grim singmuf

There are more than a few well-researched books, articles, and websites that have done a great job of uncovering some truths that have been buried for many years now.  One of the most curious ones is the Amanita muscaria mushroom and its relation to Christmas.  A couple of those books have become standards now; books such as James Arthur’s “Mushrooms and Mankind” as well as “Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy” Clark Heinrich, but little has been said about the Amanita mushroom as it relates specifically to the Christmas tradition.

One of the latest books, which actually has an accompanying DVD is called “The Pharmacratic Inquisition”.  The amount of solid evidence is matched only by the amount of speculation that is contained within the pages of the book, but the research they’ve done regarding the original Christmas Mushroom is unparalleled.  One of the most controversial arguments they make is that the story of Jesus and and all related Christian traditions emanated from just two original sources: astrology and shamanism.

Many of the information and arguments presented are thanks to John Allegro. Not many know who he is, but Allegro was one of the original and most respected translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls (ancient Christian texts found near the Dead Sea in the middle of the 20th century). The only problem, though, was that John wasn’t a Christian, and therefore did not inject a Christian bias and agenda into his translations, which resulted in translations that were far too close to the truth for the comfort of the Catholic Church. The result was the radical claim that Jesus was actually a psychoactive mushroom and that this psychoactive mushroom may have been Amanita muscaria. The more research Allegro did on the the subject, the more convinced he was that the true meaning of Jesus, Christmas, and the Amanita mushroom were purposely hidden throughout history.

This also made him an easy target for critics and the Catholic Church, and the moment these claims started to surface, so did the machinery to discredit this brilliant researcher and scholar.

There are a number of indisputable facts such as how Amanita muscaria has a long history of use among northern European and Siberian shamans. In fact, knowledge of the powerful psychoactive properties have been well-documented, and there are still mushroom cults that exist in that very region today.

Back to the Amanita mushroom and Christmas…  In the Pharmacratic Inquisition, Santa Claus is actually a shaman; something that might seem ridiculous until one examines the eveidence that abouds in relation to this idea.  In northern European shamanism, the shaman was responsible for harvesting the Amanita muscaria mushroom.  There’s evidence that he would dry his amanitas, taken from the base of a conifer tree, in the tree itself!  Since the harvest is in the fall and it can take some time to dry the amanitas, this could be the first evidence of a Christmas tree with ornaments of Amanita muscaria on it!

Once the Amanitas were properly dried, the shaman would reportedly gather up his harvest in a sack that looks surprisingly similar to the iconic Santa sack filled with presents for good boys and girls.  He (or she) would then visit the yurts within his community in order to bring gifts of these sacred mushrooms to to his people, entering through the smoke hole at the top of the yurts.

Oh, and by the way; these northern Europeans also happened to be reindeer herders.  Oddly enough, it wasn’t just the shamans who were privy to the entheogenic value of these sacred mushrooms; their reindeer would actually seek them out in the snow, year after year.  Once consumed, there was a noticable effect on the reindeer…some of them would stumble around or fall over, and a few would go into a deep sleep.  But, none of the reindeer were ever harmed, and those same reindeer the next day or next year, would seek out those same mushroom patches again.

So, shamanic reindeer herders who were vastly familiar with the Amanita muscaria mushroom, engaging in a ceremony each year around Christmastime, with Amanitas hanging in the evergreen trees, with reindeer stumbling around, and a shaman in a red suit and a big burlap sack sharing them with his people by climbing down their smoke holes at the top of their yurts…hmmm.

As Martin W. Ball, Ph. D says: “Ultimately, the Pharmacratic Inquisition challenges many of the assumptions and beliefs we may have about Christianity and its central figures, providing provocative evidence that things are not as they seem within this tradition. If true, the question then becomes: does the Catholic Church still use amanita mushrooms secretly within the confines of the Vatican? Have they really been withholding this fundamental truth for two millennia, or have even they come to believe the myths that were created to both communicate and conceal the true identity of Jesus Christ? Watch this film and make up your own mind.”

