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Vedic ritual drink

In the Vedic tradition, sma (Devanagari: ) is a ritual drink[1][2] of importance among the early Vedic Indo-Aryans.[3] The Rigveda mentions it, particularly in the Soma Mandala. Gita mentions the drink in Chapter 9.[4] It is equivalent to the Iranian haoma.[5][6]

The texts describe the preparation of soma by means of extracting the juice from a plant, the identity of which is now unknown and debated among scholars. Both in the ancient religions of Historical Vedic religion and Zoroastrianism, the name of the drink and the plant are not exactly the same.[7]

There has been much speculation about the most likely identity of the original plant. Traditional Indian accounts, such as those from practitioners of Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, and Somayajna called Somayajis, identify the plant as "Somalata" (Sarcostemma acidum).[8]Non-Indian researchers have proposed candidates including the fly agaric, Amanita muscaria; Psilocybin mushrooms, Psilocybe cubensis; wild or Syrian rue, Peganum harmala; and ma huang, Ephedra sinica.

Soma is a Vedic Sanskrit word that literally means "distill, extract, sprinkle", often connected in the context of rituals.[9]

Soma's Avestan cognate is the haoma. According to Geldner (1951), the word is derived from Indo-Iranian roots *sav- (Sanskrit sav-/su) "to press", i.e. *sau-ma- is the drink prepared by pressing the stalks of a plant,[10] but the word and the related practices were borrowed by the Indo-Aryans from the BactriaMargiana culture (BMAC). Although the word is only attested in Indo-Iranian traditions, Manfred Mayrhofer has proposed a Proto-Indo-European origin from the root *sew(h)-.[13]

The Vedic religion was the religion of some of the Vedic Indo-Aryan tribes, the aryas, who migrated into the Indus River valley region of the Indian subcontinent. The Indo-Aryans were speakers of a branch of the Indo-European language family, which originated in the Sintashta culture and further developed into the Andronovo culture, which in turn developed out of the Kurgan culture of the Central Asian steppes. The Vedic beliefs and practices of the pre-classical era were closely related to the hypothesised Proto-Indo-European religion,[18][note 1] and show relations with rituals from the Andronovo culture, from which the Indo-Aryan people descended. According to Anthony, the Old Indic religion probably emerged among Indo-European immigrants in the contact zone between the Zeravshan River (present-day Uzbekistan) and (present-day) Iran. It was "a syncretic mixture of old Central Asian and new Indo-European elements" which borrowed "distinctive religious beliefs and practices" from the BactriaMargiana culture (BMAC). This syncretic influence is supported by at least 383non-Indo-European words that were borrowed from this culture, including the god Indra and the ritual drink Soma. According to Anthony,

Many of the qualities of Indo-Iranian god of might/victory, Verethraghna, were transferred to the adopted god Indra, who became the central deity of the developing Old Indic culture. Indra was the subject of 250hymns, a quarter of the Rig Veda. He was associated more than any other deity with Soma, a stimulant drug (perhaps derived from Ephedra) probably borrowed from the BMAC religion. His rise to prominence was a peculiar trait of the Old Indic speakers.

In the Vedas, the same word (soma) is used for the drink, the plant, and its deity. Drinking soma produces immortality (Amrita, Rigveda 8.48.3). Indra and Agni are portrayed as consuming soma in copious quantities. In the vedic ideology, Indra drank large amounts of soma while fighting the serpent demon Vritra. The consumption of soma by human beings is well attested in Vedic ritual. The Soma Mandala of the Rigveda is completely dedicated to Soma Pavamana, and is focused on a moment in the ritual when the soma is pressed, strained, mixed with water and milk, and poured into containers. These actions are described as a representation of a variety of things, including a king conquering territory, the Sun's journey through the cosmos, or a bull running to mate with cows (represented by the milk). The most important myth about Soma is about his theft. In it, Soma was originally held captive in a citadel in heaven by the archer Knu. A falcon stole Soma, successfully escaping Knu, and delivered Soma to Manu, the first sacrificer. Additionally, Soma is associated with the moon in the late Rigveda and Middle Vedic period. Sry, the daughter of the Sun, is sometimes stated to be the wife of Soma.[22]

The Rigveda (8.48.3) says:

pma smam amt abhmaganma jytir vidma devnk nnm asmn kravad rtikm u dhrtr amrta mrtiyasya[23]

Stephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton translates this as:

We have drunk the soma; we have become immortal; we have gone to the light; we have found the gods.What can hostility do to us now, and what the malice of a mortal, o immortal one?[24]

Swami Dayanand Saraswati explains this as:

Good fruit containing food not any intoxicating drink, we drink youYou are elixir of life, achieve physical strength or light of god,achieve control over senses;In this situation, what our enemy can do to me?God, what even violent people can do to me?

