Soma
Soma is both the Vedic plant pressed and drunk in sacrifice and the god of that drink, the nectar of immortality. The Rig Veda's ninth mandala is entirely his. In later Hinduism Soma is identified with the moon, which waxes as the gods drink and wanes as they finish; the full moon is his cup.
The planetary, elemental, zodiacal, stone, herb and tarot values are modern Western correspondences chosen for coherence with the rest of the corpus, not ancient attributions. The soma plant itself is unidentified in the record; this entry does not pretend to name it.
Correspondences
Offerings
- Offerings
- MilkHoneyWaterGhee
Sacred timing
- Sacred Timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- ChandraThe MoonThe Nectar
- Gender Expression
- Masculine
- Titles
- Lord of the SomaThe Nectar of ImmortalityThe Moon
- Symbols
- CupCrescentSoma plantHare
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneReceptive and luminousAddressSomaLord of the NectarThe MoonRelationshipThe intoxicating sourceWarning
soma is what the gods drink and what the moon waxes and wanes with. Treat the intoxicant as the metaphor, not the method.
ResonanceInspiration dream the moon what returns - Modern Practice
Worked with for inspiration, dream and the returning image - the thing that comes back if you wait for it. Monday and the full moon are the timing. The caution is the point: the nectar is a metaphor for what cannot be held, and the practice is the receiving.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- SomaIntoxicationInspirationThe moonImmortalityPoetrySacrifice
- Mythology Summary
Soma is both the Vedic plant pressed and drunk in sacrifice and the god of that drink, the nectar of immortality. The Rig Veda's ninth mandala is entirely his. In later Hinduism Soma is identified with the moon, which waxes as the gods drink and wanes as they finish; the full moon is his cup.
Details
- Secondary Planets
- Neptune
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