Resources

• • An Introduction to the Gathas of Zarathushtra: Good and Evil
  • Women in the Old Avesta: Social Position and Textual Composition
  • The Nature of the Divine 
  • Truth, Asha
  • Good Thinking, Vohu Manah
  • LGBTQ+ and Zarathushtra’s Teachings
  • Collection of articles By Dr. Ali A. Jafarey
  • Zarathushtra’s Genetic System, Stanley Insler
  • Have We Remained True to the Teachings of Zarathushtra
  • Domains of Belief Transcript (see videos section)

• What is this?

The Basics

• What is Zoroastrianism?
• Who was Zarathushtra?
• What is Ahura Mazda?
• What is Asha?
• What is Angra Mainyu?
• What are the Gathas?
• What did Zarathushtra teach?
• What is Spenta Mainyu?
• Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds
• What is the Avesta?
• Who were the Magi?

The Core Concepts

• Mazdā Ahura
• The Amesha Spentas
• Asha
• Druj
• Spenta Mainyu
• Anghra Mainyu
• The Good Mind
• The Great Renovation
• The Gathas of Zarathushtra
• Important Prayers and Rituals
• The Ashem Vohu Prayer
• The Yatha Ahu (Ahunavar) Prayer
• Saoshyants
• Vanguhi Daena, the ‘Good Envisionment’

In-Depth

• The Nature of Mazdā Ahura
• Asha vs Druj
• Spenta Mainyu vs Anghra Mainyu
• The Creation of Existence
• The Life of Zarathushtra
• The Amesha Spentas and the Gathic Philosophy
• Vohu Manah, the ‘Good Mind’
• Xshathra Vairya, the ‘Desirable Dominion’
• Spenta Armaiti, ‘Progressive Right-mindedness
• Haurvatāt, ‘Wholeness, Perfection, and Aesthetics’
• Ameretatāt, ‘Immortality, Deathlessness’
• Spenta Mainyu, the ‘Progressive, Creative Force in Existence’
• Good and Evil in the Gathas
• Sraosha, the Voice of God being ‘Listening’ to Wisdom
• Khratu, ‘Intellect, Willpower’
• Ashi, the ‘Reward for Righteousness’
• Good and Evil in the Gathic Philosophy
• Mind-Body Dualism: The Two Realms of Existence
• Spirituality in the Teachings of Zarathushtra
• The Fire Immanent in All Existence, the Hand of the Creator
• Ushta, ‘Joy, Radiant Happiness’
• Humans and Animals
• The Equality of Men and Women
• The Purpose of Humanity
• The Daily Life of a Zarathushtrian
• The True Nature of Asha

The History

• The Avesta, the Modern Version
• An Overview of Post-Avestan Zoroastrian Writings
• The Historical Denominations of Zoroastrianism
• Zarathushtra Spitama, Life and History
• History of the Avestan Script
• The Avestan Alphabet and Its Pronunciation
• A Comprehensive Explanation of Zoroastrianism
  • Yaz I, the Society of Zarathushtra (~1500-1000 BC)
  • Yaz II, the First Zoroastrian Societies (1000-550 BC)
  • Yaz III, a Unified State of Iranians (550-330 BC)
  • The Median Era, an Empire or Confederacy? (800-550 BC)
  • The Achaemenid Age (550-330 BC)
  • The Seleucid Era, Greek Rule over Iran (330-141 BC)
  • The Parthian Age, the Return of Iranian Rule (247/141 BC-224 AD)
  • The Sassanid Age, Reclaiming Former Glory (224-653 AD)
  • Islamic oppression, resistance, and survival (650-1400)
  • The Major Decline (1400-1700)
  • The Parsi Age (1700-1950)
  • Zoroastrianism Today, Resurgence or Continued Survival

The Original Avesta

• An Overview
• How much of the Avesta do we have left?
• Restoring the Chapter Count of the Original Avesta
• Gāθic:
  •  Staota Yesniia 
  • Sūdgar
  • Warštmānsr
  • Bag
  • Waštag
  • Hādōxt: 
  • Spand
• Haδa.mąθric
  • Dāmdād
  • Nādar
  • Pāzag
  • Ratuštāit
  • Bariš
  • Kaškaysraw
  • Wištāsp-sāst
• Dātic
  • Nigādom
  • Duzd-sar-ōzad
  • Huspārām
  • Sagādom
  • Vendidad/Wīdēwdād
  • Čihrdād
  • Bagān-yasn

