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

Âlât
Initiation into Magic

Ritual Tools

As in other traditions of magic, ritual implements are important, but the only essential item in the early phases of training is a source of light. Add the other items as you are able and as you feel comfortable during the course of your practice. The Twelve-Month Curriculum outlined below provides for the progressive inclusion of such items.

Fire

The most important prerequisite for the practice of magic is the pure, undefiled fire (Âtar). It is the living sign of the presence of consciousness, light, Ahura Mazda. The fire should be contained in a circular vessel or bowl, most usually of metal but it can also be made of earthenware. In early phases of training in magic the simple divo (an oil lamp or votive candle) should be used. The oil lamp is a container filled with lamp oil and fitted with a floating wick. A substitute for this can be a small votive candle or tea light. In dire circumstances an electric light will do. It should be able to burn throughout the ritual or meditation and be the representative of the eternal flame. No fire should be actively extinguished. This fire should always be allowed to burn itself out on its own. Do not breathe on the flame or blow it out under any circumstances. Later I will describe a more elaborate ritual fire.

Padan

From early on, practitioners should equip themselves with a padan (Phl. padyab, Av. paitidana). This is a rectangular white cloth with a cord or string that is worn like a surgeon’s mask. It should hang down to about the top of the sternum. Its purpose is to keep the breath of the magician from blowing on the flame when uttering the sacred manthras. The breath contains droplets of moisture, which pollute the purity of the flame, thus interfering with the channels of communication.

Altar Table

(Khwan)

The altar table itself can be any horizontal surface sufficient to hold the âlât for the intended ritual. Some are free-standing tables while others might be more like a shelf in a shrine. It can be of any height and surface dimensions as desired or needed. Most properly it should be covered with a white cloth that is always kept clean.

Record Book

Keep a daily record of your work throughout your training period. In this you will write what you did, the time of day it was done, and any thoughts or realizations that come to you during meditation.

Beads

(Yâd afrâz)

We know from ancient Zoroastrian literature that a string of beads for keeping track of repetitions of manthras and so forth was in use from early on. Such prayer beads were invented by Zoroastrians and passed to Hindus, Christians, and Muslims in later times. Zarathustra thwarted an assassination attempt by hurling his beads at the assailant, who dropped dead when struck by them. String 101 beads on a cord. The prayer beads now used by Muslims can also be purchased and used.

White Clothing

The reason white clothing is worn is that the color (or non-color) effectively reflects outside influences and preserves the sovereignty of individual consciousness and allows the channels of communication with divine forces to remain open and undisturbed by daevic influences.

Farohar Symbol

It has been found that wearing a pendant bearing the image of the Farohar (also called Fravahar) often made of stainless steel, helps act as a constant anchor of consciousness to the goals and aims of the magical curriculum. The standard form of this symbol is widely available on the Internet for less than ten dollars.

Bell

It is a fact of the history of religious practice that early Christians borrowed the use of a bell for the cleansing of ritual space from the Zoroastrians. The ringing sound (also often made by striking metal bowls used to contain holy drinks) recalibrates the atmosphere, sonically “combing out” disruptive and persistent daevic patterns.

Fire Vase

(Âfrînigân)

The most famous ceremonial object of Mazdan ritual is the fire vase or urn. This only needs to be used for more elaborate specific rituals. It can be of various sizes and designs. Most usually the vase is made of a silver-colored metal. A metal dish or plate of the right size is placed on its top, and the ceremonial fire is built on top of this. Ashes from the fire have a special magical property and cannot be disposed of in a disrespectful manner. The fire used to light the fuel on the âfrînigân comes from the divo. The divo should be used for daily ritual and meditation, while the âfrînigân is for more advanced work.

Fuel and Incense

(Aesma-bui)

The ritual fire (Âtar) is fed with both wooden fuel and incense during the more advanced rituals. The usual fuel is made up of well-dried sticks or twigs of wood. This can be any wood, with juniper, mountain cedar, or sandalwood being the most favored. It is important that the wood be very dry. The incense used is most usually frankincense (loban) and/or myrrh (bod). Sandalwood is also frequently used.

Metal Ladle

(Chamach)

The ladle is a long-handled tool with a somewhat flat scoop for placing incense on the fire. This process is done at certain prescribed times in some rituals but can be done at any point to keep the sacralizing effect of the incense present in the atmosphere of the ritual.

Metal Tongs

(Chipyo)

Metal tongs are used to place supplemental wood on the fire. The fire is normally built with extremely dry wood (usually juniper or sandalwood). The fire may need to be fed with more wood to keep it burning healthily throughout the ritual. If and when this is the case, the fire is to be fed using the metal tongs.

Head Cover

(Topi)

The typical head covering for the Zoroastrian is a bill-less cap that covers the whole top of the head. (It thus differs from a “skullcap” such as is used by Jews.) Many designs are possible. The only prerequisite is that the material be white.

Bowls, Dishes, and Trays

Various offerings to the yazatas—such as bread, water, fruits, nuts, milk, honey, and so on—should be contained in ceremonial dishes, bowls, and trays. These are most usually made of metal (brass, “German silver,” or stainless steel) or they are earthenware. It is important to keep these objects pure and apart from daily use. The most important item in this regard is a circular bowl containing pure water. This is called the kundi.