Also, consider Rigveda (8.79.2-6)[25] regarding the power of Soma:"...He covers the naked and heals all who are sick. The blind man sees; the lame man steps forth....Let those who seek find what they seek: let them receive the treasure....Let him find what was lost before; let him push forward the man of truth...."Such is indicative of an experience with an entheogen of some source...(Michael Wood (historian)).(The Story of India)

The finishing of haoma in Zoroastrianism may be glimpsed from the Avesta (particularly in the Hm Yast, Yasna 9), and Avestan language *hauma also survived as Middle Persian hm. The plant haoma yielded the essential ingredient for the ritual drink, parahaoma.

In Yasna 9.22, haoma grants "speed and strength to warriors, excellent and righteous sons to those giving birth, spiritual power and knowledge to those who apply themselves to the study of the nasks". As the religion's chief cult divinity he came to be perceived as its divine priest. In Yasna 9.26, Ahura Mazda is said to have invested him with the sacred girdle, and in Yasna 10.89, to have installed haoma as the "swiftly sacrificing zaotar" (Sanskrit hotar) for himself and the Amesha Spenta.

Soma has been mentioned in Chapter 9, verse 20 of Bhagavad Gita:

Those who perform actions (as described in the three Vedas), desiring fruit from these actions, and those who drink the juice of the pure Soma plant, are cleansed and purified of their past sins.Those who desire heaven, (the Abode of the Lord known as Indralok) [26] attain heaven and enjoy its divine pleasures by worshipping me through the offering of sacrifices.Thus, by performing good action (Karma, as outlined by the three Vedas, one will always undoubtedly receive a place in heaven where they will enjoy all of the divine pleasure that are enjoyed by the Deities.[citation needed][note 2]

The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation-Sidhi Program involves a notion of "soma", said to be based on the Rigveda.[27][28]

There has been much speculation as to the original Sauma plant. Candidates that have been suggested include honey, mushrooms, psychoactive and other herbal plants.[29]

When the ritual of somayajna is held today in South India by the traditional Srautas called Somayajis, the plant used is the somalatha (Sanskrit: soma creeper, Sarcostemma acidum)[8] which is procured as a leafless vine.

Since the late 18th century, when Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron and others made portions of the Avesta available to western scholars, several scholars have sought a representative botanical equivalent of the haoma as described in the texts and as used in living Zoroastrian practice. In the late 19th century, the highly conservative Zoroastrians of Yazd (Iran) were found to use ephedra, which was locally known as hum or homa and which they exported to the Indian Zoroastrians.[30]

During the colonial British era scholarship, cannabis was proposed as the soma candidate by Jogesh Chandra Ray, The Soma Plant (1939)[31] and by B. L. Mukherjee (1921).[32]

In the late 1960s, several studies attempted to establish soma as a psychoactive substance. A number of proposals were made, including one in 1968 by the American banker R. Gordon Wasson, an amateur ethnomycologist, who asserted that soma was an inebriant but not cannabis, and suggested fly-agaric mushroom, Amanita muscaria, as the likely candidate. Since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both detractors and followers in the anthropological literature.[33][34][35] Wasson and his co-author, Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, drew parallels between Vedic descriptions and reports of Siberian uses of the fly-agaric in shamanic ritual.[36]

In 1989 Harry Falk noted that, in the texts, both haoma and soma were said to enhance alertness and awareness, did not coincide with the consciousness altering effects of an entheogen, and that "there is nothing shamanistic or visionary either in early Vedic or in Old Iranian texts", (Falk, 1989) Falk also asserted that the three varieties of ephedra that yield ephedrine (Ephedra gerardiana, E. major procera and E. intermedia) also have the properties attributed to haoma by the texts of the Avesta. (Falk, 1989) At the conclusion of the 1999 Haoma-Soma workshop in Leiden, Jan E. M. Houben writes: "despite strong attempts to do away with ephedra by those who are eager to see sauma as a hallucinogen, its status as a serious candidate for the Rigvedic Soma and Avestan Haoma still stands" (Houben, 2003).

