Teaching the Baha'i Faith

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/MBW/mbw-6.html

On the Signficance of Twins for Baha'is: Meditation at Nisqually

2009-12-27T19:05:00.001-08:00

Greatly enhanced international endowments in Holy Land in twin cities of Acre and Haifa, now include twin Holy Shrines situated on plain of Acre and slope of Mount Carmel; twin Mansions of Bahjí and Mazra’ih, twin historic Houses inhabited by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; twin International Archives adjoining the Báb’s Sepulcher and the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf; twin Pilgrim Houses, constructed for Oriental and Occidental pilgrims; twin Gardens of Riḍván and Firdaws, associated with the memory of the Author of the Bahá’í Dispensation. -- Shoghi Effendi, 1951

There are 130 passages in which the word "twin" is used in the Baha'i Writings, starting with, of course, reference to the Twin Manifestations of God, the Bab and Baha'u'llah.

On our walk today I was admiring twin barns that are the most distinctive man-made feature of the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, the subjects of many a photograph, including my own today, and I thought of the significance of "twins" for Baha'is.

The air was crisp, the sun was out for a while, but faint, and there was still thick frost in the shadows late in the afternoon. Bird-life was in abundance at Nisqually today, as it is a wintering over-spot for dozens of varieties of birds. -gw

http://www.bahai.us/holiday_music

On Music for Schools: Every school door is open

2009-12-27T12:37:00.001-08:00

Let's open our eyes, and open our ears,

Or we're not gonna make it

Through another year.

People of all Faiths and nationalities,

From land to land, and sea to sea...

So let us everyone teach our

Children of Unity.

To love everyone with equality.

La la la, la la la, la la la la la la,

La la la la la la,

La la la la la la.

-The Equality song

There is a story here about opening doors to diverse expression. You can read the whole story on the bahai.us site. -gw

Veda spent the next year gathering sheet music, making a CD of some Baha’i songs and getting permission for artists to use their music.

“Every door has opened,” she said, “it’s meant to be.”

All 55 schools in her district now have the book, and the Mosavi family has been sending it to any school district that requests it, including schools outside of California.

Jasmine, who is now in the fifth grade, said the year-long project taught her an important lesson.

“I learned that I should not feel left out,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you celebrate Christmas or not, we’re all the same inside. We shouldn't feel separated by the way we worship. I wanted my teachers to know that I am a Baha'i and to let them know that we believe in the unity of all religions." ...

Those interested in the booklet can e-mail Jasmine and her mom at: musicfortheschools "at" gmail.com. (The booklet includes sheet music and a CD compilation for "Blessed is the Spot"; "O God, Educate these children"; "Listen"; and "The Equality Song")

http://sikhim.blogspot.com/2009/12/winter-camp-of-denzong-bahai-institute.html

On 21 Days of Ruhi Study in Sikkim: Close to heaven

2009-12-27T12:16:00.001-08:00

"Participants from Sikkim performing a dance at the November 2008 Regional Baha'i Converence in Kolkata" Uploaded on November 26, 2008 by paulancheta on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons

This sounds like heavenly experience for the friends fortunate to be able to attend. -gw

21 days Winter camp organized by Denzong Baha’I Institute of Sikkim began from 20th December 2009 at Baha’I School, Tadong. The camp will go till 9th January 2010. The participants are from Sumbuk (South Sikkim), Pachey (Pakyong) and Gangtok. The camp of this kind was first started at Saramsa (Ranipool) in December 2000 by Denzong Baha’I Institute of Sikkim. At that time the participants used to be from Bhutan, Darjeeling and Sikkim. But in the later years in order to make it convenient and manageable the Institute decided to decentralize it and have it in different centers. Now for past three four years, for the people of Darjeeling it is organized in Darjeeling itself and for Sikkim in Sikkim itself.

This is a kind of spiritual empowerment program. Here participants are taught to be tolerant and encourage fellowship among the people irrespective of cast, creed, colour, religion, race and nation. They get insights of the concept, God is one, man is the creation of one God and source of all religion is one. In the camp classes are conducted in a participatory method. The participants are divided in a different groups. For each group one tutor is appointed who coordinates the class and help the class to go ahead in a right track. Each group has to go through systematic sequence of courses which is from level 1 to level 7. The materials which they study are designed each with different subjects. They are as follows:

Level 1: Reflection on the life of the spirit.

