Merry Christmas!

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Letter from the Spiritual Santa

When I saw this post in my email inbox, and then read the whole Santa letter on Kristie's blog, it seemed perfect for this blog...

Letter from Santa
by Kristie Burns
http://www.earthschooling.com

This is from Santa. Not the Santa of the chimneys and reindeer, but the real Santa. I have enjoyed the stories that people have created about me over the years but I think you are old enough now to know the real story. Did you know that in some countries I don’t come on Christmas day? I come on St. Nicolas Day and I fill their boots with treats. In America they changed the story to Christmas day and I fill their socks instead of boots. Some people thought it was sort of icky to fill their
socks so they created really pretty socks for me to fill.  ...

I am known by so many different names and faces that are not the “real” me, but who doesn’t like a story? I find the stories very creative and wonderful and since they are each accurate in their own way I don’t mind! My favorite is the one about my riding a sleigh and delivering presents all night. That is accurate in a way, for I never sleep or run out of energy so I could, in theory do that, but I do not need a sleigh to ride. There are so many angels on the earth that watch over you and protect you and we each have our own job – some protect from accidents, some teach wisdom, some are keepers of history, and we each have done our jobs since the beginning of time and will continue forever to do our jobs for angels never tire and never sleep. We don’t really have names but in some books we have given ourselves names to make our stories easier to read. It is hard for humans to understand something that they cannot see and that does not have a name!

You may also be familiar with the angel of awakening childhood (the tooth fairy who guides you across the bridge from childhood to being a young lady or young man as you loose your teeth along the way), or the angel of eternal life who teaches us about the endurance of spirit and the rebirth of the soul during Easter. And what about your guardian angel? Everyone has one of those. Some of the angels don’t even have names. They are eagerly awaiting the day when humankind gives THEM names too.  ...

I inspire people to do my work through their spirit. Sometimes this may awaken them in the middle of the night to fill a stocking and they may think they were dreaming. Sometimes they are aware of what they are doing and remember doing it. But in both cases I have been able to motivate millions of parents around the world to share my vision. ...

Nobody can ever really understand me completely – for you are humans and I am spirit. However, the more stories you create, the closer you come to understanding who and what I am. So please continue creating stories and pictures and please continue my tradition and pass it on to your children.

Merry Christmas!

Santa

(Read more of this letter at http://earthschooling.info/thebearthinstitute/?p=1648)

Thanks for dropping by! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and will have a joyful and wonder-filled new year.

30 Days of Deity Devotion: Any Suggestions for Others Just Starting this Santa Journey?

(photo credit: Santa Claus Quotes & Sayings, RuguSavay.com)

My suggestions...

(1) Keep your heart open.

(2) Heal the loss you experienced when you "found out that Santa wasn't real."

(3) Sign up for my email series (top right)

So we're at the end of the "30 Days" extravaganza but it hasn't been 30 days. I am not sure what I will do about that. I think I'm going to take some time off from the blog and then, decide where this blog will go when the new year arrives.

Have a wonderful Santa season!

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Any Interesting or Unusual Santa Experiences to Share?

(photo credit: IndiWall.com)

Well, I think this entire journey I have been sharing is unusual (like here and here and here and here), but a day that stands out to me is one in which I really strongly felt what I believe was his gentle presence with me. It was as if he was standing next to me or very nearby.

And that gentleness was so sweet and very reassuring. I felt like all was well and he and I were going to be connected from now on, and that has turned out to be the case, so far.

Have you had any kind of Santa experience like that? I love Santa stories!

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: What I Wish I Knew about Santa

Here's what I still want to know...

(1) Is there a Mrs. Claus?

(2) Can we learn his magic? (I sure hope so)

(3) What does he do during the Christmas season? How does he help?

(4) Are there elves & reindeer or were there at some point?

(5) What is his vision or plan for me?

What would you ask if you could?

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Worst Misconceptions about Santa that I've Encountered

What I believe people get wrong about the Santa I am coming to know...