The Soviet archeologist Viktor Sarianidi wrote that he had discovered vessels and mortars used to prepare soma in Zoroastrian temples in the BactriaMargiana Archaeological Complex. He said that the vessels have revealed residues and seed impressions left behind during the preparation of soma. This has not been sustained by subsequent investigations.[37] Alternatively Mark Merlin, who revisited the subject of the identity of soma more than thirty years after originally writing about it[38] stated that there is a need of further study on links between soma and Papaver somniferum. (Merlin, 2008).[39]

In his book Food of the Gods, ethnobotanist Terence McKenna postulates that the most likely candidate for soma is the mushroom Psilocybe cubensis, a hallucinogenic mushroom that grows in cow dung in certain climates. McKenna cites both Wasson's and his own unsuccessful attempts using Amanita muscaria to reach a psychedelic state as evidence that it could not have inspired the worship and praise of soma. McKenna further points out that the 9th mandala of the Rig Veda makes extensive references to the cow as the embodiment of soma.[citation needed]

According to Michael Wood, the references to immortality and light are characteristics of an entheogenic experience.[40]

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Soma (drink) - Wikipedia

A lust for everlasting life resulted in the massive Qin Shi Huang tomb.

At just thirteen years old, the boy-king, Ying Zheng (259 BCE 210 BCE), began to construct his own tomb in todays Lintong District, Xian, in Chinas Shaanxi province. At the age of 38, King Zheng would unite all the warring states and become the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. As the emperors power and wealth grew, so too did his obsession with his afterlife. He designed and constructed a mausoleum larger and more extravagant than the world had ever seen before. The Qin Shi Huang tomb and his surrounding 38 square mile necropolis would contain every single detail of the emperors luxurious life on earth, including a terracotta army to protect him all of which he would take into the afterworld.

In 260 BCE, China was in a state of turmoil. Various feudal states divided the country, and the Warring States Period had lasted for 250 years. Seven individual kingdoms tried to establish their dominance and lay claim to the entire country. However, the strongest of these states was Qin. When King Zhuangxiang began his reign in September of 250 BCE, it appeared that he would become Chinas first emperor. However, his reign was short-lived. After just three years in power, he died.

King Zhuangxiangs heir was his young son named Ying Zheng. A regent served as temporary ruler until the young king was old enough to rule on his own. Ying Zheng exhibited traits from the very beginning that marked him as calculating and fearless. At the age of 21, he led a revolt against his regent who tried to maintain control. This culminated in bloodshed and removed every obstacle to the kings reign.

Despite multiple assassination attempts, the King of Qin managed one successful campaign after another until he defeated all rival states throughout the land. In 221 BCE, the warrior king accomplished something no other leader had. He united the kingdom and created the first Chinese empire. Although he was a harsh despotic ruler, he left behind important legacies: the Great Wall, a vast network of roads that connected his empire, and one system of weights, measures, money, and writing.

As he approached his 40th year, the king proclaimedhimself Qin Shi Huangdi, a name that conveyed his power as the first high-god (or godlike emperor) of Qin. According to Chinese belief, Zhengs successes conferred upon him the mandate of heaven. As the Son of Heaven he would rule from the center of the universe like a god. From this point, the emperor became obsessed with maintaining his divine power (and possessions) even in the afterlife.

The digging and preparation of Ying Zhengs tomb had begun immediately upon his coronation as king around 246 BCE. As the king grew into a man and later became Emperor, he would amass more power and control than anyone had ever seen in the kingdom. Likewise, he acquired wealth and luxury beyond imagination. The power-hungry emperor wanted to take everything and everyone he needed to his next life. Thus, his engineering designs for his mausoleum became much more grandiose. However, he desperately feared death and hoped that he would never need his to use his mausoleum.

Qin Shi Huang embarked upon a mad search for the elixir of life. The legend about the Mountain of Immortality led him to travel three times to the island of Zhifu. He also built secret tunnels beneath his 200 palaces so that he could travel safely unseen, and he forced scholars, alchemists, and magicians to focus all of their attention on finding a cure for mortality.

In a bitter twist of irony, Qin Shi Huang died from drinking the mercury that he believed would make him immortal. Ultimately,he could not cheat death and would need his mausoleum after all. Slave laborers had worked day and night for three decades and would not complete the necropolis until 208 BCE, almost two years after the emperors death at age 49 in 210 BCE.

