The worship of the cattle due to its fat qualities that improves the “high”

Studies show that adding fats to cannabis consumption can improve the absorption and bioavailability of cannabinoids in the body. This mainly involves saturated fats from animal sources, although saturated fats from plant sources like coconut oil and cocoa butter can also enhance cannabis absorption.

On the other hand, studies also show that a diet rich in saturated fat raises the threshold in the reward system. The reward system includes various neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, various endorphins, acetylcholine, etc. It has been found that saturated fat reduces the signaling of dopamine D1 receptors in the nucleus accumbens, indicating suppression of dopaminergic signaling. The result is that while saturated fats help enhance the high, excessive use eventually leads to increased consumption of these substances in anticipation of appropriate rewards, i.e., the desire to achieve the same psychoactive effect.

Since I am going to talk mainly about fat consumption along with psychoactive substances, I will expand a bit on the research itself before moving on to religious studies: Cannabinoids are lipophilic, meaning they tend to dissolve and become more bioavailable in the presence of fats. Saturated fats have long-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids enhance the absorption and transport of cannabinoids through the intestinal lymphatic system, increasing the systemic exposure of cannabinoids. This has been proven in rat experiments, where absorption was significantly higher (250%-300%) in the presence of fats. The intestinal lymphatic system plays a critical role in the absorption of cannabis when combined with fats. Fats help stimulate the lymphatic system to distribute and transport cannabinoids throughout the body. Consuming fats before or during cannabis intake causes the liver and gallbladder to release bile, which helps emulsify (a mixture between two liquids that do not mix, like oil or milk and water) the fats and cannabinoids in the digestive system, making them more available for absorption.

And now to the main course: The connection between fats and cannabinoids specifically supports the theory that cannabis was the original psychedelic sacrament. However, this is not necessary because we see that animal fat in general plays a role in the reward system, and our ancestors knew this, probably through trial and error. This is why many of the potions described in legends (and scriptures) are said to have been consumed with milk. This is why we find in the Bible descriptions of oil libation along with incense burning, to enhance the absorption of the incense by those present in the “hot box”. This is why in many creation myths, sacrifice plays a role, especially the sacrifice of a bull. This is also why in many eschatological myths, it involves a correction of the first sacrifice (or an analogy to it), and a bull will be sacrificed.

In Jewish mythology, it is said that the first human sacrifice was a bull, and in the future, at the final meal, the wild ox will be sacrificed. In Zoroastrianism (in the Bundahishn), it is said that in the end times, the savior (Sōšyāns) will slaughter a bull named Hadayanš and use its fat to prepare the “Haoma”. It is also said that at the creation of the world, as part of the immortal entities accompanying Ahura Mazda, entities were created to guard the earth, the plant that grows on it, the bull from which fat is derived, and of course, the fire. At the creation of the world, along with the first man Gayomard, a bull named Gawōdād (Gavaevodata in Avestan. In Persian, it is gaw i ew-dad, or gawodad. Gav, like cow in English), and a plant named Amurdād (immortality, in Indo-Iranian terminology “psychedelia”) were created, but Ahriman killed the man and the bull and corrupted the plant. It is said that Zoroaster changed the formula of the Haoma sacrifice by removing its psychoactive component. Some say he was against using the plant itself and provided a less psychoactive alternative, while others say he simply wanted to moderate the heavy effect by refusing to allow the use of animal fat, which caused the ritual to get out of control and turn into an orgy.

Regarding Zoroaster, according to the legend, he descended to the world in several parts: the aura, the soul, and the essence of the body. The aura descended in fire, the soul descended in the Haoma plant, and the essence of the body descended through water or alternatively, milk. In fact, the rainwater that falls from the sky waters the earth, the earth grows herbs, the cows eat them and produce milk, and the milk is used for libation. Zoroaster’s mother was called “Dugdav”, “the one with milking cows”.

Fertility goddesses are described as having “cow eyes” (βοῶπις), probably because of the glazed look of someone who drank the potion (kykeon also made of honey). Apis himself was the son of the fertility goddess Hathor and was considered a mediator between man and god, and responsible for birth and rebirth, two images of the psychedelic experience. The cow was a symbol of fertility, but mainly a symbol of altered consciousness, due to its milk and apparently its fat. Now it makes sense why.

