Dmuta

{{Short description|Spiritual counterpart in Mandaean cosmology}} {{Mandaeism}} In Mandaeism, a '''dmuta''' ({{langx|myz|ࡃࡌࡅࡕࡀ|lit=image}}, {{IPA|mid|dəˈmutæ}}) or '''dmut''' is a spiritual counterpart or "mirror image" in the World of Light.<ref name="Secret Adam">{{Cite book|url=http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/books/mandaean/adam.pdf|title=The Secret Adam - The Study of Nasoraean Gnosis|last=Drower|first=E.S.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1960|location=London}}</ref><ref name="Aldihisi 2008">{{cite thesis|url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1444088/|last=Aldihisi|first=Sabah|year=2008|title=The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba|type=PhD|publisher=University College London}}</ref> People, spirits, and places are often considered to have both earthly and heavenly counterparts (''dmuta'') that can dynamically interact with each other.<ref name="Buckley 2002"/>{{rp|37}} A few examples include:

*The heavenly Adam Kasia corresponding to the earthly Adam Pagria *The heavenly Piriawis (or "Great Jordan") corresponding to earthly ''yardnia'' (rivers) *Abatur Rama ("Lofty Abatur") corresponding to Abatur Muzania ("Abatur of the Scales")

A dmuta dwells in the Mshunia Kushta, a section of the World of Light.<ref name="Buckley 2002"/>

==Merging of the soul== A successful masiqta merges the incarnate soul ({{lang|myz|ࡍࡉࡔࡉࡌࡕࡀ}} {{Transliteration|myz|nišimta}}) and spirit ({{lang|myz|ࡓࡅࡄࡀ}} {{Transliteration|myz|ruha}}) from the Earth (Tibil) 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 World of Light, where it will reside in the world of ideal counterparts called the ''Mšunia Kušṭa'' (similar to Plato's idea of the hyperuranion).<ref name="Buckley 2002">{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Jorunn Jacobsen|title=The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people|publisher=Oxford University Press|publication-place=New York|year=2002|isbn=0-19-515385-5|oclc=65198443}}</ref>

==In the ''Qulasta''== In ''Qulasta'' prayer 43, manda (gnosis) is mentioned as having proceeded from Dmut Hiia (the ''dmuta'' of Life). Prayers 170 (the Tabahatan) and 411 in the ''Qulasta'' mention Dmut Hiia as the mother of Yushamin.<ref name="Drower 1959">{{Cite book|title=The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans|last=Drower|first=E. S.|publisher=E. J. Brill|year=1959|location=Leiden}}</ref>

==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 in Taoism, and the Yazidi belief of there being both a heavenly and earthly Lalish.

Philosophical parallels include Plato's theory of forms.<ref name="Nasoraia 2021">{{cite book|last=Nasoraia|first=Brikha H.S.|author-link=Brikha Nasoraia|title=The Mandaean gnostic religion: worship practice and deep thought|publisher=Sterling|publication-place=New Delhi|year=2021|isbn=978-81-950824-1-4|oclc=1272858968}}</ref>

==As an uthra== In the ''Scroll of Abatur'', '''Dmut Hiia''' (or Dmut Hayyi) is depicted as a female uthra. The scroll also contains an illustration of Dmut Hiia.<ref name="SymbolicArt">{{cite book |last=van Rompaey |first=Sandra |title=Mandaean Symbolic Art |publisher=Brepols |publication-place=Turnhout |date=2024 |isbn=978-2-503-59365-4 |url=https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503593654-1}}</ref>

==See also== *''Dmut Kušṭa'' *Laufa *World of Light *Mandaean cosmology *Image of God in Christianity *Correspondence (theology) *Theory of forms in Platonism *Hyperuranion in Platonism *Archetype *Qareen in Islam *Doppelgänger *Etiäinen *Shadow (psychology)

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Mandaean philosophical concepts Category:Dichotomies Category:Mandaic words and phrases Category:Archetypes Category:Esoteric cosmology Category:Mandaean cosmology Category:Counterparts