Another Random Quote, or Tulips

Well, now it's actually November, and I have 30 minutes before my son needs to use the computer. Let's see if I can get another article out in that time. (I mean, I know I can, but let's see if I can write something worth reading.)

Ah, what to write about? Hmmm. I know, let's do my usual when stuck. Grab Gleanings and see what leaps out to me:

How unspeakably glorious are the signs, the tokens, the revelations, and splendors which He, Who is the King of Names and Attributes, hath destined for that City! The attainment unto this City quencheth thirst without water, and kindleth the love of God without fire. Within every blade of grass are enshrined the mysteries of an inscrutable Wisdom, and upon every rose-bush a myriad nightingales pour out, in blissful rapture, their melody. Its wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the undying Fire in the Burning Bush, and its sweet savors of holiness breathe the perfume of the Messianic Spirit. It bestoweth wealth without gold, and conferreth immortality without death. In each one of its leaves ineffable delights are treasured, and within every chamber unnumbered mysteries lie hidden.

Hmmm. Well... Uhm....

First, what city? Oh, the City of Certitude. Got it.

Oh, right! This is from the Kitab-i-Iqan. I remember now.

This is part of the passage often referred to as the "Tablet of the True Seeker". And here, Baha'u'llah is extolling the station of absolute certainty.

Here I could easily talk about the very thought of how certainty quenches your spiritual thirst, ignites a passionate fire of the love for God in your breast without the use of flame (thank God), but I don't think I will.

I could also point out that in a normal garden with rosebushes, you might see a nightingale or two and experience the joy of their song, but here, in this City, there are gazillions of them. Tons of nightingales all singing their joy for each and every rose. It must be a very noisy place. Nice, but noisy. Oh, and lets not forget the grass. I mean, grass is a really amazing thing. The way its roots grow so deep into the earth, allowing it to proliferate so incredibly well. You just need to see David Attenborough's Earth series, the episode on Grasslands, to begin to get an idea of the incredible awesomeness of this plant.

No. What catches my attention right now is the next phrase: "Its wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the undying Fire in the Burning Bush..."

Tulips are interesting. Like the Baha'i Faith, they are first found in Persia and Turkey, before they spread to Europe, where they ignited a passion unlike anything that had been seen before. Just recall the trading frenzies that went on in the Netherlands in the 17th century. But that's not what interests me here. No, what interests me is the historic meaning ascribed to this flower.

Legend has it that Prince Farhad, like Majnun, was love-struck, but instead of falling for Layli, he fell for Shirin. When he learned that she had been killed, he rode his horse over a cliff, thus fulfilling his fall. And legend goes that each drop of his blood that was spilt grew into a tulip. Thus the red tulip came to signify "perfect love".

But as you know, tulips aren't just red. Purple tulips are representative of royalty, while white ones signify either worthiness or forgiveness. Orange, on the other hand, represents energy and enthusiasm. Yellow tulips, interestingly enough, were once thought to symbolize hopelessness, but have come to mean cheeriness and sunshine instead. And all the other varieties out there are not actually natural, but come from viruses that are injected into the bulbs, thus creating the variegated and fringed varieties, so I won't go into those.

Looking at the various meanings, though, you can see how Baha'u'llah encapsulates them all. Perfect love. Royalty. Worthiness. And even the yellow of hopelessness has been transformed into the radiant cheeriness of the rising sun. It reminds me of that recent letter from the Universal House of Justice, in which they responded to so many who are crying to God for salvation from the many ills facing us today: "When so many people of goodwill throughout the world have for so long beseeched God for an answer to the problems that beset them in their common homeland, is it so surprising that He should have answered their prayer?"

Yeah. Tulips. They really are a great symbol of Baha'u'llah for today. And I really love how this hopelessness that is spreading like a disease throughout the world has been transformed, through awareness of His station, into a hope that is just as contagious.

.....

Wow. And I still have 5 minutes before my son needs the computer.

A Random Underlining

Day 3 of the 30 day blogging challenge (meaning it's really 28 October for me). So, what to write?

I think I'll go through my well-marked copy of Gleanings and see what pops up. One moment. I'll be right back.