Level 2 : Arising to serve.

Level 3 : Teaching children’s classes, Grade I

Level 4 : The twin manifestations.

Level 5 : Teaching children classes, Grade II

Level 6 : Teaching the Faith.

Level 7 : Walking together on a path of service.

These materials represent the experience gained by the institutions in raising up individuals capable of working for the benefit of their families and society.

Uploaded on November 26, 2008 by paulancheta on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons

http://www.divinenotes.com/albums/SacredandClassicalChildrensCollection/7FBC3818-FF56-D6D5-2A20-4DCD3C6BF1E0

On Sacred and Classical Music for Children: Thanks, KC

2009-12-26T20:50:00.001-08:00

How did I miss this KC Porter produced CD from 2003 of sacred and classical music for children? Available on DivineNotes.com and iTunes.

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BP/bp-144.html

On an Ode to Hair: May the hair of my head declareth the power of Thy sovereignty and might

2009-12-26T20:11:00.001-08:00

The limbs of my body testify to Thy unity, and the hair of my head declareth the power of Thy sovereignty and might. —Bahá’u’lláh

Hair has always been a big deal in our family. My son Rahmat got his hair cut yesterday. He has had big hair for years, so that is quite a change. This is how he looked today, walking with his bike to the bus stop headed back home to his apartment.

"1971 Baha'i Convention, Seattle, WA," by james eugene frank on flickr

This photo above is of me (r) back in 1971. Hair was a big deal to me as I was coming into adulthood. Afros became the rage. The musical "Hair" was a hit back in 1968.

Chris Rock's "Good Hair" has been a topic of cultural discussion.

My son Taraz caught an impromptu barbershop scene in the video footage he did at Louis Gregory Institute back in 2005. We all go to great effort to have our appearance be pleasing to our peers and in the eyes of God.

All this got me to thinking about the diversity of hair styles existent in the world. So here is my ode to hair.-gw

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/ABL/abl-6.html#pg27

On Hiking Snake Lake, Tacoma: We see around us the change of the seasons

2009-12-26T18:43:00.001-08:00

It is the inherent nature of things on this earth to change, thus we see around us the change of the seasons. Every spring is followed by a summer and every autumn brings a winter—every day a night and every evening a morning. There is a sequence in all things. - Abdu'l-Baha

On the day after Christmas with still newlyweds Matt & Ruhiyyih in town, we take a hike in nearby Snake Lake Nature Preserve, just a few blocks away from our home and right in the middle of the city. We started in fog, and the sun came out before we were done with the short 1.65 mile hike. -gw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%c3%a1'%c3%ad_Faith_in_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo

On the Celebration! Congo Choir: Their 2005 visit to Louis Gregory Baha'i Institute

2009-12-26T15:47:00.001-08:00

This is a set of pictures of the Congo Choir taken of video footage recorded by Taraz Dannells when he was volunteering at the Louis Gregory Baha'i Institute in 2005. Louis Gregory was the home-base for the troupe for a week. Most of the footage is from their practicing at the Institute. I hope to convert the video to digital so it can be shared in its entirety on the Internet. This conveys just a taste of the spirit these Baha'is from the Congo brought to the Institute and surrounding area during their visit. They performed in schools local to Hemingway SC and also performed at the Kenedy Center. The program announcement of the latter performance is reposted below.

The Congo Baha'i Youth Choir sang at a devotional program at the base of the Terraces on Mount Carmel. It later evolved into the Celebration! Congo Choir which performed at The Kennedy Center in 2005.

The Congo Choir is a troupe of 18 young adult singers, dancers and musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Central Africa.

Celebration! Congo Choir is a compilation of songs and stories of peace and understanding using the troupe’s experiences as cultural backdrop. “Bomoko: An African Story of Unity in Rhythm and Song,” features a traditional choir format with vocals, percussion instruments, and colorful attire.

“Bomoko” (pronounced boh-MOH-koh) - from the Lingala language spoken in regions of the Congo - denotes the idea that “all are one.” Choir songs and music derive from the choir goal “to use performing arts to promote unity between tribes, races and communities.” The troupe performs under the tutelage of Congolese Choir Master Oscar Diyabanza Matusongwa, an expert on the fusion of traditional African rhythms, harmonies and instruments with contemporary Western influences in appealing modern arrangements. While serving as Artistic Director of the National Ballet in the nation formerly known as Zaire (now, DRC), he created three original ballets that toured Europe and Asia.