Designers intentionally built the mausoleum to resemble the capital of Qin, Xianyang. It includes both an inner and outer city, divided by two distinct walls. Archaeologists believe that Qin Shi Huangs tomb lies in the southwest of the inner city under the mound where it faces east.

Sima Qian claimed that 700,000 men, including slaves, built the emperors mausoleum. Some historians have pointed out that no city from that period of history had such a population. Hence, they speculate that sixteen to twenty thousand laborers may be a more accurate assessment. Regardless of the number, it is certain that those peasants and slaves met a tragic end. Archaeologists found mass burial pits around the mausoleum site piled high with the bones of builders. Some of them were still wearing metal shackles.

Additionally, scholars theorize, based on clues left by Sima Qian, that the craftsmen who had worked on mechanical devices designed to prevent entry into the burial chamber were put to death. They had observed the treasures in the Qin Shi Huang tomb and could not be trusted with those secrets. Once they placed the emperor deep inside the tomb, another group sealed off the passage, probably leaving behind anyone who knew the location of the emperor.

Forty years of archaeological studies of the mausoleum site have revealed that Qin Shi Huang intended to design his afterlife to match his life on earth in every respect. This included his imperial court life and the external environment that surrounded his city.

Near the outer wall of the greater mausoleum complex, a discovery of a royal park included bronze swans, ducks, and cranes, along with an entire suite of musicians. A horse stable discovered outside the outer walls contained horse skeletons and their terracotta caretakers. Altogether, there were roughly 300 coffins containing horse skeletons. Inside the inner wall, another pit contained the emperors terracotta attendants and government officials.

Additionally, in 1980 two chariots were discovered in passageways that appear to lead to the innermost walls of the Qin Shi Huang tomb under the burial mound. Each chariot was attached to four bronze horses. According to the Han Dynasty scholar Cai Yong ( 132-192), the first chariot was for clearing the road for the Emperors entourage, and the second was his sleeping chariot. The bridles and saddles of the horses are inlaid with gold and silver designs and the body of the number 2 chariot has its sliding windows hollow cut (Exploring Chinese History).

Close to the mound of the Qin Shi Huang tomb, scientists also found a mysterious pit of partially unclothed statues. Recent examination indicates that theywere an entire imperial court of musicians, acrobats, and weightlifters designed to ensure the first emperor would have entertainment in his next life.

In addition to the imperial court, archaeologists found pits within the mausoleum complex containing the skeletal remains of young females. The scientists believe they were the emperors concubines. Evidence suggests foul play, as dismembered body parts lay strewn about along with some scattered pearls and gold jewelry. These were not proper burials. According to Sima Qian, the usurper of the emperors successor ordered the death of the concubines. In theory, this would have prevented any unborn challenges to the throne.

In 2012 archaeologists announced the largest underground complex discovered so far within the Qin Shi Huang tomb necropolis. It is an entire courtyard palace and is roughly 170,000 square meters. This equals about 42 acres. The palace grounds contain one main building that overlooks 18 other royal houses, walls, roads, brickwork, and pottery shards.

About a mile east of the tomb, a hallmarkdiscovery occurred when local villagers of the Lintong county embarked upon digging a well in March of 1974. Approximately six feet below ground, the villagers unearthed terracotta fragments and bricks.

Soon after the discovery, archaeologists began excavations. To date, they have identified three separate pits that contain about 8,099 terracotta statues of warriors, weapons, and horses with their chariots. Many of the statues were badly damaged, and scientists reconstructed only about 2000 of them so far. Experts estimate that it may take another 50 years to complete the excavation project.

Presumably, the purpose of the Terracotta Army was to protect the emperor from his enemies in the afterlife. Interestingly, the pits are located between the emperors tomb and what was enemy territory. Additionally, the soldiers stand in battle formation facing east toward the kingdoms he conquered.

The pits contain infantrymen, cavalry, and high-ranking officers, in addition to their horses and weapons. Each statue reveals exquisite details in hair and battle regalia, and each face holds different expressions and features. Some experts believe that the sculptors of the Terracotta Army designed them as exact likenesses to the best warriors that existed in Emperor Qins real army.

Nothing of the likes of the Terracotta Army has ever existed in China before. It is uncertain who crafted the statues, however, scholars theorize that Hellenistic Greek sculptors may have taught the artists under Emperor Qin. Today, the statues still stand in their original corridors, and the whole site has been enclosed in a museum where visitors can see the army.

