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Zarathustra (Zoroaster), c. 1000 B.C.
Master
Zoroaster was of very high development, more than a Master and a great deal of the spiritual teachings concerning light is hidden within His teachings.Reverend Flower A. Newhouse, Meaning of the Spiritual Sun
Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra (meaning Shining Light), was the prophet of ancient Persia and founder of Zoroastrianism, one of the earliest forms of organized religion. It was the official religion of the vast Persian Empire from the 6th century B.C. to the 7th century A.D. Although there is no consensus in dating when exactly Zoroaster lived, it is believed that he may have lived in the early 7th century to the late 6th century B.C., however other scholars believe he was born as early as 1,500 B.C. He is credited with the authorship of the Avesta (sacred writings) containing Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrian thinking. Tradition holds Zoroaster died at 77.
Zoroaster received illumination at the age of thirty. All his life the prophet worshipped mostly on mountain tops. He drew great inspiration from nature and stressed the value of reverencing its sanctuary and its elements. Kindness to animals was cardinal to this Persian Master. To this Master, fire was the symbol of Divine Life. It transmuted everything into a likeness of itself. Fire always points upward, thus symbolizing the nature of the Divine striving upward in all things.Reverend Flower A. Newhouse, The Quest