Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:43 am

(Cont from previous post)

In the fourth century BC, things changed, with Ohrmazd being the principle of good and light, and Ahriman was evil and darkness. Zurvan was seen as being able to transcend space and time, but that meant that now the Zoroastrians needed to have some way to conceptualize space, and finite (relative) time. Humans tend to think of life in linear terms of time, cycles, but compounded cycles lead to infinite time. Zurvan was the god of time, so temporal time as a concept could not be dropped, but these was no way to define being.

So what does this have to do with the Shadow, the Fallen, the Satan? Well, nothing until the Jews became oppressed in days following the conquest of Alexander. They had their view of God as just, but also as a god of time, and so they had a means of his being able to determine when the time for recompense came. This is when you begin having apocalyptic writing in Judaism, and the being that was prosecuting counsel in the court o God, suddenly becomes the symbol of darkness over Israel and the world. The Jews had to make apocalyptic ideas to explain when their group would no longer be oppressed, and the eschaton (the end) would come-with it, divine mysteries, terrifying creatures, and angels. The Persians didn't need all of this, because Zurvan-Ahriman was responsible for their troubles.

The good part in all this? By the time of Mithra, Ahriman is the necessary darkness, he is given offerings to avert disaster or for mourning. Ahriman was involved in situations when Mithra was mediator, and was necessary to reconcile the cosmos to itself. Ahriman is involved in destiny and astrology, he was revered by the magi.

How is this related to me, as djinn? Well, my life experience has involved not only this Mary/Astarte figure, but beings I thought were the Hellenic deities Nyx/Nox, Thanatos, etc. I think these are the names the Greeks gave them, but for me, the one I associate with the most on a 1:1 physical level, has a name that begins with an A. Male, I see him with long dark hair, on the thin side. All of them have the same, basic, physical similarities. Over time, they've been revealing things to me that are pertinent to Zoroastrianism and Mithraism. I feel they are part of the realm of Ahriman, but that isn't the name we used.

Sorry this did end up being so long...

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:34 am

I keep hoping people will quit feeling obligated to apologize for longer posts. It always seems to be the interesting ones that wind up ending that way. Wink

About triggers, I am so not laughing at the parcel mouth thing. Not sure why I connected with that yet, but reading it made me think something like, "Ooh, good! There's something real here." I've had theories (and experiences) of some fiction being unexpectedly real for a long time. You missed my reaction to Lee Scoresby from His Dark Materials, and don't even get me started on Sandman...

I think this little ramble ties in with how many ways the same, or similar, things can be interpreted. Different names and descriptions are given to aspects of the same thing, then combine into (hopefully) a more complete picture. Whether through conscious observation, or subconscious creative process, as soon as the spiritual is put into words, it is a story.

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Tue Jan 25, 2011 9:23 pm

Scratch wrote:: I keep hoping people will quit feeling obligated to apologize for longer posts. It always seems to be the interesting ones that wind up ending that way.

About triggers, I am so not laughing at the parcel mouth thing. Not sure why I connected with that yet, but reading it made me think something like, "Ooh, good! There's something real here." I've had theories (and experiences) of some fiction being unexpectedly real for a long time. You missed my reaction to Lee Scoresby from His Dark Materials, and don't even get me started on Sandman...

I think this little ramble ties in with how many ways the same, or similar, things can be interpreted. Different names and descriptions are given to aspects of the same thing, then combine into (hopefully) a more complete picture. Whether through conscious observation, or subconscious creative process, as soon as the spiritual is put into words, it is a story.

LOL. This is one of the few things I do tend to apologize about, because I am used to the experience I have when I try to have similar conversations with everyone in my daily life. I can literally see their eyes glazing over, but to me (likely because it is my Otherkin experience), it's absolutely fascinating. I'm rapacious in trying to learn more, but now it's time to heavily analyze, and begin writing out my ***djinn-ness.

I <3 Neil Gaiman. I have not, however, read the Sandman series. Every time I go pick up the first one, even when it was originally published, I get this mental slap to the hand. Someone doesn't want me to read it yet, but it came up in another conversation recently (in a way that wasn't 'normal'), so I think the time has come. All this talk of time seems strange to me.

