Santa Theory

[Thomas]

Oooh! I had such a discussion with some Reiki-adherents on another list about this.

The common figure of the roly-poly red-and-white ho-ho-ho santa was commisssioned by Coca Cola, sometime in the 30s I think (I could be way off on dates), as part of a Christmas advertising campaign. They employed a German emigré anthropologist to come up with a figure, and so he did. This image is (speaking as an advertising man) a triumph of brand marketing.

What Coca-Cola was unaware of, and what their boffin never bothered to tell them, was that his image for Santa was dervied from Northern European shamanic practice, and nothing to do with Christianity at all.

THE NORTH POLE
The whole thing revolves around the psychotropic mushroom, Fly Agaric. This is a toxic and poisonous mushroom, the preparation of which was known to the shamans all across Northern Europe. Best eaten dried, there are others means...

COME FLY WITH ME
Reindeer have a paticular fondness for the mushroom, and like pigs with truffles, would sniff them out, eat them, and become intoxicated. In some places the urine of a 'bombed out' reindeer was collected as the drug passed through the system becuase some of the more toxic elements had been filtered out. This urine could then be drunk with safety, and the drinker would then join the reindeer!

If you want to know how you catch a urinating reindeer - you don't, but you follow it, and eat the yellow snow in its wake. Many believe this is the origin of the European term 'getting pissed' (ie drunk) whereas 'across the pond', in the colonies, I believe you chaps consider it something to do with becoming annoyed?

In other places the owners waited untilk the creature 'came down,' then slaughtered and ate it. The fresh meat was still strongly affective.

There aare records of this drinking the urine process going through 5 or 6 people before the urine loses its potency!

SANTA'S OUTFIT
This, the 'magic mushroom' with it's white stalk, red cap spotted white, gace the colour scheme for the Santa outfit. In pre-1900 English Christmas cards, the Christmas figure (a generic mix of Christian and pagan myth) usually wears green.

COMING DOWN THE CHIMNEY
The Siberian winter dwelling, or yurt, had a smokehole in the roof, supported by a birch pole. Often the yurt would be completely buried by drifting snow, and visiting friends, for the athletic, involved entry through the smoke hole.

The village headsmen could afford fly agaric, whereas most could not. But the headman would collect his own urine, which, like the reindeer, was still strongly affective. Kept in wineskins, this was often given to the poor in midwinter festivals. As the yurts were snowed in, the eaasiest was was lowering this 'gift' through the smoke hole in the roof.

Also at midwinter festivals, the shaman would enter the yurt through the smokehole, carrying a sack with dried Fly Agaric or urine from already intoxicated people, perform his ceremonies, and ascend the birch pole and leave. Ordinary people believed that the shaman could fly, either himself or on flying reindeer.

In the shamanic traditions of Siberia, the shaman would ingest fly-agaric in order to journey to the Sky Father and bring back gifts of knowledge and power for his community. Dressed in a warm, fur-lined, ritual costume, with a thick belt hung with bells, the shaman would make his journey at nightfall to consult with these otherworldly spirits.

It seems that there is also a symbiotic relationship between the fly-agaric mushroom and the birch tree - the mushrooms grow in the shade of the tree - which would account for the 'sacred birch' tradition in European shamanism. Indeed, within shamanism, trees, per se, are held as sacred, as homes of the elementals or gateways to spirit, and connections between different life forms (such as the mushroom and the tree) are revered since the shamanic belief is that we are all - every life form - connected, one to another.

Thomas

[earl]

Interesting detail, Thomas, re to santa and siberian shamanism. Had read something re that years ago but did not recall these details. Who knows for sure what the actual point inspirational origin may have been for the contemporary icons of Christmas we now have, but I enjoy reading regarding parallels. Heck 1 of the reasons I enjoy the Christmas tree is I associate it symbolically with the Tree of Life/Knowledge, (and shamanic myth of course often involved shamans climbing their Tree of Knowledge). One could go all jungian/archetypal re the various figures and aspects of Christmas but simply put only makes sense to me that Christmas was as a date associated with the winter solstice as whether literally or figuratively we're speaking of a divine light being born in the darkest time of a cycle.

Rainer Marie Rilke said this about the "tree:"

"There rose a tree. O pure transcendence!
O Orpheus singing. O tall the tree in the ear!
And all was silent, Yet even in the silence
There was a new beginning, beckoning, change."

