Vohu Manah
Vohu Manah ('Good Mind' or 'Good Thought') is the first of the Amesha Spentas, the bounteous immortals of the Gathas (Yasna 28-53), and in the Gathas he is the mind through which Zarathushtra receives his vision.
Living tradition: Vohu Manah is an Amesha Spenta of Zoroastrianism, an emanation and attribute of Ahura Mazda worshipped in the tradition's own liturgy - not an independent 'angel' or planetary spirit - and the Gathas and Avesta are primary. The planetary (Mercury/Sun) and zodiacal (Gemini/Virgo) values, the tarot cards and Wednesday are modern Western, largely Theosophical and Hermetic, overlays, and no sabbat is assigned because the Zoroastrian calendar is its own. Equating the Amesha Spentas with archangels or with the sephirot is a modern synthesis the tradition does not make.
Correspondences
- Planetary Correspondence
- Mercury
Offerings
- Offerings
- MilkHaomaBarleyIncense
Sacred timing
- Sacred Timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- VohumanBahmanGood MindGood Thought
- Gender Expression
- Masculine
- Titles
- Good MindGood ThoughtThe Bounteous Immortal of CattleKeeper of the Sacred CattleBahman
- Symbols
- CowOxLightGrain
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneClear minded recollectionAddressVohu ManahGood MindBahmanRelationshipThe mind that recognises orderWarningNot a mood but a disciplineResonanceThose studying seeking right thought and caring for animals
- Modern Practice
Invoked for clarity of mind, right thinking, study and the care of animals, since cattle are his creation; modern correspondence work treats him as a patron of the disciplined mind and of memory.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- Good mindRight thoughtWisdomCattleDiscernmentThe welcome of the soulMemory
- Mythology Summary
Vohu Manah ('Good Mind' or 'Good Thought') is the first of the Amesha Spentas, the bounteous immortals of the Gathas (Yasna 28-53), and in the Gathas he is the mind through which Zarathushtra receives his vision. In the later Avesta and the Pahlavi books he is the guardian of cattle, and he is the Amesha Spenta who greets the righteous soul at the Chinvat bridge. His day is Bahman, the second day of the Zoroastrian month, and the eleventh month carries his name; his opponent in the Pahlavi texts is Aka Manah, 'evil mind'.
Details
- Correspondences
- ColorsWhiteYellowBlueScentsFrankincenseSandalwood whiteMetalsSilverTinAnimalsCowOxBull
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