Mithraic Societies & Practices

MITHRAIC SOCIETIES

A Mithraic Society is an association of people who have come together to support the Good Activity of Life, especially the Good Mind and to spread the name of Zarathustra. Mithraic Societies at a minimum should aim to spread awareness of Zoroastrian Humanism as a possible way of thinking.

Normally they should also hold regular meetings to build fellowship among their members, and to help them to a greater connection with Zoroastrian Humanism. Ideally they would also organise study groups to attain a deeper understanding of the Persian Zoroastrian, Sufi or ancient European pagan traditions or otherwise to develop the character of mind and wisdom of the group attendees.

Ideally they would also organise regular ritual groups, celebrate festivals, organise social activities and where appropriate help facilitate other kinds of community activity which are needed.

ZOROMITHRAIC RITUAL MEETINGS

It is recommended that Zoromithrites (or some of them) should support establishment of Fire Temples on traditional lines, but that a diverse range of other kinds of ritual or religious meetings be encouraged for instance:

1. A fire temple ritual – up to a dozen people with specific roles in a ritual that symbolizes the activity of the cosmos.

2. Sufi-inspired meeting –communing with the beautiful.

3. Like a jesuchristian church service or house group but praising Sarosh rather than Jesus.

4. Like a pagan sacrificial circle - remembering the wights, deities, ancestors and all the different chains of influence in the world.

5. A quaker meeting – unprogrammed and mainly in silence but with opportunity for any individual to get up and speak.

ZOROMITHRAIC FESTIVALS

Zoromithrites celebrate Zarathustra’s birthday on March 26 th each year alongside most other Zoroastrians world-wide. We don’t normally celebrate the traditional Iranian festivals like Nowruz – the spring new year. Instead we celebrate Yuletide and other traditional occasions of our culture. Perhaps Mithra could be celebrated on November 5 th .

MITHRAIC RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY

Some Mithraic Clubs may want to secure their own territory and physical resources and to set up an autonomous residential community . Under favourable conditions this might be a village-style community or monastery on the earth’s surface . Under adverse conditions this might be a Mithraic Vara as described below.

MITHRAIC VARAS

Mithraic Varas are defensible enclosures likely to be underground in each of which should be established a Zoroastrian Mithraic monastery with associated village and all the necessities of self-sufficient survival.

Such Mithraic Vara communities should be able to expect to live autonomously, preserving the good mind for the task especially of supporting the rulers of the world to good rule, while at the same time not being a source of negative disruptive influence in the world at large.

A Mithraic Vara should contain all that is necessary to start a system of life on barren territory whether on planet Earth or another planet should it be necessary as a result of the bad contamination or destruction of life activities on the Earth’s surface. They should contain banks of genetic material of different biological species , including the human species. They should have libraries to preserve as much of the cultural heritage of the world’s peoples as possible – the writings and recording of the varied ways of thinking and behaving that people have developed. The members of the Vara would need to maintain all the living processes necessary for their own survival and to be able to make use of the banks and libraries or stored material when the right time comes. While such Mithraic Vara communities should seek the good will of the rulers of the world they should not rely on achieving this for their survival but take measures to physically secure the Vara perhaps by placing it in a remote underground location or by making it invisible to detection.

In this they would be following in the footsteps of past monastic communities who chose remote and inaccessible locations to safeguard themselves from harmful intrusion.

October 2009 CE / 4009 HE