Ok. Found the book. Time to look through.

(whistling)

(looking while whistling)

(still looking)

(still whistling.)

(There's got to be some underlining in here somewhere.)

Ah, here we go. Page 95. (That figures, in a numerologically Baha'i sort of way.)

The highest essence and most perfect expression of whatsoever the peoples of old have either said or written hath, through this most potent Revelation, been sent down from the heaven of the Will of the All-Possessing, the Ever-Abiding God. Of old it hath been revealed: "Love of one's country is an element of the Faith of God." The Tongue of Grandeur hath, however, in the day of His manifestation proclaimed: "It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world." Through the power released by these exalted words He hath lent a fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men's hearts, and hath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God's holy Book.

Interesting. Now, why is it that I underlined this passage?

Well, simple really. What strikes me about it is the validation of this statement from the past, and how He takes it to a higher level. Yes, we should love our country. That is only right and natural. We should love the place in which we were born, and presumably grew up. I mean, if we don't, then there are likely other issues to deal with. But let's presume that we do. Great. Baha'u'llah, however, is pointing out that the love of our own country does not mean that we can't love other countries, too. In fact, it is not enough to only love our country. We clearly see this in the world today. We need to open up and love all the world.

It is similar to saying that we should love our family. Of course we should. That is not in doubt. But do we stop there? Of course not. We need to expand our field of love to include as much of the world as possible.

But that's not what fascinates me here. No, what truly captivates me is how Baha'u'llah brings such a simple concept to a larger and more inclusive level. And He does this all across the board. In all of His teachings.

That's one of the reasons why His message is so important for today.

Look at the classic "Golden Rule": Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Or some variation thereof.

In its essence, this is basically saying that we are all at the same level, and should treat each other on par with ourselves.

Does this beautiful sentiment of equality satisfy Baha'u'llah? Nope. He says, "Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."

Now, to be fair, He also says "Wish not for others what ye wish not for yourselves", and other variations of the Golden Rule all over the place. And in the Qur'an, it says "They prefer them before themselves", which gives a similar impression to what Baha'u'llah later says.

But overall, the statement still stands: Baha'u'llah seems to elevate all the teachings to a higher degree. There are many examples of this, and I'm sure you can add some more in the comments section below. I'd love to see them. I mean, I've found a number of them, but I'm curious what you, dear Reader, see. (Besides, it's tough to write an article a day and make the articles any significant length on my own.)

And just to finish off for now, remember that part of the first quote about love of one's country? When we combine that with Baha'u'llah's famous statement, "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens", then we can see that the statement is still true. It is only our definition of "country" that has expanded. And that, perhaps, is what truly captivates me, on an intellectual level, about the Writings. Baha'u'llah has given us a new set of definitions with which we can work, and these new definitions truly change the way in which we see the world around us. He has, in truth, "instilled into every word a fresh potency."

The Second Post

Ok. That last article didn't really have much of a Baha'i connection, did it? It was really more for the bloggers out there. Oh, here's a neat little trick I just learned, for those of you, like me, who have to write some articles ahead of time, but still want them published on a particular date. To the right, at least on blogspot, of where I'm typing, in a box called "post settings", there is a little button labeled "schedule". When I click on it, it has a little button that says "set time and date". Click there, and whammo! Up pops a little calendar. Set the day I want this published, and I can even set the time (1 am. Makes me look like I've been up at all hours doing this when in my reality it's actually 8:03 pm on 27 October, just a few minutes after I told this button when to publish yesterday's post. Wow. Two articles at once, but looking like they're a day apart. So cool.)

Anyways, Baha'i content: what to do.

Well, the title I put up there is "The Second Post", so let's look at the word "post".

While many would think of the mail system, "sending a letter through the post", and others would be reminded of a sentry's place, "he was stationed at his post by the door", I like to think of it in terms of a goalpost, an object or place to which we strive.

This, in turn, reminds me of that beautiful song, "Strive":

And when I type the word "strive" into a Baha'i search engine, I find that an overwhelming number of the quotes that come up have the words "struggle" and "strive" together. And many of those say to "struggle with heart and soul".

