Garry's Futurian Dinner

1 TBS&E 47E – January 2012 Pages 14 to 17 – Governments in SF stories Pages 17 to 25 – the NSW Writer’s Produced by Garry Dalrymple as a Centre Speculative Fiction Writer’s contribution to mailing No. 265, of the Festival of November 5, 2012 (several Australian and NZ Amateur Press panels / launches) Pages 25 & 26 – Galaxy Bookshop Association. Paranormal Romance discussion group Postal Address: Garry Dalrymple, Pages 26 & 27 – Infinitas Bookshop Local Post Office Box 4152, SF&F book review group, Monster Bexley North NSW 2207 Hunter International by Larry Corea & Home ph. (best after 7 pm) 02 9718- 5827 Reap the Wind, by Julie Szemeda Page 27 to 30 – After the Bomb in SF Email; Stories [email protected] Notes from my 2nd WEA Welcome to this ‘End of year Clearance Class Zoroastrianism, an Sale’ issue, mostly made up of meeting Evolution notes left over from 2011. To meet this self imposed deadline, the first 2012 ANZAPA Thursday October 20, 2011 mailing, I have resorted to issuing some ‘supplement’ issues of TBS&E to knock on the head any outstanding obligation to provide mailing comments etc. I hope this doesn’t cause too much head scratching if you are reading this in the future, I assure you that it has nothing to do with contemporary concerns about Mayan Calendar’s presumptive ‘the end of time’.. Garry P Dalrymple January 27, 2012 Issue Index TBS&E 47e Before the lesson I announced that I had Pages 1 to 4 – Zoroastrianism, an emailed the Zoroastrian Temple Society Evolution at Thornleigh and asked about a group Pages 4 to 6 – Ethical issues in SF (or individual) visits, Nothing came of stories this - GD Pages 6 to 10 – Capes & Skirts, Female Superheroes in SF and Brenda Cooper’s Some Photos or Postcards depicting (Author) visit to the Sydney Futurians Zoroaster were passed around the room. Pages 10 to 14 – Space Explorers in SF He’s generally depicted as ‘Viking’ rather stories than ‘Arab’, probably was paler than most Middle Eastern people as Northern 1 2 Iranians can be quite pale and Caucasian in contemporary Zoroastrianism. It is a very appearance. On the other hand, Ali, the Babylonian influenced symbol. Son-in-Law of Mohammad who is similarly depicted in art, we know from descriptions Zoroaster’s biographical details such as definitely wasn’t. date and place of birth are unknown but from colourful oral tradition (like that of The Gathas: Zoroaster’s Life and teachings Buddha?). It could be that ‘Zoroaster’ in the form of Hymns or poems? The most was a series of people, i.e. it may be a title academically recognised translation is that held by a number of men in succession by Kaikoroshov Irani (a friend of Albert rather than a personal name. He seems Einstein!) to have been born in North West Iran, but his Ministry was established in the North While waiting for his book ‘Secret Persia’ to East of Iran. Which is significant as for be published, you can look up Milad the (later) Persians, the area of North Milani’s thesis at the Fisher library, Eastern Iran was considered to be the Sydney University, which took him three cultural homeland of the ‘Real’ Persia’. years to write. It features a Chapter in He may have been born around 1777 BCE which covers most of the ideas to be (nearly 4,000 years ago). presented in this course. Monotheism as Tolerance? The Zoroastrian religion is associated Not likely, only by the story of the winners with the mind and not quite the same as and their massive PR machine. the Western concept of Religion which is Believers in the one true Ghod rarely partly the result of the Imperial necessity in tolerate rivals religions or ‘False Ghods’. a poly-cultural Empire, however Polytheists are a lot more relaxed about Zoroastrianism at its most influential during this (cue the story of the death of Hypatia) the Persian Empire also included many of and there is no evidence that Zoroaster these aspects, so arguably Zoroastrianism was into intolerance, and if he was in fact was the first time that Religious concepts the original Monotheist that would make were so examined and classified. him ‘the father of Dogma’. From the St Augustine adds ‘Choice’, in that you Gathas he was ambiguous about need to choose to serve Ghod rather than Monotheism. At some point we have to just be aware of his/her control of the consider whether Zoroaster intended to Universe etc. which is an improvement over reform existing religious practice, rather the pagan Roman philosopher Lactantius’ than create a new faith / denomination, for idea of Religion as automatic ‘bondage’ to example consider the case of Charles Ghod. (more on St. Augustine when we get Wesley the ‘founder’ of Methodism, to Manicheanism) initially within the Church of England rather than a rival to it. Zoroaster was trained The figure with wings (as seen to be a Magi (the three guys that found everywhere at Persepolis), was