(1) That he isn't real. That he is just the made-up version created by Coca-Cola. I have come to believe he is very real.

(2) That he is some woolly elven half-man trickster. I am still getting to know him but what I know so far is that he is gentle and loving and kind.

(3) That his ultimate goal is getting as much commercial merchandise into the hands of well-behaved children as possible. I believe that his goal for us is healing and transformation and helping us to create the lives that are waiting for us.

What do you think people get wrong?

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: How My Santa Relationship with Santa Has Changed Over Time?

Over time, my connection to Santa has deepened and grown stronger, though I still see it as being in the developing stages. Here is a journal account as I was looking back on how it has changed over the past few years...

My Santa Experience Now-ish: I have felt what I believe is Santa's presence. And adding that to my Santa dream six months ago where it felt like a calling, I think it really is him. 

One afternoon last month while walking I felt like my dream sort of came to life. It was in my mind's eye that Santa was on the sleigh, zooming in, taking off again and then circling back, but I also felt his energy. I have felt his energy increasingly in the past couple of months.

My Santa History: I have always loved Christmas. And for the past year or so, have felt a stronger connection sometimes when watching Xmas movies or thinking about Xmas. 

January gets harder every year. And then, last Xmas, I started to feel like I believed in Santa,in some capacity, though it was vague. 

Then in March, I had a dream encounter with a Santa zooming around me on a sleigh. It had a "road to Damascus" feel, with faerie overtones (white horses in the clouds, etc). It felt like some kind of calling but I didn't really know what to make of it.

Asking for Guidance: Asked a month and a half ago for dream guidance about this. Was it really Santa? And what are these Santa experiences for? Is there something being asked of me? And I asked for clear answers that I could easily understand.

Here's what happened:  I woke up with the sense that it really was Santa but couldn't remember anything specific that told me so. And had the thought that I should clarify for myself that he is not the typical story of the jolly, laughing guy w/ the red suit who delivers gifts once a year to good boys & girls. 

Closer to the magical faerie-like Santa what we sometimes see in movies who intervenes in the lives of adults, families and children to change and empower their lives so they have the experiences, make the connections and have the insights they need to heal, have better lives, etc.

In the dreams I remembered, what I saw about me was that something would happen and then info about a person would be given, intuited or appear in front of me (sometimes on a screen) and I would know what needed to happen next for them. 

It was a systematic process, one right after another. Helping people get what they want or need. And that that was part of my calling. 

So there you have it, my Santa story & relationship. What's your relationship with Santa like?

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: A Time When Santa Helped Me

Here's a pathworking and ritual experience led by The Sage Goddess I had earlier this year (end of March) during which Santa was one of my guides...

In the meditation, I went to Ireland. My guides were Santa and a Native American. I recognized the place as land I have seen in other meditations. 

And then I saw myself in 3 different forms. I saw an older woman's hands and knew they were mine. Then a redheaded younger woman (I've seen "her"/me before, too) and then, I didn't see me but I saw a young redheaded girl run toward me calling me Mommy! 

Scared me so much I almost wouldn't continue. All my guides showed up in the room to calm me. 

I kept saying, "was she my daughter?" and "Was I a mother?" 

Because my understanding, thus far, about possible alternate lives does not include motherhood but is some kind of healer/helper/shaman/etc who could materialize at will and kept having to leave so that the people I loved wouldn't be hurt. I could leave but they couldn't and it was during times when strange people (witches, etc) would be killed. So now I am wondering if I had to leave an actual daughter. 

Santa said no, but told me that she had known me almost all of her life, was motherless, and wanted me to be her mother. And that it broke my heart to leave her. 

And I felt that!!!! Felt the deep pain of having to leave to keep her safe. He told me that's part of the reason I didn't want to have children at first IRL.

So he really helped me understand what the heck was going on during that strange meditation. 

Have you ever seen Santa in a meditation?

