PraxisAgathismAgathism means 'striving towards the Good'. Agathists consciously strive towards 'the Good' which they call Agathon. They are wary of anything other than 'the Good' being treated as an ultimate goal. Zartian Agathism is primarily a philosophical practice of discovering the path towards the Good. Zartian Agathists consider the figure of Zartus an inspiration for their own seeking after the Good, but don't rely on his teachings exclusively.KalliergiaKalliergy is cultivation - especially the self-cultivation of the mind and soul.PsychosophismPsychosophism is a deliberate practice engaged in in order to 'sophisticate the soul and mind'.Zartian Psychosophists normally engage with one of the established traditions of psychosophism such as Stoicism, Buddhism, Neoplatonism or Sufism. GnosticismGnosticism is a practice of seeking to achieve Gnosis or 'deep knowledge'.While there can be some overlap between Psychosophism and Gnosticism, Zartian Gnostics are focussed on gaining a deep mental understanding of the workings of existence. We distinguish 5 kinds of Gnosis: 1. Psychognosis is knowledge of the soul. 2. Cosmognosis is knowledge of the world. 3. Agathognosis is knowledge of the good. 4. Kakognosis is knowledge of evil and the bad. 5. Ideognosis is pure intellectual and mathematical knowledge. Zartian Gnostics may gain initial inspiration from other gnostics - such as the ancient gnostics of the early christian era, or more modern gnostic teachers. A Gnostic is a truth-seeker, going on an expedition into the world, looking at it with fresh eyes as if the world was seen for the first time, and filled with insatiable curiosity to understand why things are as they are. They must put aside their preconceived ideas, their beliefs that they already know what is what, and do some hard thinking to reason how things might really be based on the actual evidence before them. MagtismMagtas is Mightiness. To be a good influence in the world you need more than just good intentions. You need the necessary strengths and capabilities to overcome obstacles and really make a difference.Psychomagtism is a process of strengthening the mind and soul, of becoming psychologically stronger and more courageous. Sociomagtism is a process of strengthening of societies of people, of building teams of people able to work together and take effective action with a greater power than an individual can achieve alone. Ad bonum tendimus et via artista est! Updated July 2024 Zartian AgathismZartian Agathism is a philosophical practice aiming for a purer devotion to the spirit of Zoroastrian teaching than is the case with Christian Mithraism in general.We believe that Zoroaster's highest ideal was 'the Good' . Plato later made this fully explicit with his concept of Agathon. Thus Agathists give their highest devotion to Agathon - 'the Good' as a pure ideal. To make sense of Agathon we can imagine it firstly as a family of four: Agatha Divina, Agatha Physica, Agathus and Agathus Junior. Secondly we understand Agathoi as a group of twelve 'Agathoi' or 'Good Beings'. Agathists also recognise the existence of Kakon (the Bad) and the Kakoi or 'Evil Beings' who are counterparts of Agathon and the Agathoi. Agathists are primarily philosophers - seeking to understand how to make the Good manifest in the world and then making use of that knowledge to practical effect - for instance by spreading good teachings to others. Zartian Agathists take inspiration from the example of Zartus (Zarathustra) who sought to understand how the struggle of good and evil plays out, and then sought to spread the answers he found to a wider audience through his teachings. Agathists recognise Aristomagi - the most useful wise teachers of the past - of which four (the Tetramagi) form the foundation - i.e. Zartus, Gotama, Plato and Aristotle, but many others may also be considered of value. However they recognize that to achieve the fullest understanding of the nature of the Good, they cannot rely solely on receiving the teachings of others, but must make their own active efforts to understand the nature of things. March 4025 EHE |