Azi Dahaka - Part 1
aka: Zahhak

Azi Dahaka is a storm demon from Persian mythology. He steals cattle and brings harm to humans. It is a snake-like monster with three heads and six eyes who also personifies the Babylonian oppression of Persia. The monster will be captured by the warrior god Thraetaona and placed on the mountain top Dermawend. In a final revival of evil, it will escape its prison, b
ut at the end of time (fraso-kereti) it will die in the river of fire Ayohsust.

Zahhak is an evil figure in Persian mythology, evident in ancient Iranian folklore as Azi Dahaka, the name by which he also appears in the texts of the Avesta. In Middle Persian he is called Dahāg or Bēvar-Asp, the latter meaning "[he who has] 10,000 horses". Within Zoroastrianism, Zahhak (going under the name Azi Dahaka) is considered the son of Angra Mainyu(Ahriman), the foe of Ahura Mazda.

Azi Dahaka derives from the Indo-Iranian myth of the cosmic snake who prevents the full unfolding of the cosmos by withholding water. In the Iranian national myth of kingship, he overthrows the first man and king (Yima, Jamshed) and subjects Iran to evil rule until he is slain by the hero Thraetaona (Fredon).

Aži Dahāka appears in several of the Avestan myths and is mentioned parenthetically in many more places in Zoroastrian literature. In a post-Avestan Zoroastrian text, the Dēnkard, Aži Dahāka is possessed of all possible sins and evil counsels, the opposite of the good king Jam. The name Dahāg (Dahāka) is punningly interpreted as meaning "having ten (dah) sins." His mother is Wadag (or Ōdag), herself described as a great sinner, who committed incest with her son.

In the Avesta, Aži Dahāka is said to have lived in the inaccessible fortress of Kuuirinta in the land of Baβri, where he worshipped the yazatas Aredvi Sura (Anahita), divinity of the rivers, and Vayu, divinity of the storm-wind. Based on the similarity between Baβri and Old Persian Bābiru (Babylon), later Zoroastrians localized Aži Dahāka in Mesopotamia, though the identification is open to doubt. Aži Dahāka asked these two yazatas for power to depopulate the world. Being representatives of the Good, they refused.
In one Avestan text, Aži Dahāka has a brother named Spitiyura. Together they attack the hero Yima (Jamshid) and cut him in half with a saw, but are then beaten back by the yazata Ātar, the divine spirit of Fire.


Art by Sarah Perryman

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Persian wine

Persian wine, also called Mey and Badeh (in the Persian language), is a cultural symbol and tradition in Persia, and had a significant presence in Persian mythology, Persian poetry and Persian miniature.

According to Iranian legend, wine was discovered by a Persian girl despondent over her rejection by the king. The girl decided to commit suicide by drinking the spoiled residue left
by rotting table grapes. Instead of poisoning the girl, the fermented must caused her to pass out to awaken the next morning with the realization that life was worth living. She reported back to the king her discovery of the intoxicating qualities of the spoiled grape juice and was rewarded for her find.

Within the body of Persian poetry, grapes and wine appear frequently with symbolic, metaphorical and actual meanings.

Over the course of many centuries miniature painting developed into a sophisticated art of its own in Persia. In galleries and museums around the world, one witnesses Persian miniature paintings that were created in recent years. The most important element that all these paintings share is their subjects. The subjects that are mainly chosen from Hafez’s "Ghazaliyat" or Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. Therefore, the Persian wine, Mey, and Persian wine server (or cup bearer), Saghi, are essential parts to a majority of these paintings. Usually, the old man in the painting is Hafez or Khayyam who, having left his scholarly position and books behind, is now drunk in Kharabat (a mystical run down tavern that is located in a remote and poor corner of town) or in Golshan (garden) drinking wine from the hands of gorgeous Saghis.



