Zoroaster was a religious reformer of ancient Persia

http://jockmcarthur.com/prophets-sages-and-people-of-vision/

Zoroaster was a religious reformer of ancient Persia (now Iran) and the founder of the pre-Islamic religion of Zoroastrianism. Thought to have lived about 300 years before Alexander the Great, Zoroaster (Zarathustra in Greek) had a religious vision when he was about 30 years old, and for the next decade travelled throughout Persia preaching and running afoul of the established religious authorities. The story goes that he eventually settled in the land of King Vishtaspa, who embraced Zoroaster’s teachings and had his people adopt the new religion. Zoroastrianism is considered an early influence on Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and one of the first monotheistic religions. It emphasizes that good and evil are separate entities at war with each other, in the form of Ormuzd (the god of good, creation and truth) and Ahriman (the god of evil destruction and lies), both ultimately descended from the Wise Lord, Ahura Mazda. The holy book of Zoroastrianism is the Avesta, which includes the hymns of Zoroaster (The Gathas, from which most of his biographical information comes), liturgical texts and prayers.

Quoted from Answers.com

jock wrote:http://jockmcarthur.com/prophets-sages-and-people-of-vision/

Zoroaster was a religious reformer of ancient Persia (now Iran) and the founder of the pre-Islamic religion of Zoroastrianism. Thought to have lived about 300 years before Alexander the Great, Zoroaster (Zarathustra in Greek) had a religious vision when he was about 30 years old, and for the next decade travelled throughout Persia preaching and running afoul of the established religious authorities. The story goes that he eventually settled in the land of King Vishtaspa, who embraced Zoroaster’s teachings and had his people adopt the new religion. Zoroastrianism is considered an early influence on Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and one of the first monotheistic religions. It emphasizes that good and evil are separate entities at war with each other, in the form of Ormuzd (the god of good, creation and truth) and Ahriman (the god of evil destruction and lies), both ultimately descended from the Wise Lord, Ahura Mazda. The holy book of Zoroastrianism is the Avesta, which includes the hymns of Zoroaster (The Gathas, from which most of his biographical information comes), liturgical texts and prayers.

...and?

Well it is sometimes interesting to track back and look at the early religions like Zoroastrianism. Especially given the number of myths and legends that tend now to be built upon that era.

Sadly people tend to buy some of these oddities, partly because of all teh exciting on the edge of new age Mocumentary books, whereas if you go further back to the earlier settlement of Çatalhöyük in Turkey, http://www.catalhoyuk.com/history.html from 6,500bc you can see the human origins of some of these myths. I understand that this settlement pre dates many of the population migrations which spread out of this area accross the globe.

As to Zoroaster fascinating man and wonderful time to look at. To do the subject justice would take a very long time though and its not really associated with Spiritualism unlss you really want to draw the long bow of Spiritualism being as old as the world. If it is I prefer the oral traditions of the Aboriginal Australians and North American Indians.

These later religions had as much politics in them as the SNU.

I have an interest the Aboriginal Australians myself and I am drawn to their aincent cave pictures especially the faces of the people who have distinct lines across them like a Matrix We have seen the same lines apear on a sitter in a deep altered state. I am a loss to give an explanation I only feel there is a link.

Thanks for the link.

I always find persian philosophy fascinating.

Funny that today I should find a copy of Colonel Henry Steel Olcott's book The Spirit of Zorostrianism 1913 in e format . I wonder how he ties this to theosophy

http://www.theosophical.ca/adyar_pamphlets/AdyarPamphlet_No23.pdf
L have an iNterest in King Cyrus and Cyrus the saint the connection is tenuous however I feel there is a link to Zorostrianism
http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/achaemenian/cyrus.htm

Cyrus' Ecumenical Approach
Neither Cyrus, nor the magi priests in his court who acted as advisors, sought to convert the people of the conquered lands to the Mazdayasni Zoroastrian faith. On the contrary, Cyrus went to great lengths to restore the religious practices native to a region and a people. Cyrus was continuing the tradition established by the Persians when the Persians occupied Elamite lands during their migration south into Anshan, and when the coexisted peaceably with the Elamites.

As we can see from the Babylonian and Jewish texts quoted above, the two groups viewed Cyrus as being on a mission from their individual concept of God. Cyrus' ecumenical approach has puzzled historians who have difficulty in accepting that a king who practiced one faith could embrace the right of others to practice their own faith. Zoroastrian Mazdayasnis share this ecumenical tradition with their Hindu cousins. The Zoroastrians, however, take the approach one step further. They believe that a person has a right to their ancestral faith, should the individual desire to follow that tradition, and that this faith is a part of a person's being and heritage. In any event, individuals have a choice and a right to their faith, be it that of their ancestors or some other faith they choose. This right to choice and belief was one of the principles of Cyrus' charter of rights.