Related Articles:

• Amanita Cultivation - Why It’s Impossible

• Amanita Species - Complete List of Amanita species

• Amanita DEATH CAP Poisonings - The REAL Truth

• Amanita muscaria & Christmas - An Overview

• Dispelling Myths About the Fly Agaric - by Anonymous

• Hidden Symbols & the Fiery God Plant - Moses and the Burning Bush Explained by Clark Heinrich

• The Inuits and Amanitas - more history of this Sacred plant

• Milk Thistle & Amanita muscaria Poisoning - A Helpful Discussion

• Moses and the Burning Bush - Did he ingest Soma and see God?

• Mushrooms & Fungi - Trivia & Strange Facts

• Red Cap Mushroom the Ancient Soma? - by R. Gordon Wasson

• Soma, Jesus, Cannabis, and Religion - Criminalizing Jesus

• Soma: My Angels of Mercy - A personal healing account!

• The Resurrection of Santa

• The Fly Agaric and Shamanism - by James Arthur

• The Wapaq Tribe - Their Mushroom Cult

By Dana Larsen - Thursday, December 18 2003 

Tags:

• CC46
• Historical
• Modern
• SACRAMENT

Modern Christmas traditions are based on ancient mushroom-using shamans.

The sacred mushroom of these people was the red and white amanita muscaria mushroom, also known as “fly agaric.” These mushrooms are now commonly seen in books of fairy tales, and are usually associated with magic and fairies. This is because they contain potent hallucinogenic compounds, and were used by ancient peoples for insight and transcendental experiences.

Most of the major elements of the modern Christmas celebration, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, magical reindeer and the giving of gifts, are originally based upon the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of these most sacred mushrooms.

The world tree

These ancient peoples, including the Lapps of modern-day Finland, and the Koyak tribes of the central Russian steppes, believed in the idea of a World Tree. The World Tree was seen as a kind of cosmic axis, onto which the planes of the universe are fixed. The roots of the World Tree stretch down into the underworld, its trunk is the “middle earth” of everyday existence, and its branches reach upwards into the heavenly realm.

The North Star was also considered sacred, since all other stars in the sky revolved around its fixed point. They associated this “Pole Star” with the World Tree and the central axis of the universe. The top of the World Tree touched the North Star, and the spirit of the shaman would climb the metaphorical tree, thereby passing into the realm of the gods. This is the true meaning of the star on top of the modern Christmas tree, and also the reason that the super-shaman Santa makes his home at the North Pole.

The amanita muscaria mushrooms grow only under certain types of trees, mostly firs and evergreens. The mushroom caps are the fruit of the larger mycelium beneath the soil which exists in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the tree. To ancient people, these mushrooms were literally “the fruit of the tree.”

Ancient peoples were amazed at how these magical mushrooms sprang from the earth without any visible seed. They considered this “virgin birth” to have been the result of the morning dew, which was seen as the semen of the deity. The silver tinsel we drape onto our modern Christmas tree represents this divine fluid.

Reindeer games

The active ingredients of the amanita mushrooms are not metabolized by the body, and so they remain active in the urine. In fact, it is safer to drink the urine of one who has consumed the mushrooms than to eat the mushrooms directly, as many of the toxic compounds are processed and eliminated on the first pass through the body.

It was common practice among ancient people to recycle the potent effects of the mushroom by drinking each other’s urine. The amanita’s ingredients can remain potent even after six passes through the human body. Some scholars argue that this is the origin of the phrase “to get pissed,” as this urine-drinking activity preceded alcohol by thousands of years.

Reindeer were the sacred animals of these semi-nomadic people, as the reindeer provided food, shelter, clothing and other necessities. Reindeer are also fond of eating the amanita mushrooms; they will seek them out, then prance about while under their influence. Often the urine of tripped-out reindeer would be consumed for its psychedelic effects.