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Writing about Santa as Shaman & Spirit Healer

(et101.net)

"The word shaman comes from Siberia and means "one who sees in the dark" (the hidden realities), and widely refers to those who are medicine women/men, healers, and seers. Shamans believe that all problems, physical, emotional or mental, have their root cause in spiritual imbalance."~Robin Gress, Sacred Shamanic Healing

"Many of the traditions we see across the world that are tied to the Christmas holidays have a surprising similarity to the ancient traditions of Siberian Shamans. Through the description below, you can easily see the role of Santa Claus being filled by the local shaman. You may have heard of the word “shaman”, which is a word from the Tungus-speaking people of Siberia, to connote a religious specialist.(1)  The Tungusic are Russian indigenous people who live in the arctic circle (north pole) and they are reindeer herders." ~Shaman's Well

"The word Shaman is a cognate to the word Saman, first used by a Tungus-speaking people, the Evenk, in Siberia. The role of the Shaman in his/her society was/is a vital one. They talked to spirits and animals and saw visions of the future. Born from the reverence early humanity had for their surroundings and the eternal wonderment of the spirit world, Shamanism held a distinction as being different than a magician or healer in early society. For the Shaman would walk the pathway to the spirit world routinely. Through altered states of consciousness induced with or without the aid of a catalyst, the Shaman would converse with the spirits. As a faith, Shamanism fits into many types of belief systems, due to the fact that is independent of dogmatic, institutionalized religion.

Shamanism is one of the oldest divinatory practices in the world to promote healing and spiritual wellness. By archaeological and anthropological evidence the practice has existed for some 20,000 to 30,000 years. Evidence of Shamanism has been found globally in isolated regions of the Americas, Asia, Africa, regions of Europe and Australia." ~Shaman's Well

"Santa's famous magical journey, where his sleigh takes him around the whole planet in a single night, is developed from the "heavenly chariot," used by the gods from whom Santa and other shamanic figures are descended. The chariot of Odin, Thor and even the Egyptian god Osiris is now known as the Big Dipper, which circles around the North Star in a 24-hour period. In different versions of the ancient story, the chariot was pulled by reindeer or horses." ~Dana Larsen

Read more about shamanism here.

What do you think about the idea of Santa as shaman?

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Music that Makes Me Think of Santa

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Santa Art I Love

My son drew this for me, and is my very favorite piece of Santa art...

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Festivals, Days, and Times Sacred to Santa

I think my "30 Days" may turn out to be far less than 30 because some of those proposed topics just do not speak to me. What I will do is blog about the ones that do and then decide what to do then.

Getting to today's topic meant skipping quite a few topics in the middle of the list...

Obviously, Christmas is the big season associated with Santa & I believe this time of year is sacred because of the way we treat each other and feel about life and family during this time. The movies, the decorations, the music all work together synergistically to create a spirit that graces us all season long (if we're lucky)

But I believe Santa's available anytime ready to help people heal and become transformed. And that any time we connect to him is sacred.

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Santa's Elves

This is the part of the 30 days where I am directed to talk about other deities or entities connected to the one I have been writing about. For me, that means elves (and possibly magical reindeer?).

I found a really great page with elf information. It reads like it was written for children, but that just makes it really sweet. That page is where I found that great picture.

Read it here!

And here's what Wikipedia says...

"In American folklore, a Christmas elf is a diminutive creature (elf) that lives with Santa Claus in the North Pole and acts as his helper. Christmas elves are often depicted as green or red clad with pointy ears and pointy hats. Santa's elves are often said to make the toys in Santa's workshop and take care of his reindeer, among other tasks.They were first introduced by Louisa May Alcott in 1856. The association of Christmas presents with elves has precedents in the first half of the 19th century with the Tomte in Scandinavia."

Do you believe in elves?

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Members of the Santa Family

"Mrs. Claus is the wife of the man Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in North American and European Christmas tradition. She is known for making cookies with the elves and preparing toys with her husband Santa Claus.