But what is it that we are to strive for? What is this great struggle in which we are engaged? We are to strive and struggle to:

• become the manifestations of the love of God, the lamps of divine guidance shining amongst the kindreds of the earth with the light of love and concord.
• raise up your voices and shout, until this dark world be filled with light, and this narrow place of shadows be widened out, and this dust heap of a fleeting moment be changed into a mirror for the eternal gardens of heaven, and this globe of earth receive its portion of celestial grace
• waken those who slumber, to cause the blind to see, and the dead to rise
• treat compassionately all humankind -- except for those who have some selfish, private motive, or some disease of the soul
• uphold the Law of God and spread His sweet savours abroad
• give (a) child a Bahá'í training so that when he attaineth maturity he may be merciful, illumined and heavenly
• reach that high station, and to make a splendour so to shine across these realms of earth that the rays of it will be reflected back from a dawning-point on the horizon of eternity
• be closely linked to the divine Kingdom and thereby become the manifestations of infinite bounty and ideal gardeners for these forests
• cultivate your unity to the fullest degree

These are but a few of the things to which we are to strive, some of the goals towards which we should set our sights.

And another one of mine is to also get another 28 articles written before the end of November. Let's see how I do.

A Blogger's Challenge

The challenge came in the form of a facebook invitation the other day: Write one blog entry per day for each day in the month of November.

All right. I think I can do that.

Now, you may have noticed that I'm not writing much lately. There's a reason for that. And a bit of a story.

As you may know, I began writing my blog in relation to a question that was asked at a gathering I was was attending. Someone asked the people there how they began their first children's class. How was it, he wondered, that we had gotten the children to come over in the first place, before anything was going on. As someone else there was responding, I was lost in my own thoughts. How, I wondered, had my wife and I began our children's class? And the memory of it made me snort out loud with a bit of laughter. Well, on the way back to my host's home the driver asked me what I had laughed about. And so I told him: my cat peed on my comforter.

For the full story, you'll have to go back to my very first entry here. (I'll let you search it with the little search box at the top of the green-ish box to the right. Just search "comforter". I don't think anything else will come up.) (If you search "cat pee", another story comes up. I checked.) (That's scary. How many times do I mention "cat pee" while writing about the Baha'i Faith?) (Don't answer that.)

Well, recounting that story reminded me of another story, which, in turn, made me think of another, and now, many hundreds of posts later, I'm still writing.

But why not as much these days? Simple. Back in 2009, when I began this blog, I was a stay-at-home dad taking care of my then-4-year-old son. I woke up earlier than he did (still do), and so would begin writing while waiting for him to get up. Every morning I had the time to myself to just write and write and write and write.

Now, he's in school and I'm back to working at my art: chain-mail fashion designs and jewelry. I work an outdoor market four days a week for six months out of the year. It's pretty much  full-time gig, what with working the booth for six months, and taking the other six months to make stock for the booth.

I just don't have the time any more to pump out a few articles a week.

And then I have fallen out of the habit.

That's where this challenge comes in.

Can I get back into it?

My first book just came out (Twigs of a Family Tree), and I'll likely be retiring from my chain work in the next five or ten years, or so. Might as well have this as a backup plan.

But it's November. And for me, that means Christmas shows. So how am I going to do this? Simple. Contrary to popular belief, this is not actually 1 November; it's really 27 October. (Shhh. Don't tell anybody. This'll just be our secret, dear Reader.) But I won't publish this until 1 November, so it'll look like I'm doing one a day. That's called planning ahead. It's a good technique. Very useful. I mean, you don't think that the Universal House of Justice actually writes the Ridvan Messages on the first day of Ridvan and just happens to send them out that morning, do you?

So between now and the first of November, I'll be writing as much as I can, as many articles as I can, in the possibly-futile hope of getting ahead and actually making this goal.

And who knows? Maybe It'll kick-start me into writing more regularly again. Here's hoping.

And see you "tomorrow".

My Son, the Friend

My son and I were reading a quote this morning, as we are wont to do, and ran across the following passage:

"O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll."

And again, as we are wont to do, we talked about it as we walked together to his bus stop.

