Re-Imagining the Rites of Soma
Sangita Lakhanpal Presents
A Contemporary Plant Medicine Ceremony Rooted in Tantric and Earth Wisdom
1. What Is Soma and Why Re-Imagine It Today?
In the Ṛg Veda, Soma is described as a sacred plant elixir honouring clarity, healing, and expanded perception. Entire hymns—especially Maṇḍala 9—reveal its visionary qualities. One of the most well-known verses proclaims:
“We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the Light the gods discovered.”
(Ṛg Veda 8.48.3, transl. Jamison & Brereton)
Later Tantric texts, including the Kulārṇava Tantra and the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, speak of Soma as an inner nectar(amṛta)—a subtle, blissful state awakened through breath, mantra, and refined perception.
Today, Re-imagining the Rites of Soma means honouring these lineages while creating a ceremony that is safe, rooted, inclusive, ecological, and resonant for our time.
2. A Contemporary Tantric Approach to Plant Medicines
This ceremony works with low-dose plant infusions known for subtle shifts in perception, intuition, relaxation, or dream activity:
- Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) — long used for dreamwork and intuitive vision
- Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) — associated with relaxation and heart-opening
- Local, native plants — chosen according to the ecology and cultural history of the land itself
This approach integrates:
- Prāṇāyāma — breathwork to steady and open the inner body
- Mantra — sound as a tool of devotion, focus, and subtle activation
- Embodied ritual — gentle āsana, mudrā, and self-touch
- Ecological awareness — honouring the land and the more-than-human world
- Somatic grounding — supporting each experience to integrate safely through the nervous system
The aim is clarity, connection, and grounded insight, rather than intensity or overwhelm.
2a. The Tantric Art of Sacred Intoxication (Divya-Mada)
In certain Śākta and Kaula Tantric lineages, divya-mada—sacred intoxication—describes a lucid, embodied, and conscious state that arises when plant essences, breath, mantra, and awareness are held within a precise ritual container.
It is not about escape.
It is about refinement, sensitivity, and inner luminosity.
Tantric texts describe this process as awakening the subtle “nectar” (amṛta) within the body through:
- steadying breath
- mantra that directs awareness
- sound that opens the inner field
- gentle plant allies
- grounding practices that keep the experience embodied
- reverence for place and land
In this ceremony, these principles are carried forward in a contemporary, accessible form. The result is a Tantric experience of clear, rooted ecstasy—fully aware, fully embodied.
3. Flow of the Ceremony
1. Invocation
We begin by opening the ritual field (kṣetra) with mantra, breath, elemental offerings, and intention.
2. Intention
Participants name their focus or inquiry, creating alignment for the journey.
3. Ceremonial Plant Elixir
A low-dose infusion is shared with clear explanation of its lineage, cultural use, and known effects, ensuring respect and informed participation.
4. Breath, Mantra & Embodied Practices
Participants are guided through:
- prāṇāyāma (as described in Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā IV.45–48)
- gentle movement & mudrā
- self-massage to awaken the senses
- lineage-based mantras to steady and refine awareness
These practices open the body and prepare the mind for the musical immersion.
"Sangita’s work gives voice to the Divine Mother, awakening our connection to nature, to our ancestors, and to the sacred within”
Chantal Elkin - Head of Values and Beliefs, World Wildlife Fund.
4. Sonic Soma — The Musical Heart of the Ceremony
Sonic Soma is the central musical offering of the evening: a living soundscape where music, mantra, myth, and plant wisdom meet.
The sound bath blends:
- gongs — deep, grounding resonance
- crystal bowls — clarity and shimmering tone
- drums — earthy rhythm and pulse
- bells, chimes & drones — gentle atmospheric layers
- the human voice — the guiding thread through the journey
The music has both composition and structure, shaped by Sanskrit songs and mantras, while still allowing space for intuitive response to the group and the plant ally.
Singing the 108 Names
At the centre of this soundscape is the chanting of the 108 names of the Goddess connected with the plant.
These names are sung in melodic forms that reflect the plant’s essence—dreamlike, spacious, earthy, or tender—and act as a musical invocation.
Stories Woven with Sound
Short mythic and poetic narratives from:
- Vedic imagery
- Tantric cosmology
- and the cultural lineage of the plant
are woven through the music.
These stories help orient the inner journey, giving participants symbolic pathways for what arises.
A Space for Integration & Vision
The sound bath supports:
- deep rest
- emotional softening
- symbolic or visionary imagery
- gentle, lucid-dreamlike states
- somatic integration through vibration
Here, sound becomes the carrier of Soma, helping the plant’s subtle teachings settle into the body, breath, and imagination.
5. Ecology, Place & Cultural Responsibility
This work is rooted in place-based ritual:
- ceremonies held on the land, in sacred or natural spaces
- use of plants native or culturally rooted to the region
- offerings made to honour the land and its guardians
It is a practice of reciprocity, listening, and belonging.
6. Why This Matters Today
Re-imagining the Soma rites is part of a wider movement to reconnect:
- ritual and music
- body and breath
- plant wisdom and ecology
- ancient story and contemporary healing
- Earth connection and personal insight
It offers a grounded, lineage-informed way to explore plant consciousness and renew our relationship with the living world.
"Sangita is a powerhouse and highly knowledgeable on multiple aspects of healing, yoga, mantra, voice work, ancient Vedic philosophy , dance, womb work and women’s empowerment. I love her as a facilitator of workshops, in her creative projects which always allow for participants to interact and share on a deep and engaging level. Her authentic self encourages deeper reflection of self and inspires reflection and commitment to a higher purpose."
Karina Suwindi, President of the Homa Therapy Foundation (Poland)
Re-Imagining the Rites of Soma Enquiries
If you are interested in booking this ceremony please fill in the form below and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.