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The first time Otoman Zar-Adusht Hanish caught significant press attention was in 1904, when Emma Reusse—or Eloise, as she was sometimes called—was seen running from his temple shrieking and pulling out her hair. She was committed to an Elgin sanitarium after the guru and self-described doctor had advised her to juice fast for 40 days to spiritually and physically "perfect" herself. Two weeks later, she died.
Since coming to Chicago around 1900, Hanish had been preaching the gospel of Mazdaznan: a religion he'd developed based on the Zoroastrian tradition of sun worship padded with elements of Christianity and various elements of Eastern mysticism. He claimed physical and spiritual health were one and the same, and he was proof: a senior citizen who looked half his age thanks to ritual fasting, meditation, vegetarianism, yoga, breath work, and sun baths. In the religion's most sacred text, Inner Studies, he detailed the secrets to his immaculately preserved physique and more, including a permissive attitude toward homosexuality and a belief that men and women are equal and should share power.
For turn-of-the-century Chicagoans looking for anything from novelty to empowerment, there was a lot to find appealing. The Inter Ocean, December 29, 1901 Mazdaznan was frequently described as an anarchist religion, not only for some of its more progressive attitudes but also for its hostility toward the state. Women held high-ranking positions in the faith, and time was set aside for women to discuss and organize around issues affecting them at every winter Gahanbar, seasonal festivals which Hanish sometimes called "peace conferences.
" During his sermon at the 1907 Gahanbar, he said the solution to society's ills was absolute freedom from laws. "The more law, the more corruption," he preached. "The more government, the more injustice.
" At Mazdaznan's peak around 1908, he attracted some 18,000 followers worldwide, especially society women. This allowed him to outfit a..
. Micco Caporale.
