Winter Remembering…
We humans carry stories in our bones, born from deep connections to the natural world, a real one not separate from our daily earth lives or facebook news feeds.These stories of magical flying reindeer and red and white furry winter coats go way beyond white bearded guys scuttling miraculously down chimneys. Shortening winter days and long dark nights invite slowing down to listen and remember.
From Gather… **—“Medicine Women Healers” in Siberia and what once known as Lapland. “The red peaked, felted hats and curled-toe boots and warm mittens of reindeer-hide complete, what I believe to be, the feminine origins of perhaps the first of a very long line of Santa Claus replications. Their long lineage of connection with the induction of spiritual journeys through the drum, their relationship of healing with “Reindeer-Magic” and their ability to create potions and salves which could incite ecstatic visions or “Shamanic Journeys,” give us a deeper look at the Solstice and contemporary Christmas symbol. These priestesses-of-the-antlered-ones who flew through the night to gather blessings and healing and then distributed these gifts to their tribe members must surely be considered as proto-typical Fore-Mothers of Santa.”
So based on these sources (and I could go on!) it seems quite certain that there once an ancient deer mother goddess associated with the sun at winter solstice. It also seems likely that female shamans took to shamanic flight with the Deer Mother on this sacred night.—**
Elsah Cort 🌀 Artist 