Santa, Walsh, & Hughes

Amanita Muscaria and Santa Claus-
I really enjoyed this reading. I was surprised to learn that James Bursenos referred an “agaric mushroom,” to a painting of Santa Claus, because of the colors of the white beard and the red dots to a mushroom. I can see how he relates the power of mushroom with the power that we believe Santa Claus to have. It was interesting to see how the black dust from the chimney tree relates to all the sinners of the world in their caskets. I thought it was a creative idea on how Santa’s reindeer are often inter twined with the amanita muscaria through ancient paganism, religion, secret societies, underground cults, and folklore. For instance Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer are affiliated with the way the shamans feel while being in an ASC. Comet, is used to feel the way you feel like your flying while being in an ASC. Cupid, another way of being in an ASC, because while taking drugs you feel more like loving and being loved. I was really surprised that Vixen was a female reindeer! I never knew that bears were a sign of death and resurrection. I was surprised with the anagrams of Satan being referred to “Old Nick,” and Santa Claus as to “Saint Nick.” It was interesting to see that they compare Satan with the god Pan. What does this line mean? “Perhaps the chimney sweep profession represents a secret society that held on to the shaman’s ancient secret of the fly agaric mushroom in fear of persecution from the church.” Does that mean that the shamans once were members of the church and by doing mushrooms they got annexed? I found the song from William Blake to be an interesting underlying study. I was astonished to find that Walt Disney did drugs.

Walsh-
In this reading when Walsh describes the man who was hypnotized and got his leg amputated that could not be possible. The only way to amputate is to induce Anastasia into the blood stream. But back in the olden days they could of numb people with ice or herbs but to drain someone into thought is hard to do. It was interesting to find out that the Latin Americans use psychedelics that are both peyote and yage. Peyote has the advantage to make users feels nauseous, and yage provokes images such as jungle scenes, tigers, snakes, and naked women. Its neat to learn about other cultures and how other people try to help others in different ways than the Americans do. I guess that the shamans learn something new every time a ritual is done not only does the participant benefit but the sorcerer does too.

Hughes-
They say that some of the worlds greatest artist being music or art itself do drugs and create masterpieces with the visions that they see, but cant they just put that aside and use there given talents to produce their own masterpiece? I was amazed to find that Opium was an imported drug, and was used in patent medicines and acted as a sleep aid to children. Hughes stated, “Coleridge had a 40 year love hate affair with opium, but some authorities believe that the drug helped him more as a philosopher and psychologist than a poet.” What I guess I don’t understand is why must you take drugs to better yourself or your own self thought why can you not just go with the flow? I was shocked also that Edgar Allen Poe was an opium addict. It just seems that the best art work or the best noted pieces are done by drug attics. Louis Armstrong was another attic, its hard to believe but people go to states to find songs or inspirations, even Elvis did drugs! I think people take drugs to fit in with the in crowd and don’t understand the consequences. I think lifes to short to make it an unhappy place to be. So why cant people just be happy with out the drugs? They only perceive to bad occurrences.