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Mithra, reciprocal friendship/love with Immortals
October 2nd marks the beginning of Mithrá festival culminating on October 8th. It is a festival of love, red wine and pomegranates. Avestan Mithrá-, Vedic Mitrá- comes from reconstructed Indo European...
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Khshathra, godhood and the unlimited realm of god beings
ḵšathrá refers to the boundlessness of god-beings verses the limitation of men. ḵšathrá is the unlimited, prolific, inexhaustible god-power to make the realm bountiful (See Yasna 28.3, 2nd rhymed verse...
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Hero Worship In Ancient Zoroastrianism
In the light of ashura commemorations among shia moslems, a question was posed if such hero-worship is remotely Zoroastrian in its origin? The following short article deals with the issue of...
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The worship of fire, water, the earth and lights in Zoroastrianism
October 26 marks the festival of waters in the Zoroastrian calendar. Yasna 38 in the poetic gathas is dedicated to the worship of waters. The formula apö at yaza.maidæ literally means “we worship...
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Empire and the ancient Iranians
October 29 is the day that Cyrus, the great Mazda (Wisdom) worshipping king, victoriously entered Babylon. But unlike his predecessors, Cyrus, and the ancient Persians, as Indo-Europeans, never forced...
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House of Music/Songs, the Garö-demánæ of Ahuras
In the poetic gathas and ancient Zoroastrianism, the highest heaven is a house or abode of music and songs called garö demánæ. Avestan garö…dá, Vedic gìras …dhā, reconstructed Indo European grh-dh-o...
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Steward kings and scholar priests
The Avestan evidence and the evidence from several early Indo-European societies like Hittite, Vedic, Roman, Celtic, Germanic––suggests that the kingship of rulers originally was an ELECTIVE...
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An ancient Avestan formula for the divine aid
Jasa mae avang-hæ mazda is the Zoroastrian call for “divine aid and good fortune” from Mazdá, the supreme god of mind-will power and creativity. The formula literally translates into “Come to My...
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Atar, átarš, the hearth fire, fires of industry, the link between heaven and...
November 24 marks the festival of fire in the Avestan calendar. In the Avestan speech, fire is átarš or áthrö. Átarš denotes “fire, heat, energy and especially the sacral and hearth fire,” concerned...
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The Oneness of godhood AND Immortals beyond reckoning in Zoroastrianism
Teutons and Hellenes combined the plurality of the Gods in the unity of their Might and Power! Dion of Prusa (XXXI, 11) says of the deeply prudent men of his time: “They simply combine all Gods...
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Sacred called Spenta in Zoroastrianism is what is “auspicious, vibrant and...
The Zoroastrian idea of the SACRED is synonymous with brilliance, flourishing success and with being splendid/auspicious and is called spǝñtá in the Avestan. In Zoroastrian religiosity Sacred does NOT...
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The concept of Purity and Morality in Zoroastrianism
In Kant’s Opus Postumum is found the remark: If we wished to form a concept of (biblical) God from experience, then ALL MORALITY (what is JUST and RIGHT) WOULD FALL AWAY and ONLY DESPOTISM BE LEFT.”...
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Yazatas, “Sacred gods full of ardor and vitality”
Yazatá is the word for “awe inspiring god beings” in the Zoroastrian sacred lore. The Avestan yaz– (Vedic yaj-) comes from the reconstructed Indo European root yag “to revere the gods, to hold as...
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Odin, Óðinn and Mazda, the supreme Ahura of Zoroastrianism
Mazdá is the Ahûrá/Æsir par excellence in Zoroastrianism and is closely connected to, if not almost identical to Óðinn, the greatest of the Æsir in Norse Mythology, with both their association with...
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Zarathushtra as Erešiš “Seer/Prophet”
Óðinn, the supreme Æsir of the Norse religion is called a “seer/prophet, one who has sacred visions, a god who has true knowledge, shamanic, spiritual wisdom.” A similar linkage of ideas, with...
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Good spirit/mind, brilliant disposition of the gods, vohu manah
Prophet/seer Zarathûštrá equated the “spirit, energy, mind, mood, temperament and disposition” of godhood with “goodness, betterment and brilliance.” Zarathûštrá called this “brilliant disposition”...
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Good thoughts, Good words and Good deeds
Good thoughts, Good words and Good deeds The threefold motto of “good thoughts, good words and good deeds”- hû.mata, hüḵta, hvaršta has been a fundamental tenet in Zoroastrianism since the time...
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ANCIENT ZOROASTRIANISM, Martin Haug and biblical monotheism
Martin Haug was a DEVOUT protestant missionary and for all practical purposes, the founder of Ancient Iranian Studies. Haug was born on January 30, 1827 in Ostdorf near Balingen, Württemberg, Germany...
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Spenta Armaiti, sacred focus, calm thinking
ARMAITI is the god-force of “calm thinking, harmonious thoughts and serene meditation.” Ár-maiti comes from the root ar “ fitting harmoniously, right arrangement.” The root ar is the same for ašá/arthá...
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Ôstara and the Zoroastrian New Dawn and Spring New Year
Ôstara is the forerunner of Easter and was the pagan Germanic festival that celebrated the resurrection of the god-powers, the re-awakening of the Earth and Nature. Ôstara’s springtime festival gave...
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