2017 05 The Light May 2017

May 2017 The
Light 8
sters. On the other side of the bridge is the gateway
to paradise.
08. Hell: Demons guard the foot of the
bridge and argue with the gods over the soul's
fate. The actions of the dead person, both good
and bad, are weighed, and the soul is either allowed
to cross or denied access to the bridge.
Spirits whose evil outweighs their good fall into
the demon-infested pit to face eternal torment.
In this abyss of the damned, each soul is tortured
by a GHOUL that represents its sins in life.
Once fallen into the gulf, no soul can escape the
horrors of hell through its own power.
Zoroaster, a sixth century BC religious
leader, had warned his followers of this obstacle
to heaven but he promised to lead his flock
safely across. The ancient manuscript Gathas
(Songs of Zoroaster) explains that the Bridge of
the Separator "becomes narrow for the wicked,"
whereas the holy can easily pass unharmed. (In
Gathas, the fair god Rashnu is named as the
judge who helps determine who is worthy of
salvation and who must be damned.) All infidels
(non-believers) fall into hell, which the prophet
says has been created especially for the "followers
of the lie."
The legends are sketchy but assert that
Chinvat Bridge is located somewhere in the far
north. It is a place of filth where the damned endure
physical tortures and spiritual agony.
Souls who are unsuccessful in crossing the
Chinvat Bridge suffer these torments until Ahraman,
the evil god of Zoroastrianism, is destroyed
by the good god Orzmahd during the
Last Judgement. At this time, lost spirits are restored
to the truth since "the lie" has been eradicated,
or they face final annihilation.
at first, speak of the process of consecrating
these three grades of the sacred fire. For example,
he falls on his knees in his prayers; he lowers
his head and bows; he raises his hands towards
Heaven. All these ways or rites, which
symbolize service or obedience or homage to
God, are done occasionally.
The candidate is to say his prayers five
times during the day. He is expected to pass his
time in a religious or pious mood. The candidate
has, during these six days, to pass his time in
prayers during the five Gahs and to observe all
the observances of saying the grace at meals,
etc. He is not to come into contact with any non-
Zoroastrian.
The five periods for the performance of the
ceremony:
The Bui ceremony is performed five times
every day. It is performed at the commencement
of each of the five Gahs or periods of the
day which correspond to a certain extent, with
the canonical hours of the Christians.
These periods are the following:
(1) Hawan. It begins from early morning
when the stars begin to cease to appear, and
lasts up to 12 O’clock when the sun comes overhead.
Literally, it means the time when the ceremony
of pounding the Haoma is performed.
(2) Rapithwin. It runs from 12 o'clock noon
to 3 p. m. Literally, it means the pith (pithwa) or
the middle part of the day (ayare ).
(3) Uzerin. It runs from 3 p.m. to the time
when the stars begin to appear. Literally, it
means the time of the advancement of the sun.
The Five Ritual Zoroastrian Prayers
The five prayers were developed after the
Prophet Zoroaster.
1. There are three grades of the Sacred Fire-
(A) The Sacred Fire of the Atash Behram, (B)
that of the Atash, Adaran and (C) that of the
Atash Dadgah. These three have their different
rituals of consecration and different rituals for
the daily prayers at the five times (gahs) of the
day, when they are fed with fresh fuel. We will,
I Shall Love All Mankind.
(4) Aiwisruthrem. It runs from nightfall to
midnight.
(5) Ushahin. It runs from midnight to dawn
when the stars begin to cease to appear.
The priest performs the Kusti-padyab (i.e.,
performs ablutions and unties and puts on the
Kusti again with the recital of a prayer).
The Bui ceremony in an Atash Behram: A
priest who has performed the Khub ceremony,