the Jesus!) and may have remained a faithful trademark of the Persian Empire and may follower of Mitra in his revised form represent the King of the day, rather than through his life. Ahura Mazda / Zoroastrianism, but it is widely used today as the Symbol of The purpose of the Gathas, the most direct detail we have from Zoroaster and are intended to inspire rather than explain 2 3 TBS&E 47E – January 2012 so perhaps he _intended_ to be a re- They were much into Purity and the interpreter of the Magi’s ‘old time religion’ avoidance of bodily contamination (hence rather than the creator of a new religious the tradition of air burial?), some ideas tradition (see Charles Wesley above). here for any Levitical Hebrews listening in? The degree to which he in fact ‘rejected’ the faith of the Magi may be a later construct? At the core of Zoroastrian teaching is the message that you have to choose, to His inspiration was a simplification of live your life ruled by the Angry mind or the existing doctrine? He didn’t teach a Good mind. dualism of a good and a bad Ghod but he did teach of opposed forces of Light and Enter the Sassanians, the villains of the Dark, order and disorder, Fire and water piece, the Sassanians corrupted etc, none evil of good, just opposed. He Zoroaster’s ideas, which were adopted by had one Ghod who he called Ahura Mazda the Babylonian influenced Magi (hence the under which there was a dualist philosophy Astrology and following a star to with Ahura Mazda the creator working Bethlehem bits in Christian traditions etc.), through seven Amesha Spenta. They are for dynastic reasons. The Sassanians _Not_ Angels as such but are ‘emanations’ defeated the Selucids, the heirs of from Ahura Mazda, extensions of his/her Alexander the Great and to claim a consciousness etc. mandate as ‘Real Persians’ in the face of not much dynastic connection to the The Monotheist mind block - Too great an people of their new empire they kicked off attachment to an Monotheist outlook a renaissance of all things Persian which prevents a clearer understanding of what included installing the new version of the Gathas actually say, you try to read into Zoroastrianism as the new State Religion. them a commentary on the nature of Ghod Zoroastrianism had been popular in the Vs Evil? North East, which was seen to be the core of ‘Real Persia’ and so it was available to The Negative force under Ahura Mazda is be co-opted for Imperial service. Originally personified into Ahriman, the Angra Mainyu Zoroastrianism was a reaction to the or ‘angry mind’, hence Ahriman lacks the religion of the Magi and the Magi were diabolism of Hebrew and Christian initially antagonistic towards the traditions, and is inevitably set for defeat Zoroastrian movement, but posthumously and reconciliation with Ahura Mazda, as the and under Magi influence it was to spread mind can’t stay angry forever. His hold / through the empire. influence is a matter of Psychology rather than ‘demonic’ possession or motives. Parallels here to Constantine’s The Amesha Spenta are chief aspects of impositions on Christianity at Nicea, or the Ahura Mazda rather than sub-deities. ‘conversion’ of the learned Celtic Druid Why seven? Probably a Babylonian class to Christianity, or even that the cultural influence after the event to have a Druids and the Magi may have been nice ‘magic’ number of them. Persians similar in that they were the intelligentsia were not into numbers / numerology / of their people and willing to ‘go with the Astrology etc. into oral tradition and poetry flow’? Empowered by the state, etc. even looked down on scribes and Zoroastrianism had the prestige and the writing as a ‘dirty’ way to make a living. 3 4 need to suppress early Christianity which framework, for example, the Gathas can was rising at it’s borders. be seen as Buddhist like advice on self actualisation. The degree to which Hebrew and Zoroastrian practices influenced each The Mandaens, bit part players in the other / reacted against each other is Jesus story, a Zoroastrian reflection in that debatable, shortly after, the Sassanids were John the Baptist baptised in Water, but beset by the rise of Manichaeism, another Jesus was promising baptism with fire, threat to ‘National Unity’ (as opposed to reflecting on Zoroastrianism’s practise of ‘Manchester Unity’ which is an insurance worship in the presence of Fire (Ahura company). Mazda) and Water (Anahita). Under Zoroastrianism, it is preordained that Differences between Zoroastrianism Uhura Mazda will win and Ahriman will be and the three Abrahamic religions, defeated, because you can’t stay angry in Biblical tradition is full of commandments, the mind forever! We may conclude that while Zoroastrianism is of the view that Sassanid Zoroastrianism _is_ Monotheistic, you just can’t know the mind of Ghod.

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