"O friends!" Isn't it wonderful that Baha'u'llah refers to us as His friends? That made us feel pretty good this morning.

"Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed..." Well, that led us to ask with which virtues we have been endowed. Obviously, all of them. But then, just because we are given something doesn't mean that we can't lose it. You can be endowed with great strength, but if you don't use it, that strength can fade and fail. It can go away. Similarly, if we don't use our virtues, if we are careless with them, then they, too, can diminish in power and intensity.

"...(N)either be neglectful of your high destiny." Wait. What? We have a "high destiny"? How cool is that. But what exactly does that mean? What is this destiny to which He is referring? Great question. And, as usual, I'm not really sure, but I have to wonder if it is referred to in the last few lines of this quote, which are not quoted above, so I'll just quote them here. He asks God that we "may be graciously assisted to appreciate the rank conferred upon such of His loved ones as have arisen to serve Him and magnify His name. Upon them be the glory of God, the glory of all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and the glory of the inmates of the most exalted Paradise, the heaven of heavens." Could that be it? I often have thought of that last line as a bit of a "the end" to His Writings, but maybe it is actually more than that. Perhaps He is reminding us that if we do arise to serve His Cause, then the glory of God will shine from our faces, as well as all those other glories He mentions. I mean, this is pretty awesome, if you think about it in that context.

"Suffer not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised." Hmmm. Well, to us that spoke of how we spend our time. I mean, this rank is conferred upon us only if we "have arisen to serve Him and magnify His name." So, presumably, if we don't do that, then this glory doesn't rest upon us. And if all we do is spend our time trying to get money, or a higher score in that video game, then aren't we, in the long run, wasting our time?

But this last bit, wow. That was what got us to talk about it all the way to the bus stop:

Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll.

I want to put this in flashing gold letters, sparkling and shimmering, guaranteed to catch your attention so that it is permanently emblazoned in your memory.

We, all of us, His friends, each and every one of us are one of those stars, that breeze, that water, one of those letters. Isn't this a far cry from seeing ourselves as having been created in sin, fundamentally flawed, somehow unworthy of life itself?

No. Noble He created us, and this is how we should see each other. This is how we need to see ourselves. This is how we all need to treat each other.

As we were talking about it, we asked ourselves some basic questions, like what is the purpose of the stars. Shoghi's first thought was that they give light, but then we realized that they don't give that much light, at least not when compared to the sun. And you can't read by starlight, even on a clear night. No. The stars, in history, have always been the source of guidance. It was by the light of the stars and their positions that we were able to take advantage of the sea and understand where we were going. It was through the stars that we were able to better explore the world around us and discover what lay hidden just over the horizon. And when we who are familiar with the Writings and Teachings of Baha'u'llah share His wisdom, are we not helping others explore the vast horizon of the world of the spirit as shown to us by His bounty?

Then, after we talked about that for a moment or two, or three or four, we realized that the order in which He gave us those last attributes reminded us of camping.

We camp under the stars, enjoying the vast beauty of the universe above our heads. Then, after a beautiful night's sleep, we awake to the soft cool breeze gently blowing over us in our tent. This, in our opinion, is probably the finest way in which we can wake. After being gently roused, nothing is better than heading down to the river and splashing the cool refreshing water over our face. Finally, to round out the morning, we read a bit of the Writings.

Just like we did this morning.

Hmmm. If only we had slept in a tent last night.

The Missing Years: 9 Years of the Future Passed

Time travel.

It has been the dream of people for such a long time, the seeds of which are found in such places as the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation, from the ancient Greek Oracles to the modern H G Wells' The Time Machine. It has cropped up in many arenas, from the iconic Dr Who to the absurdism of Groundhog Day. It has been used in countless movies and stories in a wide variety of genres.

But imagine actually being able to travel in time. Imagine, for a moment, going a mere 9 years into the future. Better still, imagine arriving today from just a few years, 9 years, in the past. Just imagine all that has happened since 2008.

We have seen the coming, and going, of America's first Black President.

