Original Magic: The Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi - Stephen E. Flowers Ph.D. 2017

Ritual
The History of Iranian Magic

The ritual system of Zarathustra was a radically reformed version of the ancient Indo-European ceremonial sacrifice. As a trained professional priest of this cult, Zarathustra was aware of the powers of the formulaic procedures and the use of language to move the levers of reality. The ritual format was greatly reduced in complexity to retain only the essential parts so that it could be used with maximal efficiency. The rituals did not require huge numbers of priests. They could be performed with only one or two priests even in remote and isolated regions of the mountains, for example. This simplicity and efficiency is of great value to us today, because the prophet has already refined the ritual mechanics to leave us only with the essentials. As time went on in the Zoroastrian religion, rituals did become more complex, which is a natural outcome in the evolution of religions over time. But the current magician strives to concentrate on the more simple forms of the ritual format to maximize effects.

One of the key aspects of Mazdan ritual was its mastery of the technology of the ceremonial based on many levels of meaning and symbolism as well as the technical understanding of how the ritual works by means of the channeling of forces of an electromagnetic nature. This is clearest in how the elements of (electric) fire and (magnetic) liquid are caused to interact with each other to render the desired effects.

The ultimate purpose of ritual is individual enlightenment and perfection, the protection and cultivation of the the Seven Creations, and the destruction of the Lie. If these aims are met, happiness will ensue.