7,000 Year-old Wine Jar

The practice of wine-making or viniculture can be traced back to the Neolithic period, 7,000 years ago when the first Eurasian grape vines were domesticated for this purpose. This “Wine Jar” was found at Hasanlu in Hajji Firuz, Iran. It has been reconstructed from multiple fragments.

The jar is one of a series of jars found sunken into the floor along an interior wall of a “kitchen” in a well-preserved Neolithic house at HF Tepe in North West Iran. The jar had a capacity of approximately 9 liters (2.5 gallons). It is the oldest known wine storage container in the world. Analyses of the two jars in the Penn Museum showed that they had contained a resinated wine or “retsina,” i.e., with terebinth tree or pine resin added as a preservative and medical agent. There was a red to go with the white wine, based on the colors of the residues.


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Wine good and fine - Part 1
By: Dr Touraj Daryaee

I could drink much wine and yet bear it well.
Darius the Great, the King of Kings of Achaemenid Empire (6th BCE), Athenaeus 10.45

The history of wine making and wine drinking is an old one in Persia, and today the Darioush vineyard in the Napa Valley which has become renowned in the art of wine making, is attempting to revive this tradition in the United States. Wine connoisseurs today may be familiar with the word Shiraz, the name of a town in southwest Persia famed for its grapes.

Whether or not the Shiraz grape was the source of the Medieval Syrah, brought to France from Persia in the thirteenth century CE by the knight, Gaspard de Sterimberg, or not is not central to the issue. What is important is that the mere fact that Shiraz is alleged as the source of the Rhone Valley grapes in Avignon, makes it clear that the prestige of the town and its grapes was fabled in antiquity and the middle ages. It was the Shiraz grape, again, which was brought to Australia in the nineteenth century CE, and which now has become well-known in the United States.

But the history of wine making in Persia is much older. How old, one may ask? Archaeological investigations have shown that in fact it was in Persia that the earliest wine was made in world history. At Godin Tepe in Western Persia the earliest evidence for wine making and wine points to the fourth millennium BCE.

The jars found there have yielded evidence of wine residue and it is thought that they were used for storing wine as its funnel for the wine makers. The location of Godin Tepe along the east-west trade route also plays along with the story of Shiraz grape having been taken to the West, and the evidence here suggests that wine making may very well have had its diffusion from this location.

It is with the first Persian dynasty, the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE), that we find the culture of wine drinking in the form of long drinking vessels known as rhython. We hear that the Persian court was most elaborate place of feasting that the Greeks knew. The existence of rhytons and the mention of wine filters (Greek oino th toi) in the antique literature from Persia, all suggest the importance of the drink.


This is picture of Achaemenid Golden Rhyton, 5th-4th Century BCE.

Wine good and fine - Part 2
By: Dr Touraj Daryaee

Herodotus tells us that the Persians were very foind of wine (Old Persoan batu) and that they made important decisions in the following manner. First they became drunk, since they believed that only when you are drunk do you tell the truth. Then, the next day when they were sober they reconsidered the matter. Pliny states that wine was also used w
ith drugs for collecting information. The type of drug used with wine was called Achaemenis which had the following effect: “when it is drunk in wine, criminals confess to everything.”

This interest in wine in Ancient Persia is manifest not only in material culture such as jars, plates and cups but is also documented in the written sources. A Middle Persian text from the Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) entitled (King) Husraw and Page mentions the best foods and drinks that are fit for a king. It is really a royal menu which is rarely noticed by food historians.

The text was composed at the court of the King of Kings, Khosraw I in the sixth century CE, one of the greatest of the Sasanian monarchs who ruled Persia. What this text demonstrates that, just as today when we identify wines with regions such as France, Australia, Italy, California, etc. the Persians also were interested in wines from all regions. By this time the various kinds of wines were distinguished, by their color and filtering technique.

In this passage from the text the king asks what are the best wines and the Page answer:
“May you be immortal, these wines are all good and fine, the wine of Transoxania, when they prepare it well, the wine of Herat, the wine of Marw-Rud, the wine of Bust and the must of Hulwan, but no wine can ever compare with the Babylonian wine and the must of Bazrang.”