*** Yes, I make up random words all the time, but I will let everyone know if it is such a construct.

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Tue Jan 25, 2011 10:12 pm

That's very interesting. I know when something's powerful in my own mind, but it still always gives me pause when someone else says they've had an odd experience with the same thing. I'm a firm believer there's a specific time for things like that, and people kept pushing that series at me before mine came. I was already a voracious Gaiman fan before Sandman clicked, though, and attending his book reading in a church was one of the most powerful psychedelic (though I hadn't taken anything) experiences of my life. Scared the crap out of me the next day, remembering how the room kept dissolving into colors and darkness as he read. I was so caught up in the moment, all I remember thinking at the time was, "Wow, cool, pretty, but lay off a little, I can't see his face anymore." Everything was normal again by the time I left. I don't know what's up with that man, but I could feel his presence from a mile away. ::shivers::

I've been on a mad random-information hunt for the past few days. It might just be internet addiction, but I bounce from one subject to the next, gathering knowledge with seemingly no rhyme or reason, or relation to much going on currently, and am not sure why. I keep thinking of other, seemingly more productive things to do, but dismiss those ideas in favor of the next thing I want to look up, so I've been letting myself have at it. As far as I'm concerned, knowledge is good if it interests you, but I can see where you're coming from about the eyes glazing over. A lot of people seem to have far less capacity for curiosity and absorbing information than Otherkin. At least the ones I've met.

Your comment on this talk of time gave me pause, too. I've been feeling both very conscious of its passage, and like blocks of hours slip by ridiculously fast; filled, but still at heightened or manipulated speed. Maybe we're feeling the theoretical clock ticking away?

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Tue Jan 25, 2011 10:32 pm

http://www.crystalinks.com/synchronicity.html

~ Synchronicity ~

Ouza

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:42 pm

I am a huge fan of Lucifer Morningstar... no, the graphic magazines... Smile

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:45 pm

Hee hee... My jaw kind of dropped when I found out about those. Only read the one about him getting his wings back, so far, but it was pretty cool!

Subject: Re: Rahman, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:47 am

Scratch wrote:: I don't know what's up with that man, but I could feel his presence from a mile away. ::shivers::

A lot of people seem to have far less capacity for curiosity and absorbing information than Otherkin. At least the ones I've met.

Your comment on this talk of time gave me pause, too. I've been feeling both very conscious of its passage, and like blocks of hours slip by ridiculously fast; filled, but still at heightened or manipulated speed. Maybe we're feeling the theoretical clock ticking away?

Gaiman is the man. I have never seen him in person, but even in just photos he has a presence, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he had something non-human going on. In a rp game, he was used as a model for a shifter, and became a crow.

I know what you mean about the capacity. I work with academics, but they seem to typically stick to their comfortable niche, not researching outside the boundaries. It isn't that they can't, it's often that they won't. Refuse. No Thank. KBye sort of unwillingness. This ties into my belief on the nature of Sophia, and her relationship to Western culture. In a sense, there had to be a fall, so that humanity could experience gnosis. Eastern cultures, those that would have formed first, have gone further along in study and thus, have more fully experienced gnosis than most Western culture. There are exceptions of course, but this does seem to be a trend.

As for time, I think I do view it differently. I've never really made plans about what I will be doing in a year, five years, ten years. I prepare to the extent I have insurance, etc, but I'm not geared toward thinking about being a grandmother, retiring, etc. The exception to this would be my desire to own a residence, but that's more about not throwing money out by renting something for decades. I'm good at being able to figure out the time on the clock, but I haven't been experiencing it slipping away.

Lucifer Morningstar-will have to check those out. Oh, and maybe finally read the Sandman series.

Posts : 1373 Join date : 2010-02-06 Age : 41

Well.

To return it back to topic maybe a couple years late Wink

Though that was a fascinating discussion about Sandman... and djinn. Though we probably need our resident Djinn around to have a Djinn section up - I certainly don't know anything about them. As for Rahman... regardless of what the history written about him is, the being that this name has come to signify, I remember a little more clearly now. I felt that he was one of my brothers because - he was. One of the Seven - one of the Gods on the other side of the world from us, the Seven Goddesses. If what I remember about the being who has come to be remembered as YHVH is correct - and some of it may not be, or may be not the whole truth... I'm open to other sides ......... then... Rahman, his brother, my "brother-in-law" though YHVH who I was wedded to was kind of also my "brother," or could have been had we not married ("choose to be a sister or a wife...") was the first to rally behind YHVH's plan to imbalance the energies on the planet once we had stormed away from them. In that way..... it could be said that he was loyal, the most loving. ....But in my eyes, he was a betrayer.... I don't know what he thought of me.