A power which can overcome human prejudices

"A power [which can overcome human prejudices and] can overshadow the effect of all other forces [is] that irresistible power [of] the love of God." - 'Abdu'l-Bahá

http://is.gd/pk0H

"The steed of this Valley [of Love] is pain. ; and if there be no pain this journey will never end. In this station the lover hath no thought save the Beloved, and seeketh no refuge save the Friend. At every moment he offereth a hundred lives in the path of the Loved One, at every step he throweth a thousand heads at the feet of the Beloved."

- Bahá'u'lláh

http://is.gd/prtl

O lion-hearted one amongst men! Regard the afflictions endured in the path of God as comfort itself. Every affliction suffered for His sake is a potent remedy, every bitterness is naught but sweetness and every abasement an exaltation. Were men to apprehend and acknowledge this truth, they would readily lay down their lives for such affliction. For it is the key to inestimable treasures, and no matter how outwardly abhorrent, it hath ever been and will continue to be inwardly prized.

- Bahá'u'lláh

http://is.gd/prvo

Significances of the Naw-Ruz Festival

From writings and talks from the Bahá'í tradition regarding this great theme.

"... This sacred day, when the sun illumines equally, is called the equinox, and the equinox is the symbol of the Manifestation of God. The Sun of Truth rises on the horizon of Divine Mercy and sends forth its rays. This day is consecrated to commemorate it..."

 

--Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 301

 

The cycle of the year ends with a period of nineteen days of fasting to prepare for the coming of Naw-Ruz, the New Year, when both the physical and spiritual beauty blend and we advance to another year in which to mature the soul and prepare "for the everlasting kingdom".

 

--Compilations, Principles of Bahai Administration, p. 54

A TALK ON NAW RUZ (NEW YEAR'S DAY)

Given by Abdul Bahá, March 21, 1913 in Paris.

"I am extremely glad to see you on this Nau Rooz occasion. This day is the anniversary of many historical events...

"This day in Persia inaugurates a feast which continues for thirteen days and in which all take part, rich and poor alike. They adorn themselves with new clothes and their houses are open to all. Money is distributed, music is played and the houses are decorated with flowers, for it is a fête; work is put aside and enjoyment invited. Travelers in Persia feel this transformation, for the country is in a state of complete renewal. A town which seemed dead yesterday comes to life today. People who looked anxious yesterday, today have faces shining with gladness. The poor man of yesterday, with sordid garments, is well dressed today and the whole national life is infused with joy. From time immemorial this day has been consecrated, for in this there is a symbol.

"At this moment the sun appears at the meridian and the day and night are equal. Until today the north pole has been in darkness. This sacred day when the sun illumines equally the whole earth is called the equinox and the equinox is the symbol of the divine messenger. The sun of truth rises on the horizon of divine mercy and sends forth its rays on all. This day is consecrated to this commemoration. It is the beginning of the spring. When the sun appears at the equinox it causes a movement in all living things. The mineral world is set in motion, plants begin to sprout, the desert is changed into a prairie, trees bud and every living thing responds, including the bodies of animals and men.

"The rising of the sun at the equinox is the symbol of life and the human reality is revivified; our thoughts are transformed and our intelligence is quickened. The sun of truth bestows eternal life, just as the solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life.

"The day of the appearance of God's messenger on earth is ever a sacred day, a day when man commemorates his lord.

"Among the ancient Persians this day was looked upon as the holy day of the year — a day when hospitals and charitable institutions were founded, collections for the poor were made and every effort put forth that it might not be allowed to pass without leaving some divine trace and throughout Persia one sees these historical traces..."

--Abdu'l-Baha on Divine Philosophy, 74 http://is.gd/ohe2

Photo by Alex Boysen

Fasting and obligatory prayer as two wings to man's life

(From the Bahá'í writings)

"One who performeth neither good deeds nor acts of worship is like unto a tree which beareth no fruit, and an action which leaveth no trace. Whosoever experienceth the holy ecstasy of worship will refuse to barter such an act or any praise of God for all that existeth in the world. Fasting and obligatory prayer are as two wings to man's life. Blessed be the one who soareth with their aid in the heaven of the love of God, the Lord of all worlds."