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At the center of the enormous necropolis lies a pyramid mound that was once 350 feet high. Workers constructed the mound by packing dirt into the shape of a pyramid, shown below. Archaeologists believe there is an underground palace below the mound surrounded by walls that are about 4 meters high. The Qin Shi Huang tomb lies at the center of the mound, indicated with the brightwhite spot. However, experts are uncertain exactly how deep the tomb chamber is. Estimates place it between 20-50 meters below the surface.The chamber itself is still undisturbed.

Historical Recordsby Sima Qian is the first written documentation about the first emperors tomb:

[blockquote align=none author=Sima Qian]The site includes three streams, and his coffin is encased in a bronze sarcophagus. The floor of the central burial chamber floats on rivers, lakes, and seas of mercuryThe vaulted ceiling is inlaid with pearls and gems to emulate the sun, moon, and principal stars of the constellations in the night sky. Whale oil lamps are brightly lit for an everlasting effect of illustriousness.[/blockquote]

Using modern scientific techniques, scientists have revealed details that may confirm the historical record of Sima Qian. As noted, Qian wrote that designers of the tomb used mercury to create simulations of rivers and seas in the tomb. Archaeologists have detected extremely high levels of mercury in the area. Additionally, imaging and other tests revealed the presence of a vast amount of metal within. This also affirms Qians account that the emperor took his treasures with him.

There is an ongoing debate in China that has delayed the complete excavation of the Qin Shi Huang tomb. Some people maintain that an excavation is immediately necessary due to the potential for seismic activity in the region. However, others argue that China does not yet possess the technology or ability to carry out the exploration properly. There is also trepidation, as stories tell of entryways that have booby traps to prevent access to the tomb, and high levels of mercury could pose a health risk.

With over 600 archaeological sites, including the stunning Terracotta Army, the Qin Mausoleum is a magnificent historical treasure. The ancient artifacts can tell us about the sculpture, engineering, rituals, entertainment, military personnel, rank, and strategy, and the deeply held beliefs of the people who lived more than 2000 years ago. In 1987, UNESCO declared the Qin Shi Huang mausoleum and the Terracotta Soldiers a World Heritage Site due to their immeasurable testament to the rich history of China.

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Additional references:BBC

Updated by Historic Mysteries on January 18, 2018

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Lavish Qin Shi Huang Tomb Built for Immortality

Crocodile came to me recently in ceremony. At first I was startled by his appearance, feeling I have already embraced every shadow aspect of myself he represents. Since his visit, however, I have spent time welcoming him and examining the teachings he now brings.

Crocodile/Snake holds our basal self, our deepest fears and lesser-evolved leanings which are held in the reptilian brain. In sacred ceremony and spiritual initiations, it is snake or crocodile who confronts you to face and embrace that which you fear most. His personal challenge to me: Youre not a true shaman. You dont work in the rain forest, you dont ingest plant medicines, and youre falsely holding your craft, thereby misleading those you serve.

On more than one occasion I have been questioned and warned against calling myself a shaman. I havent studied in the jungle, I dont have any hint of bronzed pigment in my Irish skin, and I dont have a Maestro or don teaching me the ways. My path is unique in devoted past-life reclamation, shamanic journey, and an early proclamation at five-years-old that I would be a shaman. I was born ready and havent looked back. However, the thorny challenges still arise.

Enter the internal struggle of spirit and shadow. Its brought me to a place of deep self-inquiry and an eventual and potent reclamation. Its also offered me a new perspective on the path of the modern shaman.

When asked, What is a shaman? my easiest answer is someone who works in the invisible spaces to bring peace and healing to those whom they are in service.

Shamans are intermediaries or messengers between the human world and the spirit worlds. Shamans are said to treat ailments/illness by mending the soul. Alleviating traumas affecting the soul/spirit restores the physical body of the individual to balance and wholeness. The shaman also enters supernatural realms or dimensions to obtain solutions to problems afflicting the community. Shamans may visit other worlds/dimensions to bring guidance to misguided souls and to ameliorate illnesses of the human soul caused by foreign elements. The shaman operates primarily within the spiritual world, which in turn affects the human world. The restoration of balance results in the elimination of the ailment.

Tryptamine Palace

In Cave and Cosmos, Michael Harner suggests it is simply one who knows.

