Written by Dr. Pooyan Ghamari
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Part One: When Awareness Is Not Enough
Insight is only the beginning.
But one who awakens and does not move—eventually falls back asleep.
Rostam, now born into the world, is not merely a child of destiny.
He is chosen—to walk, to cross through, to liberate.
He embarks on a journey.
Not only to rescue King Kay Kāvus, but to meet someone far more important:
himself.
The path is called “Haft-Khān”—the Seven Trials.
Seven valleys. Seven veils of darkness.
Each one a layer every awakened human must pass through.
Part Two: The Seven Trials as Human Transformation
- Trial One – Rage: The Lion
Rostam learns that power unrestrained becomes the very thing one seeks to destroy. - Trial Two – Endurance: The Waterless Desert
He learns that perseverance, not speed, is the strength of the traveler. - Trial Three – Illusion: The Dragon
The monster is not out there—it’s in the mind.
Not all that appears massive is true. - Trial Four – Temptation: The Sorceress
Beauty without meaning is a trap.
The hero must distinguish charm from truth. - Trial Five – Systemic Oppression: The Demonic Court
Rostam does not just fight individuals—he faces a structure built on darkness. - Trial Six – Forgetfulness: The Spell of Sleep
Even the most awake may fall asleep again.
Staying conscious is a daily discipline. - Trial Seven – Meaning: Rescue or Realization?
In the end, Rostam understands that saving the king was only the surface—
He saved himself.
Part Three: The Hero Is the One Who Crosses Himself
The Seven Trials are not just obstacles.
They are mirrors—stages of shedding false identities and illusions.
Rostam becomes a symbol for any human being who knows:
“Awareness is not enough. You must act. You must pass through.”
Reflection from the Shahnameh
“Let dragons approach—I’ll crush them like mountains!”
“Rise,” he said in fury, “Undo the knots and face me!”
“He saw it then: this was no love—it was illusion sweetened with lies.”
—Ferdowsi, Shahnameh: The Seven Trials of Rostam
(Verses adapted and translated from the original Persian)
Conceptual Reflection: Seven Trials as a Journey Through the Reactive Self
In Jungian psychology, each of Rostam’s trials corresponds to one of the inner shadows:
Anger, Delusion, Lust, Ego, Forgetfulness, Attachment, and Meaninglessness.
Rostam, in each trial, burns away a false version of himself—
until only the authentic self remains.
Final Insight: Crossing Is the Only Way
If you have awakened—then it’s time to walk.
The Seven Trials are the road of those who are unafraid to ask.
Every time you enter fear and keep going,
Every time you see temptation and pass through,
Every time you stay awake—
You, too, become Rostam.
And the Simurgh is still there—
In the light that flickers on the path,
In the silence that carries one clear message:
“Keep going… Pass through.”