In Nepal, Indigenous groups rally against cable car project on sacred hill

Mukkumlung is the name of a sacred hill in northeastern Nepal. This hill holds significant religious, cultural, and spiritual importance for several ethnic and religious communities, including the indigenous Limbu community, Hindus, and Buddhists. However, a planned cable car project on the hill has sparked intense opposition from local communities due to concerns about the impact on the sanctity of the site and the natural environment.

The hill is also known as Pathivara, named after the female deity who bears the same name. The site is associated with the worship of the goddess Pathivara and is considered especially sacred by believers. It serves as a pilgrimage site and a place of prayer for adherents of these religions and plays a crucial role in passing on traditions from generation to generation. The hill itself features a stunning natural landscape, including groves of rhododendron (the national flower of Nepal), which enhances its religious and cultural significance. For the residents, it is not only a cultural or religious issue but also an environmental one, although for them these aspects are interconnected. On the ecological importance of maintaining vegetation of religious significance among the natives in Nepal.

The project was announced by the government of Nepal in 2018. That same year, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration requested the National Planning Commission to designate the cable car project as a national priority. This recommendation was adopted by the commission the following month, granting the project national status in 2018. Already then, residents began protesting and expressing their opposition. They organized demonstrations, local gatherings, and various protest actions to draw public attention.

In March, the situation escalated as work commenced and tree felling began in earnest. This was done without consultation with the local communities, leading to intensified protests. At some point, it escalated to clashes with the police; residents tried to prevent access by loggers and police to the area. They managed to bypass police roadblocks and navigate through the jungle to reach the site, only to find that hundreds of trees had already been felled. To prevent further work, local residents began guarding the area continuously starting in April. They set up watch posts and organized groups to guard the hill and prevent the entry of materials and workers for the cable car project. Simultaneously, they appealed to Nepal’s Supreme Court to halt the project, arguing that it violated laws and historical agreements protecting indigenous rights. The legal battle became a central part of the protest, with the petitioners also reaching out to international bodies and human rights organizations to garner support and pressure the Nepalese authorities.

celebrations of the summer solstice as a resistance

Another mention of the Wixárika in the article about struggles related to summer solstice celebrations. The festival is called Namawita Neixa, marking the beginning of their planting season. The tribe members are farmers who primarily grow corn, beans, and squash. They make annual pilgrimages to the Wirikuta desert, which they view as the birthplace of the sun. The increased industrial farming in the desert has led to accelerated groundwater extraction and a reduction in biodiversity. Around the summer solstice of 2023, a special pilgrimage was made by members of a regional council of the tribe to pray for rain, protection of their sacred lands, and the “renewal of the world.” The region has recently experienced heat waves and droughts. After the ceremony, the council released a public statement requesting protections from the Mexican government for their way of life and the environment.

A parallel struggle exists for the Sioux tribe in the United States. The tribe has a traditional dance called the “Sun Dance,” performed on the solstice. In 1883, the U.S. government began a campaign to suppress the dance, designating it as a crime punishable by imprisonment. Only in 1934 did the U.S. government partially reverse its policy and allow the dance to be performed again, though still prohibiting some ritual aspects. In both cases, this was a violation of religious freedom, although from the perspective of the U.S., these ceremonies were not considered protected under the First Amendment. It was not until 1972 that the tribe returned to performing the Sun Dance in its full, original form. However, hippies saw this as exotic and began organizing parallel ceremonies for entertainment purposes, despite having no connection to Native American religion and culture. In 1993, a conference was held where the Sioux demanded the protection of the purity of the ceremony and an end to the misuse of their traditions, similar to the struggle against the use of peyote.

cooking as transubstantiation

In his book “Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation”, Michael Pollan attempts to describe how cooking with water changes the flavors and textures of food as a form of transubstantiation, where the water turns into milk. he quotes I Yin, a Chinese chef, 239 B.C: “The transformation which occurs in the cauldron is quintessential and wondrous, subtle and delicate. The mouth cannot express it in words”. And perhaps turning water into wine is nothing more that leaching an intoxicating plants in water?

Etymology of cannabis and the “kaneh”

Rabbi Michoel Green writes about the etymology of the word “cannabis”, noting that it contains the root K.N.H, a versatile and multifaceted verb in Hebrew. He asserts that this verb has applications across numerous fields in both Hebrew and foreign languages.

