solstice, Heinberg writes that “wisdom consists in knowing one’s place in any given cycle, and what kinds of action (or restraint of action) are appropriate for that phase.” Attuning our senses to the subtle changes and cycles of the seasons might help us attune more lovingly to the subtle changes and cycles in ourselves. By performing simple rituals with personal meaning to celebrate the solstice, these rituals will serve as touchstones to help us cultivate an attitude of receptiveness and appreciation that will carry us through the holiday season with more ease. A good starting point might be to make a promise this winter to spend more time listening, watching, and honoring the slower, quieter rhythm of the season. On the solstice, visit a place outdoors that’s special to you—a trail you can walk or a field you can lie down in, a hillside or mountain perch that provides the perfect view, or even the roof of your apartment building or a quiet place on the edge of your yard. Consider watching the sun rise or set from your little patch of the world. Write a poem. Make a list of loving wishes for friends, family, coworkers—even people you don’t know that well. Build a shrine of nature’s found objects. Light a candle. Reflect on your aspirations for the coming months. Throw the I Ching. Say a prayer. Sing an original song. Sharing food, an important part of any celebration, is particularly meaningful during the solstice, as it represents faith in the return of the sun and the harvest. Maybe you’d like to prepare a simple meal from organic winter vegetables to share with friends or family, or cook a dinner to enjoy in the welcome solitude of your own company. Silence is another beautiful way to celebrate the shortest day of midwinter. Reflect the stillness of the day by cultivating stillness in yourself. Consider honoring the threshold of solstice with an hour of intentional silence for you and your household. New traditions Creating a new tradition that brings more peace and heart to your holidays could also bring you closer to family and friends. Sharing a ritual founded on love of nature, on respect for the always renewing cycles of life, and on faith in the future has a way of bringing out the best in people. If you’d like to start your own, consider these suggestions found at CircleSanctuary.org. You might make a wreath with evergreens collected by loved ones on a walk through the woods. Evergreens, it’s said, symbolize the continuity of life, protection, and prosperity. Or build a circle of candlelight, one for each participant, and then blow them out and sit together in the darkness for a few moments offering gratitude before lighting one central, larger candle to symbolize your unity over the coming year. Ring a collection of bells at sunrise and sunset or offer seeds to winter birds and other outdoor creatures. If you have children in your life, you might organize some special activities to share with them, such as identifying winter plants and animals with a field guide on a short walk or drawing pictures of winter scenes in your neighborhood. Try writing an acrostic poem in which you use “solstice” as the root word and use each of its letters as the beginning of a line in the poem. Or watch together from a warm window as the sun sets and give thanks for both the darkness and the light. motherearthliving/health-and-wellness/simply-solstice-celebrate-winter-with-new-and-old-traditions.aspx#axzz3L4TMdqn3 SUMMARY by Guy Its amazing how easily we accept something as true even when its clearly a mishmash of a readoption of a Pagan festival, an honouring of the god Odin, obviously made up as a marketing ploy to increase coca cola sales, or a reconstruction of an Ancient Shamanic tradition of mushrump collecting. Infact very little to do with Lord Jesus at all, and a lot to do with the simplicity of welcoming back the returning SunLight. Im all for celebrating the return of the Light, for sharing gifts and precious family time, but lets not pretend this is about Jesus or Santa. This is an opportunity for us to be more the Light and Love we already are, to share our Human Kindness. Its also an opportunity for us to explore, examine and question what we believe is true, to examine the facts, and not to confuse this for the fiction we are presented. Myths are stories which remind us of what we are or can be, reflections of aspects of ourselves. At this time we can choose to celebrate the returning Light of the Sun King, penetrating through the darkness of illusion, lies, deceit. Lets not loose our Sacred focus in favour of commercial manipulation. After all its not the gifts we give that matter, its the Love we are that is given through the gift that matters. Happy Christ~mas, Santa time, Yuketide, Saturnalia, mushrump celebration ! (call this occasion what you will). May the Sun Kings Light be a Blessing for us all, with Love from Guy
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 20:54:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015