The big divide in the shamanic communities lies between those who work in the rain forest with the lineage of indigenous wisdom in their blood; and so-called Plastic Shamans who have no connection to the cultures and traditions they represent.

As shamanism has gained prevalence in the modern era, core shamanism has become the accepted term for those who use the methods of the shaman but have not been raised in the traditional cultures. The Foundation for Shamanic Studies has reintroduced the shamanic journey for self-healing, while the Psychonauts have lead a revolution through chemically assisted self-inquiry. Both are valid paths that differ greatly from a jungle education. While the efficacy of the practice is all that should matter, there still lies a division.

Another crucial distinction for indigenous shamans is their relationships with the plants. Dietas are ceremonial ingestions of plant medicines that teach the shaman how to walk between and within the astral worlds. Any number of teacher plants are used, from tobacco to ayahuasca. These ceremonies are performed with great reverence and honor and remain within sacred guidelines as sincere spiritual endeavors to deepen the path of the seeker. The illusion of this world fades away and great insights are gained, revealing the true nature of ones own soul.

Freakin awesome when done in this sacred space, right?

I, however, am a different kind of shaman. I traverse the dimensions without the use of hallucinogens. Drums, deep meditation, and the psychic connection with spirits and plant allies, for me, have been enough. And Croc challenged me on this also: Is your plant abstinence genuinely enough to gain such an alliance with the spirit realms?

In the modern world, our relationship to the plants is vastly different than that of the indigenous shaman. We dont commune with them personally, nor do we seek to hone their wisdom. As a result, contemporary seekers often misuse the medicines. In my younger days, I experimented with mushrooms recreationally. I found them an expansive and uplifting dalliance that only affirmed my path as a seer and healer. Yet I took them with no noble intent.

Recently, I found myself called to work more closely with the plants in ceremonial space and felt conflicted. My ego holds my hallucinogenic refrain as a badge of honor a way of ensuring the purity of the messages received. And yet I found myself deeply appreciating the plant spirits again, in great awe and gratitude for the teachings they shared.

And what they shared was this: Ive connected more than sufficiently with the plant spirits. I learn and walk beside them every day to offer blessings to my community. I need not ingest them, for they have been my allies all along!

In a recent Aubrey Marcus podcast, Astral Snakes and Binaural Beats (episode 59), Cory Allen shared his most recent devotion is not in using the plant medicines, but rather simply being in the astral plane without any enhancements. Under the influence of the medicine, The consciousness of the plant is with you in that space and colors your vision of that space. If you get there without it, you are completely you and you are on your own. Boom, validation! And Croc began to smile.

What I realized was, it all comes back to me not having any allies, any perceptions, any filters on my experience in these worlds. The mark of the shaman is not who they are when theyre on the medicines or how they handle these energies inside of them. It is who they are in the absence of any aids at all!

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The Four Directions & Medicine Wheel of Native Americans - Gaia

Kim Kardashian comments on husband Kanye West's bipolar disorder

Kim Kardashian calls for "compassion and empathy" after husband Kanye Wast's recent comments, stating he struggles with bipolar disorder.

Entertain This!, USA TODAY

Like many people,Joscelyn Guzmanknew what it was like to be depressed. For much of her life, she had been shown compassion and empathy whenever she spoke about her struggles with depression that is, until, she experienced a bipolar manic episode.

For onemonth, Guzman was riddled withuncontrollable euphoria. She channeled herenergy into impulsive hobbies and could notsleep or eat for days. If she wanted a T-shirt, she wound up spendinghundreds of dollars on a shopping spree.If she wanted to make a YouTube video, she'd record hours of footagein the middle of the night.

Inone of the worstmoments of her manic episode, Guzman convincedherself that her confidencewas super-human.That her lack of sleep or foodmade her immortal.

She believed she wasGod.

"I haven't shared this very much," says Guzman, 26."People would probably look down on me for saying that, but in my mind, I really couldn't control it."

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But one day, herhighwasreplaced with a newfound wave of paranoia,depressionand suicidal thoughts a lowthat wasso sudden andoverwhelming, it prompted a hospital visit.And shortly after, Guzman was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder.More specifically, bipolar I, whichcauses manicepisodes that last at least 7 days and depressive episodes that last at least two weeks, according to theNational Institute of Mental Health.

Margot Kidder and bipolar disorder: What is it and how is it treated?

It's a complex and misunderstood diagnosisthat, despite growing awareness, is still stigmatized.