The original meaning of “kaneh” is a stalk or reed, with one of its famous appearances in the Bible being “kaneh bosem” (fragrant cane). For the purpose of the discussion, its exact botanical identification is not crucial, although Green also claims that it refers to cannabis. The fact that the “kaneh” is hollow and narrow has led to many hollow or narrow objects containing this root, represented by the letters K/C and N. In Hebrew, this root also has other meanings indirectly related to actions performed with a reed, such as fighting with a spear or transferring ownership – all of which have linguistic sources in the Hebrew language.

Some of the foreign words to which the Hebrew word “kaneh” has contributed include:

• Cane: Originates from the reed-like form.
• Candy: Originates from “kaneh” as in sugar cane.
• Cannon: Its form is like a hollow reed.
• Gun: Possibly a phonetic derivative of cannon.
• Canal: Similar to a pipe or groove.
• Channel: Similar to the idea of a canal.
• Canyon: A narrow and long valley, like a groove.
• Canoe: Hollow like a reed.
• Canvas: Made from hemp fibers, cannabis.
• Canon: From the rod of judges.
• Canonize: From the term “canon.”
• Cinnamon: One of the possible identifications of “kaneh.”
• Cannoli: An Italian pastry in the shape of a hollow reed.
• Canister: A cylindrical container, similar to a reed.

Variations in Hebrew include: kaneh, kaniah, ken, mikneh, kain, kinah, kin’ah, tikun, kenas, etc.

This is the extent of Green’s article. Now, a small addition from me. In the Middle Ages, during a Saxon land transfer ceremony called “Livery of seisin”, it was customary to use earth and a branch in the symbolic transfer of ownership. When the parties met, they would symbolically exchange control of the land by passing a “turf and twig” or a clump of earth from the seller to the buyer.

However, it is likely that the word “kinyan” (ownership) is related to metal (“kain”). In Rome, there was a goods transfer ceremony called “Mancipatio”, in which a symbolic object was transferred to effect the transfer of ownership. This ceremony involved the presence of five witnesses and another person holding scales. The seller and buyer stood opposite each other, and the buyer touched the copper scales and placed metal on them, declaring, “I claim that this property is mine by Roman right”. The metal being weighed was transferred to the seller as a symbolic sign of payment. In this way, the buyer was “buying” it. The property being transferred was often “mikneh” which included lands, slaves, animals, and sometimes women – all considered “kinyan” i.e property.

The reason the kaneh was called such is probably related to poisonous plants. In alchemical traditions, poisonous plants were associated with lead, known as a toxic metal, and therefore, any plant causing hallucinations was considered a “kaneh”. Toxic metals were also called “kain”.

The Temporality of Festivals

The book “The Temporality of Festivals”, edited by Anke Walter as part of the Chronoi series, is now available for free download. This book delves into the unique temporal aspects of festive times in ancient societies. It explores how festivals manage to make time “special” and imbue it with meaning that encompasses the past, present, and future. The book presents research from various fields on how the temporality of festivals from the past can be reconstructed through calendars, astronomical sources, and literature.

“Festive time” is a concept that defines the period that becomes special during festivals. It transcends ordinary, everyday time and includes unique activities, rituals, and experiences that give it special significance. Festive time not only fills the time but also pauses and halts the regular flow of time, offering participants an experience of heightened awareness and spirit.

Among the festivals discussed in the book are, for example, the New Year in ancient Babylon, a religious and political festival determined by astronomical calculations; the Dionysia in ancient Greece: the agones competitions were part of the religious and political life of Athens. The competitions included competitive performances of tragedies, satyr plays, and sports, and were considered a festive time when everyday time stopped and turned into a time of cultural and spiritual experience; the celebrations in Rome and the “festive time” according to Horace’s poetry; and the multicultural festivals in Dunhuang, medieval China, which demonstrate how festivals can cross boundaries between social classes, ethnicities, and religions.

Uncovering Europe’s Longest Prehistoric Burial Mound: Insights into the Funnel-Beaker Culture

Archaeologists in the Hradec Králové area in East Bohemia, Czechia, have discovered what appears to be the longest prehistoric burial mound in Europe. This mound, located along the D35 Plotiště-Sadová highway, stretches approximately 190 meters in length and reaches a maximum width of about 15 meters. The findings are dated to the Chalcolithic period and are attributed to the Funnel-Beaker culture (3800-3350 BCE), a pre-Indo-European culture in north-central Europe. This culture was known for its funnel-shaped pottery, megalithic structures, and the introduction of agriculture and animal husbandry to the region.