The taste for various wines included may i sepid “white wine,” may i suxr “red wine.” These wines if course could have different qualities such as may i wirastag “clarified wine,” or also badag i abgen “crystal wine,” which were served in dolag or tong. For information on the daily usageand consumption of wine we can look at the papyri which are basically letters between Persian officers in the seventh century CE.

With the coming of Islam the consumption of wine and other alcoholic beverages was deemed haram “illicit,” but Medieval Persian texts, especially the genre known as “Mirrors for Princes,” demonstrate the continuing love of wine. Persians throughout their history have been able to compartmentalize their contradictory habits and mores. Thus, while Islam became an important facet of the Persian culture and, in turn benefited from that culture, may “wine” remained a constant motif in Persian literature.

One can argue over the literal or metaphoric nature of the use of wine in Persian literature, but this persistent mention is owed to the ancient Persian tradition of wine drinking and wine making. This reminds me of Prophet Zarathushtra who in proclamation against the drinking of Haoma brings us back full circle (48:10):

When, Wise One (Mazda), shall men desist from murdering?
when shall they fear the folly of that intoxicating drink (i.e., Haoma),
through the effects of which the Karpans (mumbling priests),
as well as the evil rulers of the lands torture our (good) intentions in an evil way?

Needless to say the Persians did not stop consuming Haoma and they still didn’t abstain when the Prophet Muhammad proclaimed against the consumption of wine.

Amesha Spentas & Chakras - Part 1
by: Shahriar Shahriari

► Chakras

Chakras, otherwise knows as the energy centers of the human body, have the function of grounding spiritual energies into the physical plane. There are seven chakras altogether, and these are:
1. The Root Chakra –is our connection to the earth and the physical plane and a symbol of our basic survival needs (location: base of the spine)
2. The Second Chakra –is representative of our creative and procreative urges and drives, including sexuality (location: the genitals)
3. The Third Chakra –is the energy center for power and manifestation (location: solar plexus)
4. The Fourth Chakra – is the energy center for love, both human and divine (location: heart)
5. The Fifth Chakra – is the center for expression and communication (location: throat)
6. The Sixth Chakra – is the center for our psychic powers (location: third eye just above and between the eyebrows)
7. The Crown Chakra – otherwise known as he 1,000 petaled lotus flower is our connection with the Cosmic or the divine (location: top of the head)

To summarize, we can say these chakras represent our basic physical and spiritual needs, which are:
1. Survival & operation
2.Creativity and procreation
3. Manifestation of desires
4. Love
5. Communication and expression
6. Psychic connections and powers
7. Divine connection

Furthermore, it is understood that all these energy centers are connected with each other through a channel that runs from the Crown Chakra to the Root Chakra. The purpose of this system is to create a mechanism that on an energetic level can manifest the divine into the physical plane.

There are similarities between this system which is mainly based on Hindu spirituality and Christian spirituality in the form of the Seven Sacraments and Jewish spirituality in the form of the Tree of Life as described in the Cabala. The question addressed here is since the Chakra system seems to be one representation of a universal system, then is there any equivalence or similarity between this system and Zoroastrian spirituality?

And the answer is yes. The Zoroastrian representation is found in the Amesha Spentas.


► Amesha Spentas (the holy immortals)

Although in post-Zarathushtra Zoroastrianism the Amesha Spentas were mythologized to attain angelic status, in the Gathas, Zarathushtra simply refers to them as aspects of the divine or divine emanations. Perhaps if the divine can be represented as a cube, then each of the Amesha Spentas can be thought of as one face of the cube.

For Zarathushtra, the Amesha Spentas were a part and aspect of an elaborate interconnected and interrelated universal system, through which that system was created and based on which that system operates.