• Salient Points
• The Message of Zarathushtra
• Divine Emanations, the Primal Principles of Life
• The Universal Religion of Zarathushtra
• God in the Gathas
• Zarathushtra, Life and Teachings
• Spenta Mainyu, and Good and Evil in the Gathas
• Avesta: an Introduction
• The Initiation Ceremony
• Saoshyant
• The Gathas Forever
• Death in the Gathas
• Fury in the Gathas
• Rituals in the Gathas
• Freedom of Choice, Meaning and Message of Yasna 30.2
• Spenta Mainyu
• A Thought a Day to Practice, Pray, and Say (Gatha Translation)
• Women in the Gathas and the Later Avesta
• The Meaning of Ârmaiti
• Zarathushtra’s Birthday
• Birth of Zarathushtra
• Zoroastrian Religion and Democracy
• Heaven, Hell, and Reincarnation
• Zoroastrian Ethics and Culture
• Democracy
• Restoration Constructive no Destructive
• Seasonal Festivals
• Tiregan, the Summer Festival of Rain
• Mehregan
• The Precise Iranian Calendar, made simple
• The Cosmos and Zarathushtra
• Nowruz, the Zarathushtrian New Year
• Celebration of Life—Novruz
• Maga the Magian Fellowship
• Iranian and Parsi Priests
• What does Khvaetvadatha mean?
• Interaction of the Religion of Zarathushtra with Other Religions
• Achaemenians Zoroastrians in Transition
• Zoroastrian Priest in the Avesta
• The Priest
• Ratu
• Iranians and Turanians in the Avesta
• Aredvi the River and the Boon Goddess
• The Dog in the Vendidad
• Haoma, the Original and the Substitute
• Fire and Jashn-e Sadeh
• Chinvato-Peretu (the Sorting Bridge)
• Indo-Iranian Zartushtis and Westernization
• The Gathas and Translation, Explanation, Interpretation, and Imagination
• The Good Religion and Institutionalized Zoroastrianism
• Religion and Tradition
• Mind and Heart

• A Preliterate Acrostic in the Gathas: Crosstextual and Compositional Evidence
• An Early Trait of Gathic Performance
• Avestan Kauui- and the Vocabulary of Indo-Iranian Institutions
• “Blood” in Sogdian and Old Iranian
• Gathic †mąnarōis: A Hapax Expatiated Compositionally
• Gathic Compositional History, Y 29, and Bovine Symbolism
• How Zarathushtra Generated the Gathic Corpus: Inner-textual and Intertextual Composition
• Mnemonica Iranica
• On Aiiehyā Afflictress of Childbirth, and Pairikā: Two Avestan Demonesses
• On Haoma, and its Liturgy in the Gathas
• Pahlavi <mycwls> = Adiantum capillus-veneris L.: Ethnobotany, Etymology, and Iranian Cultural History
• Pouruchista’s Gathic Wedding and the Teleological Composition of the Gathas
• The Indo-European Vocabulary of Exchange, Hospitality, and Intimacy
• Transformations of the Indo-Iranian Snake-man: Myth, Language, Ethnoarcheology, and Iranian Identity
• Viiāmburas and Kafirs
• Women in the Old Avesta: Social Position and Textual Composition

• The Gathas, Our Guide (By Dr. Ali A. Jafarey; For sale on Amazon)
• Understanding the Gathas (Dinshaw J. Irani/edited by Prof. K.D. Irani)
• The Gathas: The Hymns of Zarathushtra (Dinshaw J. Irani)
• The Divine Songs of Zarathushtra (Irach J.S. Taraporewala)
• The Gathas of Zarathustra (Stanley Insler)
• Zoroaster: The Prophet of Ancient Iran (A.V. William Jackson)
• The Origin of the Indo-Iranians

Gatha Recitations

• • Quick Definitions (by Dina G. McIntyre)
  • Avestan—Part 1: Historical, geographical, and cultural background (Video presentation by Prof. Almut Hintze)
  • Avestan—Part 2: Avestan texts and ritual practice (Video presentation by Prof. Almut Hintze)
    
  • Avestan—Part 3: Avestan script and sound (Video presentation by Prof. Almut Hintze)   
  • Avestan—Part 4: Avestan manuscripts (Video presentation by Prof. Almut Hintze)
  • Dictionary of Most Common Avesta Words (from www.avesta.org)

• Dina G. McIntyre Gathas of Zarathushtra
  
• Free Short Online Course – Zoroastrianism: History, Religion & Belief (From SOAS U. of London)