A deep dig on EcoSanta


Cultural change is multi-faceted. Modern mythology shows Santa Claus as a key figure in the year for many young chil- dren. For personal proof, recall the importance, centrality, and sense of excitement about Christmas magic you experi- enced as a child. There are many ways to look at the Santa Claus myth, to


reframe its importance, validity, and cultural relevance to us today as part of the overall Christmas (or “festive season,” if you prefer) celebrations. We can start with the fact that belief in Santa Claus eventually ends, yet the original patterning — laid down in the neural networks of the human brain around the mid-winter celebration in the Western world — lives on. Few have seriously suggested we delete Santa Claus from Christmas, but how does the Santa Claus myth sit with the Christian religious festival celebrating Jesus' birth? Answers to that question will be different and depend, ultimately, on personal belief, especially when historians assert that it's likely Jesus was born nearer to Easter, and certainly not at Christmas. But the poten- tial conflict herein is quickly remedied through the reali- sation that, for kings, queens and racehorses, the official birthday is not the same as the natal one. Two birthdays a year are in order! (My per- sonal preference is to cele- brate the mid-winter solstice — the return of the Sun to the northern hemisphere of our home planet — but I am in the minority.) This résumé gives us a


trinity to celebrate: the Sun's return, Santa Claus, and the birth of the son of the Chris- tian God. What is fascinat- ing here is the interweave of truth and fantasy set up in the human mind. Our Western culture offers a cross-currented and fragmented pic- ture, with the present acting as an ever more insistent drive towards full commercialisation. To bring Santa in line with today's reality environmen-


tally and to give him a seminal role in championing cultural change both fit with holistic thinking, whole seeing, and the congruent mindset. At the psychic cultural level, the EcoSanta concept acts as a glue, synthesising many aspects of current reality. Is it better, still, to give than receive, as I was taught as a


child? Santa is the all-time champion in the giving depart- ment. Perhaps the nearest celebrity to living out the model of unconditional love at the level of compassion is Mother The- resa, who showed a very different face of giving. Celebrity status in any field confers authority, respect, and the desire to emulate. If a celebrity champions a cause, many will follow. That is the effect of idolisation.


Page 34


Finally, projects that forward inter-generational continu-


ity get the thumbs up. There's nothing like a makeover, with all its possibilities and potential for reinvention to inspire the rich imagination of children.


Maximizing Santa’s magic


Doesn't this identity-change to EcoSanta embed the Santa Claus fantasy even more deeply, though? Doesn’t it heighten the fantasy when what children really need is to be made aware of the facts in the world they will inherit? This shad- owy year-long Santa presence by way of EcoSanta extends the fantasy for a young child… while encouraging litter-pick- ing. Equally, it's an invitation to not lose the Christmas magic along with failed New Year Resolutions. It's a reminder that the Point of Power is always in the Now. Mahatma Gandhi's “Be the change you want to see in the


world” struck notes of discord and accord in me. For years, the question “What can I do to make a difference?” weighed heavily. Litter-picking pro- duces such a negative reac- tion in many people. It's not a “go-to-with-delight” jobbie. By setting up an anti-litter campaign and later a charity, it seemed I'd chosen some- thing never destined to be “flavour-of-the-month,” but more a pariah of the environ- mental movement. Anyway, I would ask a


different question altogether. Isn't it time we integrated the Christmas spirit into the rest of the year? Embraced another wave of cultural change based on network- ing, symbiotic thinking, and a belief that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We can go further and take on board the full quantum appreciation of the


massive interconnectedness of the ecosystem, of which we are part, at all levels. When we reach integrated wholeness in all aspects of life at the brain level, including the modern mythology, we will be in the prime position to access the much-lauded Unified Field of Consciousness. The Unified Field has roots in Jungian psychology, Einstein's work, yoga, Transcendental Meditation, telepathy, the power of commu- nal prayer and intention. It's backed by claims from neurosci- ence and quantum physics that may appear extraordinary to the over-logical mind. Amongst others, modern proponents of the Unified Field are John Hagelin, Dutch scientist Pim von Lommel, and David Bohm. The sight of my husband with a heavy, water-logged sack


he'd pulled out of the sea at Christmas time was just the visual cue I needed to see litter-picking in an enlightened way — lighter-spirited, great fun for the kids, something they'd want to do. After all, someone should say “thank you” to


Green Teacher 122


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52