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.

The Haoma plant identification

“The Farvahar, the soul of Zarathushtra, descended into the physical world in the form of the um. The haoma – In Middle Persian hum, and in Sanskrit soma – is a plant that was used for worship purposes in the ancient Indo-Iranian religion. Scholars differ in their opinions regarding its identification. The meaning is “squeezing”, and the properties of the plant the name , according to the hymn dedicated to him in the Vesta, are healing, sexual excitement, intellectual stimulation and intoxication. Today’s Zoroastrians worship an extract of Chinese ephedra (ephedra sinica), from which the drug ephedrine is also produced. In some Iranian languages, Chinese ephedra is still called hum. Other scholars have identified and identify the plant as cannabis or various types of hallucinogenic plants. However, according to Zoroastrian mythology, Zarathushtra’s soul came down to the world in the form of the haoma plant that was as tall as a man, and grew at the top of a particularly tall tree that grew in the area where Zarathushtra’s father grazed. Pourušaspa Spitāma, inspired by the gods of course, coveted the attractive nation. He thought he would have to cut down the tree in order to reach it, but miraculously, the haoma came down half way towards him, he climbed half way towards it and shortened it all.” From “The Good, the Bad and the World“, by Thamar Eilam Gindin , p. 25, Ministry of Defense, 2011

Chris Bennett argues in his books (” cannabis and the soma solution” etc.) that haoma and soma are cannabis, basing this on the work of several Indologists and Iranologists. For example, Elizabeth Wayland Barber suggests that the name “haoma” developed from the Chinese term “hu-ma”, meaning “fire-cannabis”, because in the rituals of the Indo-Europeans who lived there, cannabis was burned, then pressed, mixed with milk, and strained (they called this “bhang”). Since it is known that there are Chinese words of Indo-European origin, she does not rule out the possibility that the influences were bidirectional. Just as the word for “silk” originated from *s’eg”, she claims the same situation could take us from hu-ma to haoma.

The main proponent of the identification between soma and cannabis is Syed Mahdihassan. According to him, the Chinese confused it with ephedra, partly because their galls are yellow-red. Consequently, the words for cannabis and ephedra are similar and actually mirror images: cannabis is huang-ma, and ephedra is ma-huang. The origin was “hu-ma”, and in Sanskrit, the h turned into s and not the other way around. He claims that the Chinese became acquainted with this drink through contact with Aryan ascetics and adopted the practice. Thus, we find evidence of Taoist sages who burned cannabis in incense burners and traveled to the “land of the immortals”.

While Zoroaster preserved the use of ephedra, he abandoned the use of cannabis, but the Scythians retained it. He attacks them for this. It turns out that the name of the Scythians in Avestan was “Sakā haumavargā”, meaning “Scythians who prepare haoma.”

Ali Jafarey argues that although Zoroaster tried to eliminate the use of cannabis, he was not entirely successful, and “heretic” sects preserved its use. These sects were orthodox Persians who struggled to accept the reformist religious practices. We see that various Persian sects remained faithful to cannabis, such as the Manichaeans, the Mazdakites, and of course, the Sufis and Hashishin, who used it for what they called jihad—holy war meant to be both internal (Sufis) and external (Hashishin).

The Dragon Slayer Archetype

In the Aarne-Thompson Motif Index, motif number 300 is “The Dragon Slayer” which involves a hero who defeats a fearsome dragon and cuts off its head. Sometimes, the hero doesn’t kill the dragon but only neutralizes it. Since the dragon has magical powers that allow it to rise from its ashes or strengthen in other ways, it remains a threat and will one day return, needing to be defeated again. The one who will defeat it will be the same hero, a reincarnation, or one of his descendants. In the “Motif-Index of Folk-Literature”, Stith Thompson expands on the character of the dragon, its hatching from an egg, being a hybrid with terrifying elements from various animals, having multiple heads (usually three), its appearance resembling a snake and perhaps even being a snake itself, and so on.

I am currently reading the new book by our group member Sarah Kugel, “Iranian Mythology”, while also browsing Thamar Eilam Gindin’s book “Heroes, Kings, and Dragons”. Both books deal with Iranian mythology, and one of the central stories is about the evil king “Zahhak” who turned into a dragon or, alternatively, grew two man-eating snakes from his shoulders after being kissed by the devil. This king was wicked and represented Iran’s enemy, and only after a thousand years did the national hero, Fereydun, manage to depose him. Fereydun is a later iteration of the original Avestan word Traitaunas, meaning “possessor of three powers”. Zahhak is a later iteration of the Avestan word “Azi Dahaka,” meaning “man resembling a dragon,” and perhaps even “the laughing dragon”. Perhaps he laughs because he is invincible, and even when defeated, he is not truly dead and always has more strength, at least until the final victory, which no one knows when it will come.

