To a follower of the Zoroastrian religion, there are 3 main parts to a person. The physical body or Tanu, the Urvan which is the spiritual component of ones personality which survives death and is endowed with a free will, and the Fravashi which is a divine spark of the god Ahura Mazda. It is the Fravashi or Arda Fravash (holy guardian angel) which intrigued me and inspired this painting. Everything in creation has its own Fravashi. It is the design upon which the body is built, an archetype. The earth, the winds, the oceans and rivers, even God the creator, Ahura Mazda, has a Fravashi. It is indestructible, incorruptible, and exists for all time. When a person is to be born the Fravashi helps form the body and internal organs. All during life the Fravashi watches over the person and gives guidance and advice. In Death the Urvan and the Fravashi are united. The Fravashi is said to be seen as a star in the sky, the brighter the star the greater the person. It is very similar to the concept of a doppelganger, a spiritual counterpart to ourselves who resides with God. I find this a beautiful way to illustrate ‘as above, so below’. Also, every time I see a Star card the word that comes to mind is ‘grace’. The Fravashi is given to everyone by the grace of God.

Friday, August 08, 2003

The Star- the two highest birds in the tree are almost exactly in the same place as the eyes. There is a place in the middle where the branches seem to swirl around in a circle and that falls right over the heart. The place at the bottom of the tree with a few leaves sticking up, that govers the genitals perfectly. Hmmm gives new meaning to the fig leaf, being a symbol of Malkuth maybe? Then, the shape of the rays around the head matches the bumps in the outline of the tree.