Original Magic

by Flowers, Stephen E., Ph.D.

• ISBN13: 9781620556443
• ISBN10: 1620556448
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2017-10-17
• Publisher: Inner Traditions

Summary

A complete guide to the theory, practice, and history of Mazdan magic, the first organized system of magic

• Provides a complete curriculum of magical study and initiation centered on exercises keyed to the sacred Zoroastrian calendar

• Details advanced magical rituals and practices based on archaic Persian formulas, including fire rituals and divine invocations

• Explores the history and lore of Persian magic, explaining how the author reconstructed the original Mazdan system of magic

Stephen Flowers explores the history, theory, practice, rituals, and initiations of the Mazdan magical system practiced by the Magi of ancient Persia, who were so skilled and famed for their effectiveness that their name came to mean what we today call “magic.” The prestige and reputation of the Magian priests of Mazda is perhaps most iconically recorded in the Christian story of the Three Wise Men who visited newborn Jesus.

The author explains how the religious branch of the Mazdan magical system, founded by the Prophet Zarathustra, is known in the West under the name Zoroastrianism. He reveals how the Zoroastrian religion, which acts as a matrix for the symbols and formulas of the original form of magic, has existed for almost four thousand years with roots going back even deeper into the Indo-European past. The author reveals how all other known systems of magic have borrowed from this tradition, providing the clues that enabled him to reformulate the original Mazdan system. He reviews what the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, Christians, and Chinese said about the Iranian-Persian tradition of the Mazdans and their invention of a magical technology. He explains how the ultimate aim of the original form of magic was not only individual wisdom, self-development, and empowerment, but also the overall betterment of the world.

Outlining the theoretical principles of this method, which can be applied in practical ways to deepen the effectiveness of these magical operations, the author details a complete curriculum of magical study and initiation based on a series of graded exercises keyed to the sacred Zoroastrian calendar. He then offers a series of more advanced magical rituals and practices based on archaic Persian formulas, including fire rituals and divine invocations. Providing a manual for the original magical system used by the members of the Great Fellowship, this book guides you toward the comprehensive practice of the Mazdan philosophy, the ultimate outcome of which is ushta: Happiness.

Author Biography

Stephen E. Flowers, Ph.D., received his doctorate in Germanic languages and medieval studies from the University of Texas at Austin and studied the history of occultism at the University of Göttingen, Germany. The author of more than 24 books, including Lords of the Left-Hand Path and Icelandic Magic, he lives near Smithville, Texas.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Preface

Introduction
The Time Has Come to Lift the Ban

A Note on the Languages and Texts of the Mazdan Tradition

1 Iranian Magic as the Ancients Saw It
2 The History of Iranian Magic
3 Theories of Mazdan Magic
4 Initiation into Magic
5 Rituals of Mazdan Magic

Appendix A
A Brief History of Eranshahr

Appendix B
Guide to Pronunciation of Avestan

Appendix C
The Analysis of Three Major Avestan Manthras

Appendix D
The One Hundred and One Names of God

Appendix E
Basic Mazdan Astrological Lore

Appendix F
Resources

Glossary

Notes

Bibliography and Reading List

Index