Nabarz

About me:

Writer & Mystic.

Payam Nabarz is author of 'The Mysteries of Mithras: The Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World' (Inner Traditions, 2005), 'The Persian Mar Nameh: The Zoroastrian Book of the Snake Omens & Calendar' (Twin Serpents, 2006), and Divine Comedy of Neophyte Corax and Goddess Morrigan (Web of Wyrd, 2008). He is editor of 'Mithras Reader An academic and religious journal of Greek, Roman, and Persian Studies': Volume 1(2006), Volume 2 (2008), Volume 3 (2010). He is also the author of 'Stellar Magic: a Practical Guide to Rites of the Moon, Planets, Stars and Constellations' (Avalonia, 2009), and, 'Seething Cauldron: Essays on Zoroastrianism, Sufism, Freemasonry, Wicca, Druidry, and Thelema' (Web of Wyrd Press, 2010).

Nabarz's writings have also appeared in numerous esoteric magazines including Touchstone (the Journal of Order of Bards, Ovates, Druids), Pagan Dawn (the Journal of the Pagan Federation), Stone Circle, The Little Red Book, Pentacle, White Dragon, Silver Star, Cauldron, Fezana (Zoroastrian Journal), and the Sufi Magazine.

Books by me are available via www.innerbookshop.com or www.amazon.com

Click here to purchase: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/pan05-21

Details of the book 'Stellar Magic: A Practical Guide to Rites of the Moon, Planets, Stars and Constellations' website is on www.stellarmagic.co.uk

'The Mysteries of Mithras: The Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World’ (Inner Traditions, 2005).

http://www.innertraditions.com/isbn/1-59477-027-1

‘The Persian Mar Nameh: The Zoroastrian Book of the Snake Omens & Calendar’ (Twin Serpents, 2006). http://www.amazon.com/Persian-Mar-Nameh-Zoroastrian-Calendar/dp/1905524250/

The editor of the ‘Mithras Reader: an academic and religious journal of Greek, Roman and Persian Studies’:

Vol1 (Twin Serpents, 2006) http://www.amazon.com/Mithras-Reader-academic-religious-Studies/dp/1905524099/

Vol2 (web of Wyrd 2008) http://www.lulu.com/content/4848357

'Divine Comedy of Neophyte Corax and Goddess Morrigan' (Web of Wyrd Press, 2008). http://www.lulu.com/content/1728442

Reviews of 'The Mysteries of Mithras The Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World', Inner Traditions, 2005:

"In his breakdown on the Mithraic liturgies Doctor Nabarz has successfully researched the intricate levels of the ritual and also heroically deciphered the language of the aforementioned iconography of Mithras to give us a first class series of ceremonies. . . . Whether the reader is an historian or even a practitioner of esoteric studies, this well presented work is a joy to read. I am delighted it now lives on my shelves." -Professor Roland Rotherham, Touchstone Magazine, Nov 2005

“A refreshing study of an often-neglected subject. From the conventional to the controversial, the broad scope of this book and its valuable contribution to Sufi, Mithraic, and Zoroastrian studies gets to the very heart of the matter.” KAREN RALLS, PH.D., author of The Templars and the Grail

Prediction Magazine, Oct 2005, Book of the month: ". . . brilliant and compelling . . . . A highly entertaining and informative read by a lucid writer. Highly recommended."

This is a delicious book in which we learn of a Mithraic connection to the Tarot, another connection to the Celtic gods and the druids, the significance of the three colors of the national flags of Indo-European countries, and the significance of the old Persian fairy tale of the Simorgh (a fabulous bird who helps the third son of a king fulfill a quest). There is even a correspondence to the Charge of the Goddess in Mithraic ritual. If you want to read two books at the same time, pick up Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Random House, 2004).... ~review (2007) by Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Mithraic Mysteries The Persian Mithra The Roman Mithras The Revival of Mithras in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Chapter 2: Mithraic Iconography Birth of the Roman Mithras Mithras the Hunter The Tauroctony Sol and Sol Invictus The Miracle of the Rock The Sacred Meal The Ascension Leontocephaline (Lion-Headed One)