"Cling firmly to obligatory prayer and fasting. Verily, the religion of God is like unto heaven; fasting is its sun, and obligatory prayer is its moon. In truth, they are the pillars of religion whereby the righteous are distinguished from those who transgress His commandments. We entreat God, exalted and glorified be He, that he may graciously enable all to observe that which He hath revealed in His Ancient Book."
(Bahá'u'lláh) http://is.gd/nVOv

"...the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling that unites man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer...[The Faith's] chief goal [like all other Divine religions] is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers. It is the soul of man that has first to be fed. And this spiritual nourishment prayer can best provide."
(Secretary to Shoghi Effendi) http://is.gd/nVOc

How to understand "mortal sovereignty"?

I am pondering the Hidden Word of Bahá'u'lláh which goes:

O CHILDREN OF NEGLIGENCE! Set not your affections on mortal sovereignty and rejoice not therein. Ye are even as the unwary bird that with full confidence warbleth upon the bough; till of a sudden the fowler Death throws it upon the dust, and the melody, the form and the color are gone, leaving not a trace. Wherefore take heed, O bondslaves of desire! (Persian 75)

The question that arises is what is meant by "mortal sovereignty" as referred to here. Clearly, it has to do with any factor or thing that potentially give us a "one-up" on the rest of humanity, such as popularity, wealth, skill, worldly knowledge, etc. Of course these things are not harmful at all in themselves, so long as we don't allow them to be a cause of vain pride or "rejoicing", as stated.

In the world of birds, melody, form and color are the only things of which it can boast, an image which we are warned against emulating in the human world: "take heed...!", linking such pride to "desire", by which we can easily become enslaved (a "bondslave").

It is, in sum, the proverbial call to detachment from the things of this world, which conversely implies attachment to the qualities of the spirit, i.e. godliness, faith, knowledge, all-embracing love, service to humanity, long-suffering, forgiveness, generosity, and so on, as epitomized in the Visitation Prayer of 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and fervor will bring gladness and joy to the heart of this Servant; it will be even as meeting Him face to face.

He is the All-Glorious!
O God, my God! Lowly and tearful, I raise my suppliant hands to Thee and cover my face in the dust of that Threshold of Thine, exalted above the knowledge of the learned, and the praise of all that glorify Thee. Graciously look upon Thy servant, humble and lowly at Thy door, with the glances of the eye of Thy mercy, and immerse him in the Ocean of Thine eternal grace.
Lord! He is a poor and lowly servant of Thine, enthralled and imploring Thee, captive in Thy hand, praying fervently to Thee, trusting in Thee, in tears before Thy face, calling to Thee and beseeching Thee, saying:
O Lord, my God! Give me Thy grace to serve Thy loved ones, strengthen me in my servitude to Thee, illumine my brow with the light of adoration in Thy court of holiness, and of prayer to Thy kingdom of grandeur. Help me to be selfless at the heavenly entrance of Thy gate, and aid me to be detached from all things within Thy holy precincts. Lord! Give me to drink from the chalice of selflessness; with its robe clothe me, and in its ocean immerse me. Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and grant that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps of Thy chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest. With this prayer doth Thy servant call Thee, at dawntide and in the night-season. Fulfill his heart’s desire, O Lord! Illumine his heart, gladden his bosom, kindle his light, that he may serve Thy Cause and Thy servants. Thou art the Bestower, the Pitiful, the Most Bountiful, the Gracious, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Heartfelt SONG - let your spirit soar!

A powerful, soul-stirring song by stellar artist Elika Mahoney - a TRUE INSPIRATION. Please spread the word about it - and thereby the sublime SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE it embodies!

New song ‘Persecution’ dedicated to Baha’is in Iran

I am pleased to share with you, Persecution, the new song I wrote about in my previous post about the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran, and the unjust arrest of 7 Baha’i leaders there.

New song ‘Persecution’ dedicated to Baha’i’s in Iran | Elika Mahony

Vocalist, composer, pianist, and artist, Elika Mahony. Visit elikamahony.com

Lyrics for Persecution

First of all, I want to thank those of you who have shared the song ‘Persecution’ with all your friends so that we can spread the word about the plight of our dear Baha’i friends in Iran. I have been deeply moved by your comments and the response and have felt such a unity with everyone trying to support our friends In Iran who have been and continue to suffer simply for not recanting their beliefs. We are making sure that their sacrifices are being heard everywhere in the world.

I would also like to thank my producer, Jarome, who worked tirelessly on this song so that we could share it with everyone quickly.