This effect goes the other way too, as reindeer also enjoy the urine of a human, especially one who has consumed the mushrooms. In fact, reindeer will seek out human urine to drink, and some tribesmen carry sealskin containers of their own collected piss, which they use to attract stray reindeer back into the herd.

The effects of the amanita mushroom usually include sensations of size distortion and flying. The feeling of flying could account for the legends of flying reindeer, and legends of shamanic journeys included stories of winged reindeer, transporting their riders up to the highest branches of the World Tree.

Although the modern image of Santa Claus was created at least in part by the advertising department of Coca-Cola, in truth his appearance, clothing, mannerisms and companions all mark him as the reincarnation of these ancient mushroom-gathering shamans.

One of the side effects of eating amanita mushrooms is that the skin and facial features take on a flushed, ruddy glow. This is why Santa is always shown with glowing red cheeks and nose. Even Santa’s jolly “Ho, ho, ho!” is the euphoric laugh of one who has indulged in the magic fungus.

Santa also dresses like a mushroom gatherer. When it was time to go out and harvest the magical mushrooms, the ancient shamans would dress much like Santa, wearing red and white fur-trimmed coats and long black boots.

These peoples lived in dwellings made of birch and reindeer hide, called “yurts.” Somewhat similar to a teepee, the yurt’s central smokehole is often also used as an entrance. After gathering the mushrooms from under the sacred trees where they appeared, the shamans would fill their sacks and return home. Climbing down the chimney-entrances, they would share out the mushroom’s gifts with those within.

The amanita mushroom needs to be dried before being consumed; the drying process reduces the mushroom’s toxicity while increasing its potency. The shaman would guide the group in stringing the mushrooms and hanging them around the hearth-fire to dry. This tradition is echoed in the modern stringing of popcorn and other items.

The psychedelic journeys taken under the influence of the amanita were also symbolized by a stick reaching up through the smokehole in the top of the yurt. The smokehole was the portal where the spirit of the shaman exited the physical plane.

Santa’s famous magical journey, where his sleigh takes him around the whole planet in a single night, is developed from the “heavenly chariot,” used by the gods from whom Santa and other shamanic figures are descended. The chariot of Odin, Thor and even the Egyptian god Osiris is now known as the Big Dipper, which circles around the North Star in a 24-hour period.

In different versions of the ancient story, the chariot was pulled by reindeer or horses. As the animals grow exhausted, their mingled spit and blood falls to the ground, forming the amanita mushrooms.

Saint Nicholas is a legendary figure who supposedly lived during the fourth Century. His cult spread quickly and Nicholas became the patron saint of many varied groups, including judges, pawnbrokers, criminals, merchants, sailors, bakers, travelers, the poor, and children.

Most religious historians agree that St Nicholas did not actually exist as a real person, and was instead a Christianized version of earlier Pagan gods. Nicholas’ legends were mainly created out of stories about the Teutonic god called Hold Nickar, known as Poseidon to the Greeks. This powerful sea god was known to gallop through the sky during the winter solstice, granting boons to his worshippers below.

When the Catholic Church created the character of St Nicholas, they took his name from “Nickar” and gave him Poseidon’s title of “the Sailor.” There are thousands of churches named in St Nicholas’ honor, most of which were converted from temples to Poseidon and Hold Nickar. (As the ancient pagan deities were demonized by the Christian church, Hold Nickar’s name also became associated with Satan, known as “Old Nick!”)

Local traditions were incorporated into the new Christian holidays to make them more acceptable to the new converts. To these early Christians, Saint Nicholas became a sort of “super-shaman” who was overlaid upon their own shamanic cultural practices. Many images of Saint Nicholas from these early times show him wearing red and white, or standing in front of a red background with white spots, the design of the amanita mushroom.

St Nicholas also adopted some of the qualities of the legendary “Grandmother Befana” from Italy, who filled children’s stockings with gifts. Her shrine at Bari, Italy, became a shrine to St Nicholas.