Mrs. Santa Claus is mentioned by name in the pages of the Yale Literary Magazine in 1851, where the student author (whose name is given only as "A. B.") writes of the appearance of Santa Claus at a Christmas party:

[I]n bounded that jolly, fat and funny old elf, Santa Claus. His array was indescribably fantastic. He seemed to have done his best; and we should think, had Mrs. Santa Claus to help him."~Wikipedia

Since 1889, Mrs. Claus has been generally depicted in media as a fairly heavy-set, kindly, white-haired elderly female baking cookies somewhere in the background of the Santa Claus mythos. She sometimes assists in toy production, and oversees Santa's elves.


Is there an actual "Mrs. Santa" somewhere back in the long ago? Who knows?

But I like to think so!

What do you think? Does Santa have a "Mrs.?" :)

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: A Favorite Santa Myth

(photo credit: Stockxpert)

"Perhaps nothing has fixed the image of Santa Claus so firmly in the American mind as a poem entitled A Visit from St. Nicholas written by Clement Moore in 1822. Moore, a professor of biblical languages at New York's Episcopal Theological Seminary, drew upon Pintard's thinking about the early New Amsterdam traditions and added some elements from German and Norse legends. These stories held that a happy little elf-like man presided over midwinter pagan festivals. In the poem, Moore depicts the Saint as a tiny man with a sleigh drawn by eight miniature reindeer. They fly him from house to house and at each residence he comes down the chimney to fill stockings hung by the fireplace with gifts.

Moore had written the poem for the enjoyment of his own family, but in 1823 it was published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel. It became very popular and has been reprinted countless times under the more familiar title, The Night Before Christmas.

Where did Moore get the reindeer? The Saami people of northern Scandinavia and Finland often used reindeer to pull their sledges around and this found its way into the poem. Reindeer, which are much sturdier animals than North American deer,are well adapted to cold climates with their heavy fur coats and broad, flat hooves for walking on snow." ~UnMuseum

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Symbols & Icons

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: How I First Became Aware of Santa as a Patron

It started with a dream...

THE DREAM

I was walking along a country lane, it seemed, with 2 guys, who were companions, I suppose. I think we were headed to the same place but we weren't really talking as we walked.

Until I started to see things...

First, I saw a horse! What I now believe was a faerie horse. Mostly his head and neck, surrounded by a fluffy white cloud. "Did you see that?," I asked. And then I began to see more horses, appearing at different places in the sky, and by then, I believed myself.

I knew it was all really happening.

But I am not sure the guys were seeing what I saw. I don't think they ever answered me, come to think of it.

And then Santa came whizzing right by us, lower, at our level. "Did you see that?" and "wow!" But I can't remember being sure they saw it. Maybe they didn't?

Then I saw other Santas & sleighs, and some of them were skinnier, with long dark hair. Others I couldn't see, though I did see their sleighs. They were in the sky and in the clouds, and each of them went by very fast or appeared, and then, disappeared.

That's how the dream ended.

THOUGHTS

I realized that this dream reminds me of the Christian "Road to Damascus" experience. Was it meant to be an initiation, or calling, of sorts? Over time, I came to know that it was.

When I analyze dreams, one question I always ask myself is what I wish had happened differently. The only things I would have changed in the dream, if I could, are...

(1) Have the horse tell me its message, if there was one.

(2) Have a conversation with one of the Santas. Ask him to be a permanent guide. (I have since done exactly that)

Santa as faerie, who rides a white horse...

What sparked your interest in believing in Santa again?

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: Introducing Santa

(Fairy Dictionary)

Welcome to the first day of my 30 Days of Deity Devotion!

Since you're here, I think it's safe to say that you are well-acquainted with Santa already, and familiar with the traditional Santa story. But I want to encourage you to consider meeting and coming to know Santa in a whole new way by following along on my journey or getting the report I offer or both.