It’s easy to see that this story is essentially a prototype of the “Whore of Babylon” in the Book of Revelation, who will only be defeated at the end of days. It’s no coincidence that Babylon is mentioned since, in these Iranian stories, Zahhak is originally Babylonian or at least built a fortress in Babylon. Gindin mentions that in one version, he misled the Babylonians into believing in sacred scriptures he wrote called “Oritā” (from the Aramaic ‘Oraiyta’, the Torah) as if he were a reincarnation of Ahriman himself, posing as the good god, for Ahriman once tempted the first humans, infiltrated their thoughts, and made them worship demons. Such is also the Antichrist. The Gnostics (as well as the Manicheans who incorporated Zoroastrian elements into Gnosticism) claim that the God of the Jews is the god who created the material world, so it’s clear why his sacred texts are referred to as the Jewish sacred texts. By the way, the Gnostics worshiped a being called Hermes Trismegistus, which means “the three times greater”, or “the three times stronger”. The fact that Megistus mentions the Zoroastrian Magus or Magi is very welcoming.

The deeds of Fereydun are based on another hero whose name is derived from the number three: Trita, an Indian hero (mentioned in the Vedas) who is also credited with killing a three-headed dragon named Trisiras. This story is an iteration of another story attributed to the god Indra, who killed a dragon named Vritra. Indra also fought with Varuna, the guardian of immortality, and took his place—a myth that reminds us of Yahweh’s battle with Leviathan or Marduk’s with Tiamat.

So much for comparative mythology. From here on, I will mention that Indra’s favorite drink was soma, an intoxicating beverage he consumed before the battle with the dragon-serpent. This dragon was the leader of the “Asura”, who were actually “Devas,” gods who fell and became demons. They pretended to be benefactors, though they were power-hungry and deceitful. Three Devas—Varuna, Soma (Chandra), and Agni—who were initially on the dragon’s side and called him “our father,” were eventually bewitched and helped Indra defeat him.

The Indo-European warriors would drink soma to get the war frenzy, and Zarathustra did not like the uncontrolled way they consumed the sacred drink because it led to chaos and bloodshed. Alternatively, the priests of the false gods consumed haoma (which is the same as soma, just in Avestan) and through it worshipped demons, something Zarathustra despised. He called those demons daêva, and their worshippers “daêvan.” Indra himself was called daêva. Zarathustra detested the haoma cult, and one of his reforms was to replace the intoxicating substance with ephedra, whose psychoactive effect is much lower. Some say he did not prohibit the use of the intoxicating drink but merely restricted its consumption because irresponsible people would have a “bad trip” or simply lose their inhibitions because of it.

At this point, I will mention, as Lewis Ungit already pointed out, that the dragon-serpent symbol they fight is essentially a personification of the psychedelic experience. Some people drink the intoxicating drink and get lost with it, fighting and being defeated by the dragon. Conversely, some people defeat it and cut off its head, but this does not make them immune later because the severed head will grow back, and the dragon will always be strong enough to attack the next time. Only at the end of days will that dragon, who disguises himself as a beautiful woman, truly die, and the one who defeats him will win the grand prize, perhaps even marry the princess—more and more elements recurring in Stith Thompson’s index, which are probably now better understood.

Ancient Yahwism was actually a syncretistic Zoroastrianism

The podcast “Gnostic Informant” interviews Prof. Gad Barnea from the University of Haifa for his new article in the memorial book for Prof. Shaul Shaked. Prof. Barnea is supposed to release a new book on the topic at the beginning of 2025.

Archaeological and textual evidence from the island of Elephantine in Egypt and other regions suggests that the Yahwistic communities of the Persian period had no knowledge of the biblical texts as we know them today. They did not use biblical names, were not familiar with biblical traditions, and essentially, apart from their reverence for Yahweh, had nothing that would identify them as Jews. They were even polytheistic, worshipping Anat and Bethel. There were also temple priestesses, although their roles are not detailed, but the fact is that women participated in the worship.

Contemporary communities in Elephantine, Samaria, and Babylon exhibited a form of Yahwism that we would not recognize today as Judaism. This form is characterized by the absence of biblical figures such as Moses, Abraham, and Noah. It is doubtful whether these figures existed before the exile or before the return to Zion.

The evidence points to significant cultural and religious assimilation with Persian practices, including the use of Avestan terms and the presence of a fire holder (ātašdān) in their temples. In these fire holders, it seems, they conducted the haoma ritual or its alternative, since supposedly Zoroaster despised the use of drugs, although this is unclear and there are differing opinions. Some believe he despised the uncontrolled use of mind-altering substances, as he himself praised the haoma. Therefore, it appears that Jewish temples performed psychoactive incense rituals, raising the question: was this new or not? It probably wasn’t new, and the traditional use of mind-altering substances by the Jews likely helped them integrate Persian practices of the conqueror of that era.

Hence, more than being monotheistic, Judaism was syncretistic, incorporating Zoroastrian elements into Yahwistic worship. Thus, Judaism should be seen as a Levantine variation of Zoroastrianism, with all its aspects: the afterlife, the dualism between good and evil, the eternal fire on the altar (atar), etc. There might have been Orphic and philosophical influences over time, but this began under Persian rule.

Therefore, the “Second Temple” in Jerusalem was likely built around the late 5th or early 4th century BCE, under Persian influence. From the “Passover Letter from Elephantine,” it can be understood that Passover was a new festival at that time, reflecting more Persian customs than biblical ones. For example, it emphasized the full moon, as was common in ancient Eastern cultures.

Yahwism at that time was still in its developmental stages, interwoven with Persian and Hellenistic religious expressions of the period. It was only later that this form of Yahwism evolved into what we recognize today as Judaism.