Belladonna, also known as Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna), is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Solanaceae family, native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. Its common name derives from the Italian bella donna ("beautiful lady"), a reference to its historical use by women to dilate their pupils for cosmetic effect. The specific epithet Atropa invokes the Greek Fate Atropos, who cuts the thread of life, underscoring the plant's lethal toxicity. In the context of the Soma identification, Belladonna is linked to the enigmatic Vedic ritual drink, though this association is speculative and based on its psychoactive alkaloids—primarily atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine—which induce delirium, hallucinations, and a profound sense of dissociation, mirroring the ecstatic or oracular states attributed to Soma.

Position on the Tree of Life

Belladonna, Soma corresponds to Sephirah 3, Binah (Understanding) on the Tree of Life. Binah is the third Sephirah, the receptive, feminine principle of form and limitation, often associated with the Great Mother, the Saturnine darkness, and the womb of creation. This placement aligns with Belladonna's nature as a plant of profound transformation, death, and visionary insight—its toxic and hallucinogenic properties embodying the stern, initiatory aspect of Binah, which dissolves the ego into the abyss of cosmic understanding.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Belladonna is traditionally governed by Saturn, the planet of restriction, death, and time, which resonates with Binah's Saturnine attribution. Saturn's influence imparts a heavy, binding, and melancholic quality to the plant, reflecting its deadly potency and its use in rites of passage or necromantic divination. Some sources also note a secondary correspondence with Pluto, the underworld ruler, due to the plant's association with the threshold between life and death.

Historical context

Belladonna has a rich and sinister history across cultures. In ancient Greece, it was sacred to Hecate, goddess of witchcraft and crossroads, and was used by the priestesses of Delphi to induce prophetic trances—though this is debated. The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder described its use as a poison and a tool for assassinations. During the Middle Ages, Belladonna was a key ingredient in witches' flying ointments, which, when applied topically, produced sensations of flight, out-of-body experiences, and visions of demonic or faerie realms—a phenomenon documented by scholars like John Gerard and later by the historian Carlo Ginzburg in his studies of the Benandanti. The plant's alkaloids, particularly scopolamine, were employed in the 19th century as a truth serum and anesthetic, though its narrow therapeutic index made it dangerous. The Vedic Soma is often identified with a hallucinogenic plant, and while the identity of the original Soma remains unknown (candidates include Amanita muscaria and Ephedra), Belladonna has been proposed due to its ability to produce a state of divine intoxication, ecstatic speech, and a sense of immortality—themes central to the Rigvedic hymns. This identification, however, is contested and remains a matter of occult speculation rather than historical consensus.

In the system of Liber 777, Belladonna appears at the scale step of Binah under the category of Vegetable Drugs. Its placement here underscores its role as a substance of profound, Saturnine intoxication—one that opens the gates to the underworld of the psyche, aligning with the Sephirah's function as the source of all form and the gateway to the Abyss. The plant's deadly beauty and its power to induce visions of the formless darkness make it a fitting vehicle for the understanding of Binah's mysteries.