Celebration! Congo Choir is a project of the New Generation Media Initiative for Africa (NGMIA), based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Co-founded by Celebration! Congo Choir co-organizers Jason and Susan Sheper, NGMIA develops multi-media projects that are focused on encouraging and developing the capacity of youth and young adults in Central Africa. Chief among these is “Mon Village” (My Village), a pilot project integrating media production and broadcast programming, as well as educational materials and performances to serve children and their families.

Celebration! Congo Choir is an evolution of a youth choir that overcame imposing obstacles to participate in a Baha’i international music conference in Haifa, Israel, May 2001. Sponsors and in-kind support for the tour come from the U.S. and Canadian Baha’i community, non-profit arts organizations, and individual contributors. "

http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm?artist_id=CELEBCONGO

http://www.divinenotes.com/books/wildfire/

On Istvan Dely's Manifeso: Reflections on the arts as powerful instruments to serve the Cause

2009-12-25T21:28:00.001-08:00

My first and only real spiritual experience before becoming a Bahá’í had been within an African Traditional Religion in Cuba. My initiation into the Vititi Congo community was not an act of rational, intellectual choice, since I was a committed atheist communist at the time, a follower of the Che Guevara. It was a rapture of the heart generated by the tremendous power of the arts: the drumming, the singing, the dancing, the drama of the rituals, the emotional charge and group synergy, the loving and caring and joyful community.

Istvan Dely is a Baha'i revolutionary, a former communist and atheist, who went to school in Cuba, and who heard of the Baha'i Faith in Columbia. And this is his manifesto, available for free download. And it is all connected to the Institute Process.

LESSON ONE: THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC “In this Cause the art of music is of paramount importance” - Abdul’-Bahá

LESSON TWO: GOOD, NEUTRAL, AND BAD MUSIC
We have learned that music is a means that can be used for good as well as evil. It is like a ladder on which our souls may go upwards into light or descend into darkness.
LESSON THREE: BAHÁ’Í MUSIC?
Before we go into this lesson, answer this question: Is there such a thing as Bahá’í Music? Yes ______ No________
LESSON FOUR: UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Although, in Shoghi Effendi´s words, the friends are free to compose music as their talents guide them, there are also strong indications in the Writings that the starting point, the first step on the positive side of the ladder, should be each region’s own traditional music, its folklore or popular music.
LESSON FIVE: COMMUNAL MUSIC
in which all of us can participate without exception
LESSON SIX: SACRED MUSIC
The highest step on the ladder of music is sacred music, the music of worship where we “try to bring the earthly music into harmony with the celestial melody.”(Abdu´l-Bahá)
LESSON SEVEN: CULTURE AND RELIGION
The spiritual need to worship God is a universal characteristic of man, but the ways to give expression to this need vary greatly from culture to culture, from one spiritual tradition to another.
LESSON EIGHT: IN ALL BAHÁ’Í GATHERINGS
On what occasions should we make use of music in the course of our Bahá’í life and work? Shoghi Effendi states: “The element of music is, no doubt, an important feature of all Bahá’í gatherings.”
LESSON NINE: MUSIC AS A TEACHING TOOL “… the arts are powerful instruments to serve the Cause…” The Universal House of Justice

On Baha'i-Related Endeavors Advertising on the Net: Targeting Baha'is

2009-12-25T10:53:00.001-08:00

It is one thing to put up a site for a Baha'i-related endeavor on the net and have that site featured on other sites. It is another to advertise a Baha'i-related endeavor on the net. The Internet offers the ultimate in advertising targeting. Here are just a few Baha'i-related endeavors that are showing up in Google advertising on pages I have visited. How much money is spent in targeting to Baha'is on the Internet, I wonder?

Joon Baby Designs - Baha'i greeting cards and more... Custom designs for all occasions. www.joo nbaby.com

Baha' I at Amazon [not even spelled right!]

Baha'i Counseling - Baha'i Therapist. Phone sessions. Uplift, Resolve, Empower now. eqeducation.com

BahaiPilgrims.com - Community of Baha'i Pilgrims. Learn about Pilgrimage from Baha'is. bahaipilgrims.ning.com

Antipodean Bahá'í Studies- Bahá'í studies. Bahá'í research.