I mentioned in my last posting that I would share with you the lyrics of Persecution. My favorite words in this song are: “You can burn their homes but not their spirits, Seize their land but not their souls”. The words are so powerful and resonate deeply within me. They reflect how no persecution will affect the faith and dedication of the Baha’is in Iran.

Persecution

They dedicated their lives to a noble purpose

Innocent victims, imprisoned for their beliefs

Their suffering knew no bounds, Only comforted by prayerful sounds

Why do you think you can stop the world from knowing, Prevent the truth from showing, You can’t block the sun from shining

Their children suffer the same fate, Subjected to an endless hate

Denied basic human rights, Yet guided by a greater light

Pressured to recant their faith, Their Holy Places destroyed,

Their graves unearthed, no place to bury their dead,

Denied the right to education, Riddled with false accusations

You can burn their homes but not their spirits, Seize their land but not their souls

I have shared a little bit about my own family and how they were persecuted in Iran in an old post. You can read about it here.

Below are the 7 Baha’i leaders who are being imprisoned in Iran.

Our present age: Pangs of Death and Birth

The two horrific killing sprees, a day apart, with 10 murdered on 10 March in Alabama and 15 on 11 March in Germany, prompt one to reflect over the painful "transitional" character of the age we live in. Shoghi Effendi writes:

"...the interval which must elapse ere [the present] Age yields its choicest fruit must, it is becoming increasingly apparent, be overshadowed by such moral and social gloom as can alone prepare an unrepentant humanity for the prize she is destined to inherit. Into such a period we are now steadily and irresistibly moving... [U]s, the “generation of the half-light”...stand on the threshold of an age whose convulsions proclaim alike the death-pangs of the old order and the birth-pangs of the new. ...this New World Order may be said to have been conceived. We can, at the present moment, experience its stirrings in the womb of a travailing age—an age waiting for the appointed hour at which it can cast its burden and yield its fairest fruit. “The whole earth,” writes Bahá’u’lláh, “is now in a state of pregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings.

(World Order 168-9)

A New Vision for Humanity's Future - the need for moral transformation

The humanity of our planet's future will be characterized, Bahá'ís believe, by a new system of values necessary for the development of a global civilization. Such an ethos--where each member of the human race is regarded as a trust of the whole--is guided by an inner ethical orientation relevant to the challenges of the next stage of human development--an orientation that does not come only from legislation and education but from a divine source. Evidence that such a transformation in moral behavior is possible can be found in the response to Bahá'u'lláh's teachings in Bahá'í communities around the globe.

The Promise of World Peace

Source: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-0-1.html


Notes:

Exerpt from an article in the The Times on the case in Germany (available here):

Detectives who seized [the murderer] Kretschmer’s home computer discovered violent video games and pornography. Friends said that he regularly played the computer game Counter Strike and had become increasingly fascinated with horror films.

...teachers in the region have been trained to use [an alert system] in case of a school shooting.

Recent related stories:

December 27, 2008, California:

'Santa' Bruce Jeffrey Pardo shoots nine dead and torches in-laws' home
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5400786.ece

September 24, 2008', Finland

YouTube' gunman kills 10 in shooting spree at Finnish vocational college
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4808358.ece

The two most recent murder-spree dates happened to coincide with the full moon, which was on 11 March. The two murder sprees in September and December, did not, however, coincide thus. Refer moon phases here.

Ode to Women

 

Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men

(From the Baha'i writings)

 

"The world of humanity has two wings -- one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be."

"Women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God...
Verily God created women for men, and men for women."

"In powers and function each is the complement of the other."

"The happiness of mankind will be realized when women and men coordinate and advance equally, for each is the complement and helpmeet of the other."

"The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy..."

"One of these questions concerns the rights of woman and her equality with man. In past ages it was held that woman and man were not equal -- that is to say, woman was considered inferior to man..."

"As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibility, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs."
The willingness of men to take responsibility for equality will create an optimum environment for progress: "When men own the equality of women there will be no need for them to struggle for their rights!"

The long-standing and deeply rooted condition of inequality must be eliminated. To overcome such a condition requires the exercise of nothing short of "genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort."14 Ultimately, Bahá'u'lláh promises, a day will come when men will welcome women in all aspects of life. Now is the time to move decisively toward that promised future.

Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men http://info.bahai.org/article-1-9-1-9.html

Selections from the Bahá'í Writings on Women http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-6-1.html http://info.bahai.org/article-1-3-4-6.html

Educating Girls: An Investment in the Future http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-6-9.html