We came across this interesting article recently in Salon online – a good deal of the reporting is conjecture, and the writer seems to be taking some pretty big liberties with some of the origins of beloved Christmas traditions such as wrapped presents and even pine trees, but the ideas of Santa Claus as a shaman and reindeers as magic mushroom consumers “flying high” during the holidays are interesting takes on these traditional holidays tropes we’ve all grown up with our entire lives.
Quoting from the article:
It almost sounds sacrilegious to mix psychedelics and winter festivities, but there’s actually a fair amount of historical evidence that suggests modern Christmas was borne out of trippy traditions. From flying reindeer to presents and ornaments to the bearded man with the North Pole address, a ton of iconography overlaps with indigenous psychedelic shamanism in Siberia and northern Europe …. Some historians argue that Santa Claus is actually a “magic” mushroom shaman, as indicated by his red and white outfit. It resembles the psychedelic fly agaric mushroom, a fungus as bright red as Rudolph’s schnoz sprinkled with white flecks like snow. Drawing on this and other evidence, quite a few scholars subscribe to theories that numerous Christmas traditions spawned from pagan psychedelic rituals, even if it’s not a mainstream belief.
Since psilocybin ceremonies are a primary aspect of our psychedelic retreats we hold monthly in beautiful (non-snowy) Jamaica here at Tensing Pen, we thought we’d share this Salon article with you as our way of “making merry” this holiday season, where ever you happen to be located currently as this present year starts to come to its end.
Please read the entire article here. Want more information on our transformational, Jamaican psychedelic retreats as powered by psilocybin? Please check-out our informative FAQs page, then visit our application page to initiate an expansive vacation and the experience of your lifetime!
Happy Holidays from Evolution Retreats!
Steve is the Executive Director of New Pathways Clinic, our sister company that provides Ketamine treatments for treatment resistant psychiatric conditions in Cleveland, OH. Motivated by his own success in achieving remission for multiple psychiatric diagnoses through various psychedelic therapies, he opened New Pathways Clinic and partnered with Evolution Resorts to help others struggling achieve mental wellness. His goal is to make sure the Evolution Resorts provides the same level of care to its patrons that can be expected from future psychedelic clinics in America once psilocybin is authorized by the FDA as a medicine for depression and other mental health conditions.
Ever since he graduated from Ohio State with a major in Psychology, he has not stopped pursuing knowledge about new treatments available in the realm of mental health. As a vigorous consumer of research publications, he will always be ready to answer any questions anyone has about psychedelic therapies or alternative options for treatment in the United States. Steve will ensure Evolution Resorts continues to update its procedures to match the most up to date science on psilocybin therapy.