But back to Saint Nick-disregarding the over-commercialization of Christmas in general, what's great to me about Santa is the same thing I feel about Halloween-joining in the delight of the children. You ever notice that whenever as an adult we join in the momentary delight, wonder, and unbridled joy of a child, we to are transported to a freer, more open state of being? My biggest joy about viewing all the Christmas decorations and traditions be it in a home or about the town is witnessing the children oohing and awing. Those to me are also invitations to new beginnings. Take care, Earl

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by 17th Angel

Quahom1, because of what you represent I take interest in your posts, could you tell me with slightly more detail how I am Santa? Do you mean because I give gifts to others? If so then, I sadly haven't lol. My Girlfriend really loves X-mas, so this year I am going to try and make an effort to get into the, what do you call it..... Christmas spirit. Bah hum bug..

LOL That is what I meant. Just don't get her a towel or a VCR. Girls do like pretty rocks though. Usually 3/4 carat or bigger, and clear with just the right amount of fire and brilliance in them. (just giving ideas)

v/r

Q

(p.s. my wife had to work to find hers. She had to solve riddles, then find the next clue, solve that riddle and so on - all in poetry fashion- which led her from the tree through out the house, and finally back to the tree, the top of the tree, where the star or angel would sit. Instead, there was a single white light taped to the back of her rock, which expressed it in a prism rainbow effect). Needless to say the fire in the hearth that night was delightful...

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

LOL That is what I meant. Just don't get her a towel or a VCR. Girls do like pretty rocks though. Usually 3/4 carat or bigger, and clear with just the right amount of fire and brilliance in them. (just giving ideas)

v/r

Q

(p.s. my wife had to work to find hers. She had to solve riddles, then find the next clue, solve that riddle and so on - all in poetry fashion- which led her from the tree through out the house, and finally back to the tree, the top of the tree, where the star or angel would sit. Instead, there was a single white light taped to the back of her rock, which expressed it in a prism rainbow effect). Needless to say the fire in the hearth that night was delightful...

hee hee, or a toaster.
that rock riddle would make you Santa, Q. Wonder if that is where "I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe last night" came from.

[earl]

Originally Posted by earl

Interesting detail, Thomas, re to santa and siberian shamanism. Had read something re that years ago but did not recall these details. Who knows for sure what the actual point inspirational origin may have been for the contemporary icons of Christmas we now have, but I enjoy reading regarding parallels. Heck 1 of the reasons I enjoy the Christmas tree is I associate it symbolically with the Tree of Life/Knowledge, (and shamanic myth of course often involved shamans climbing their Tree of Knowledge). One could go all jungian/archetypal re the various figures and aspects of Christmas but simply put only makes sense to me that Christmas was as a date associated with the winter solstice as whether literally or figuratively we're speaking of a divine light being born in the darkest time of a cycle.

Rainer Marie Rilke said this about the "tree:"

"There rose a tree. O pure transcendence!
O Orpheus singing. O tall the tree in the ear!
And all was silent, Yet even in the silence
There was a new beginning, beckoning, change."

But back to Saint Nick-disregarding the over-commercialization of Christmas in general, what's great to me about Santa is the same thing I feel about Halloween-joining in the delight of the children. You ever notice that whenever as an adult we join in the momentary delight, wonder, and unbridled joy of a child, we to are transported to a freer, more open state of being? My biggest joy about viewing all the Christmas decorations and traditions be it in a home or about the town is witnessing the children oohing and awing. Those to me are also invitations to new beginnings. Take care, Earl

thought I'd tag a bit more onto this as relates to a "santa" archetype. The figure I've long been most drawn to in Buddhism both in terms of story and image is Pu-Tai, (known as ho-tai in Japanese). Typically all those chintzy stautes you see in Chinese restaurants are sort of re to him-the "laughing buddha." Well the concept was reputedly derived from a real 12 c.e. Chinese itinerant Chan monk by the name Pu-Tai. Always depicted as a corpulent fellow-though of course bald-headed & no beard. "Pu-Tai" meant hemp sack: & referred to the fact he wandered freely carrying a large hemp sack from which whenever he encountered children he would extract gifts to give them and would unself-consciously play with them. He is considered the patron saint of children and represented the total, innocent, openness of Being-also became the patron saint of bar-tenders in Japan hundreds of years later, though there may be some thematic similarity there At any rate, to display some of my psyche, from the jungian perspective images that come to us, (dreams, visions, etc.), or to which we are drawn often represent qualities of being which may be underdeveloped in the individual; represent part of the path we should be walking to incarnate more of our wholeness or to retrieve that which may have been left behind. In this case, quite true for me-though I've got the corpulent thing down & do have a gray going on white beard, could really stand to become more Santa/Pu-Tai-like. Guess it also explains why i often see children as real role models Ho-ho-ho, Earl

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Originally Posted by Thomas

The common figure of the roly-poly red-and-white ho-ho-ho santa was commisssioned by Coca Cola, sometime in the 30s I think (I could be way off on dates), as part of a Christmas advertising campaign.

