I love reading about the ancient roots of modern holidays and traditions, so this year as I was perusing books connecting shamanism and Christmas, this one caught my eye.
The book is- hear me out- “Santa Sold Shrooms” by Tero Isokauppila and illustrated by Juho Heinola. To be honest, I don’t love this title, but I ADORE the story, and once I caught a glimpse of the gorgeous illustrations and read several reviews from parents saying they read the book to their families and that everyone loved it, my curiosity was piqued.
While the word “shroom” makes think of a party drug or something, this book is very consistent that Santa was a shaman who used the sacred amanita muscaria mushroom as a part of the winter solstice ceremonies that he facilitated for his people. It makes it clear that the amanita muscaria mushroom was a spiritual tool, and that its actually quite poisonous and deadly to the layperson!
Every other page is a full page, color illustration, and while the book is only 46 pages, it’s packed with lots of good tidbits that shed light on the more ancient roots of the winter solstice & Christmas, where the real Santa likely lived, how Christmas trees became a thing, where hanging stockings on fireplaces came from, why Santa enters homes through chimneys plus more interesting Santa Claus, solstice, Christmas & shamanic tidbits.
Tero, the author, shares this story as it was given to him in Finland, where he grew up. He explains why the real Santa Claus- who according to many accounts was a real person and indeed a shaman, was likely from Lapland, and specifically of the Sami people, or the Reindeer People. The book sneaks in some nice little facts about the Sami in a way supports the story but also gives a tiny peak into the traditions of this shamanic culture that a lot of people don’t know about.
(SIDE NOTE- the Sami people are still on or near their native land, and they’re still practicing their traditions, so if you like learning about different shamanic cultures or your ancestors are from that part of the world, I would encourage you to learn about them!)
Anyway- its nearly Christmas as I write this, and my family and I are about to bundle up to check out the Christmas tree display along the Wisconsin Dells Riverwalk, so I better run, but if you want to hear more about this fantastic little book, get a glimpse of the gorgeous illustrations, or hear my tips for how to incorporate some of the shamanic solstice practices of shaman Santa and the Sami people into your holiday festivities, check out my video!