Tantric Santa

a Tribute to the Christmas Spirit as a child growing up with Santa

my original copy of “The Night Before Christmas” that my father read to me every year

For Christmas this year, I present to you my dear

~ My personal Ode to the Spirit of Christmas ~

Honoring the combined wisdom of many traditions

‘Twas the Night before Christmas’ teaches a story of believing in magic, in a capacity to give that goes beyond what is humanly capable. The perfection of generosity being what is renewed and celebrated this time of year for those influenced by western thought, despite the fact it’s become incredibly commercialized with advertising pressuring a very opulent materialistic expression of the holiday.

But have you ever noticed that Santa Claus is an example of a Buddha? He is jolly and seen with eyes twinkling as though he has a secret spiritual awakening that he is seeking to transmit, should we be open to it. Like an awakened Buddha, he is omnipresent, able to emanate countless versions of his “Self” all over the world. He does this through the work of all his ambassadors who are willing to take on his mission and embody his love in their own personal fields of influence. Rather than signing their name on the present they give, they sign it “Santa” allowing this energy to be what is represented as the giver. For children it provides tremendous dopamine hits, as the anticipation of knowing this incredible being is coming to your home, however humble, is a high like no other. I can remember placing the cookies out on a table with cards of gratitude to this being I expected every Christmas Eve. It was so very important to me that everything was perfect for his arrival and that He felt welcomed into our home.

But who was this “He” after all? Was “He” not the symbol of all of our inherent capacity to express enlightened behavior? Was “He” not the eternal spark of God within every one of us? Was “He” not emanating Jesus type behavior of generosity and benevolence? By trimming the tree, hanging the stockings, cleaning out the chimney, were we not inviting the Christmas “Spirit” into our home, our hearts to be received and shared similar to the Holy Spirit? Could it be that these are all one and the same, yet merely labeled according to individual preferences?

It is with fascination now that I consider the depth of this practice I was taught as a child innocently, which later transitioned to a Vajrayana Buddhist practice labeled Tantra which also has ceremonies and specific days/times to invoke Wisdom Beings or “enlightened Buddhas” in various forms through supplications and offerings.

Let’s look at the rest of Santa’s Buddha like qualities: He is omniscient, meaning he knows your mind and if you have been naughty or nice. Similar to God, or your very own conscience, he acts as an enforcer of karma on his sleigh leaving gifts, or not, depending on your behavior.

He is also almost omnipotent, relying on flying reindeer to help him carry out his mission to deliver gifts throughout the entire world. This all powerful quality affords him the ability to also fit down chimney’s and travel great distances defying time. Of course, this comes from the story of Odin, the Norse God who during Yule led a “Wild Hunt” in the sky with an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. This has later been thought to have equated to reindeer. Children used to leave their boots filled with carrots near the chimney to feed this mythical horse, which were in turn filled with gifts from Odin when he flew by.

Intertwined with this pagan story, is the Christian story of Jesus’s birth ascribed suspiciously to coordinate with this Solstice/Yule holiday, despite there being no absolute proof of that connection. Interestingly though, Jesus carries many of the similar qualities of this deity who travels all over the world in one night. He has an unconditional love for all beings, so much so that he was willing to die for the world and dedicate his life to anyone who wanted to take refuge in him and use his story as a ticket to absolving all their Karma. It’s quite tantric afterall, as is the Northern European mythology.

The part that makes this the most tantric tale of all is that Santa only works if we embody his energy! There is no Santa out there inherently, but if we are willing to represent him in our lives and give gifts secretly to those who do have the great fortune to believe than you could say we are demonstrating “Christ’s goodwill to men”, and/or the “Bodhisattva desire to reach liberation for the benefit of all beings” through our personal impersonation of Santa. For those of you unfamiliar with tantric Buddhism, it only works if you have accepted the worldview that things are inherently empty of any nature of their own and that they exist and function as they do according the your karma to perceive them as such. This is why practitioners make these elaborate offerings to Enlightened Beings and ultimately learn how to embody the enlightened qualities themselves by realizing their own emptiness, and therefore becoming liberated sufficiently to take on the mind of a Buddha. (If you want to learn more, this is a huge field of study that will perhaps overhaul your complete perception of reality. I spent many years studying this culminating with a 3 year meditation retreat to practice, prove and ultimately realize these concepts.)

I have toggled myself through the ages trying to understand what the meaning of this holiday is and how to move forward most authentically. I was not raised Christian, but for a time, in my dedication to Christ, I thought it was perhaps “satanic” to celebrate the pagan aspects of this time of year, hence “Santa” having the same letters in His name as “Satan”….hmmmm?

But as I look at this time now, from a clear, neutral, adult mind, without any expectation or unnecessary superstition or fear, I conclude that belief in Santa or hope in the illumination occurring in this dark moment of the year is needed for a feeling of winter cheer. It is indeed miraculous that from so many different angles we see the human aspiration to believe in the supernatural and personify it in a way that allows various types of people to relate and believe in their own incredible enlightened potential.

Here is to the indigenous European’s traditions that created this astral projecting Santa figure, most likely inspired by the Amanita Muscara mushroom, shamanic in origin. Hail to the threads of wisdom permeating many paths trying to point us back to our unlimited potential, especially during the harshest and darkest time of year! May we use the magic through the ages, like the early 3 wise Magi did, to follow the stars to the newborn kingdom within and without, however you choose to see it.

“And what to our wondering eyes should appear… but a miniature sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer!”