CHAPTER IV
 

SUMERIA AND ANCIENT PERSIA
The Zend-Avesta of Zarathustra
The World Picture of Zarathustra
Zarathustra's Individual Inventory
 

ILLUSTRATIONS
The World Picture of Zarathustra
The Individual Inventory of Zarathustra
The Ampitheatre of Zarathustra
Zarathustra's Ashem Vohu
Sumerian Baths
 

RECOMMENDED FIRST MEDITATIONS
"The World Picture of Zarathustra"

THE ZEND-AVESTA OF ZARATHUSTRA

I invoke the Holy World,
Made by Ahura Mazda.
I invoke the Earth,
Made by Ahura,
The Water, made by Mazda,
The Holy Trees.
I invoke the mighty Wind
And the Fire,
Made by Mazda.
I invoke the Sea;
I invoke the beautiful Heaven;
I invoke the endless and sovereign Light.
In invoke the bright, blissful
Paradise of ASHA.
I invoke Mazda,
The above of the Ahuras,
The Abode of All the Other Holy Beings.
I invoke Eternal Life,
I invoke the whole of Creation.
We sacrifice unto
The bright and glorious Stars
To which
Ahura Mazda
Hath given a thousand senses.
That have within themselves
The Seed of Life
And of Water.
Grant me, O Good ASHA,
That I may bring down Abundance
to the World created by Mazda;
That I may bring down Immortality
To the World created by Mazda;
That I may take away
Both hunger and thirst,
From the World created by Mazda;
that I may take away
Both old age and death,
From the World created by Mazda.
ASHA!
The best performer of the perfect Law!
In whatever part of the world Thou art,
Watching the doings of men
and making the account,
Thou art omniscient,
O ASHA!
Thou,
O Holy ASHA,
Art on the Tree of Life
That standeth in the middle
Of the eternal Sea,
That is called,
The Tree of Healing.
We worship the good,
The strong, the beneficent
Fravishis:
That of the most rejoicing
Fire!  the beneficent,
Who is the incarnate Word;
That of the Light!
That of the Sky!
That of the Waters!
That of the Earth!
That of the Plants!
That of the Living Man!
That of the Holy Creation.
ASHEM Vohu:
ASHA is the best of all good.
Divine Law and Order is the Best of all Good.
Holiness is the Best of all good.
I will invoke Peace,
Whose breath is friendly.
With Wisdom of the tongue,
With Holy Spells, Words, Deeds, Invocations.
It liveth according to
The Ahuras,
The bright Ones,
Strong, Lordly,
Whose Thought is the same,
Whose Speech is the same,
Whose Deed is the same,
Whose Father and Commander is the same,
Namely, the Creator,
Ahura Mazda!
O Ahura Mazda
What is
The Invocation the most worthy
in Greatness and goodness?
It is that one,
O Holy Zarathustra!
That a man delivers
When waking up and rising from sleep,
At the same time professing
Good Thoughts, good Words and good Deeds,
and rejecting evil thoughts,
Evil words and evil Deeds.
And do Thou, O Mazda!
O Great Creator!
Come to me, with Thy Creative Mind!
And do Thou,
who bestoweth gifts through
Thy Cosmic Order,
Bestow alike,
Long-lasting gifts upon us,
and that this Life may be spent aright!
Oh Ahura!
Pray tell it rightly
To my Mind:
Who, by generation,
Was the first Father
Of the Cosmic Order
Within the World?
Who gave the recurring
Sun and Stars
Their undeviating way?
Who established that
Whereby the Moon doth wax
and whereby She waneth?
Who from beneath supported the Earth
And, from above, hath upheld the Clouds,
Who hath made the Waters
and who maketh the Plants?
Who is the Inspirer of
The good Thoughts within our Souls:
Who hath made the Light and the Darkness:
Who hath made Sleep
and the zest of the waking hours?
Who spread the Auroras?
The noon tides and the midnight,
Monitors to discerning man,
Duty's true Guides?
For whom hath Thou made
The Mother Earth,
The producer of joy?
We do worship al
The Lords of the
Cosmic Order,
Who are thirty and two,
Who are the Lords of
ASHA,
The Best,
and Whose observances Are inculcated by
Ahura Mazda,
and uttered forth by
Zarathustra.
To all who think Good Thoughts,
Who speak Good Words,
And who do Good Deeds,
The Celestial Realms,
The Best World,
Doth belong.
Evil exists not,
Only the past.
The past is the past;
The present is a moment;
The future is all.

