Mandaeism Mandaeism ( Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ ; Arabic: المندائيّة ), sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnostic, monotheistic and ethnic religion. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Ab ...

, a dmuta ( myz, ࡃࡌࡅࡕࡀ, lit=image) or dmut is a spiritual counterpart or "

mirror image A mirror image (in a plane mirror) is a reflected duplication of an object that appears almost identical, but is reversed in the direction perpendicular to the mirror surface. As an optical effect it results from reflection off from substances ...

" in the

World of Light In Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld ( myz, ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡖࡍࡄࡅࡓࡀ, translit=alma ḏ-nhūra) is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged. Description *The Great Life ('' Hayyi Ra ...

. People, spirits, and places are often considered to have both earthly and heavenly counterparts (''dmuta'') that can dynamically interact with each other. A few examples include: *The heavenly Adam kasia corresponding to the earthly Adam pagria *The heavenly

Piriawis In Mandaean cosmology, Piriawis ( myz, ࡐࡉࡓࡉࡀࡅࡉࡎ; sometimes also spelled Biriawiš Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. ''Mandäische Liturgien''. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF ...

(or "Great Jordan") corresponding to earthly ''

yardna In Mandaeism, a yardna ( myz, ࡉࡀࡓࡃࡍࡀ, lit=Jordan) or yardena ([]; ar, یردنا) is a body of flowing fresh water (or in myz, ࡌࡉࡀ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ, translit=mia hiia, lit=living water; pronounced ''mia h(a)yya'') that is suitab ...

s'' (rivers) *

Abatur Abatur ( myz, ࡀࡁࡀࡕࡅࡓ, sometimes called Abathur; Yawar, myz, ࡉࡀࡅࡀࡓ; and the Ancient of Days) is an Uthra and the second of three subservient emanations created by the Mandaean God '' Hayyi Rabbi'' ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁ ...

Rama ("Lofty Abatur") corresponding to Abatur Muzania ("Abatur of the Scales") A dmuta dwells in the

Mshunia Kushta In Mandaean cosmology, Mshunia Kushta ( myz, ࡌࡔࡅࡍࡉࡀ ࡊࡅࡔࡈࡀ, translit=Mšunia Kušṭa, lit=realm of truth) is a part of the World of Light considered to be the dwelling place of heavenly or ideal counterparts ('' dmuta''). It ...

, a section of the

Merging of the soul

A successful

masiqta The masiqta ( myz, ࡌࡀࡎࡉࡒࡕࡀ) is a mass or ritual practiced in the Mandaean religion in order to help guide the soul ('' nišimta'') towards the World of Light in Mandaean cosmology. They are typically performed as funerary rites fo ...

merges the incarnate soul ( myz, ࡍࡉࡔࡉࡌࡕࡀ ) and spirit ( myz, ࡓࡅࡄࡀ ) from the Earth (

Tibil In Mandaean cosmology, Tibil ( myz, ࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ) or occasionally Arqa ḏ-Tibil (lit. "Tibil-Earth") is the Earth (World) or earthly middle realm. It is separated from the World of Light (''alma ḏ-nhūra'') above and the World of Darkness ( ...

) into a new merged entity in the World of Light called the ''ʿuṣṭuna''. The ''ʿuṣṭuna'' can then reunite with its heavenly, non-incarnate counterpart (or spiritual image), the ''dmuta'', in the

, where it will reside in the world of ideal counterparts called the ''

Mšunia Kušṭa In Mandaean cosmology, Mshunia Kushta ( myz, ࡌࡔࡅࡍࡉࡀ ࡊࡅࡔࡈࡀ, translit=Mšunia Kušṭa, lit=realm of truth) is a part of the World of Light considered to be the dwelling place of heavenly or ideal counterparts (''dmuta''). It i ...

'' (similar to Plato's idea of the

hyperuranion The hyperuranionKatherine Murphy, Richard Todd, "A Man Very Well Studyed": New Contexts for Thomas Browne"', BRILL, 2008, p. 260. or topos hyperuranios ( grc, ὑπερουράνιον τόπον,Plato, ''Phaedrus'', 247b–c. accusative of ὑπε ...

Parallels

Similarly, the Qur'an ( 36:36, 51:49, etc.) mentions that God created everything in "pairs." Related concepts in other religions include

yin and yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

, and the

Yazidi Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The ma ...

belief of there being both a heavenly and earthly

Lalish Lalish ( ku, لالش, translit=Laliş, also known as Lalişa Nûranî) is a mountain valley and temple in Shekhan, Duhok Governorate in Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis. It is the location of the tomb of the Sheikh Adi ibn Musafi ...

. Philosophical parallels include Plato's

theory of forms The theory of Forms or theory of Ideas is a philosophical theory, fuzzy concept, or world-view, attributed to Plato, that the physical world is not as real or true as timeless, absolute, unchangeable ideas. According to this theory, ideas in t ...

References

Mandaean philosophical concepts Dichotomies Mandaic words and phrases Archetypes Esoteric cosmology Mandaean cosmology Counterparts {{cosmology-stub

Merging of the soul

Parallels

See also

References