{"id":540,"date":"2011-03-02T13:05:15","date_gmt":"2011-03-02T13:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projectconversion.com\/?p=540"},"modified":"2012-01-04T11:48:43","modified_gmt":"2012-01-04T11:48:43","slug":"welcome-to-the-zarathushti-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/03\/welcome-to-the-zarathushti-faith.html","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the Zarathushti Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"
First of all, let’s address the title of this post. Zarathushti? I thought this was the Zoroastrian month. Never fear. Through my 12 hours of intense research, including several lengthy phone calls with my Mentor, I discovered that the term “Zoroastrian”\u00a0comes from a Greek derivative of the the\u00a0name Zarathushtra to Zoroaster. Get it? Good. So I will call the religion by its proper name, and now, you’re privy to this detail as well.<\/div>\n
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Also, as with many faiths, the Zarathushti\u00a0religion is not entirely monolithic–that is–not everyone practices the same\u00a0thing. The\u00a0source communities of Zarathushti’s\u00a0are in Iran (where the religion began) and India (called Parsis). My Mentor is a Parsi, so any method of worship or daily practice you see here will be a reflection of her teachings (and those of others) as a Parsi<\/div>\n

With that out of the way, let’s give the Zarathushti Faith a nice, big, Project Conversion welcome and look into what I’ll get into this month.<\/p>\n

To begin with, I’ll walk around looking like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Me wearing the topi (prayer cap)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is\u00a0a topi<\/em>\u00a0or prayer cap. As with many faiths, head coverings are an essential piece of religious gear that typically symbolize humility. In the Zarathushti\u00a0tradition, the topi\u00a0serves two purposes: 1)\u00a0the crown of the head is the location of\u00a0the Lahian, a Center of spiritual knowledge. A\u00a0constant temperature is needed\u00a0here to maintain balance and creative thought.\u00a02) There are many influences, both physical and spiritual, that interact with our bodies and\u00a0soul (Urvaan). These include\u00a0everything from the sun’s rays to negative thoughts and spirits. The\u00a0topi\u00a0then serves as a selectively\u00a0porous membrane to filter good material from negative.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, my explanation here is very basic and I am still trying to wrap my mind around\u00a0many concepts.\u00a0If you’re interested in going much, much deeper, visit this\u00a0Parsi website<\/a>.\u00a0Zarathushtis\u00a0are enjoined\u00a0to wear a head covering at all times–not just during\u00a0prayer. Many are electing not to wear the topi\u00a0due to social pressure via Western style and influence. I will wear the topi at all times.<\/p>\n

Prayer:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There are many prayers. Many, many prayers. Part of the reason I didn’t make a post on Day 1 was because I spent most of the day trying to discern\u00a0what prayers\u00a0are\u00a0said when and how and…there’s a prayer one should do before and after visiting the bathroom. Exactly. So where do you begin?<\/p>\n

Mentors are awesome. My Mentor, who is the former editor of Fezana\u00a0Journal, a publication that serves Zarathushtis\u00a0across the United States, helped me to understand that while all of the prayers are important, only a few are actually required or Farajyat<\/em>. She recommended\u00a0that I start each day with the Padyab-Kushti prayer and end the day with the same to get me through the month. It’s pretty long, so I won’t write it out here. For details on all prayers, go to this site<\/a>. The source material for many if not all prayers comes from the Gathas and Avesta. More on that later.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Reciting the Kushti prayer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here I am reciting the Kushti\u00a0prayer at 5:30 this morning. All prayers are performed\u00a0either after a shower or ritual ablution.\u00a0There are several parts which include the Ahsem\u00a0Vohu\u00a0(invocation of Asha) and the Ahunwar\u00a0(most sacred manthra\u00a0of the Faith). The latter segments are short and can be found at www.avesta.org<\/a>. Notice that I am reading the prayers from a page. In most cases, prayer is performed while standing with hands together (common prayer position) if you are a Parsi, and hands out in front with palms facing you if you’re from Iran. Different flavors. I love it.<\/p>\n

There are other, more important aspects of the Kushti prayer that I cannot perform. This includes the tying and untying of the kushti<\/em> (sacred thread made of lamb’s wool) around the waist over the sacred under-shirt called the sudreh<\/em>. I cannot stress enough the importance of\u00a0these two items. They are given to a young Zarathushti during an initiation ceremony and worn for life. For me\u00a0to even wear a substitution would be a great insult to the faith.\u00a0As you all know, I’m not here to insult or intrude upon anyone; but to learn and come to a higher level of respect\u00a0for those around me. Therefore, I will not wear these items.<\/p>\n

Here are\u00a0a few images for your reference.<\/p>\n

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The kushti thread over the sudreh under-shirt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Tying the knot of the kushti while in prayer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zarathushti\u00a0homes also have common religious features. Among them is an altar. Light in general and fire in particular are powerful symbols of the divine (Ahura Mazda). In fact, Zarathushti\u00a0places of worship are refered\u00a0to as “fire temples.” Zarathushtis\u00a0are dedicated\u00a0to knowledge and the defeat of evil and ignorance. Light then, symbolizes the displacement of\u00a0evil by the\u00a0warmth and illumination that comes from both the grace and power of Ahura Mazda and the work of mankind. The three-fold call to action of all Zarathushtis are “Good thoughts, Good words, and Good deeds.”<\/p>\n

My Mentor recommend a simple altar\u00a0for me, the center of which is a candle that remains lit so long as\u00a0someone is home:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From left to right, the altar\u00a0includes: a flower to represent Ahura Mazda’s creation. Top-center: an image of Prophet Zarathushtra, candle, a picture of my departed grandfather.<\/p>\n

Not every altar\u00a0is the same. In fact, many homes have only a hearth in which to stir the holy flame that is to burn continuously. My Mentor said that keeping a photo of special ancestors on the altar is not only a source of comfort, but reminds us to pray for them and to remind us of their spiritual presence in our lives. My grandfather was a Baptist minister and died when I was four years old. I don’t remember him physically, but I have always felt a spiritual bond between us.<\/p>\n

So, this should get us started. It’s only the tip of the iceberg folks. The first week is always the most difficult because I must shed the garments of my previous religion and dive right into the next. Of course the first week of every month deals with rituals and practices, so stay tuned for more details and thanks for reading along.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First of all, let’s address the title of this post. Zarathushti? I thought this was the Zoroastrian month. Never fear. Through my 12 hours of intense research, including several lengthy phone calls with my Mentor, I discovered that the term “Zoroastrian”\u00a0comes from a Greek derivative of the the\u00a0name Zarathushtra to Zoroaster. Get it? Good. So…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":437,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16,107,167,233,791],"class_list":["post-540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zarathushti","tag-andrew-bowen","tag-fire-temple","tag-kushti","tag-project-conversion","tag-zarathushti"],"yoast_head":"\nWelcome to the Zarathushti Faith - Project Conversion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/03\/welcome-to-the-zarathushti-faith.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Welcome to the Zarathushti Faith - Project Conversion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First of all, let’s address the title of this post. Zarathushti? I thought this was the Zoroastrian month. Never fear. Through my 12 hours of intense research, including several lengthy phone calls with my Mentor, I discovered that the term “Zoroastrian”\u00a0comes from a Greek derivative of the the\u00a0name Zarathushtra to Zoroaster. Get it? Good. 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