Martyboi, That's a good analogy. The venom, that the snake emitted during the churning of the ocean, could represent the stress being released in the person's brain during the practice of meditation. But somehow the stress release is cleansed by the Impulse of Intelligence represented by Shiva who drank the venom from the milk ocean.
Thus, the sadhus of India drink hard liquor like whiskey as a form of worship to Shiva. So, one can probably use this story as an excuse for for drinking Jack Daniels or Chivas Regal at the local tavern. Using another tradition, Santos Bonacci lectures that the ark of the covenant actually represents the two halve's of the human brain. Thus, the sojourn of the Hebrews from Egypt to the land of Canaan represents the rise of the kundalini from the root chakra to the crown chakra.