Modern world, ancient traditions

Some psychologists have discussed the “cognitive dissonance” which occurs when children are encouraged to believe in the literal existence of Santa Claus, only to have their parents’ lie revealed when they are older. By so deceiving our children we rob them of a richer heritage, for the actual origin of these ancient rituals is rooted deep in our history and our collective unconscious. By better understanding the truths within these popular celebrations, we can better understand the modern world, and our place in it.

Many people in the modern world have rejected Christmas as being too commercial, claiming that this ritual of giving is actually a celebration of materialism and greed. Yet the true spirit of this winter festival lies not in the exchange of plastic toys, but in celebrating a gift from the earth: the fruiting top of a magical mushroom, and the revelatory experiences it can provide.

Instead of perpetuating outdated and confusing holiday myths, it might be more fulfilling to return to the original source of these seasonal celebrations. How about getting back to basics and enjoying some magical mushrooms with your loved ones this solstice? What better gift can a family share than a little piece of love and enlightenment?

FURTHER LINKS AND REFERENCES:

- The Hidden Meanings of Christmas, Mushroms and Mankind, by James Arthur
- Who put the Fly Agaric into Christmas?, Seventh International Mycological Congress, December 1999, Fungus of the Month
- The Real Story of Santa, The Spore Print, Los Angeles Mycological Society, December 1998
- Santa and those Reindeer: The Hallucinogenic Connection, The Physics of Christmas, by Roger Highfield
- Fungi, Fairy Rings and Father Christmas, North West Fungus Group, 1998 Presidential Address, by Dr Sean Edwards
- Fly Agaric, Tom Volk’s Fungus of the Month for December 1999
- Father Christmas Flies on Toadstools, New Scientist, December 1986
- Psycho-mycological studies of amanita: From ancient sacrament to modern phobia, by Jonathan Ott, Journal of Psychedelic Drugs; 1976
- Santa is a Wildman, LA Times, Jeffrey Vallance

BOOKS WORTH READING:

- Mushrooms and Mankind, by James Arthur
- Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality, by Gordon Wasson
- Mushrooms, Poisons and Panaceas, by Denis R. Benjamin

From shrooming reindeer to beer-fueled elephants, the animal kingdom is filled with addicts. Experts say that wild animals deliberately consume plants, bugs and other substances that offer chemical highs as part of their natural behavior. Here is a list of five wild animals that love to be intoxicated.

5. Reindeer

Red and white like Santa’s suit, a reindeer’s drug of choice is the Amanita muscaria mushroom, a psychoactive fungus which is also known as the fly agaric. According to experts, shrooming reindeer prance around gaily and feel a sensation of flying while they trip out in the forest. In Northern Europe, humans drink reindeer urine and reindeer drink human urine for even more fun on the psychedelic sleigh. It’s the circle of life.

4. Horses

Experts say horses prefer locoweed to grass because of its bright-green color and unlike cheap grass it never turns brown. Locoweed, a cannabis plant, turns them into crazy horses that move their mouths like Mr. Ed. Those stuck on chronic may eat excessively, resulting in diarrhea and could show signs of depression or paranoia, according to experts.

3. Bees

Similarly to elephants, bees steal and drink alcohol. Scientists say that drunken bees are violence-prone, anti-social and less likely to fly. Drunken bees have been known to get so hammered that they can no longer do anything but lie down on their backs and put their legs up.

2. Capuchin Monkeys

After figuring out how to trip balls off insects, the monkeys in South America are not likely to figure out anything else. They are broken, getting high off insects and seeing things that don‘t exist. According to Animal Planet, millipedes sweat poison when they are agitated. So the monkeys start trouble then cover themselves with the poison, which gives them a buzz that makes them hallucinate.

