Zoroastrianism is an ancient Iranian religion that may date back to the 2nd millennium BCE and is still practiced in some parts of the world today. The religion is based on the teachings of the prophet Zarathustra Spitama, better known as Zoroaster. His teachings and other sacred texts are collected in the Avesta.
The religion is based around the god Ahura Mazda, who is the creator deity and represents cosmic order and all good. He works in both the “getig,” which is the material world, and the “menog,” which is the invisible spiritual world. These are contained within a floating egg-shaped universe. From Ahura Mazda emanates Spent Mainyu, the source of all goodness. But where there is goodness there is also evil, embodied by Angra Mainyu. While this seems initially to have just been a destructive energy, it became personified into a counter-god, much like the Christian idea of Satan.
Spiritual Beings in Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is sometimes characterized as monotheistic because it has an all-powerful creator deity in Ahura Mazda, but there are a variety of other supernatural beings that occupy the cosmos, not dissimilar from angels.
Some texts suggest that Ahura Mazda inherited the universe from the original Ahura, Varuna and Mitra, who ruled over existence when it was still in the form of chaos.
Ahura Mazda works through divine entities called Yazatas, who represent various aspects of the universe. These agents of Ahura Mazda include:
- Anahita – associated with water (aban), fertility, healing, and wisdom
- Sraosha – representing conscience and observance
- Mithra – associated with the sun and truth (asha), also worshipped in Mithraism
- Rashnu – linked with justice and judgment of souls after death
- Tishtyra – associated with rainfall and fertility
There are also Amesha Spenta, which are manifestations of Ahura Mazda. These include Vohu Manah (good purpose), Asha Vahishta (right working), Kshatra Vairya, Spenta Armaiti, Haurvatet (completeness), and Ameretat (immortality).
There are other supernatural beings in Zoroastrianism, which may have been ancient Persian gods. They are considered to be emanations and embodiments of natural forces. These can be either “ahura,” which are positive energies worthy of veneration, of “daeva,’ which are negative energies that should be rejected and condemned.
Mankind, and animals, were created by Ahura Mazda and participate in the ongoing conflict between good and evil. With free will, they must choose between the paths of good, which is “asha,” and evil, which is “druj.” The path of good requires “hwnata,” good thoughts, “hakhta,” good words, and “hvarshta,” good deeds, as opposed to “eka manah,” which is evil thought. A person’s spiritual existence is manifested as their “daena,” which is connected to but separate from “asha,” the universal energy of the cosmos.
Mankind in the Zoroastrian Cosmos
Zoroastrianism teaches ultimate free will, which means that lives are not predetermined, and the individual is responsible for whatever situation they are in. The religion rejects the idea of extreme asceticism and even monasticism, as a good life should be lived within the community, though some moderate acts of asceticism are acceptable.
The mortal existence is only part of a broader lifespan. All people begin as “urvan” (souls) connected to its “fravashi” (higher soul). When the urvan existence in the mortal realm, it is still connected to its fravashi in the spiritual realm, which acts as a spiritual guide and protector.
On the fourth day after death, the urvan is reunited with the fravashi, when its experiences in the mortal world are collected and used in the spiritual battle. The urvan is judged upon death and either led by to House of Song to join the battle on the side of good or the House of Lies to join the battle on the side of evil. There is also a neutral purgatory called Hamistagan.
Because the body is an empty shell after the 4th day, it can then be disposed of through a sky burial. These are mountaintop enclosures far from civilization where the body is left for vultures to eat. They are called towers of silence.
Zoroastrian Apocalypse
Texts suggest that the battle between good and evil will last for 3,000 years, when evil will make a final grand assault on good. This will see the sun and moon darken and mankind lose reverence for religion, family, and elders. The world will fall into winter and monsters will terrorize the world. This sounds very similar to the Ragnarök apocalypse described in Norse religion.
Tying into the Christian tradition, a final savior known as the Saoshyant will be born to a virgin impregnated by the seed of Zoroaster while bathing in a lake. He will bring all the dead back to the mortal world for a final judgment. Then, in consort with Ahura Mazda, they will make the final sacrifice of all time, or a full, and all humans will become immortal and the mortal and spiritual worlds will become one.
Worship and Priests in Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrians practice reverence for nature, which are manifestations of Ahura Mazda. Consequently, the religion teaches that nature should be protected. Water (aban) and fire (atan) are the most important elements and are used for purification, which is necessary since evil is always attacking and invading the body. Fire is particularly important and associated with Ahura Mazda, who was worshipped in fire temples, or alongside fires under the open sky. One of the main functions of priests is to tend the sacred fire.
Zoroastrian rituals include shamanic elements such as spirit travel and trances, that can be reached using tools such as fortified wine, mang (cannabis), and Haoma (a sacred plant). Reciting sacred texts, especially the Yasna, is also a common ritual practice. Practitioners are also encouraged to observe five daily Ghas prayer sessions in which mantras are recited.
As in many ancient religions, the ritual sacrifice of animals was a common practice. Today it is usually substituted by sacrificing fat to the fire before a meal.
Priests were often considered “magi” and healers, especially by non-practitioners who did not understand the religion. Darius the Great in his historic inscription on Mount Behistun near modern-day Kermansha in Iran speaks about a certain Magus by the name Gaumata.
They healed through prayers and herbs. The Ardibehesht Yasht which Zoroastrians pray in the ancient Avestan language refers to five types of healers:
- Asho-baeshazo: Those who heal with spiritual prowess as a result of their piety and righteousness;
- Dato-baeshazo: Those who heal or resolve social evils or injustices with the power of Dat or law and justice;
- Kareto-baeshazo: Those who heal with the knife (surgery);
- Urvaro-baeshazo: Those who heal with use of plants and herbs; and
- Manthro-baeshazo: Those who heal with the power of holy words or prayers (manthra spenta)
Healing prayers are made before or in the presence of fire, because Ardibehesht Yazata (The Divinity that embodies Truth and Righteousness at an ethical level) is the Divinity that presides over the energy of fire at the physical level. Ardibehesht bestows life and health, both of which are natural attributes of fire. Cold is associated with death and disease whereas the warmth of fire is associated with life, health, and energy.
Sacred Texts of Zoroastrianism
The sacred texts of Zoroastrianism are collected in the Avesta. According to tradition, the original Avesta was written down by Zoroaster following his encounters with Ahura Mazda. There were two main copies, one held in the house or archives and one by the imperial treasury. But when Alexander conquered Persia, the Avesta, which was written on 1200 ox hides, was burned and the scientific sections dispersed around the Greek world.
Consequently, the Avesta had to be reformed, a project started by King Vologases of Persia in the 1st century CE and continued by later important figures such as Shapur I in the 3rd century. The texts that survive today include the Gathas, Yasna, Visperad, and Venidad.
The Gathas are believed to have been composed by Zoroaster himself and the earliest evidence for them comes from 1323 BCE, suggesting that they were an ancient oral tradition. Written in verse, there are 17 hymns either addressing Ahura Mazda directly or teaching lessons based on the life experiences of Zoroaster.
The Yasna described the primary ritual service in Zoroastrianism, which was clearly developed over centuries. It aims to strengthen asha and purify against evil. The ceremony takes two to three hours to perform.
Surviving Zoroastrian texts also show that astrology was used by ancient Zoroastrians as a method of measuring historical and calendrical time. They used astrology as a means to date events and predict cyclical events such as seasons and significant climatic changes that would cause community-wide changes.
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