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Meditation is a journey "within” oneself, downwards – towards the roots. One has to descend from the brain to the heart, and on to the navel chakra. Even as we meditate on the breathing (so-hum meditation), the focus remains on the root-point, i.e. the navel.

The same is true of any religious practice. If religion can be compared to a tree, then its esoteric and exoteric traditions lie in the roots. The roots may be old, e.g. an oak tree may be centuries old but to nourish the tree, to make it grow, to keep it vibrant with vital energy, you need the roots. What’s more, the deeper the roots, the more vibrant the growth. Cut off the roots and the tree dies.

The roots of Zoroastrianism lie in our tenets, doctrines, principles, rites, rituals, customs, prayers and traditions. All these constitute our Parsipanu. We are living today in an age wherein the psychic forces, which are hidden behind the scenes of evolution are extremely active in stirring strong emotions and passions in mankind. Destiny has ordained that the accounts of all religions be settled. To achieve this settlement of destiny, everything which is hidden in our roots is coming to the surface and we see some changes in the soul of a Parsi which are fine, but also many things which are ugly and even ghastly.

The turn of a millennium is a period of transition wherein the psychic forces for good as well as evil are more active than ever before. Hence we Parsis see many things that we disapprove of or even intensely dislike. The great pressure on the psyche of Parsis today brings about either active like or active dislike, love or hatred, and it almost forces us into two camps, each actively hating the other. It does not matter what names (or initials) you give to these camps. The worst problem is that half the Parsis hate the other half.

What is an individual to do? Go back to your roots. Nurture your roots and you won’t go wrong. Use wisdom or at least common sense… Jesus said: "Be ye harmless as doves, but wise as serpents.” So when you find yourself face to face with an individual or a group who represents the destructive forces of nature, you must apply the second half of Jesus’ counsel and be wise as a serpent. When you are with those who represent the constructive side, then       you can afford to be as harmless as a dove. 

Every Parsi should always be tolerant inwardly, understanding that hidden psychic forces are expressing themselves in the only way they can be expressed. They are destructive because evolution has brought them to this point. So you must nurture your roots, pity others their ignorance and to that extent, be tolerant. But… if duty of any kind forces you into active relationship with them and you have to take a decision, then you must do what your conscience dictates. This way, you’ll do no violence but will resolutely perform your duty. 

The head or the heart are perceived to be the most important parts of the human body. But the truth is, our roots are more important and just as plants have roots in the earth from which they draw life-energy, in the human body, the navel chakra draws life-energy (pranik shakti). The day this chakra closes down, the day these roots become feeble, the body dies. Even in an embryo, the          roots of man’s future body and life-energy lie in the navel via the umbilical cord.

In case of today’s kids, brain-knowledge grows larger and soul-knowledge gets smaller. Our generation was taught religion at home as well as in our Parsi schools. At my Cusrow Wadia School, Ervad Jal Bajan took a daily class of dharma-gyan and sowed the seeds of the grandeur and pristine purity of our great religion. The roots are an invisible part of a tree, plant or the human body. But the degeneration that has set in our community over the years is because we have neglected our roots.

Something within us, both individually as a Parsi and collectively as a community is unsatisfied and calls for a higher existence in terms of a fulfilling spiritual experience. Our life — this short span between our first inhalation and our last exhalation — is merely a spiritual education and suffering is part of this. Realize that nothing endures permanently. All controversies must come to an end as night ends when     dawn arrives. So nurture your roots till then.

Ruby Phiroze Lilaowala is a freelance writer/columnist. She was a special correspondent for The Gulf Times and was a censorship officer for the government of Qatar. After graduation she studied law and lectures in India and abroad on religion, theosophy and other subjects.