According to Zarathushtra, there are six Amesha Spentas, and these are:
1. Asha – The spirit of Truth and Right
2. Vohu Mano – The spirit of the Good Mind
3. Khshatra – The spirit of Holy sovereignty
4.Spenta Armaiti – The spirit of Benevolent Devotion and Love
5. Haurvatat – The spirit of Perfection and Well-Being
6. Ameratat – The spirit of Immortality.

Adhering to these six spirits are necessary if we are to fulfil our role and purpose in this physical world, which according to Zarathushtra is the renovation of the world. Furthermore, any digression from these spirits will be wasteful, and as a result will cause evil to a lesser or greater degree.

These six emanations permeate the operation of the universe both at macrocosmic and microcosmic level. In other words, not only Ahura Mazda created the world based on these six divine emanations, but also we human beings can find these spirits in our selves as part of our essence. What’s more, we can see their operation at the level of every action or project that we undertake.

In simpler terms, the Amesha Spentas can be described as:
1. The Law
2. The Plan or Blueprint
3. Action & Dominion
4. Love and Faith
5. Perfection
6. Immortality and timelessness



Source:
Amesha Spentas & Chakras

Amesha Spentas and Chakras - part 2
by: Shahriar Shahriari

Now the question becomes, how are these related to the Chakras?

1- The Law is what determines the basis of the operation of the universe. Our lives and our world, work according to the Law. Therefore we can only operate properly in this world if we understand what the laws are and honor them and base our actions upon them. In other words, unless we understand how the physical domain operates, we cannot fulfil our needs and desires through our decisions and choices. We will not know what cause to focus on in order to create our desired effect. Our survival becomes a matter of reliance on the mercy of the world, and we become randomly determined components of that system.
? Asha is our grounding of the Law � the Root Chakra

2- The Plan or Blueprint is our creative aspect. We desire and then plan in order to create. We have the urge and the drive in order to procreate. If we plan with benevolent intentions, then we have acted in accordance with the spirit of the Good Mind. Otherwise, we have deviated away from this spirit, thus creating evil rather than goodness.
? Vohu Mano is our creative aspect � the Second Chakra

3- Khshatra is our ability to act based on our plans and intentions in order to manifest our desires. It is our power to change our environment and our world according to what we perceive to be the best. If we act in the spirit of goodness, we will plan well and manifest goodness, if not, the outcome will be evil contribution.
? Khshatra is our power and ability to manifest � the Third Chakra

4- Spenta Armaiti is the spirit of Love and faith. It is this center that gives us the ability to love another, both in the sense of individual love (like lovers or parent-child) as well as divine love (love of humanity and Ahura Mazda). If we make our choices in a loving spirit and with faith in the goodness of the world, then we have connected with the spirit of Love, otherwise our contributions are based on disconnection from this spirit and can only have fear based and hateful results.
? Spenta Armaiti is our ability and urge to Love � the Fourth Chakra

5- Haurvatat is the spirit of Perfection, perfection of expression. Part of this perfection is working in accord with the totality of the interrelated and interconnected universal system, and such work needs communication and communion. This communication is not just limited to person to person communication, but includes communication with animals, plants, objects and our environment. In other words, if we make our expression in the spirit of Perfection, then we express ourselves perfectly, and we communicate with all aspects of life perfectly.
? Haurvatat is our ability to express ourselves perfectly � the Fifth Chakra

6- Ameratat, the spirit of Immortality is an understanding of the timeless nature of the universe. While our physical existence is time-based and time-dependent, our soul or essence is timeless and immortal. Ameratat is our ability to be in touch with our soul or essence, which itself is a part of the divine and as such connected to every other soul. Our level of sensitivity and empathy, our level of contact with others (people and things) is also a measure of our psychic development. If we develop our psychic powers, we will experience the spirit of immortality. If we put it to Good use, then we will experience the goodness of this connectedness, otherwise, we will only be harming ourselves, immortally.
? Ameratat is our psychic energy center � the Sixth Chakra


Now the question remains, what of the Crown Chakra?

