"We thus desire to be those who will bring magnificence to

what exists, Oh Mazda and you other Ahuras, alongside the

renovators and Asha, when we have centered our thoughts

wherever wisdom and understanding may be found."

--Zarathushtra, Y. 30.9

Greetings, all!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: We are now fully funded and ready to begin pre-production on Zoroastrianism 101! We are keeping donations open for those who want to support us with incidentals, accidents, food costs, transportation costs, and the like. All donations from now just add extra financial cushion and material resources to make sure we can pull this all off without any issue. Thank you so much to all of our incredible donors and keep an eye out here to receive updates on where we are with with project!

My name is Pablo Vazquez, a scholar, translator, theologian, lecturer, and proud Zoroastrian. Having attended SOAS University of London through the Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies and also on my final year of a theological degree at Starr King, I've always had a strong academic focus on the study of Zoroastrianism. However, throughout my time as a scholar of the faith, I've been dismayed at the sheer lack of accessible yet robust and accurate resources for not just those seeking to learn more about Zoroastrianism but also for Zoroastrians themselves. Much of what's available is mostly for academics and thus gatekept behind expensive and arcane paywalls (virtually or at institutions) or written in an English more befitting of a Victorian manuscript and thus not really accessible to the modern general public. When most people hear about Zoroastrianism, they either have vague preconceived notions built from one-semester ancient history courses, jokes and references in the Simpsons and other media, or, ever more likely, they have no clue what it even is. As such, I have consistently made it my mission to ensure resources about Zoroastrianism are publicly available and distinctly accessible so that anyone may learn about this ancient and beautiful faith.

My first major project in this regard was the translation of the Gathas of Zarathushtra for international publication through Mantra Books in 2022 under the title of "The Sacred Gathas of Zarathushtra and the Old Avestan Canon". It has been critically well-received by Zoroastrians, academics, and students alike (even being used by teachers in the classroom) and has sold hundreds of copies since its release. I've also hosted the popular Zoroastrian community podcast "Zoroastrian Q&A", operate Mazdayasni Online, and am a guest on podcasts, advisor to authors and game studios, and the like, all to make sure Zoroastrianism is accurately represented in the public sphere and your average person is thus able to tell their friends and relatives easily what Zoroastrianism is. As such, to follow up my intent to increase knowledge and education on Zoroastrianism, I've teamed up with independent filmmaker, editor, designer, friend, and visual creative mastermind Ryan Gaffney for a project that aims to educate the public directly without needing to buy a book or deal with a paywall. To see a sample of Ryan's cinematic work, check out his short film "The Covenant" (made with no budget so think of what we could do with your support!), by using the password "Alchemy".

Our goal with this project is to create a ten-episode "Zoroastrianism 101" series of easily accessible and digestible content exploring Zoroastrian theology, history, culture, and more. This series is based on lectures done by me over the past few years and will involve consultations and interviews with experts, scholars, clergy, laypeople, and more so as to create a "crash course" that anyone can access at any time at their own speed. Recommended resources will be provided with each episode to encourage further self-study and while we may not be able to dive into every single topic relating to this vast and old religion we nonetheless aim to make sure that everyone who watches the series emerges with a good starting education on Zoroastrianism.

Prospective episodes include:

Our goal is $5000 USD to write, film, and edit the series to a cinematic standard befitting a more documentary series and plan to have it uploaded to YouTube and hosted on multiple Zoroastrian websites. However, if we raise even half of that, we will make this project a reality no matter what. Should we receive more than $5000, we plan to direct that towards increasing the quality and length of the videos along with perhaps more episodes, more interviews, bonus content, and more. If you've watched our video at the top of the page, you'll notice that I need a better microphone and other such sound equipment and thus that's one of the many things your funding will help us secure. This venture is not for personal gain or fame and instead an attempt to increase knowledge and wisdom in a world beset by ignorance and falsehoods. Zoroastrianism is a small yet storied faith and we aim to tell its story the best we can. The sooner we can get this funded, the sooner we can get to work and bring you "Zoroastrianism 101"!

Ushta te (joy be with you) and thank you for your support in making this dream a reality!

Also, if you wish to donate through another method in any amount, online or offline, please contact us and we would be more than happy to facilitate that.