Could very well have been in the 30s - I always thought it was in the late 40s. But I have no real idea how old the woman was with whom I went to church. However, as far as the roly-polyness, you're about 100 years off. In Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, you encounter the lines,

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,...
So there you go.

[17th Angel]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

LOL That is what I meant. Just don't get her a towel or a VCR. Girls do like pretty rocks though. Usually 3/4 carat or bigger, and clear with just the right amount of fire and brilliance in them. (just giving ideas)

v/r

Q

(p.s. my wife had to work to find hers. She had to solve riddles, then find the next clue, solve that riddle and so on - all in poetry fashion- which led her from the tree through out the house, and finally back to the tree, the top of the tree, where the star or angel would sit. Instead, there was a single white light taped to the back of her rock, which expressed it in a prism rainbow effect). Needless to say the fire in the hearth that night was delightful...

I wouldn't give me Ideas like that, cause I am the type of person to just decieve for the joy of it... I would end up making thousands of riddles that were pointless and led her around in a circle so it would keep her busy and I would have more time to snipe carol singers....... Just kidding.... probally. Tis a season to be jolly indeed. Hmm were was I going with this... *thinks* Oh yes, thanks for the suggestion Quahom! I will ponder many nights upon this. Oh and is it me? Or do all males get socks for christmas? No matter what! Come rain or shine! Its stupid sock design time... :|

[juantoo3]

Kindest Regards, all!

I was doing a little searching (for something totally unrelated) and stumbled on this:

The history of the death and resurrection of the beast-god that sired Santa is older than Greece, even older than modern humans. It was a ceremony of death and resurrection, of life and fertility, carried on by an ancient aboriginal people - called elves or fairies by later settlers - and adopted by these settlers, who replaced them and continued the sacred rituals throughout Europe.

Of course, burgeoning Christianity vigorously fought to suppress this widespread "pagan" ritual, but it persisted. In response, the church used the Wild Man’s form to depict its Satan. Under pressure from Christianity, villagers, holding to their old festivals while adopting the new Christian religion, managed to keep the old Wild Man alive by transforming him. In village festivals he became the Fool; in this role he strode at the front of his old troupe as master of ceremonies, the outspoken comic who introduced the troupe and made fun of local citizens and mores. In this role he evolved into the symbol of Christmas in America, Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, and Germany. This fur-clad fool and social commentator took yet another direction in Italy, where, as Harlequin, he evolved from Medieval Devil to a primary figure in the commedia dell’arte and became a standard character in French and British Christmases. In all, the Wild Man adapted in almost infinite ways under pressures from Church, State, and the varying influences of civilisation.

http://www.forteantimes.com/articles/118_santan.shtml

There is a great deal more to the article, and I found it to be quite interesting. I have read of some of the things mentioned, enough to believe the author is, for the most part, interpreting the data correctly.

I read Christian literature (tracts) long ago that tried to tie Santa to Satan, but never really got around to explaining quite "how" this was (other than the applied numerology of the two names). It took an article written a quarter century later, by someone I presume is not a Christian, to more fully explain the connection between Santa Claus and a very ancient Pagan "wild man" tradition.

Any thoughts about the article?

I thought it interesting, if questionable, that the practice can be traced back 70 thousand years and practiced by Neandertals.

[juantoo3]

After checking the link, I ended up registering to the site to access the article through this link. Hope that doesn't create any problems.