According to Zarathushtra, if we make our choices in accord with the six Amesha Spentas, we will be a Cosmically Conscious human being. In other words, the development of Cosmic Consciousness is not a separate project, but a byproduct of our development of our six divine aspects.

According to Zarathushtra, the person who operates in accordance with the Law, Plans well, Manifests accordingly, is Loving and has Faith, strives for Perfect expression, and is in touch with his/her Immortality, is in union with Ahura Mazda. In other words, this person is Cosmically Conscious.

Therefore, in this representation, the Crown Chakra which symbolizes our gateway to the divine, is in fact our divine connection and our oneness with Ahura Mazda. Zarathushtra did not propose any representation or name for this connection. Instead he made the totality of the six Amesha Spentas become that by calling them aspects or emanations of Ahura Mazda.

To go back to our cube analogy, once all six faces are present and in their rightful places, then we also have the cube!



Source:
Amesha Spentas & Chakras

Spenta Mainyu
aka: Sraosa

Spenta Mainyu is the Holy Spirit of Ahura Mazda. In Zoroaster's initial vision the first act which he conceived Ahura Mazda performing was the evocation of the six lesser divinities through his Holy Spirit, Spenta Mainyu.

Spenta Mainyu is the self-revealing activity of Ahura Mazda. The supreme godhead, we have seen, is immutable, perfect, spiritual unity. Zarathushtra solves the problem of reconciling the unchangeable nature of Ahura Mazda with the world of change by postulating a principle that intervenes between the unmoved mover and the moved.

Spenta Mainyu is as old as Ahura Mazda, for be ever was in Ahura Mazda and with Ahura Mazda. Though he is thus part of Ahura Mazda, in his manifestation as the working self of Ahura Mazda he is different from Ahura Mazda. He is not an entity or personality. Ahura Mazda is the greatest spiritual personality. Spenta Mainyu is his image, his replica. He represents the creative attribute of Ahura Mazda in his relation to the created world.

Spenta Mainyu symbolizes the ideal or perfect existence as conceived in thought by Ahura Mazda. The materialization of the divine thought in creation spells imperfection and Spenta Mainyu is shadowed by his inseparable opposite.

The context shows that "spenta" means "incremental, increasing, expanding, progressing, and progressive." "Mainyu" means "means of thinking, faculty of thinking, mind, and mentality." The term "Spenta Mainyu" is an attribute of Mazda Ahura, literally "Super-wisdom Being". Mainyu stands for the divine intelligence with a continuous creative, sustaining, and promoting function.

Amesha Spenta
aka: Amshaspanadan

Amesha Spentas are The Zoroastrian Arch-Angels. In Zoroastrianism, the name of the seven divine beings who belong to the retinue of the highest god (Ahura Mazda), The Amesha Spentas (beneficent immortals), comes directly after him, and can be compared with arch-angels. They are gods without being gods and creatures without being creatures. Ahura Mazda connects wit
h the material world through Seven Emanations called Amesha Spentas.

Still, they were never worshipped individually. Each Amesha Spentas had a special character and was assigned respective creations to preside over on the physical, moral and spiritual planes of Ahura Mazda's creations to aid in the triumph of the forces of light over darkness.

Each had an eternal archenemy in the Daevas (Demons) headed by Ahriman. Each Amesha Spenta also symbolizes a sector of Ahura Mazda's Creation. Each also has a month named after them in the Zoroastrian calendar.

Amesha Spentas are of 3 Females and 4 Males, which makes 7. Number 7 is the holy Zoroastrian number.

Vohu Manah
aka: Vohuman, Vohu Mano

Vohu Manah is the "Good Mind, Intelligence and Good Thinking", It stands for the discerning wisdom and thorough thinking required for leading a useful life. It is the generator of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds. He is given the freedom to choose between good and evil, and the responsibility to reap the consequences. He is the Intellectual Principle and
was the first Amesha Spenta created by Ahura Mazda, at whose right hand he sits.

