The Right Stuff

I woke up this morning about an hour earlier than usual, thinking about the arts and the Right of God.

Strange, eh?

Well, not too strange. I was talking with a friend of mine a few days ago, an artist I'm collaborating with, and she was telling me how the Board of Trustees for Huququ'llah were meeting and talking about integrating the arts. She told them about our collaboration, and how we are basing it on a phrase from the Writings, and that got them thinking. And she wanted to share that with me.

It got me thinking, too, I guess.

It also got me realizing that I've been wanting to get back to writing on this blog on a regular basis, and no time like the present, so I figured this extra hour this morning is a gift, which is a present, right? Let's get to it.

Too often in various communities, the integration of the arts means having a song during prayers. But that isn't integration. It's more like an application, as in how you would apply a bandage to a cut.

Back on 27 December 2005, the House of Justice talked about how a "graceful integration of the arts into diverse activities enhances the surge of energy that mobilizes the believers". Sounds good, right? But what is a "graceful integration"? For that matter, what is integration?

To integrate something means to blend it in so that it becomes part of the whole. In other words, when we add in a song during devotions, we are not integrating the arts. We are just using the arts in one portion. To integrate them, we would need to have our presentation done artfully. We would need to learn to have the room organized in an artful and beautiful way. We would need to offer our contributions in a similarly artful and beautiful manner.

For clarification, art is defined in the Oxford dictionary as "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination... producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power". When presenting something for the Faith, don't we want it to have "beauty and emotional power"?

In addition to this, Baha'u'llah also tells us in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf that the arts should be "productive of good results, and bring forth their fruit, and (be) conducive to the well-being and tranquility of" all people.

Ok. This all sounds great. But what does it look like?

Great question. Thanks.

For me, if I were being asked to talk about the Right of God, how would I do it?

I guess I would begin with the compilation, and look at the Writings.

When I do this, the first thing I notice is the second quote (don't ask), which tells us "the first duty is to recognize the one true God—magnified be His glory—the second is to show forth constancy in His Cause and, after these, one’s duty is to purify one’s riches and earthly possessions according to that which is prescribed by God."

Recognition first? That sounds familiar. And then constancy, which can be seen as a form of obedience. Recognition and obedience. First paragraph of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. Oh, incidentally, it can also be seen as the part 1 (recognition) and part 2 (obedience) of the Kitab-i-Iqan. Hmmm.

But then, the very next thing after these two is to purify our stuff. So, I guess it can be seen as purify yourself and then purify your stuff.

Now I'm reminded of the Bab's quote about how everything in creation "hath its own heaven".

When I get to the third quote, what strikes out to me is the various Names of God. The Fashioner (the arts?). The Omniscient, the All-Informed (the sciences?). The Beneficent, the Gracious, the Bountiful (how we are to spread these two wings of knowledge?). And then the last set in that paragraph are the Gracious, the Bestower, the Generous, the Ancient of Days.

I also note that these titles are mathematical. First there is 1, then 2, then 3, and then 4. Hmmm.

Ok. From here I continued to read, looking for phrases that jumped out that I could use to create a work of art. But I got all the way to number 9 and nothing really stood out to me. So I went back to number 3 and found "after this fleeting life, your souls soar heavenwards and the trappings of your earthly joys are folded up" and thought yeah, I could work with that.

But then in number 10, I found "the Springtime of benevolent deeds".

Look at these two phrases. Can't you just see the beauty and promise latent within them? How would a dancer portray this? What about a painter? What imagery would she paint?

A farmer could talk about how it reminds her of sowing in the spring. Cast the seeds of this fleeting life in the spring and watch the harvest unfold. Oh, I just love the image.

And I have to tell you, I would find this sort of a presentation far more inspiring than a mathematical one where we learn to calculate 19%.

Beauty. Emotional power. Good results. Bringing forth its fruit.

By looking for an artistic handle to grab onto, the theme of springtime has really leapt out of all this for me. And I have to say, I had never likened the Right of God to the sowing of the seeds in the spring, but I like it.

Yeah, when we truly learn to have a "graceful integration of the arts", I think we will see many more profound and beautiful connections in the Writings.

But graceful, though? I haven't thought of myself as graceful. Especially this early in the morning, and before coffee at that. Maybe I'll leave this here and gracefully head off into my day.

Greetings on this fine and beautiful morning from just north of Quebec City.