Chapter 4: Echoes of Mithraism around the World The Echo of Mithraism in Christianity Mithras as Liberator Echoes of Mithraism in the Yezidis and the Peacock Angel Mithras in Britain

Chapter 5: Simorgh--A Mithraic Fairy Tale Simorgh--An Old Persian Fairy Tale Symbolism of the Simorgh Tale

Chapter 6: The Mithraic Liturgy Preparation for Performing the Mithraic Liturgy The Ritual

Chapter 7: The Goddess Anahita

Chapter 8: Meditations and Initiations I. Corax Meditation and Initiation II. Nymphus Meditation and Initiation III. Miles Meditation and Initiation IV. Leo Meditation and Initiation V. Perses Meditation and Initiation VI. Heliodromus Meditation and Initiation VII. Pater Meditation and Initiation

Chapter 9: The Four Stations of Mithra Yule--Birth of the Sun Spring Equinox--Nou Roz Summer Solstice--Tir Autumn Equinox--Festival of Mithra

Epilogue

Appendix A: Zoroastrian Hymn to Mithra (Mehr Yasht 10)

Appendix B: Zoroastrian Hymn to Anahita (Aban Yasht 5)

Divine Comedy of Neophyte Corax and Goddess Morrigan. A dialectic play

New book launched, now available at: http://www.lulu.com/content/1728442

In this short collection of dialectic plays, Payam Nabarz uses the Greek teaching method of ‘Socratic Dialogue’ or the Irish Druids ‘Colloquy’ to take a down–to-earth look at contemporary spirituality. In an easy to read and no-nonsense fashion he explores multi-faceted mystical paths with references to popular cultural icons, making this an accessible read for all seekers.

This is a divine comedy that both enlightens you and has you rolling on floor with laughter. If you enjoy the works of Terry Pratchett, The Mighty Boosh or Mulla Nasreddin, this dialectic play will be an enjoyable addition to your collection. This is the tale of the magical journeys and adventures of a neophyte called Corax, and his initiator the Goddess Morrigan. The Celtic Goddess Morrigan is the Goddess of war, death, rebirth, change and justice - this is far more than Corax expected at his initiation!

Content: Act I: Lammas. Act II: The Autumnal Equinox. Act III: Samhain. Act IV: The Winter Solstice- Alban Arthan: the birth of the sun. Act V: A Kali Puja: a magickal workshop. Act VI: Imbolc. Act VII: The Dance of Death. Act VIII: Beltane 4play. Act IX: An eclectic pagan’s near-death experience. Act X: Beltane. Act XI: Justice for Rollright Stones. Act XII: Living like the pagan ancestors. Act XIII: The Towers of Silence. Act XIV: The Magi’s gifts.

Review comments: Review comments so far: -Creative genius! -Brilliant! -This is hilarious… -This is a great piece of writing; I loved it! Thanks so much for sharing. -This is made of extreme win. I must see the rest of this!! -ROTFLMAO!!!! I think I pissed myself from laughing. -Great story idea. -It's refreshing to read a "Divine Comedy" that's actually a comedy. It's hilarious.

Here are four reviews of this book:

1. A Raven Review! A review from Amazon.com and Silver Star magazine By Robert C. Carey:

A very deep, funny and clever play involving the complicated relationship between the goddess and her reincarnating raven, and cheerfully exploring all the mythologies which have played through the history of the British Isles: Mithraic and Druidic and Christian, Norse and Shamanic and Qabalistic, Thelemic and Vodou and Tantric. Mystery plays once edified the illiterate populace, today we have bad movies… perhaps it is time for a change. Wit can actually make people think! Illustrated with a series of lovely photos by the author.

2. Review by Mike Gleason:

This is a strange little play, or series of plays, with a unique view of the Wheel of the year. In a truly ecumenical spirit the protagonist is a Mithraic neophyte, the Goddess is Celtic, and the supporting cast is drawn from the animal world and the worlds of mythology in all its varied aspects.

