Shayana Files

Santa and Shayana have more in common than you think

Not only are Santa and Shayana good friends. They also have the same job: Shaman !

Shayana fans who know a thing or two about their most beloved mushroom queen will also know that she was trained as a professional shamaness and priestess, an education that would later prove to be very useful in her activities as an online smartshop manager.

And although Shayana’s true fans might have read some reports revealing that Shayana is actually very good friends with the one and only father Christmas (Santa Claus), only few know that apart from being close friends, Shayana and Santa are actually colleagues. Both she and Santa clause received exactly the same training: that of a shaman ! Impossible, some might say. How could Santa Clause, a Christian personality, be a heathen medicine man? Is Christmas not the most Christian of all Christian celebrations? Or is it a big commercial conspiracy that makes us buy presents and spend money? And what does this have to do with magic mushrooms?

Seeing that the merriest and most magical time of the year is drawing more closer every day, Shayana thought it was high time to enlighten her true followers, and unveil to them some the most sacred wisdom and truths concerning her friend Santa Clause, and the Christmas holiday season.

Santa the mushroom gatherer

Although most people believe Christmas to be a holiday created and celebrated by Christians , most of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations actually stem from the shamanistic traditions of tribes that lived in northern Europe in the time before Christ.

The holy mushroom of these people was the red and white amanita muscaria, commonly known as the "fly agaric." A mushroom that is used in books and fairy tales and usually associated with magic and sorcerers. Because of its strong hallucinogenic compounds, this mushroom was often used by ancient tribes in order to gain insight and have transcendental experiences. Most of the major elements of the modern Christmas celebration, such as father Christmas or Santa Claus, Christmas trees, magical reindeer and the giving of gifts, are originally based upon the ancient traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of this most sacred mushroom.

One of the effects of the A. muscaria is that the size of the objects around you suddenly starts changing and shifting. You feel as if you are flying. The feeling of flying could be related to the tales of flying reindeer and legends of shamanic journeys including stories of winged reindeer.

Although the modern image of Santa Claus was in some way created by the advertising department of Coca-Cola, much of the way he looks like, behaves like and who he hangs out with, leads me to believe that he is the reincarnation of an ancient mushroom-gathering shaman.

One of the side effects of eating A. muscaria is that your skin and face get a reddish glow. Just like Santa, who is always portrayed with glowing red cheeks and nose. Even Santa's famous greeting "Ho, ho, ho!" reminds us eerily well of the euphoric laughter of people who have taken the magic mushroom.

Even the way Santa dresses reminds us of a shaman mushroom gatherer. When it was time to go out and harvest the magical mushroom, the ancient shamans would dress much like Santa, wearing red and white fur-trimmed coats and long black boots. These peoples lived in houses made of birch and reindeer hide, called "yurts." They look a lot like the tents the Indians made. With a central smoke hole, often also used as an entrance. After harvesting the mushroom from under the holy trees where they grew, the shamans would fill their sacks and head home. They then entered their homes through the chimney-entrances and started distributing their mushroom gifts with the others.

Santa's famous magical journey on a sleigh flying through the nightly skies, going around the whole planet in one night, can be traced back to the concept of the "chariot of the heavens," . This chariot was divine means of transportation 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 grew tired, their mingled spit and blood falls to the ground, forming the mushrooms.

True spirit of Christmas

The celebration of Christmas is far more than just a commercial festivity. It is through a better understanding of the actual truths behind this popular celebration, that we can also better understand the modern world, and our place in it.

Many people in the modern world have rejected Christmas as being too commercial, accusing it of being nothing more than 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 maintaining and spreading old-fashioned and confusing money-driven holiday myths, I believe we should go back to the original source of Christmas and see Santa for who he really is. Instead of going on shopping sprees to by the biggest, most expensive, most shiny and luxurious gifts, why don’t we get back to basics and enjoy some magical mushrooms with our loved ones this holiday season? What better gift can family and friends share than a little piece of love and enlightenment?

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