Ahura Mazda, God of Wisdom

In August, the divine force that accompanies us with his gaze is Ahura Mazda, the only god of Mazdayasna, more commonly called Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism or Mazdayasna is one of the oldest religions in the world that has been practiced continuously.

Mazdayasna arose in the sixth century BC in Persia and then spread throughout Central Asia, from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, until the birth and diffusion of the Islamic religion in the seventh century. Small Zoroastrian communities still exist in Iran, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and India. The ones in India are called Parsi, communities that fled Iran during the period of its Islamization, seeking refuge in India.

The term zoroastrianism comes from Zoroaster – also called Zarathustra – the prophet who announced the advent of Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda is the creator of the world, both the material and the immaterial and sensitive one. He represents the principle of the divine universal light, the spiritual breath, and he is lord of wisdom. Ahura Mazda takes on different names depending on the traditions that refer to him. He has up to 20 names, depending on the functions that he performs and his attributes. Among these names, the main ones are: Vohu Manah – Good mind and good purpose, Asha Vahishta – Truth and righteousness, Spenta Ameraiti – Holy devotion, serenity and loving kindness.

For all of them, he is the god who creates with thought… thought understood as a collection of energy, wisdom and knowledge. Ahura Mazda is the spirit that creates life, including human life. The first beings of our species are Maŝya and Maŝyana. He is loving and protective of his beings, so much so that during the universal flood, he welcomed them all into the palace of Vara of Yima, so they were not devastated by the cataclysm.

In our universe of duality and opposition, even Ahura Mazda has an adversary who contrasts the victory of his light. He is Angra Mayniu, lord of materiality and occult arts, sometimes even defined as a part of Ahura Mazda. More often, he is presented as his opponent, as a being who is weaker than Ahura Mazda and who needs the help of human beings to win. This concept is very close to the Damanhurian concept of the anti-life principle, which is hidden in each one of us and which, if given space, takes us in the opposite direction of evolution.

Ahura Mazda is a luminous inspiration for all of us, women and men on a path of transformation in this day and age. Who are we? We are fundamentally positive people, inspired by a desire for knowledge, creators of new stories, and we are also committed to controlling the tendency toward destruction, toward the reduction that is eternally provoked inside and outside of ourselves.

Ahura Mazda is wise and knows the difference between good and evil. He knows how to choose, and he has been successful in building his strength while supported by choice. Ahura Mazda is a strongly positive creator god who is aware of the existence of hostile forces, and he is full of experiences in the world.

The land that he originates from has experienced much suffering in recent decades, and if many of its inhabitants know how to demonstrate dignity and strength of mind, perhaps one of the reasons is that the energy of their ancient father (who remains connected to his lands, even if he is less thought-of today) does not stop supporting them and offering light to their souls.

We can also be inspired by Ahura Mazda and seek guidance from his experience. According to his teachings, we can use our thoughts to create; we create new chapters in our history, new stories to experience, new characters to meet, in order to make our experience even richer. One of his names is Ahmi, which means “He whom you can ask“.

Let’s try to find him, in dreams or in our meditations, so that he can express his strength for us as well, as long as we call on him with respect.

Stambecco Pesco