Santa didn't take drugs; he was drugs. With Christmas approaching, it's time to revisit the enchanting concept of Psychedelic Santa involving psychoactive mushrooms and the shamanic rituals of the indigenous Sámi people who live in northern Finland. Back in 2010, Matthew Salton blew mainstream minds with a New York Times "Op-Doc" short video and essay on the topic:
According to the writer and mycologist Lawrence Millman, the shaman would make use of Amanita muscaria's psychoactive effects in order to perform healing rituals. The use of Amanita muscaria as an entheogen (that is, a drug used to bring about a spiritual experience) would enable the shamans to act as intermediaries between the spirit and human world, bringing gifts of healing and problem-solving. (Although these mushrooms are poisonous, the Sami reduced their toxicity by drying them..) Various accounts describe the shaman and the rituals performed in ways that are fascinatingly similar to the narrative of Santa. An all-knowing man who defies space and time? Flying reindeer? Reindeer-drawn sleds? Climbing down the chimney? The giving of gifts? The tales of the Sami shamans have it all.
For a deeper look at this strange and wonderful tale, see Paul Devereux's 2008 book The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia and the following fascinating features by the Daily Grail's Greg Taylor:
• "Santa is a Psychedelic Mushroom: Were Modern Christmas Traditions Influenced by Shamanic Folklore?"
• "Santa's Long Trip"
Huh...there was another theory years ago - The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross - which suggested that Jesus was a mythological figure created by early Christians who were influenced by psychoactive mushrooms. Dear Santa: please stop appropriating Christ's mythology and get your own darn story! You already stole the thunder of his birthday...have you no shame??
Hmm...then again: this could lead to some interesting new Xmas traditions. Forget about milk and cookies...just leave an eighth of shrooms "for Santa" and then parents will be just as giggly as their kids come Christmas morning (either that, or hiding behind the tree while attempting to fend off "the bats" with a broom and a spray bottle)
Trippin’ baubles 😀