In 2008 racism seemed to be on the decline. Today, it almost feels as if we have gone back 80 years, what with the unbearable rise in racist attacks and Islamophobia. And we aren't even mentioning the attacks on the rights of women.

The number of refugees in the world nearly a decade ago, while alarming, was not quite at a full-blown crisis stage. Today, displaced peoples number in the many millions, a figure that staggers the imagination.

Back in 2008, just over 25% of the world's population was on the internet, as opposed to more than 50% today. And while we had twitter and facebook, we never dreamed that they would help shape global politics.

In just the past few years, we have seen a resurgence of diseases that we thought were gone, due to the mis-guided anti-vaccine movement.

9 years ago, you had to be on the fringes of society to question the reality of climate change. Today, the denial of science is considered normal in many places in the United States, as more and more countries around the world are finding themselves struggling with the effects of a changing environment.

From the status of minorities to a global shift in the approach to science, many fundamental changes have occurred in such a short time.

But now imagine what would have changed for you.

Imagine that your mother passed away. You would have missed being at her side during her final days, not to mention the funeral. Parents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, dearly loved friends: how many of those funerals would you have missed?

Imagine your young grandchild back in 2008, now a junior youth. Your daughter has gone from being in 8th grade to having graduated university. And you missed all that that entails.

You missed the marriage of your son, the passing of your wife, major changes in the field of your career. The list goes on. Life, you can imagine, would not be the same. Things you took for granted upon leaving nearly a decade ago have been irrevocably altered.

But you know, this is not fiction. It is not the case where you come out nice and young, healthy and refreshed. These are stories where people went into that time machine of prison with black hair, and may come out grey. Their skin is now wrinkled. Their health has been broken by their time in prison. This is the story of one man whose heart condition has been exacerbated by his suffering, who, if he were free, would have been able to seek the medical help he needed. This is the story of a woman who went in as the director of an educational institution and is now at the age of retirement, having been denied the opportunity to help so many young adults in their studies. This is the story of many others who have been irrevocably changed by their experience, but who are still dreaming of a beautiful future for humanity. This is the true story of those who were working for the betterment of their community, and society as a whole.

This is the story of those who have been wrongfully imprisoned for daring to hope, and acting on the promise of a better tomorrow.

This is the true story of the Yaran.

Please read about them, see what they are suffering, and know that their greatest desire is to help establish unity and justice, to ensure that others need not suffer as they have. Please read about them, and don't allow them to be in prison for another year.

Pilgrimage thoughts

Recently, my family and I got back home from the Holy Land.What an amazing experience, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Pilgrimage.

What can I say about it? For those of you who have had this incredible experience, you know what I mean, and for those who have not yet had this great bounty, well, nothing I say can begin to describe it.

One thing I can mention fairly easily is how it is a full-person workout. On the one hand, it is truly an uplifting experience for the soul, at the end of which experience you will feel completely exhausted and yet refreshed. On the other hand, it is also a work out for the mind, giving greater clarity to your purpose in life through meditation on your prayers in the Shrines, as well as the reward of the talks by the members of senior institutions in the evenings. On the third hand, it is also a great physical workout, bringing together the spirit, mind and body through the climbing of the seemingly interminable number of steps on the terraces of the Shrine of the Bab. I learned that climbing the stairs is a cardio workout, which left me gasping for breath after just a few of the Terraces, while going down the steps is a muscular workout, of which my now-steel calves are still reminding me.

But really, the big question is what is the purpose of pilgrimage? Why do we do it? I mean, aside from the fact that Baha'u'llah has said we should.

Now, I could give you all sorts of quotes about it, beginning with the actual law in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, as well as the various commentaries by either 'Abdu'l-Baha or Shoghi Effendi, but this is not the purpose of this article. No, I would rather you do your own research on this subtle yet weighty topic. Besides, I'm not that big a fan of quotification, preferring a sprinkling of one or two quotes that really emphasize the point, as opposed to drowning the poor reader in the ocean of His Writings.

Myself, I'm more concerned at this time with a different question altogether: How do the various aspects of pilgrimage today work together as a coherent whole?

Well, let's see. What are these various aspects of which I speak? I'm glad you asked. Oh, and please remember that this is just my own personal opinion and nothing official.