The pandemic accelerated a positive movement towardmental health prioritization, but experts and those who have dealt with more severe mental health issues,like mania, say the empathy and understanding doesn't always extend to conditions like bipolar disorder.

"I think everybody who reads this story will have mental health problems," says Patrick Corrigan, aprofessor of psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology. "Everyone knows what it means to be depressed or (have) anxiety, but the fundamental thing about stigma is difference. While one may get depressed occasionallyor a bit euphoric once in a while, most people don't know what it's like to be in the throes of a manic episode."

'Compassion and empathy': Kim Kardashian speaks out about Kanye West's mental health

Like depression, bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by shifts inenergy, activity levels and concentration.The difference, however, is those with bipolar disorder experience alternating periods of depression and mania.

A manic episode typically lasts from a few weeks to a few months, accordingto Kay Redfield Jamison, a professor of psychiatry at theJohn Hopkins School of Medicine. Common signs can include "extreme irritability and paranoia, grandiosity and euphoria, changing in thinking (and) speaking a lot, very rapidly."

"People get highly sociable and disruptive. People sleep much less, are much more activated in general. It's a very high-energy state."Jamison, who specializes in mood disorders, also has firsthand experience with bipolar disorder, writing about it inher book, "An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness."

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In some cases, manic episodes can also include elements of psychosis,such as delusions, which Corriganexplainsare false, grandiose beliefs ("like 'I'm a man on the moon'") as well asvisual or auditory hallucinations.

At first, no one helped Guzman during her month-long manic episode. It wasn't because they didn't care. It's because they didn't know.

On the outside, her energy seemed uncharacteristicbut not eyebrow-raising.Friends and familydidn't recognize that she was plagued by powerful delusions while getting little-to-no sleep each night.

But this nuance,experts warn, is part of the complexity of bipolar disorder.

Often times, the media depicts mania (or even "maniacs") in an extremeway. Characters experiencing psychosis, like DC Comic's Harley Quinn, are oftenstereotyped with"crazy behavior. Hearing things, seeing things, talking to yourself and making no sense," Corrigan says.

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The realityis thatmania can manifest in subtle and positive ways at first, making it harder to spot.Singer Bebe Rexha said, in a tweet announcing her diagnosis,the "highs" initially contributed to her strong work ethic.And Kanye West, who has rapped about hisbipolar disorder,is often glamorizedby some fans.

"Sometimes, the maniaseemspositive, but I know it can get really dark. That's why it's important we don't make it seem like this amazing thing, because it's not: It's your mind not being OK, and the real-life consequence is death," Guzman says.

Jamison adds, "It is a very interesting illness and certainly associated with creativity, which runs the risk of romanticizing a very potentially lethal illness." The rate of suicide among people who deal with bipolar disorderis approximately 10 to 30 times higher than the general population, research has shown, with2060% of them attemptingsuicide at least once in their lifetime.

In recent years, more people have been spreading awareness about the importance of de-stigmatizing bipolar disorder including celebrities.

In 2018, Mariah Careyrevealed her bipolar diagnosis, encouraging others to seek treatment after "the hardest couple of years I've been through." Selena Gomezhas shared her personalexperiences in an effort to rid the shame often associated with it, andWest has challengedthe "crazy" label that is often slapped onto mental illness.EvenHalsey, also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, responded to the lack of compassion towardWest duringhis public mental health struggle.

"Im so disturbed by what Im seeing," Halsey tweeted. "A manic episode isn't a joke. If you cant offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence."

Selena Gomez: explains why mental health is 'personal' at White House, MTV event

Open, judgement-free conversations about mental health that gobeyond sadness and anxietyare the first step to de-stigmatization and compassion.

"Know about mania. Know about your illness. Know about the treatments for it. Always ask questions," says Jamison.

Beyond awareness, however, Corrigan emphasizes the importance of learning about these diagnoses by listening topeople's real-life experiences.It'swhat inspiredGuzman to shareher story with us.

"There's so much stigma around mental illness in general and then especially bipolar disorder," she says. "But I'm going to keep talking about being diagnosed bipolar. I'm going to talk about being in therapy. I'm going to talk about mental illness."

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis,call the988 Suicide and Crisis Lifelinewhich provides confidential 24/7 support by dialing 9-8-8.

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Kanye, Selena Gomez have bipolar disorder. Why is there a stigma? - USA TODAY