[earl]

Juan rather interesting-well they do refer to old St. Nick as the "jolly old elf." The only connection between Santa & "Satan" that makes sense to me is via the "Wild Man" archetype, though that is a long stretch to current notions/images of "Satan." As many probably know though, our common depictions of "Satan" are essentially based on images of Pan-the goat-man-who as an image of the "Wild Man" archetype. "Wild Man," being a bit like the name implies-free flowing one's innate earth/body-based energy & joi de'vivre (sp?). For early Christians who were quite uncomfortable/fearful of things earth or body-based; were fearful and suprressive of lively energies that didn't fit then Christian doctrines, it made sense to project onto the "Wild Man" archetype the "demonic." I'm gettin' all Jungian here-but such confusion of course represented Christianity projecting shadow elements onto this archetype-shoving some of their playful life enregy into a shadow bag they called "satan" where some have tried to keep in their personal shadow bag and wrestle with that "devil" ever since. Take care, Earl

[17th Angel]

Jelly Flippers ;\

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by juantoo3

After checking the link, I ended up registering to the site to access the article through this link. Hope that doesn't create any problems.

that was an interesting article Juan. i read through the whole thing.

No wonder he winks as he sips his Coca-Cola.

[Thomas]

Interesting indeed.

If I had any criticism it would be under its overall generality - throw enough spaghetti at the wall, and some of it will stick - but often these things don't stand up to individual examination.

So broadly, a reserved OK.

In general terms, the 'wild man' refers, always and everywhere, to man's 'base nature' - his outlook is at worst evil, usually delusional, at best optimistic, but his horizon is cosmological, not spiritual, a general error more profound in modernity which tends to confuse and confound the psychic and the spiritual domains.

Christianity speaks entirely within the spiritual domain and from here stems its apparent antipathy to the body - 'apparent' in the sense that Christianity accords the physical self the highest ontological foundation of any religion, but in so doing is perhaps somewhat outspoken in its separation of the 'body' and the 'flesh' - of agape and eros respectively - that the 'wild man' (like Pan) is eros incarnate, the saint is is agape incarnate.

The highest virtue of the Christian Tradition, according to Eckhart, was 'detachment', and the Fathers spoke of 'apatheia'; these pagan (ie animic and cosmological) celebrations are often accompanied by rites of surrender of self to the 'passions' (eros) - signifying man's creatureliness and his subjectivity to the world - thus many of his religious acts, and the whole notion of 'sacrifice' were rites of appeasement - the 'wild man' allows for a necessary and providential dispensation of 'anything goes' whereas the Christian ideal is towards 'moderation in all things'.

As ever, in incorporating pre-existing tradition, rite and ritual, the Christian highlights the spiritual essence whilst discarding the (often occluded or even degenerate) material and physical form.

Thomas

[Quahom1]

If I may be so bold

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
or Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas
by
Major Henry Livingston Jr. (1748-1828)
(previously believed to be by Clement Clarke Moore)

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"

Someone who did not know of the 70,000 years of wild man antics took the St. Nicholas concept, and wrote a story for his children, as a way to explain the little gifts they found, and how being good year round had it's rewards.

Society got hold of this little ditty, and rocketed it to the forefront, in less then 50 years...why? Because the wild and wooley ways of Christmas back then were anything but condusive to the most innocent of society (family). Keep New Orleans in New Orleans (for example), but do not have it in every town square on earth...families could not function with that kind of destructive mind set. Parents were determined that "Christian Christmas" was different from Winterfest in a sublte but dramatic way.

Santa Claus is most definitely a British/US invention, and more American than British (the small guy with the tiny deer and red coat, stuff).

Even today, when I tell the story on Christmas Eve (2004 last time), to my neices and nephews before a blazing fire, even today, their eyes twinkle with hope...and for a moment...they believe. And they vow to be good, and make parents proud of them. Hell, even my sons look lost in thought for a while, as they remember...(they wonder if the sound they heard on the roof of our house was really...Santa? And what about the tiny soot marked boot prints all around the tree...so many years ago) I never tell...

v/r

Q

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

If I may be so bold

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

or Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas
by
Major Henry Livingston Jr. (1748-1828)
(previously believed to be by Clement Clarke Moore)

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Even today, when I tell the story on Christmas Eve (2004 last time), to my neices and nephews before a blazing fire, even today, their eyes twinkle with hope...and for a moment...they believe. And they vow to be good, and make parents proud of them. Hell, even my sons look lost in thought for a while, as they remember...(they wonder if the sound they heard on the roof of our house was really...Santa? And what about the tiny soot marked boot prints all around the tree...so many years ago) I never tell...

v/r

Q

that is the Santa i gew up to know.. i even looked for the sled marks on the snow in the front yard on Christmas day. of course there never were any & we did not have a fireplace chimney, so i made my own sled marks on the snow for Santa & for just a moment... I believed