In ancient Persia, Zoroaster taught that good (Ohrmazd) and evil (Angra Mainyu) were opposite forces and the battle between them is more or less evenly matched. A person should always be vigilant to align with forces of light. According to the asha or the righteousness and druj or the wickedness, the person has chosen in his life they will be judged at the Chinvat bridge to grant passage to Paradise, Hammistagan (A limbo area) or Hell.
Interesting to note that in Norse mythology Bifröst (or sometimes Bilröst or Bivrost) is a rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard and Asgard, the realm of the gods. According to the Prose Edda, the bridge ends at Himinbjörg where the god Heimdallr (Gods' watchman) resides.
A personified form of the soul that represents the person’s deeds takes the adjudged to their destination and they will abide there until the final apocalypse. In Ancient Egypt this part of the soul that permanently resides on the Aethereal Plane recording everything a soul does in all it's incarnations is called the Kohar.
After the final battle between good and evil, the good soul’s walk through a river of fire ordeal for burning off their dross and together they receive a post resurrection paradise. This is also what the Phoenix symbolizes when the souls who pass the Weighing of the Heart/Judgement are purified by fire and then reborn out of the ashes into a new Golden Age.
The similarities between Zoroastrianism and the Norse mythology are truly amazing, but there are also similarities to the Ancient Egyptian beliefs too. (No wonder they did their best to fragment and destroy the religion of Zoroastrianism , just as they did to the Norse too)
Artwork: The Chinvat Bridge
Hope it's ok to put some snippets from Fayd Kashani here which talks about alignment of the heart and the consequences of a person's actions.
Spiritual Mysteries & Ethical Secrets - Self - Knowledge The consequences of obeying desire and anger
There are three types of hearts. There is the upside-down heart which does not feel anything good, and this is the heart of the disbeliever. There is the heart which has a black spot in it. In it, good and evil constantly wrestle, and whichever one the heart inclines towards will be victorious. And there is the open heart. Glistening in it are lanterns whose light will never falter until the Day of Resurrection; that is the heart of the believer. Pg 90
The heart is like a dome
The heart is like a dome with doors leading to it from every side; through these doors, the different moods enter. Or, it is like a target which arrows are aimed at from every direction. Or, it is like a standing mirror with many different types of images fleeting across it, reflecting image after image. Or, it can even be likened to a lake with many different streams flowing into it.
These effects, which are constantly renewed, enter the heart either externally through the five senses or internally through the faculties of imagination, desires, and anger, as well as the characteristics of a person's inner disposition. As soon as the senses experience something, its effect enters the heart. The same thing happens if the desires are aroused - for instance, by overeating or overstimulation - and the effects remain. The imagination flits from one thing to another, and moves the heart from one state to another along with it.
The heart, therefore, is constantly changing and being affected by these causes. Thoughts affect it the most; by 'thoughts', I mean all ideas and memories, either newly formed or remembered. Thoughts are what motivate the will [to act], for the intention, resolve, and will to act only come about after a thought has sprouted up in the mind. Thoughts are the beginning of action. They stir up the desire to act, which then inspires the intention and resolve to act - which, together, set the limbs in motion.
Thoughts that instigate the desire to act are divided into two groups: those that call towards evil (meaning, that will result in evil consequences), and those that call towards good (meaning, what will be beneficial in the Hereafter). There are two different types of thought: praiseworthy - which is called 'inspiration', and blameworthy, which is called 'satanic insinuation'. The source of thoughts which inspire goodness is called an angel, while the source of thoughts which incite evil is called a devil. The grace that prepares the heart to accept inspiration from the angel is called 'succour’, and that which prepares it to accept devilish whisperings is called 'temptation' or 'desertion'. The angel is a creation of Allah which He created to overflow with goodness and to facilitate knowledge, the discovery of truth, and the promise of divine reward. However, the devil is a creature intent on evil, commanding indecency, and casting fear of poverty into the heart of someone intending to do good. The heart is in a constant tug of war between these two.
He directs it however He wills. The Prophet was alluding to the fact that the angel and the devil have been given the power to make the heart turn faster or slower, to move the heart, and to change it. In turning the hearts, they are subservient to His power, just as your own fingers are subservient to you when you turn over objects.
In its natural state, the heart will accept both angelic inspirations and devilish insinuations equally. However, one of the two predominates when whims and desires are either obeyed or fought. Whenever worldly thoughts and their accompanying desires overcome the heart, Satan seizes the opportunity to whisper into the heart. But whenever it is devoted to the remembrance of Allah, Satan is squeezed out, and the angel draws near and provides its inspiration. The battle between the angelic and demonic forces rages continuously on the battlefield of the heart until the heart opens itself to one of them, which settles comfortably in it, and it considers the other to be a trespasser. Pg 91-93.
Are we accountable for our intentions?
Know that no one is taken to account for thinking about committing a wrongdoing because the thought does not enter the mind by choice. The same goes for an inclination or an arousal, because these too are involuntary. However, if, in his heart, someone believes that he should do this and resolves to do so, then it depends on whether this happened voluntarily or not, and there are various circumstances surrounding this. A person is accountable for what is voluntary, not what is involuntary.
A person is held accountable for the intent to act [wrongfully] unless he does not actually carry it out. If he abandons this idea out of fear of Allah and regrets his intent, it is recorded for him as a good deed, for the intention was a misdeed, but self-restraint and fighting the lower self are good deeds. Intending to commit a sin which is agreeable to one's base nature does not indicate that someone is completely negligent of Allah, for restraining and fighting natural temptations requires great strength. His effort in combating his base nature - which is an act for the sake of Allah - is stronger than his effort to follow Satan by giving in to his base nature. A good deed is thus written down for him because his effort at resisting took precedence - his intention to resist overpowered his intention to carry out that act.
If, however, the person is prevented from carrying out his intention because of some impediment, or abandons it for a reason other than fear of Allah, it is written down against him as a wrongdoing, for his heart chose to carry out that misdeed. Pg 96-97