He is the protector of the animals. Vohuman especially protects the cow. The Sacred Cow of Zoroastrians who feeds milk to the Aryans, labors their farms and assists with their agriculture. Vohuman takes the souls of the just to Paradise. The eleventh month is dedicated to him. His eternal opponent is the Arch-Demon Aka Manah.

Vohu Manah is the Avestan language term for a Zoroastrian concept, generally translated as "Good Purpose" or "Good Mind", referring to the good moral state of mind that enables an individual to accomplish his duties.

In the Zoroastrian calendar, the second day of each month as well as the eleventh month of each year are dedicated to Vohu Manah. In the Iranian civil calendar, which inherits the names of the months from the Zoroastrian calendar, the 11th month is likewise named Bahman.

Asha Vahishta
aka: Asha, Ardwahisht

Asha Vahishta (Avestan: Excellent Order, or Truth) is the lawful order of the cosmos according to which all things happen. He presides over fire, sacred to the Zoroastrians as the inner nature of reality. To the devotee he holds out the path of justice and spiritual knowledge.

Asha Vahishta is closely associated with fire. Fire is "grandly conceived as a force informing all the other Amesha Spentas, giving them warmth and the spark of life."In Yasht 17.20, Angra Mainyu clamours that Zoroaster burns him with Asha Vahishta. In Vendidad 4.54-55, speaking against the truth and violating the sanctity of promise is detected by the consumption of "water, blazing, of golden color, having the power to detect guilt."

Asha Vahishta protects the physical and moral order on the Earth. He is the most prominent of the (male) Amesha Spentas and the principal adversary of the world of the demons. The second month of the calendar(Ordibehesht) is dedicated to him. His eternal opponents are the Demoness of lie, Drug and the Arch-Demon of apostasy, Indra.

It is the Divine Law-it embodies Righteousness, Truth, order, Justice and Progress. It is the universal law of righteous precision. Every Zoroastrian strives to follow the Path of Asha in its highest and deepest spiritual sense. Asha is the personification of the "most righteous truth".

The text of the Gathas itself demonstrates just how important Asha is for Zoroastrian thought and practice. Almost every single verse of these poetic hymns contains the word ASHA somewhere. This constant repetition is more than just a buildup of information or a prophet's rhetorical device. It is a sacred litany, weaving the word into the mind of the listener until it becomes a permanent part of spiritual consciousness.

Khshathra Vairya
aka: Shahrewar

One of the Amesha Spentas, Khshathra vairya ("desirable dominion") is the personification of desirable dominion and is associated with metal. He is the protector of the poor even though he would rather defend royalty. He enforces peace by using his weapons. His attributes are the helmet, the shield and the spear. The sixth month is dedicated to him. His eternal op
ponent is the archdemon Saurva.

Khshathra Vairya means "Righteous Power" Denotes the "Power" to settle in peace. It is chosen by free and wise people as their ideal order in spirit and matter. It is democracy in mind and body, in thought, words and deeds in every social activity. He symbolizes self-control to include one's desires and sensory organs from being stimulated by objects of sense as well as good authority which ushers in prosperity and the Kingdom of God.

In the Zoroastrian cosmology, Khshathra Vairya was derived from the divine principal of Vohum Mana (Good Thoughts) and its role is the thought-beings, protected by Asha Vahishta and guided by Spenta Armaiti, which would live harmoniously and would enjoy perpetual bliss.

Vohu Manah, from its inception in the ‘void’ to its materialisation as Khshathra Vairya and its final struggle for perfection and immortality, is a thought world. In short, Khshathra Vairya is a cosmic prototype for the ‘real’ and immortal world to come, the world of Ahura Mazda, i.e. heaven that would be ruled by divinely ordained mythical monarchs based on goodness and love, until the appearance of God’s ‘only’ and the true prophet, Zarathushtra ( Zoroaster).