One of the key enigmas of cultural history has been the identity of a sacred plant called Soma in the ancient Rig Veda of India. Mr. Wasson has aroused considerable attention in learned circles and beyond by advancing and documenting the thesis that Soma was a hallucinogenic mushroom - none other than the Amanita muscaria, the fly-agaric that until recent times was the centre of shamanic rites among the Siberian and Uralic tribesmen. In his presentation he throws fascinating light on the role of mushrooms in religious ...
Read More
One of the key enigmas of cultural history has been the identity of a sacred plant called Soma in the ancient Rig Veda of India. Mr. Wasson has aroused considerable attention in learned circles and beyond by advancing and documenting the thesis that Soma was a hallucinogenic mushroom - none other than the Amanita muscaria, the fly-agaric that until recent times was the centre of shamanic rites among the Siberian and Uralic tribesmen. In his presentation he throws fascinating light on the role of mushrooms in religious ritual. A section on the post-Vedic history of Soma is contributed by the Sanskrit scholar Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty. Brian C. Muraresku in his best selling book, The Immortality Key: The Secret History Of The Religion With No Name, used Robert Gordon Wassons work: Soma The Divine Mushroom Of Immortality as one of his research tools. Brian C. Muraresku's book features a brilliant Foreword by Graham Hancock, the New York Times bestselling author of America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization. Amanita muscaria or the Fly Agaric is not a well-known mushroom based on its scientific name or common name. Yet, the picture on the left, of this mushroom, will probably be familiar to the reader. In recent time, it is the mushroom that has been adopted as the "prototype" mushroom in western cultures. Its image can be seen in Christmas and greeting cards, children's stories, science fiction and fantasy illustrations, and in mushroom models. There has even been a great deal made of its connections with Christmas, but probably too much has been made of this connection and different interpretations of this theory is available. However, it is more than just a "pretty mushroom". It is a species that is thought to have had tremendous impact on some of today's cultures for at least four thousand years and has been thought by some to be at the root of the origin of some of today's religions. In 1968, Gordon Wasson put forth the concept that this mushroom was the "plant" that was referred to as Soma, in his now much cited "Soma, Divine Mushroom of Immortality". Wasson believed Soma was the mushroom that was utilized in religious ceremonies, over 4000 years ago, before the beginning of our Christian era, by the people who called themselves "Aryans". Wasson also believed the hallucinogenic properties of the A. muscaria to be the cause of the "ecstasy" described in the Rig Veda, the holy book of the Hindu.
Read Less
Add this copy of Soma Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $230.75, good condition, Sold by Aardvark Books Ltd rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bucknell, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2021 by Sungazer Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Paperback Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972, 381 pages; light creasing of spine as typical for this pub, Good cond; interior unmarked, 22 color & b/w illus.; Cover artwork may differ;
Add this copy of Soma Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $164.00, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Sungazer Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Binding and pages are intact. All pages are free from any markings. Creases and smudges visible across covers of paperback. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
Add this copy of Soma Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $164.00, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Sungazer Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Cover and binding are worn but intact. A reading copy in fair condition. All pages are free from any markings. Creases and smudges visible across covers of paperback. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
Add this copy of Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $197.00, fair condition, Sold by Found Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Sungazer Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Wear to cover and corners. Spine is creased. Cover and pages are age-toned. Text appears unmarked. Trade paperback (US). 406 p. Contains: Illustrations. Ethno-Mycological Studies, 1. Audience: General/trade.
Add this copy of Soma Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $252.00, good condition, Sold by Found Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Sungazer Press.
Add this copy of Soma Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $257.00, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Sungazer Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Covers show heavy signs of shelf wear with scuffing and heavy uneven age-toning. Spine is cracked with small tears and lightly soiling with light paperloss. Both front and rear covers have light creasing at the edges with bumping to the corners. Gutter is cracked at the middle of the text block. Interior cover pages are lightly age-toned and foxed. Page edges have heavy age-toning with scuffing and smudging. Interior pages are unmarked. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
Add this copy of Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality, (Ethno to cart. $282.00, good condition, Sold by Found Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1972 by Harcourt.
Add this copy of Soma Divine Mushroom of Immortality, to cart. $308.00, very good condition, Sold by zabooks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lenore, ID, UNITED STATES, published 1973 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good+ Spine is straight, binding is tight, name sticker inside the book, reading pages are unmarked, some wear.; Ethno-Mycological Studies; 9.5 X 6.6 X 1.3 inches; 381 pages.
Add this copy of Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $510.94, very good condition, Sold by RARE BOOK CELLAR rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pomona, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1973 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Add this copy of Soma, Divine Mushroom of Immortality to cart. $857.00, very good condition, Sold by Collins Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1973 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. 381pp. 22pls, 17 in color+other illustrations. quarto paperbound. tight binding. wrap worn, creased on rear and spine, scuffed, rubbing. inscribed by Wasson. spine label present, but is not impacting condition of the book, as it is on mylar protection. Inscribed by Wasson.