To start, the most important thing, the primary purpose of the pilgrimage is to be able to pray at the Holy Shrines. Everything revolves around that.

Aside from the time spent in the Shrines, you visit the places in Akka associated with Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi. You also get to visit the administrative buildings on Mount Carmel, such as the Seat of he Universal House of Justice, the International Teaching Centre, the Centre for the Study of the Sacred Texts, as well as the International Archives. And then there are the various gardens and houses associated with the Central Figures. Oh, and the talks in the evenings. Can't forget those.

So, let's look at this. Why do we spend so much time at these other places if our primary purpose is to pray at the Shrines?

I think it is because when we spend time at these other places we get a better idea of what They went through and just how miraculous it is that the Faith is where it is today. I mean, our group began by looking over at the sea gate in Akka, and I recalled the absolute antagonism that Baha'u'llah and His companions faced when they entered the city. Personally, I compared this to my own welcome where people said, "Oh, you're Baha'i? Here on pilgrimage? I love the Baha'is." Truly, we could not have been more warmly welcomed.

We continued through the land gate and looked at the building where the enemies of the Faith who were exiled with Baha'u'llah lived. From this vantage point they were able to notify the authorities of any Baha'is who came to Akka, thus preventing them from meeting Baha'u'llah. We heard the stories, and saw the actual places. How could we not think about the sufferings of the friends when we went to the Shrines later that evening?

As we progressed on our pilgrimage, we moved from the dreariness of the prison to the House of Abbud. We heard the story of the murder of the Azalis and how the Baha'is were treated: Baha'u'llah re-imprisoned, the Master in chains, some of the innocent Baha'is held unjustly for months, and even the fear of His neighbour which led the re-inforcing of the wall between the houses. I could recount the stories here, but I'm sure you know them. And if you don't, they are easy enough to find without me having to type them here.

As Pilgrimage continued, we moved through history a decade or two per day, from the small house in Akka to the mansion at Mazraih. We saw the beautiful gardens that Baha'u'llah was finally able to enjoy towards the end of His life. We spent time in Bahji, in awe of the sheer beauty of the place, especially when compared and contrasted to what He suffered in Akka.

We went to the International Archives, able to see some of the relics that we had heard about, artifacts from the very places we had just seen in the previous few days. We went, for example, from seeing the skylight in the Citadel where Miraz Mihdi fell to his death to seeing the actual blood-stained shirt he was wearing when he fell. The Archives, far from being a museum, helped plunge the reality of these stories ever deeper into our hearts. These were not some distant heroes out of a remote history. They were real people that lived just a few short decades ago. They lived and breathed. They had to wash their clothing, and brushed their hair. But then, as we stepped outside and saw the magnificent administrative buildings arcing across the mountain, we could see what their heroic and epic lives led to. As we heard the talks in the evenings, we began to get a glimpse of Their vision for what was not only potential for humanity in the future, but was slowly becoming a reality before our very eyes.

We saw the displays at the Visitor's Centre, and were given a vision of how to better present the Faith to the general public. We heard stories of great and simple triumphs from all over the world and left with a better idea of how to bring this transformative power of the Faith more effectively to bear on our own communities. And we entered the Shrines every day with a greater sense of awe at what They had accomplished, a greater love in our hearts for what They suffered to bring this vision to fruition.

And every day we awoke ever more eager to soak in what we could before being turned out to face the world once again.

Pilgrimage really is an amazing experience, and in many ways reminds me of the Kitab-i-Iqan.

Part 1 of the Book of Certitude is all about how to recognize a Messenger of God, and the beginning of the Pilgrimage, the time you are there, is all about better appreciating those Messengers Who have been sent to help raise humanity out of the depths of the misery in which we find ourselves.

But Part 2 of the Kitab-i-Iqan, to me, seems to say, "So what? You've recognized. Now, what are you going to do about it?" Now is our Part 2. We've come home. Refreshed. Rejuvenated. And with a new vision.

So what?

What are we going to do about it?

And that, dear Reader, is the real Pilgrimage: when we put this new vision into more effective action.