◎Jade Tablet - 10-27
◎Device for Vertical Ascent - 27
◎Great Reversal and Inversion - 6
◎Did I Drink Soma?
The Soma Hymns are ancient Indian Vedas, and it's hard to call their tone uplifting. While it's clear that they aim for profound enlightenment, union with God, and a plunge into cosmic consciousness through the psychoactive drug Soma, it's unclear whether they were lost over time or recorded piecemeal from the start. Reading them straight through lacks a sense of excitement.
Therefore, Dantes Daigji adapted them and sang the "Soma Hymns."
"Soma Hymns"
Like an endless raging storm
It awakened my eyes
Did I drink Soma?
Like a powerful warhorse pulling a chariot through the sky
It made me grow infinitely
Did I drink Soma?
Like a mother cow embracing her calf
Intense joy enveloped me
Did I drink Soma?
Like a warrior pouring his soul into his chariot
I entrusted myself entirely to this joy
Did I drink Soma?
All the countries of the world
Are not worth even a speck of dust in my eye
Did I drink Soma?
The gods of the heavens
Are no match for the dirt under my fingernails
Did I drink Soma?
In the midst of glorious light
I transcended the sky and beyond the earth
Did I drink Soma?
I pick up the earth and all the stars
And play with them, placing them here or there
Did I drink Soma?
Or did Soma drink me?
Hari Om Soma
Soma Amrita Soma"
(Quoted from Dantes Daigji's "Meditation Travel Guide")
Timothy Leary, who promoted LSD, Maria Sabina, a Mazatec healer who used psilocybin (magic mushrooms), and Glaucus of ancient Greece, who transformed into a sea god after eating meadow grass (the primordial light of transformation), all experienced union with God through Soma, be it Taoist elixirs or Western substances.
Don Juan Matus, through Carlos Castaneda, greatly shocked the American drug scene of the 1960s and 70s, and his influence continues to this day, with significant negative impacts as well.
On the other hand, while Soma Yoga carries the risk of becoming debilitated and unable to function in daily life, forcibly raising Kundalini, circulating Qi through self-taught methods, or simply continuing to sit in a fixed posture can lead to being consumed by delusions. Kama Yoga, or sex yoga, also carries the risk of dependency and tangled karma.
The dangers of Soma are well known to society, but the fair perspective would be that, under the guidance of a true master, it can lead to profound enlightenment depending on how it's used.
The principle that any decent practice requires risking everything for a significant return is universal, and even with that risk, success isn't guaranteed.
However, looking at the Taoist Wei Boyang's story of the outer elixir, only those who can risk everything reach the Tao.
Even so, Soma Yoga, revered as Haoma in ancient India and Zoroastrian Persia, continues to survive as an important method for attaining enlightenment.
Another poem by Dantes Daigji views Soma as a guide, hinting that it may be used by those close to enlightenment or those who have experienced it once and seek to attain or maintain it again.
Some also use alcohol as Soma.
In Norse mythology, it is the water of Mimir's Well.
The god Indra, disguised as a lowly fisherman, tried to give the sage Uttanka the immortal holy water Amrita as a large amount of urine. This urine is also Soma.