1. Elephants

Remember Hannibal’s 37 war elephants? They still roll that way. In 2007, a squadron of nearly 40 drunken elephants wreaked havoc on a village in Northeastern India. According to the Associated Press, the belligerents ran amok and uprooted a telephone pole after fueling up on rice beer that wasn‘t theirs. They stole a few barrels from some villager’s stash. Shady.

See, it’s not only humans. The world is filled of party animals.

Jason Henry McCormick is an animal lover, watches Animal Planet daily and is very, very strongly against humans who deliberately harm wild animals or pets. Jason’s favorite animal is the White Shark.

© Jason Henry McCormick

yo i swear we watched the moon move left, right, up, down, diagonal right, & diagonal left. 3 of us witnessed this and noted the movements at the same time. DID YOU EXPERIENCE THIS OR ANY OTHER PHENOMENA DURING THE ECLIPSE? we also seen lotsa shooting stars but there is a meteor shower to be expecting. i deff wasnt expecting the moon to move ad shift its position. we used a mountain peak as reference to the movement, if you where sitting still watching the eclipse you had to have seen this movement…. FUCKIN CRAZY!

Thank you. Thank you for existing and making it this far. I truly appreciate you for paying attention to this. Its my apology to you. I care about you. Your hurt me many times but I know it wasn’t on purpose. I want you to know that I feel, I see, and I hear you. I know you’re here. Your very important to not only me but many people, you deserve respect and a better future. If there is anyway I can repay you, I will be happy to help you. My hands, my mind and my heart Is open.

    In our DNA we have the instinct to rise for the cost of others suffering, This is now known as the lizard brain. I don’t have to regress and de-evolve I chose to. I made a mess and I want to clean it.. You’re a conscious being now with many opportunities don’t let them go to waste. Your mind moves amazingly fast, don’t waste your thoughts share them, and learn from them. I will Listen. Let your ideas grow and collaborate with others creativity. I want to show people what a “friend”  is, these people are scared of themselves and afraid to let go of who they think they are. Produce trust, and increase the value of the people, by bettering yourself.

I now want to help people develop ideas and feel comfortable enough to express them openly. If you know better, do better and teach me. Make “good” ideas actions by finding the base of the goal and creating reachable points that will lead of to the execution of the goal. Ground your procedure and decisions. I have faith that you can do that. Create Motion.

Help yourself and the world around you appreciate the environment of the universe and its complexities.

Don’t let people be scared, Help them explore the unknown,  meet the person beneath the emotions.

Be the influence you would like to see and make use of your time. I was watching to much tv at the time, it made me very suggestive and I was confused. I let the drama from the shows enter my life.. Turn on your mind and think. We are the world.

    You are the people. Don’t let us suffer any longer. Its an age of evolution, its time to learn. Im sorry if I  hurt you, I didn’t mean it. I was distracted and busy looking for food I didn’t realize you were standing there. Now I see you, I know you are here and I know that I need you. I realize that you care, and I care too. Forgive me, for I was just and ignorant person, lost and insecure, confused and abandoned by the ones I love. I apologize for stealing from you, I had nothing. I apologize for punching you, I only  harmed myself. I am begging of your forgiveness for I was weak, a mere child only learning.

I now know the affect I had on you, I Love you. I want to repay you, by dedicating the rest of my life in helping your “children” grow. By helping the ones who insist on hurting us see that we’re here and we feel. I notice you, and I know there’s someone in there, beneath the anger and ego, beneath the badge and tie. Beneath the tears and sorrow you are a human as am I. I want to help!

I want to help you reach your goals, and grow. I want to help eliminate the self centered insecurities that eat away at our higher being. I want to help ease the pain and stress to a minimum. I want to do what I can for the children, for the woman, men, trees, birds, the water the sun and the rest of the universe. For it is our home, and I don’t want to live in a dump. We’re to smart to let that happen. So for the sake of everything I never knew, I forgive you, I hope you can forgive me. Lets move on, and learn from the mistakes we have made and become what we always needed. Don’t let me do it again!

                                                   written by my brother