Space

Beginning initiatory training requires little in the way of elaborate ritual spaces. A simple shelf or table, about the height of your solar plexus, is good. Preferably face either south or east. You may stand or sit during the training sessions. Another alternative is to sit on the floor with the flame or candle in front of you. In any case, the area of the table or floor should be covered with a white cloth.

Time and Timing

It is a well-known fact that in ancient times, as well as today, followers of the teachings of Zarathustra make conscious contact with divine forces three to five times a day. These times are called gâhs. These were originally the five “watches” of the priests attending the perpetual ritual fire. This regimen of prayer was just one of the many things adopted by Islam from Persian practice. For the discipline of magic, this system also makes an ideal basis for a curriculum for the development of knowledge and skill, as well as a continuing regimen of spiritual practice, which forms the basis of an enlightened, empowered, and happy life.

The names and time periods of the gâhs are as follows:

Your task is to use this system in the formation of a personal curriculum that will lead you to be able to fulfill its requirements. It does no good to be given a prescriptive set of instructions that you cannot or will not follow. Neither should you try to create one for yourself that you will be unable to carry out. However, to be initiated into the magical stream of the Mazmaga you must fulfill certain inner requirements. There are not shortcuts or ways around what is necessary to learn and acquire—but the exact way in which all of this is done will vary somewhat from individual to individual.

Strive to include all five of the gâhs in your daily practice in some way. One of these will be your major daily training session. Different people will have different times during the day when their major work is most feasible. Determine when this is and work with it. The important thing is that the work must be done every day. Over time the symbolic and actual qualities of the 360 degrees of heaven will enter your being through the 180 doors of the sun, and in the process what you will learn and experience will transform you into an original magician.

The best way to schedule daily work is by using the Avestan calendar. This is the ancient Iranian calendar no longer used by the Zoroastrians but which is perfectly synchronized to the zodiacal cycles. To construct an Avestan calendar, you can acquire an astrological calendar or ephemeris that shows the times when the sun moves into the various zodiacal signs. The beginning of the year is at the spring equinox when the sun moves into Aries. The system generally appears as follows:

To make an Avestan calendar, mark an astrological calendar with the numbers of the sîrôzah-days; the first day of each cycle begins after the sun moves into the sign in question. The month ends when the sun moves into the next sign.¹

The science of the timing is not of essential importance. The most important thing is to perform the training work in the right sequence; the nuances of timing will work themselves out as your knowledge expands. The important thing is to get to work and keep working.

For the sake of efficiency, I will present a default form of the curriculum. It will give concrete requirements about what must be acquired and definite suggestions on how this can be done. If the student has already attained certain aspects of knowledge or skill, the curriculum can and should be modified to accommodate these conditions. The important things are that certain ritual skills and knowledge must be learned; the yazatas must be systematically absorbed; consciousness must be transformed in accordance with Magian principles. This last criterion is tantamount to the discovery and development of the hidden, innate, purely individual fravashi, your true magical self.

The training sessions should follow the protocol shown here.

1. Preparation

2. Opening

3. Sîrôzah-Invocation

4. Silent Meditation on Amesha Spenta or Yazata

5. Memory Work

6. Closing

7. Recording

Each of these points requires some comment. Each of them will also be expanded upon during the course of the initiatory Twelve-Month Curriculum, the sadohijdah, the 180 doors of wisdom.

1. Preparation: All items needed for the ritual work and meditation should be gathered and readily organized and conveniently at hand. Once the work has started you should enter a concentrated, serene state of conscious activity. There should be no casting about for a needed object or tool. Additionally, your mind should be prepared by reading and studying any material relevant to the work before the rite begins.

2. Opening: Ignite the flame (candle or ritual fire) with the words “yazdân ni yâd” (“In honor and to the glory of the Creator”). When the flame is well lit, greet and honor its presence with the words “nemase te atarsh mazdao” (“Homage to thee, O Fire of Wisdom”). Then recite the Ashem Vohu three times. The flame can be provided in early training by a tea or votive candle. It should be lit with a gas lighter. Matches can be used, but because of their odor and the fact that they leave wood to be disposed of they are less desirable. Never blow out a match or candle flame.

3. Sîrôzah-Invocation: Read or recite the daily manthra in English or in Avestan as your level of training allows for the corresponding day on the Zoroastrian calendar. This is to be done while standing facing the flame. These manthras are listed here of this book. In the beginning the English translations can be used. The Avestan original is added as you learn to pronounce it and memorize the words. It is important to know the manthras by heart as you can then focus your attention directly on Âtar (the flame) and not be distracted by a written text.

4. Silent Meditation on Amesha Spenta or Yazata: Take from between five and ten minutes to meditate silently on Ahura Mazda, the Amesha Spenta or Yazata of the day. In subsequent phases of training this third section is the place where more advanced ritual work is done, such as practice of the full magical ritual. This space can also be used for silent meditation in which thoughts are merely observed, without direction. There is no set limit on the amount of time that can be spent in this activity.

5. Memory Work: Spend time either working on memorization or repeating the manthras you have already memorized. By the time you are ready to conduct more elaborate ceremonies of operative theology, you will have all of the necessary manthras so that they can actually work directly from your consciousness upon the prototypical realm of menog and the material world of getig.

6. Closing: Gaze upon the flame in silence for some time until you feel your work is done, then recite the Ashem Vohu three times and close with the formula “atha jamyât yatha afrînâmî” (“Thus may it come as I wish”).

7. Recording: Immediately after each daily ritual you should record the results and experiences of that work. More will be said about the daily record below.