Christian Rätsch
Pagan Christmas
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christma…
Mehr
Beschreibung
An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual. Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people's consciousness, it incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking, are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice celebration.
CHF 20.70
Preise inkl. MwSt. und Versandkosten (Portofrei ab CHF 40.00)
Versandkostenfrei
Produktdetails
Weitere Autoren: Müller-Ebeling, Claudia
- ISBN: 978-1-59477-660-1
- EAN: 9781594776601
- Produktnummer: 23529785
- Verlag: Simon + Schuster Inc.
- Sprache: Englisch
- Erscheinungsjahr: 2006
- Seitenangabe: 224 S.
- Plattform: EPUB
- Masse: 13'872 KB
- Abbildungen: 156 color and 40 b&w illustrations
Über den Autor
Christian Rätsch, Ph.D., is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specializes in the shamanic uses of plants. He is the author of Marijuana Medicine and coauthor of Plants of the Gods, Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas, Witchcraft Medicine, and The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants. He lives in Hamburg, Germany, and lectures around the world.
31 weitere Werke von Christian Rätsch:
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 12.00
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 29.00
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 18.85
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 14.00
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 24.50
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 14.20
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 16.00
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 8.00
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 11.60
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 79.10
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Ebook (EPUB Format)
CHF 78.15
Bewertungen
0 von 0 Bewertungen
Anmelden
Keine Bewertungen gefunden. Seien Sie der Erste und teilen Sie Ihre Erkenntnisse mit anderen.