The researchers identified an elongated trapezoidal ditch at the base of the mound, a feature typical of long burial mounds from the Chalcolithic period. Additionally, the entrance to the mound was discovered, preserved in the form of postholes and a ditch. The location and orientation of the graves, with the bodies lying on their left sides and facing north, suggest a religious or ritual significance to the positioning and orientation of the burials.

From the findings, it can be inferred that the burial mound was constructed as a monumental structure to demonstrate the social status of the deceased. These structures served not only as burial sites but also as religious and ritual monuments. The presence of grave goods, such as ceramic vessels and flint objects, indicates that burial rituals included offerings to the deceased, suggesting that the site may have been used for ancestor worship or other funerary rites.

A new study challenges the idea that Rapa Nui islanders caused an ‘ecocide’

Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, is one of the most fascinating and mysterious archaeological sites in the world. For decades, a theory has suggested that the island’s ancient inhabitants caused an ecological disaster that led to the collapse of their society. Jared Diamond wrote in his book “Collapse” that the islanders caused their own ecological downfall through poor management of natural resources. They deforested the entire island, leading to soil erosion and the extinction of various animal species, all while the population continued to grow and exploit the limited resources. This combination of factors led to an ecological and social collapse that has become a warning example in human history.

Diamond emphasizes the significant investment in the construction and transportation of the moai statues as one of the main reasons for the overexploitation of resources. The inhabitants expended enormous efforts in building and moving these giant stone statues across the island, which required vast amounts of wood and tools, leading to environmental destruction.

A recent study published in Science Advances offers a new perspective on the story of Easter Island, challenging this narrative. Archaeologist Dylan Davis and his colleagues argue that the islanders maintained a modest agricultural system and a relatively small, stable population until the arrival of Europeans in 1722. Their conclusions are based on ground surveys and machine-learning models that analyzed satellite images to identify rock gardens. These rock gardens, used for agriculture, covered less than one-half of one percent of the island’s territory, indicating limited agricultural capacity. The researchers estimate that the population on Easter Island was small and stable, with an estimate of around 3,900 individuals. This number is not sufficient to have caused overexploitation of natural resources and an ecological disaster.

However, the findings are contested by some researchers who argue that the study’s data set is too limited and does not account for all cultivation practices or the possibility that rock gardens were more widespread and used at different times.

Primitive Science and Sacred Rituals: The Evolutionary Significance of Food in Human History

The homo-sapiens has two things that are important to them: spreading their seed, according to evolutionary theory, and preserving their life, which is also a kind of evolutionary theory, because if they don’t preserve their life, they can’t spread their seed. To preserve your life, you need to avoid dangers, but mainly to find food. Therefore, your primary interest, your most basic need, is food. Physiological needs are even more important than safety needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Thus, humans began to search for food. The search for food was the first thing humans knew about the world, and was essentially the first “science” developed through trial and error. Religion is primitive science, and one could say that religion is a set of beliefs and rules of thumb that developed based on the body of scientific knowledge accumulated by humans at various times. And because the body of human knowledge is constantly developing and growing, religion also evolves according to the knowledge it encompasses.

Human existence is religion, and on the altar of this religion, the first martyrs fell—the gatherers who tried and erred, eating poisonous plants. And also the first saints, the gatherers who tried and survived, managing to overcome the danger of the poison and derive benefit from it. Some of these poisons affected these people, making them either crazy or enlightened—this is the holy war and the plant-based mysterium tremendum. These saints are the first shamans, who are essentially experimenters or guides of experimentation. In Greece, they were called hierophants.

These people are qualified individuals, not in the sense of authority. Although authority will indeed develop in the future within the framework of religious institutionalization. These people are simply authoritative due to their expertise; their reputation preceded them, and because the knowledge they held was power, people respected them for their strength.

Since their tools depended on availability and randomness, their great advantage was not only in knowing how to use them but also in knowing how to find them. The domestication of plants (and animals) solved the problem of availability and randomness, as there was always a reserve of tools. And once that was the case, authority was based solely on expertise. To call someone an expert, it must be ensured that there are no gaps in their education and that what they know, they truly know and not just pretend to. In these schools, institutionalized religion developed.