I have attended a number of mystery plays (in the religious sense) over the years. I have read others. This comedic offering, by a Persian-born member of the OBOD and the Pagan Federation is, without doubt, the most entertaining. It does not skimp on symbolism, nor on knowledge revealed.

It is easy to read, and thoroughly enjoyable on multiple levels. You don’t need extensive knowledge of the associated mythologies (a sign of an effective mystery play). Whatever you are looking for, you are sure to find it (and more), much as Corax discovers during his journey through the year.

This is profundity disguised as absurdity. It is funny and enjoyable. It is lightweight with serious underpinnings. In other words, it is a good value. Pick up a copy and enjoy it.

3. Review by Merry Meet Magazine issue 34, Autumn 2008:

This is an enjoyable and amusing comedic romp through the many facets of eclectic paganism in the form of “dialectic plays”, using the Greek method of “Socratic Dialogue” or the Irish “Druidic Colloquy”, according to the blurb.

The reader follows the metaphysical adventuring of Corax, who has the, shall we say, somewhat mixed blessings of being initiated by the Goddess Morrigan in the form of a raven (perhaps not for nothing is the collective noun for an assemblage of the genus corvus referred to as ..an unkindness’!

There is much hilarity in this satirical look at contemporary alternative spiritualities, which nevertheless is impressive in its grasp of the importance of exploring metaphysical approaches to life in an age when our planet is beleaguered with a mainstream orthodoxy so deeply routed in the ..here-and-now culture of short term physical gain at the expense of future generations. I quote from a passage in which Corax is unwilling to be reborn innocently into another stage of earthly existence:

“What if this time, I forget your signs and do not recognise you goddess? What if I walked the earth without recognising the sounds of birds as the music of the heavens. What if I forget I ever had wings! What if I swim in the sea and forget it’s where all life on earth comes from or breathe the air and forget that every breath is god sent. What if I only saw a lifeless rock instead of the goddess Luna or a just nuclear reaction when I look at the sun? Instead of proclaiming your beauty, and remembering circular time, I might be caught in the linear time, filled with greed to consume time. Take each grain of the sand of time and squeeze every atom out of it, consume everything in my path, dig mines deep into your body, and suck the black blood of our dinosaur ancestors to move my metal coffin, and pay for it in red blood of our distant brothers or sisters. What if I become a destroyer and enslave life, and follow a ..one true way’ and slay anything that doesn’t conform to my ..one way’ …The stakes are too high…”

An excellent book, though it would have benefited greatly from a far more rigorous regime of proof reading.

Recommended. -Merry Meet Magazine issue 34, Autumn 2008.

4. Review by Bish, Druid Network:

I was tempted to keep the review short in order to match the book, which only runs to some fifty pages. But the quality of a work is not reflected only in its page numbers. The Divine Comedy (I shall, um, cut short the full title) is a play, generally between two protagonists, Corax and Morrigan - Corax being a seeker after the wisdom of the gods and Morrigan, of course, being such a one. The story runs through the traditional year, poking fun at Corax with some ‘in jokes’ and pagan related situation comedy as he attempts to gain knowledge from the goddess of war, death, change and justice.

The advertising for this work suggested a similarity with that of Terry Pratchett, but I suspect there’s more of a bond between it and the late great Douglas Adams (who of course was a playwright and radio scripter as well as an author). The lines work best when read out aloud than simply read, and it would indeed make an interesting play for BBC Radio’s 4 or 7. The layout is that of a traditional play, with scene descriptions and narration, and paragraphs for each actor’s lines………Some of the descriptions are very contemporary (does anyone still use Lynx body spray?) and the language is often that of the street, which will appeal to the younger reader - and this is where I think the play is aimed. Elements of many pagan traditions are brought into play (ouch, pun alert, sorry) and although a deeper understanding of some of the traditions will only help the reader, nearly everyone will be sufficiently familiar with the situations and players to get by.