THE WORLD PICTURE OF ZARATHUSTRA

The fate of an individual or a nation will always be determined by the degree of his or its harmony with the forces and laws of nature and the universe.  Man is not alone in the universe but is surrounded by sources of power, harmony and knowledge.  The fullness of life depends upon man's harmony with the totality of the natural and cosmic laws.  Our individual evolution is a job that has to be carried on day by day by each individual himself.  It is a lifetime task.

A psychophysiological symposium, according to Zoroaster, if used as a weekly balance sheet teaching the significance of each force and power, can help the individual to follow the path of his optimal evolution.
 


ZARATHUSTRA'S PSYCHOSYNTHESIS WITH HIS INDIVIDUAL INVENTORY AS A GUIDE TO MULTILATERAL SELF-ANALYSIS
reprinted from
'THE WORLD PICTURE OF ZARATHUSTRA"
by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

Each of the sixteen items in the questionnaire is to be considered from three aspects.
First:  Is the power or force thoroughly understood?
Second:  Does the individual feel the importance and significance of it deeply and sincerely?
Third:  Is the power or force used continually?

1.  SUN  The sun is a very important source of energy which man should utilize to the utmost.
2.  WATER  Everyone should have a bath each morning and use water in the optimal way in the diet.
3.  AIR  The importance of spending as much time as possible outdoors and of breathing fresh air.
4.  FOOD  Food of the right kind and in the right amount supplies another vital force of the human organism.
5.  MAN  This represents each person's duty toward his own individual evolution.  Man has to try to utilize every moment to further his progress in life, and it is a job which no one can do for him.  Nobody and nothing can relieve a man of this right and responsibility.
6.  EARTH  Earth represents two aspects of generative force:  That which creates all life from the soil in the shape of plants, trees, and flowers; and that in the human organism which manifests itself in sexual life.  Both aspects of generative power create more abundant life on this planet.
7.  HEALTH  This signifies man's relationship to all preceding forces:  Sun, Water, Air, Food, Man and Earth; as well as to the following one, Joy, for harmony with all of these is necessary for optimal health.
8.  JOY  It is man's essential duty and right to be joyous at all times, and when he is in the service of the Law, he is always joyous and happy.  Sadness and joy have a deep influence on those around us; both are contagious emotions.  It is therefore of utmost importance that man should radiate joy at all times.

These eight groups of questions represent the visible forces of Nature.  The following eight questions concern the invisible powers of the Cosmos, which are even more important.  Man lives in the midst of these cosmic powers and natural forces and he cannot separate himself from them even for an instant.  That is which it is so essential that he shall strive continually to live in harmony with all of them.
9.  POWER  Power is manifested continually through man's actions and deeds.  These are the results of his cooperation with all the other powers and forces in accordance with the iron law of cause and effect.  He can only perform good deeds when he is in harmony with all the other laws.
10. LOVE  Love is manifested in the form of good words, for our words reveal our attitude toward other people.  If we feel love toward others, we speak only gentle and kind words.
11. WISDOM  This represents man's duty to increase his knowledge and understanding in every possible way and to utilize every source of knowledge and understanding so that he may improve not only its quantity but its quality.  Wisdom is manifested in the form of good thoughts.  An individual may be clever and have a great store of knowledge, but without good thoughts he has no wisdom.
12. PRESERVATION OF VALUES  This power concerns the preservation of all useful things and good values.  When anyone destroys a good thing or lets it be spoiled by or damaged he is cooperating with the negative, destructive forces of the world.  He must use every opportunity to prevent damage to whatever has value, whether a tree, plant, house, relationship between people, or harmony in any form.
13. CREATION  This signifies the necessity for man to utilize his creative powers; his role on this planet is to continue the work of the Creator.  He must therefore try to do something original and creative, something new and different, as often as he can.  It may be an invention which will benefit people, or a work of art of some kind.
14. ETERNAL LIFE  This concerns man's sincerity in all he does and with all those he meets.  It concerns also his sincerity with himself and in answering all the questions of this questionnaire.
15. WORK  Work is the precondition of many other values.  Work means, among other things, the performance of our daily tasks, whatever they may be, with honesty and efficiency.  Work is man's contribution to society and is a precondition of happiness for all concerned.  For when one person does not perform his work properly, others have to do it.
16. PEACE  It is man's function and duty first of all to maintain inner peace and create it within himself, and then to create and maintain it around him.  He should never lose an opportunity to establish peace wherever he finds it lacking.  If he will do this in his environment, and within himself, he will be helping to prevent in harmony, enmity and wars, since the condition of the whole of humanity depends upon the condition of its atoms -- individual men.