Flame 4, Pahlevan / Danāyān Sheerdel

The fourth flame is Pahlavān, the Hero, the Champion.
It is the stage where wisdom, courage, and moral clarity converge. In Persian, Pahlavān means more than a warrior: it is the noble protector of justice, the guardian of truth, the leader who stands rooted in integrity.

Here, the cypress tree rises tall, symbol of resilience and eternal Arta. The crown and staff appear, not as ornaments of power, but as sacred responsibilities carried with humility. The lion returns, no longer fierce in raw strength alone, but tempered with wisdom  courage guided by truth. This flame calls the seeker to embody nobility of spirit, to guide not through dominance, but through example.

In alchemy, this is the stage of Fermentation / Aurum, when the spirit becomes golden, fragrant, and life-giving. In Mithraism, it corresponds to the Leo grade, the Lion, the archetype of heroic authority. In the Sufi path, it is the Murshid, the guide whose wisdom and love illuminate the way. Its planet is Ormazd (Jupiter), expansive ruler of vision, and its element is Earth joined with Ether, grounding leadership in both the material and the spiritual.

The music of this flame flows in the mode of Māhur, majestic, expansive, often called the crown of Persian music. Its regal harmonies uplift and clarify the spirit. Its frequencies, 741 Hz (awakening intuition, cleansing) and 852 Hz (returning to spiritual order), attune the seeker to higher vision and responsibility.

The initiation of the Pahlavān is lived through rituals of storytelling, acts of service, and ceremonies of guidance. Here the seeker learns: true authority is not command, but service; not pride, but devotion to Arta, truth and cosmic order.

To walk this flame is to become the Hero and Guide: firm yet compassionate, courageous yet humble, rooted in wisdom, radiant with truth.