taken from the book 'mushrooms and mankind'
"The Hidden Meanings of Christmas"
After studying the Amanita muscaria mushroom for some twenty years, I fell into the company of some very enthusiastic folks who insisted that I commit this study to writing. It is one thing to talk about the many various religious writings which I have been looking into, and found ample mushroom symbology to present a verbal case for ethnomycologic
Within the study of world religion one finds philosophical systems. These are the philosophies which the respective believer adopts as their understanding of life itself. State-ism must be considered a religion in its own right, as even those who profess no religious preference or belief adopt a philosophical view of reality based upon a state/cultural
So this study will deal with ethnomycology as a base, but will also delve into psychology, ethnology, philology, anthropology, archaeology, sociology, art, history, religion, myth, culture, symbology, and philosophy.
I will begin this book with the study of Christmas and its associated symbols and icons because after studying most of the worlds religions and their associated philosophies, I have found this to actually be a religion in its own right and quite pure philosophicall
What are the origins of the Christmas traditions? Most people never think to ask this question. Those that do, find a seemingly complete dogmatic system of explanation. Then, of course, one day there is that discovery that Santa Claus does not really exist. But... Does he? Many things have been written in an attempt to trace Christmas' development. You can find people who consider themselves experts in this field, and even books on this subject. I suppose you could call the field "Santa-ology", or perhaps even "Santa-ism". Yet, long lost, deeply underlying the realms of simple tradition, are very amazing symbolic connections and origins that are either long- forgotten or were/are intentionally overlooked. The basic philosophy behind Christmas is; if you are good you will receive a present under the tree, if you are bad then you receive no present. In some cultures those who are bad even receive punishment delivered by various means and personages. This is a very simple philosophical system. Santa Claus is an all knowing icon who reads the hearts and intentions of everyone on the planet. Each child is told the story of the round-man (who wears red and white) and his associates; reindeer, little people and Mrs. Claus. They are also told the story of a miraculous worldwide flight in a sleigh which results in presents being delivered under a tree. Yet when a child reaches the age of reasoning he is informed that this story is all a fabrication. This revelation is devastating upon the psyche of a young mind. It is also at this time that the child is often comforted, and pacified from the shock, by very strong reinforcement that the religious system which the parents or guardians profess are indeed factual. And an attempt is made to incorporate the respective religious traditions into the holiday as the REAL meaning for the celebration. There is an alternative to this cultural conditioning and shock-relief system of indoctrination
It is my assertion that the traditional day of reckoning wherein it is revealed; Santa Claus is not real, Reindeer do not fly, there is no present under the tree (unless placed there by a deceiver), is a dis-informatio
It is also my conclusion that this event subliminally plays an important role for religious systems that wish to suppress the expansion of consciousness through fear of the unknown. The psyche is scarred deeply when it is forced to deal with realizing it has accepted a falsehood as truth. And when it deals with plants and things found under trees, subliminally, one armors oneself against these concepts. There develops an unconscious fear of falling into the same trap. Of course this is also pacified through replacing the meaning of things like the pine tree. Interestingly, in some traditions the PINEAL gland is thought to be the seat of the human soul. It is shaped exactly like a pinecone (hence the name Pine-al). Apparently, it is also an autonomous part of the brain, resting in the dead center, not attached to any other part of the brain; sort of a floating pinecone in the center of the human brain. Perhaps we have a lot more in common with the Pine tree than we thought. This gland, and its endogenous secretions, as well as other relevant implications, will be further discussed in a later section. But it is interesting to note; due to cultural phenomenon, the pineal gland atrophies during youth, which corresponds to this timely day of reckoning, and even begins to calcify during puberty. This atrophy/calcif
The Santa Claus and Christmas traditions of today have metamorphosed out of many older mythologies. The icons, symbols, and relics that have managed to survive from the "Winter Solstice" celebrations of old, have a commonality that deserves some reflection, study, and perhaps even some reverence. Understanding that these traditions are borrowed ones, is central to getting at the heart of the true meaning of Christmas.
Previous description:
Hmm... what could I fill this space with?...
Monotonous garbage about what deodorant I use, what my favourite color is or what TV show I like... somewhere along the lines revealing my 'lucky number' is '13'... clearly under some kind of false pretence that irony is cool... Written up in an easy to read questionnaire style that I copied and pasted from another members page…
Endless (strangely familiar) lists of bands and artists I like such as Jimmi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Nirvana... that I ASSUME will make me more accepted because... thats what cool people like... right?...
A few paragraphs filled to the brim with reasons why I'm different to everyone else, using words such as 'freak' and 'strange',
Hoping that you somehow forgot the last time you read the same thing on a another members page…
A list of reasons explaining what you cant messege me... Including the almost universal conversation starter... 'Hello' or 'Hi'... Ultimatly rendering all known conversational skills defunct due to a lack of wanting to hear anyone elses opinion... which by the way isn't because I'm just crap at making conversation..
A few lines warning other members not to send me messeges like 'you're hot' because frankly... I KNOW... though of course I'll give a less arrogant reason like... 'it isnt intelligent'..
A short description of my physical appearance... Portraying myself as a sexy young teen dropping in casual hobbies like 'basketball' and 'painting' to hide the fact that I'm clandestinely selling myself for 'cyber-sex'...
Paragraphs of 'personal' philosophies that I apparently thought up myself could work... such as why humans aren't the most intelligent species on earth and why the meaning of life is '42'... unaware that 90% of people on this site have read the 'hitch hikers guide to the galaxy'...
If I had the talent or patience... masses of poems or song lyrics divulging in the teen-angst side of my persona that seems to be mandotory in order to gain some respect amoungst the more 'hardcore' members could prove useful...
A bunch of conscious incoherent crap written merely to placate myself and the like minded fools ammoungst the members on here who feel they may be alone... or simply for the sake of being different...
A short rant about how I think all you people that think you're vampires, demons, elves and whatever else are just plain stupid... Or… I could just become one of you…
Quiz results telling me what kind of Smurf I am, what Lord of The Rings character I most resemble or how aberrant I am...
Long sentences and paragraphs, talking about how I hate superfluous conformity and social labels... Using words that exceed the average users terminology in a subtle yet extremely shallow attempt to appear 'avant-garde' and win over the more socially aware members...
Even a nifty step by step guide on all the banal things you should do to seem cool on Elftown... could work...
But I wont... I shall tell you all something new and interesting...