There is such a thing called “symbolic interaction”. By analogy, any input into the human body is considered food, whether it is physical food or spiritual food, and any output that later returns as feedback to become input again is considered sowing, whether it is the birth of a child and the spreading of seeds, teaching and learning, or the original meaning of sowing, producing the next generation of plants until their germination, flowering, and fruit production. These output actions were considered, again by analogy, the action with which the world was created, what we would call “creation”. Early human worship was essentially what is called “sympathetic magic”, an attempt to create a simulation that would allow this output, feedback, and the next input.

What did the ancient gatherers eat that drew them so much to poisonous plants? It can of course be inferred that what excited them so much were the psychedelic hallucinations they experienced from eating foods like various nightshades or fermented wheat. This is very logical, and indeed religious scholars attribute the fact that these plants caused hallucinations to their becoming entheogens. But there is no need to go too far, because it could be that it was not about the deliberate search for plants that are actual poisons. Even edible and healthy plants tend to ferment by yeasts that appear randomly from the air and acquire an alcoholic value. Various animals still “consume alcohol” in nature, like the tree shrew that eats fermented fruits from the bertam palm.

Robert Dudley argues that our ancestors were also such, hunters of fermented fruits, or more accurately signal catchers from fermented fruits that emit substances into the air signaling to fruit eaters “eat me”. A fermented fruit is a fruit that has reached its peak nutritional value, humans benefited greatly from consuming a lot of energy from a small bite. This is also an evolutionary advantage, so to speak, that the fruit achieves by sending out signals and thereby “tempting” the consumer to eat it, causing the consumer to seek it, gather it, spread its seeds (from the eaten fruits) and thus essentially reproduce. This is a symbiotic co-evolution of both the fruit and the human, the human develops the nutritional capabilities of the fruit and thus its energetic capabilities, it both takes and gives, and so does the fruit, it takes the human by tempting it with its fruits and thereby gets what it asked for, dissemination.

In this process, fruit fermentation produces alcohol, and a person who consumes alcohol gets drunk and is affected in a psychotropic manner. When it comes to modest quantities, which is what a person could afford while being a wild gatherer, the intoxicating effect does not go beyond euphoria and relaxation. Only when a person overindulges do they get drunk. Robert Dudley called this theory “the drunken monkey”. While the theory that humans consumed hallucinogenic plants is called the “stoned ape” theory. As we explained, the stoned ape is sometimes four steps too far ahead.

What Kinds Of Drugs Were Used In Ancient Times?

Our ancestors used drugs to transcend the material world and deal with the fear of death. Drugs were seen as a way to connect with the spiritual and metaphysical aspects of life and were incorporated into rituals and social rites. Unlike today, where drugs are viewed as something to be prevented due to abuse and crime, ancient societies integrated drugs into their culture and religious ceremonies. New findings suggest that the use of drugs was widespread across various ancient civilizations and was not limited to religious or medicinal uses. Evidence of international drug trade as early as 1000 BCE indicates extensive usage.

Indigenous people in America used hallucinogenic drugs as early as 9000 BCE. The Inca, Maya, Olmecs, and Aztecs used psychoactive plants in spiritual rituals. This practice was also common in other American cultures, especially in Mesoamerica. The Maya used cane toads, an intoxicating drink called “balche” (a plant-based drink), and mushrooms to alter their state of consciousness. The Aztecs used flowers like Ololiuqui and Tlitliltzin and concoctions for recreational and spiritual purposes. Coca leaves were used for 8000 years in Mesoamerica for religious ceremonies.

In China, fermented beverages were used as early as the 7th millennium BCE, and fermented drinks were common. Prehistoric cave paintings in Algeria show the use of psychedelic drugs as early as 8000 BCE. Cannabis was used in China around 3000 BCE, and opium in Sumer around 5000 BCE. Cannabis was used for medical and recreational purposes in Mesopotamia and Egypt. The use of opium spread from Sumer to various ancient civilizations, including Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Greeks and Romans used opium in drinks and certain sea bream fish for altered states of consciousness. Areca and betel nuts were used throughout Asia and were brought to the Mediterranean during the Renaissance. The writings of Homer, Ovid, and even Shakespeare describe drug use.