Spensorium

The Philosophers Stone of alchemy and Soma or Amrit of the vedic and tantric traditions, are both elixirs yielding immortality. The philosophers stone is attained through the marriage of the Sun and the Moon, the rebis, the magnum opus, the great work. Soma, as stated in previous posts, is also the name of the moon in sanskrit, and is a focus in the rig veda.

The Sun, the moon, fire and water (principles of Agni and soma) and the planets, have correspondents above and below, through the causal, the undifferentiated and the less and less subtle.

For example, the sun and moon represent ahamkara, your ego or subtle “I-ness”(the sun) as well as manastattva, the lower mind(moon), the relayer and classifier of sensory impressions. In astrology, these are the correspondents of the sun and moon in which we are most familiar with and interact with on a day to day basis. The sun and moon also correspond to Purusha (sun) and prakriti (moon) tattvas, the differentiated observer connected with subjectivity/subject and nature/object respectively.. as well as the Siva and Sakti tattvas.

In the Siddha tradition, there is the focus on the uniting of the red and white bindus. Red in the area of the genitals and white seated in the back of the head; the red corresponding to the sun and the white, the moon. Through mudras, kaya kalpa, trataka, pranayama and various tantric techniques, there is the sublimation of the sexual fluids and energies of the red bindu, manipulation of pranas and the raising of them to the white, lunar bindu.. an internal alchemical process. Sublimating and conserving sexual energy, the fluid rises to Sahasrara, becomes Soma, and this spreads through lymph and finds its way through the bbb, where it becomes a source of vitality and longevity and clears the passages of prana.

The fire or agni of the kundalini below is attempted to be drawn up to Sahasrara, the thousand petal lotus; for the realization of the deathless self, the return of shakti – the union with paramsiva.

In Trika Shaivism, the light(prakasa) of the highest reality is the pure light of consciousness, which is unmanifest, beyond creation.. yet is still present on all levels of creation. This is also the Sun, in the highest, most causal form.

Vimarsa is the self awareness of Prakash, the infinite light, where the light remains aware, reflecting, at all levels of creation.. and is entirely independent.. referred to as svātantrya, realization of Anuttara, the Absolute, the supreme nectar/Amrit/Soma, and is associated with the moon, in its highest, most casual form.

This Moon(svatantrya) is a moon that is by default, married to and realizing of the sun.. I contend, this Amrit/Soma/Svatantrya/realizing Anuttara, is the philosophers stone.

Amrit/soma and agni also are with their subtle substance(s)/variants, and can be used to achieve longer lives, *physical immortality.. but the highest attainment of Soma is the SPIRITUAL immortality, derived from the achieving of svatantrya.