This won't be your grandmother's Santa, but it might be your great-great-great-great-great-grandmother's, especially now that she is in spirit!

During the next 30 days, I will be sharing all I have come to know about the spirit Santa and at the end, we'll see where we are. Coming with me?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Questioning Your Beliefs about Santa

As you know, this blog is written for people who want to find a way to believe in Santa again. And that calls for questioning what you've been told, what you've always believed.

"Questioning your beliefs, especially religious or spiritual ones, is one of the most difficult tasks a person can give themselves. It's so difficult in fact, that most people don't do it. Who can blame them? It's a scary, potentially life-altering thing to do! That's why when someone does it publicly, many people express disappointment and even anger if that person chooses a new direction." ~Peter Beckley, Questioning Your Beliefs

It's scary, yes! Even for me to have created and be posting in this blog. But let's do it anyway. What you may gain as a result, even if it's just knowing yourself better and trusting yourself more, is worth it!

Do you agree?

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My Other Blogging Challenge: 30 Days of Deity Devotion

This is a blog challenge that was created by Arrin Deuognatos. He is no longer on tumblr, but you can find a preserved tumblr version here.

This challenge may take me far more than 30 days, and I may change some of the topics a smidge from this original list. Here's his list...

1. A basic introduction of the deity
2. How did you become first aware of this deity?
3. Symbols and icons of this deity
4. A favorite myth or myths of this deity
5. Members of the family – genealogical connections
6. Other related deities and entities associated with this deity
7. Names and epithets
8. Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)
9. Common mistakes about this deity
10. Offerings – historical and UPG
11. Festivals, days, and times sacred to this deity
12. Places associated with this deity and their worship
13. What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?
14. Has worship of this deity changed in modern times?
15. Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity?
16. How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins?
17. How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons?
18. How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG)
19. What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire? What quality or qualities of them do you find the most troubling?
20. Art that reminds you of this deity
21. Music that makes you think of this deity
22. A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think this deity resonates strongly with
23. Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity
24. A time when this deity has helped you
25. A time when this deity has refused to help
26. How has your relationship with this deity changed over time?
27. Worst misconception about this deity that you have encountered
28. Something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t currently
29. Any interesting or unusual UPG to share?
30. Any suggestions for others just starting to learn about this deity?

Obviously, Santa is my choice for this challenge and I am not sure I would use the word "deity," exactly, but you get the idea.

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The 31 Days Blog Challenge

Starting today and for the next 31 days, I will be participating in this challenge. I may not necessarily post each day but will post as often as I can.

Today's action step in the challenge is to create an elevator pitch about who the blog is written for and here is mine...

I am writing for magical women who have a wish that they could believe in Santa Claus again but they are not sure how or what that would mean. I'm creating a free report that will help them do that and telling my story of how it happened for me.

I am also taking another challenge this month, which I will tell you about in my next post.

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Welcome to My Santa Blog!

Welcome!

A few years ago, one unseasonably warm weekend afternoon in December, my son and I were watching a Hallmark Christmas movie and lamenting the fact that it was fiction. We both wished that there really was a magical Santa who could intervene in and revolutionize the lives of everyone he touched just as he had done in the movie we were watching.

We wished we could believe.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, that afternoon was the start of a change in my life. My heart opened to the possibility of believing again.

And then last year, out of the blue, also while watching a Christmas movie, I just announced to my son that I was considering believing in Santa Claus again. I didn't know what it would mean, and I knew it would not mean believing in the Coca-Cola-inspired vision of fluffiness who climbs into chimneys all around the world to leave wished-for treasures for good boys and girls.

It was only the beginning, but it was a big one.

I'm writing this blog for others of you who have a similar vague notion that you wish you could believe again but you don't know how. Or maybe you even feel called in some way and aren't yet sure what that means.

I hope this blog will help!

To read more of my story, sign up for my ebooklet, "How to Believe in Santa Claus Again."

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30 Days of Deity Devotion: What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire?

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