[About creation (metaphysics)]
The creation process seems to have been somewhat as follows. We start with the
Infinite, hypostasized as Time, Space, Wisdom, and Power. The Infinite,
however, neither does nor knows: it Is. Somehow or other by the power
(nerok) of Infinite Time God's Wisdom begins to know, apparently in the
abstract and without any object of knowledge. From this 'knowing' -
which, for lack of an object, can scarcely be described as knowing at all - arises the Aggressor, and this is not in accordance with the will of God.
This unwelcome event then produces self-realization in the deity. As a
result of the dual process - the knowing of God and the appearance of the
Aggressor - God knows himself; 'the divine essence and properties' arrived
at knowledge of their own 'ground'. Knowledge then receives an
object: Wisdom knows its 'ground', which is the divine substance itself,
Zurvan-Time. This full self-knowledge would then be the essence of
Ohrmazd whose 'knowledge is finite, that is, he knows the norm that exists
between the two Spirits'. Ahriman springs from the deity's unawareness
of himself, Ohrmazd from his self-knowledge; for 'this much knowledge
was necessary for the Creator's creative effort'.
...
Infinite Time and Infinite Space are reduced to temporality and the
limited universe; Wisdom is limited by finding an object of knowledge;
and power (the potential) is transformed into action (the actual).
...
Time and Space are eternity, the raw material from which creation is to proceed and whose limitation makes the creative act possible.
Wisdom is the directing power of the universe, but can come into operation from the moment when something comes into existence to direct,
that is after the limitation of Time and Space.
...
The genesis of Ohrmazd and Ahriman was brought about by the divine
knowledge becoming aware of itself; and Ahriman seems to have proceeded
from an intermediary state of incomplete knowledge.
...
Ohrmazd inherits the divine wisdom, while Ahriman inherits the unawareness.
...
In the finite world Zurviin-Time, who is the
macrocosm, and as such the fountain-head and source of the human race, continues to manifest himself as natural law and fate.
He is quite unconcerned with spiritual values: he is not only the god of nature, but nature itself. He is the first cause of all physical phenomena,
the Absolute conceived of as the origin of primal matter. Even when this purely
physical conception of the Universe combines with the genuine Mazdean
ethical dualism, Time and Fate continue to control only the physical universe: they have no part in the ethical struggle between good and evil.
...
The gods created the world in seven stages. First they made the sky of stone, solid like a
huge round shell. In the bottom half of this shell they put water. Next
they created earth, resting on the water like a great flat dish; and then
at the centre of the earth they fashioned the three animate creations in
the form of a single plant, a single animal (the 'Uniquely-created Bull') and a single man (Gayo-maretan, 'Mortal Life').
Seventh, they created fire, both visibly as itself and also as an unseen, vital force
pervading the animate creations. The sun, part of the creation of fire,
stood still overhead as if it were always noon, for the world was
brought into being motionless and unchanging. Then the gods
offered a triple sacrifice: they crushed the plant, and slew the bull and
man. From this beneficent sacrifice more plants, animals and men
came into existence. The cycle of being was thus set in motion, with
death followed by new life ; and the sun began to move across the sky
and to regulate the seasons in accordance with asha.
[About ethics]
The essence of 'ethical Zervanism' is its novel solution of the problem of evil.
Ethical Zervanism starts squarely from the unity of the godhead of which nothing positive can be stated except that it Is.
God, the One, is a pure potentiality. Since this is so, neither good no evil can be predicated of him.
In the process of actualization, however, evil conceived as 'desire' or 'doubt' comes to light
along with God's wisdom which is one of His eternal attributes. From a
state of pure nescience the deity 'comes to know'; but there being as yet
no object for his knowledge, knowledge turns to doubt, and the doubt gives rise to a separate principle which is the Devil.
...
The struggle is bound to end in the victory of good because the good is the 'manifestation' of all
the wisdom of the godhead, whereas evil is simply the revelation of an
essential flaw, the elimination of which, as in an inexorable machine, is
the whole point and purpose of the limitation of the deity. God must be
limited in order that he may become good.
...
Zurvan 1s the Infinite God - Infinite Time and Infinite Space - neither
light nor darkness, neither good nor evil. He desires to have a son who
should be the creator, but doubts whether this can be. From these mental
condition Ohrmazd and Ahriman arise. Ohrmazd fashions the universe
from the substance of Zurvan, yet Ahriman is made king of the material
world while Ohrmazd holds sway above. Zurvan thus becomes imprisoned
in the body of the Cosmos which is ruled by the twelve Signs of the Zodiac
and which will last for twelve thousand years. This is the battleground
between. the two spirits. The first of these had proceeded from the great
Gods wisdom. The second from his desire and doubt (Az-Varan): they are
not, however, ident1cal with these. Zurvan arms Ohrmazd with his wisdom
and Ahriman with his desire and doubt. He knows that the latter will cause
havoc of his own body which is the Cosmos, but he also knows that as the
cosmic body moves back towards the spirit, Az-qua concupiscence will be
powerless against it: she will turn upon the demons and devour them.
...
Az is a deamon and the personification of concupiscence, gluttony, and lust, unnaturalness, and basic evil.
Az covers every form of desire, and this appears to have been regarded by the Zervanites as evil in itself.
Thus when Zurvan hands over instrument mingled with 'the very substance of Az' he is, so to speak,
divesting his own personality of an inherent defect which originally resulted in the genesis of Ahriman.
Let's try to clarify the meaning dualities of various endless prototypes and their realisations limitation from infinite to finite and also provide some lore allusions.
The first duality is Infinite time and Finite Time. Infinite time is "outer" to Finite time, that is circular and devided in periodically into the three stages: Creation, Mixture, Separation. Finite time is tightly coupled with action, they manifest together by acts. The limitation of Time is the prerequisite for creation of any sort (Time 'was and shall be all').
The second duality is Infinite universe (outside Aurbis) and finite material universe (Aurbis). Time performs "firmanent" into space (extensional dominion) in the form of "seed", that goes through the stages of embryogenesis afterwards (C0DA's new kalpa starts). The Embryo is the reflection of The Endless Form (the raw material of the Ohrmazdean creation).
The third duality is infinite/finite creation. Infinite creation produced finite creation. The finite creation is a "descension", "dissolution", "dispel", the transition from higher to the lower forms, states.
Finite time/action circular coupling ("wheel" curling, "actualisation") is moved by the "I" creational descension (I is the hub of the Wheel, place of "Purusha (http
These all finite/infinite transformations are aimed at the great purification of Zurvan from its initial defect by "alchemical" distillation of its actualized forms.
This hints at the interpretations:
1) Psijic Endeavor is the overcoming of the border of finitness, the transcending to infinite.
2) Maybe this sheds some light to the Dwemers disappearance: their separated from their bodies by Psijic Endeavor with the Lorkhan hearth.
3) Vivek murdered his children to perform anticreation.
4) The Towers are the places of "finitness" creation and the places of the sacred "Time sacrifice". They are parallel to the Towers of silence (dakhma). http
5) Geush Urvan - finited Uniquely-created winged bull - Morihaus
6) "Egg of Time" book's name is related to "seeding" of the finite time into the finite matter.
7) The name of "The Firmament" book (http
Ohrmazd established the 'firmament of the Seven and the Twelve'. These are, of course, the Seven Planets and the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac. We have already seen that Mazdean orthodoxy
regarded the planets as the spawn of Ahriman and as counter-creations to the Signs of the Zodiac.
Sources:
[1] Zoroastrians. Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. (Mary Boyce)
[2] Zurvan, a Zoroastrian dilemma (Zaehner, R. C.)