CymaticSol

AHURA MAZDA The God of Light and Wisdom in the Magian Mysteries of Ancient Persia Ahura Mazda (Avestan: Ahura Mazdā, rendered variously in later dialects as Ohrmazd or Ormuzd) is the Supreme Deity of the ancient Persian Magi, and the central figure in the theological system attributed to the sage Zarathustra, whom the Greeks named Zoroaster. His name signifies "The Wise Lord," and he is acknowledged by all Zoroastrian sects as the Creator of the Universe, the Fountain of Light, and the Governor of all that is Good and Orderly. In the estimation of the learned in the comparative study of sacred doctrines, Ahura Mazda occupies that exalted rank akin to the Solar Logos of Hermeticism, the Ormuzd of the later Platonists, and the Great Architect of the Universe in the speculative doctrine of the Freemasons. His attributes bear unmistakable affinity to those of the Deity of more modern monotheisms, and his symbolism, moral code, and metaphysical dualism are of significant import to the Masonic inquirer. Ahura Mazda stands at the head of a radically dualistic theology, in which he is eternally opposed by Angra Mainyu, later known as Ahriman, the spirit of Falsehood, Darkness, and Dissolution. This antagonism is not merely moral, but cosmic; a contest between Asha, that is to say Truth and Right Order, and Druj, the Lie. To Ahura Mazda is ascribed the creation of the heavens, the earth, the celestial spheres, and the moral law which binds man and spirit alike. The sacred texts—especially the Gathas, which are hymns in archaic Avestan language—record Zarathustra's teachings on Mazda's essential goodness, his unity, and his demand for ethical conduct, truthfulness, and reverence for fire, the purest of elements. This Fire is not to be mistaken for idolatry. It is but a token—an outward and visible sign of the inner and invisible Essence, not unlike the sacred Flame that ever burns in the Lodge of Initiation, symbolizing divine illumination and moral purity. Ahura Mazda is never worshipped in anthropomorphic form. Rather, his being is comprehended through emanations, known as the Amesha Spentas—seven "Bounteous Immortals"—each representing a divine attribute or aspect of His will: Good Mind, Truth, Right Dominion, Piety, Wholeness, Immortality, and Beneficence. These are not unlike the Sephiroth of the Kabbalists, the Archons of Gnostic speculation, or the planetary Intelligences of the Neo-Platonists. It is significant that the number seven recurs so prominently, and the serious Freemason will not fail to observe its correlation with the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Seven Steps of the Winding Stair, and the sevenfold composition of the perfect Lodge. The most enduring image associated with Ahura Mazda is that of the winged disc, often crowned with the figure of an aged man with uplifted hand. This emblem, present in the palatial reliefs of Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rustam, represents not the deity in corporeal form, but rather His omnipresence, sovereignty, and divine motion throughout the heavens. Ahura Mazda was invoked by the Achaemenid monarchs, most notably Darius the Great and Xerxes, who claimed their thrones by His grace and governed as the stewards of His Law. The royal inscriptions, engraved in trilingual script, frequently begin with the formulaic “By the will of Ahura Mazda, I am King,” showing a divine right not unlike the concept held by medieval monarchs of Europe. It is perhaps in the ethical code of Zoroastrianism that one finds the strongest affinity with Freemasonry. The triadic injunction “Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds” (Humata, Hukhta, Hvarshta) echoes, in no uncertain terms, the Masonic precepts of Virtue, Benevolence, and Truth. The initiate into the Zoroastrian Mysteries was enjoined to cultivate these qualities as a means of spiritual ascent, to oppose the works of Angra Mainyu in both thought and deed, and to align himself with the divine light of Ahura Mazda. The struggle between light and darkness, truth and falsehood, is not merely mythological but existential and initiatory—a concept readily familiar to the Mason who labors in the quarry of self-mastery. In the comparative field, scholars have long observed the influence of Mazdean thought upon later Abrahamic doctrines—particularly in matters such as the Last Judgment, the resurrection of the body, and the notion of a Messiah figure, the Saoshyant. Even the very architecture of the spiritual world—Heaven, Hell, and a moral reckoning—finds early formulation in Zoroastrian doctrine. The Freemason who traces the genealogy of esoteric thought must reckon with the legacy of Ahura Mazda, whose light illumined the ancient East long before the temples of Greece or the synagogues of Judea. Thus it is that Ahura Mazda, while a deity of antiquity, remains a potent symbol for the student of the Mysteries—a symbol of the divine intellect, the ordering principle of the cosmos, and the eternal adversary of falsehood and corruption. In him, the Mason may recognize a kindred spirit to the Great Architect, and in the sacred fires of the Magi, a reflection of that inner Light to which all men of goodwill aspire. Let the brethren who seek wisdom in the ancient rites take note: for in the utterances of Zarathustra and the gleaming fire-altars of Persia lies a chapter of the Great Work, awaiting rediscovery.