Vaboomer -- Baby Boomer Views & News

Was Santa a Shaman?

The Mysterious Santa Claus

There's a lot more to "Santa Claus", than modern man knows.  The red cloaked jolly man is a link to man's ancient past.

 

To the ancients and their shamans, this time of year was filled with mystery.  Winter was scary: food was scarce and some people would die.  The winter solstice and the time of Christmas.  The name "Santa" means saint -- an allusion to his sacredness.  The origin of the "myth" of Santa is hidden in the mists of time.  But there are clues...

The Real Story of Jingle Bells

In ancient Lapland and Siberia the shamans wore bells on their ritual costumes. The bells were noisemakers to announce his/her coming and to ward off unfriendly spirits. 

They climbed up the central poles of their skin tents, and  returned with the gifts of prophecy and wonder from the Otherworlds.

It is to these people that we have to look for the first appearance of the figure who, thousands of years later, evolved into the jolly old man of Christmas himself, Santa Claus. 

It is thought that the red cloak of Santa, signifies the sacred blood that links all human beings and that is also perceived as a link between humans and animals, and between the shaman and the earth.

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The reindeer come from Lapland too.

The Puritans outlawed the celebration of Christmas (punishable by death).  Probably because it seemed Pagan to them.  The Dutch immigrants to America brought Santa & Christmas with them.

So, when you hear Santa's bells on your rooftop, know that there is more to this jolly old guy -- he's deeper than we think.

 

 

Opening Your Heart

Opening one's heart is key to good health

After days at the keyboard my upper back and chest were in a huge knot. So the other day I was giving myself accupressure on my upper left ribs where they insert in the breast bone and these words keep sounding in my mind's ear---Open Your Heart, Open Your Heart. Again and again and again. I've been at this intention for many years--on the body level and on the emotional level.

Food and the Heart

With the history of heart disease in my family, good heart health is really important to me. I have changed my diet over the years--very little fried and that only in EE Olive Oil. Lots of veggies and fruits (OK some ice cream--esepcially when In the Keweenaw Peninsula--slaver over Jilbert's--the best in the world!) Little white or refined foods--almost no sugar or fructose.  I need to up my exercise. I need to shed 50 pounds.

This is the easy part.

Not Naive but Open

But the hard part is changing my mind to be trusting in the right way--not to be naive and seek alliances with those who would harm, but to keep my heart open to all the wonder and good that is out there.

To have my heart resonate to those vibrations and not to the ones that harm. Nowadays it is easy to become cynical and jaded...but my deep body message is to Open Your Heart to all that would bring love and abundance...LEAP! for it. and at the same time stengthen your heart with healing--people, sound, love, and herbs--such as hawthorne or lavender.

 

 

Spike Those Allergies with Nettle Tea

Nettle tea to treat the spring allergies which have been pretty bad this month. The Maple trees have coated cars and streets with a gorgeous green and made many many people totally miserable. Nettle tea is excellent for killing those allergies. Make an infusion from about an ounce of dried nettle leaf and stem. Pour boiling water over the dried herb...let it steep and then drink from one to four cups a day. Here is a clip from TV show "What a Relief."

 

http://www.veria.com/nettle-leaf-allergy-tea3137.html