Ploughing the Clouds: The Search for Irish Soma

by Peter Lamborn Wilson

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0872863263
• ISBN13: 9780872863262
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: City Lights Books
• Length: 150 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Search for Irish Soma.

_Ploughing the Clouds: The Search for Irish Soma_ by Peter Lamborn Wilson, published by City Lights Books, is an attempt to discover the use of the hallucinogenic mushroom among the early Irish and Celts. This book principally rests upon a theory advanced by maverick investment banker turned ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson that the mysterious substance "soma" mentioned in the writings of the earliest Indo-European peoples was actually the hallucinogenic mushroom Amanita muscaria (the fly agaric) in his book _SOMA: Divine Mushroom of Immortality_. However, contrary to Wasson who argued in his book that the ancient Celts did not partake of the hallucinogenic mushroom, Wilson claims that the wide abundance of the growth of that mushroom in Irish lands would seem to indicate otherwise. In order to present his thesis, Wilson examines various tales from both ancient Indo-European myth (the Rg Veda) and ancient Irish and Celtic folklore. Indeed, the ancient Irish constituted one of the oldest Indo-European peoples and they may have originated in India before making their way to Ireland (although Wilson argues for an African origin for the Irish peoples). The phrase "ploughing the clouds" is an old Irish expression meaning to undertake a futile task, to analyze the ineffable. Wilson finds this particular phrase very appropriate to his undertaking here in demonstrating the existence of soma among the ancient Celts. This book begins by discussing the history of psychedelic substances (entheogens: "God-within-us") and their use among primitive peoples. In particular, the Indo-Europeans actively made use of the hallucinogenic mushroom which is mentioned extensively in the Vedas as "soma". Wilson turns his attention also to evidence for Irish soma. Here, he discusses his belief that the Druids may have made use of the mushroom in their rites. Similarly other peoples and mystery cults made use of the mushroom around the world. In the second part of this book, the author offers a comparison between various Vedic and Irish sources of soma. Here, he notes the roles of Vrtra, Vena, Fionn, Indra, and Agni. In particular, he mentions various legends from Ireland as they relate to the mystical initiation undergone by the partaker of the soma. The book also discusses the Gandharvas and Maruts, the firebird and the calendar, snakes and their chthonic power, "one-eye", and the jealousy of the gods. This book also includes a section featuring illustrations from various Celtic and Indo-European motifs which the author beliefs show evidence for soma among the ancient Irish. In particular, the snakes (supposedly driven out of Ireland by Saint Patrick) constitute a primitive link to the soma legend. The snake people may have been the original inhabitants of Ireland, and as Wasson has noted in his writings the snake is linked to the hallucinogenic mushroom. Wilson also discusses the role of women in the various legends concerning the soma. This book off

a great subject - a great writer - a great book!

This book is highly interesting, well-written and well-researched. Wilson's style is fun to read; there are a few pages of fascinating illustrations as well. Buy it!