It would not be fair to reveal much of the plotline in such a tale, but I did enjoy a scene entitled ‘an eclectic pagan’s near death experience’ which asked the question as to just where an eclectic ends up, and in the company of which gods?

Divine Comedy of Neophyte Corax and Goddess Morrigan is available from: http://www.lulu.com/content/1728442

Paperback book Price: £8.88. or Download Price : £6.66.

Printed: 53 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding, cream interior paper (60# weight), black and white interior ink, white exterior paper (100# weight), full-colour exterior ink.

Review of The Persian 'Mar Nameh': The Zoroastrian 'Book of the Snake' Omens and Calendar, Twin Serpents Ltd, 2006:

"This is Payam Nabarz's follow-up to very well received Mysteries of Mithras. As one might expect he is extending further some of the cultic material available to initiates involved with that mythos. In this case he presents a short omen text from the Zoroastrian tradition." - Mandrake Speaks

The centuries old Persian poem 'Mar Nameh' describes in verse a method of augury; what seeing a snake on every one of the 30 days of a month will mean and what omen it will portend. The thirty-two couplets in Persian informative rhyme are shown here in beautifully handwritten Persian calligraphy. The poem is both translated and transliterated into English. The symbolic connection of the snake to Time is discussed and a modern approach to use the 'Mar Nameh' is described using the Zoroastrian Calendars. The Old Iranian calendar describes in detail the foundation of Persian calendar system and its ancient festivals, such as the New Year celebration of Nawruz, the Tiragan festival, and the feast of Mithra. The connection of the Persian calendar to the Egyptian and Babylonian calendars is also examined in depth. This book provides a detailed analysis of a text which has been dormant for several hundred years. It is an interesting read for all who are interested in the art of divination.

Table of contents:

Part 1 Chapter 1. Introduction.

Chapter 2. Mar Nameh (the transliteration)

Chapter 3 Persian Text of Mar Nameh.

Chapter 4 Mar Nameh (the translation)

Chapter 5. Spirit of the days and their meaning. Sirozas: Prayer and dedications for the thirty days of the month Siroza 1 Siroza 2 Bibliography Further reading

Part 2 THE OLD IRANIAN CALENDARS

Notes

Bibliography

Appendix The Gregorian calendar conversion to the Persian calendar. Calendar year 2006 conversion to Zoroastrian calendar year 3743.

Calendar year 2007 conversion to Zoroastrian calendar year 3744.

Calendar year 2008 conversion to Zoroastrian calendar year 3745.

Mithras Reader - An academic and religious journal of Greek, Roman, and Persian Studies. Volume 1 Editor Nabarz Mithras Readers: An academic and religious journal of Greco-Roman and Persian studies is dedicated to all the religions of the classical world in all its aspects-literature, history, poetry and philosophy. It includes academic papers from researchers and spiritual articles from practitioners of religions of the classical world. It also includes classical world based art work both modern interpretations and traditional forms.

This edition includes:

Continuity and Change in the Cult of Mithra, by Dr. Israel Campos Méndez.

Mithra and the warrior group Mithra and the Iranian words and images Introduction to Classes of Manichean, Mithraism and Sufiyeh, by Dr. Saloome Rostampoor.

Entheos ho syros, polymathes ho phoinix: Neoplatonist approaches to religious practice in Iamblichus and Porphyry, by Sergio Knipe.

Mithraism and Alchemy, by David Livingstone.

'For example Mithras' exhibition by Farangis Yegane

Meeting Mithra, by Guya Vichi. Ode To Mithra, by Guya Vichi.

Hymn to the Sun, by Katherine Sutherland.

Mithras Liturgy with the Orphic Hymns, by Payam Nabarz

Synopsis: "In this collection of tales, essays, rituals, reviews, plays and poems, Payam Nabarz takes a down–to-earth look at contemporary spirituality. In an easy to read and no-nonsense fashion he explores multi-faceted mystical paths with references to popular cultural icons, making this an accessible read for all seekers."

A Mithraic Mysteries cosmic journey video by Nabarz

My interview at London Mithraeum.

Horses protest