Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
The Rig Veda, written in India about 1500BC, praises a holy plant called Soma, which is sacrificed and consumed, granting the drinker an experience of enlightenment and ecstasy. The late Gordon Wasson identified Soma as a "magic mushroom," Amanita muscaria, and he and his followers discovered that such Indo-Europeans as the ancient Greeks, Iranians, and Norse had also used a Soma-type plant.
In Ploughing the Clouds Peter Lamborn Wilson investigates the probability of a Soma cult in ancient Ireland, tracing clues in Irish (and other Celtic) lore. By comparing Celtic folktales, romances, epics and topographic lore with the Rig Veda, he uncovers the Irish branch of the great Indo-European tradition of psychedelic (or "entheogenic") shamanism, and even reconstructs some of its secret rituals. He uses this comparative material to illuminate the deep meaning of the Soma-function in all cultures: the entheogenic origin of "poetic frenzy," the link between intoxication and inspiration.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Previews available in: English
Subjects
Religion, Soma, Celts, Hallucinogenic drugsPlaces
IrelandShowing 1 featured edition. View all 1 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Ploughing the Clouds: The Search for Irish Soma
1999, City Lights Books, Distributed by Subterranean Co.
in English
0872863263 9780872863262
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. [138]-144) and index.
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?August 4, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
March 8, 2019 | Edited by Silverina | Edited without comment. |
April 28, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the work. |
February 5, 2010 | Edited by WorkBot | add more information to works |
December 10, 2009 | Created by WorkBot | add works page |