Bahá'í history. Bahá'í bibliography. www.abs.org.nz

Baha'i Jewelry Store - 10% of sales go to Mona Foundation. Jewelry with Baha'i Symbol Design. www.bahairingstone.com

http://www.divinenotes.com/

On a Taxonomy for Baha'i-inspired Music: For what core activity is it well-suited?

2009-12-25T10:11:00.001-08:00

Now this is Baha'i thinking. What is a good way to categorize Baha'i-inspired music? By which core activity the music is especially suited for. Go to Divine Notes and click on "category" and ooh and ahh at all the choices.

A song has a purpose. Baha'i-inspired songs have the purpose of advancing the Cause of God. -gw

Categories:

http://discourseofsociety.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/hello-world/comment-page-1/

On Juxtaposition of Words and Images: Associating the Writings of the Faith with your creative endeavors on Flickr

2009-12-25T09:47:00.001-08:00

I write quotations with most of my pictures on Flicker programme.

Comment by Nahid Hossaini — December 25, 2009 @ 3:45 pm

Good idea. -gw

http://doigo.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-have-i-done-in-my-twenty-years.html

On Bringing Thyself to Account: I became a Baha'i, despite every mess that would hold me back

2009-12-24T15:16:00.001-08:00

who i am...

i have learned more about myself in this last year than in my whole life.

i have never surrendered to other people's expectations.

i have always done things my own way, even if this resulted in me being homeless, jobless and definitely broke.

i ran away from my house, countless times. this last time, for good.

i've had over 10 different job, most of them resulting in me leaving after a few shifts.

i've had every hair color imaginable, and changed the length of it countless times.

i've realized i need more out of life.

i've let go of every friend i had, and that gained me more freedom than i ever thought i would have.

i've become better at recognizing my needs.

i've been thought of as insane person for doing things differently, but i can't wait to be a success.

i met the person i want to spend my life with at nineteen.

someone finally helped me get clarity and i became a baha'i, despite every mess that would hold me back.

i realized the truth about so many things i thought i would never understand

maybe it's my streak at this moment, but i am determined not to be held back by anyone, and to do what i'm supposed to do.

i am so determined to be all that i am.

Posted by elle. at 1:36 PM

Elle is following Baha'u'llah's admonition to "Bring thyself to account each day..." -gw

"The Life of Jesus," uploaded on June 6, 2008 by Svadilfari on flickr

On the Birth and Death of Jesus Christ: May we, likewise, offer yourselves in the threshold of sacrifice for the betterment of the world

2009-12-23T22:42:00.001-08:00

Even as Jesus Christ forfeited His life, may you, likewise, offer yourselves in the threshold of sacrifice for the betterment of the world; and just as Bahá’u’lláh suffered severe ordeals and calamities nearly fifty years for you, may you be willing to undergo difficulties and withstand catastrophes for humanity in general. May you bear these trials and tests most willingly and joyously, for every night is followed by a day, and every day has a night. Every spring has an autumn, and every autumn has its spring. - Abdu'l-Baha

http://www.tacomabahai.org/2009/12/23/the-miraculous-birth-of-jesus/

Great post, The miraculous birth of Jesus, in our Tacoma Baha'i Community blog.-gw

On Posing the Question at Baha'i Study Circle, Are We Human or Are We Dancers: And Kim's Killer Cookies

2009-12-23T22:03:00.001-08:00

Kim came over for Ruhi tonight. Rahmat, too, as usual. Deb who was going to tutor tonight with a special art project in mind, couldn't come; sick. Boo hoo. I played some Killers' "Human." It goes with "Reflections on the Life of the Spirit," I think. Bringing tunes to Ruhi is the extent of my creativity as a Ruhi tutor, I'm afraid. Thank goodness, Deb said she'd come next week.

eristderbeste

(5 hours ago) yes were humans!! not beasts! yes we search the light!!!!

3,024,622 views

up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind
and sometimes I get nervous
when I see an open door
close your eyes, clear your heart, cut the cord,

And then I posed their question...

are we human or are we dancers?

Answer: We're human dancers when we feed our souls with God's sustenance.

Kim brought cookies. Aren't they cute! -gw

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/hw-92.html

On a Similarity Between The Garden of Eden Story and The Persian Hidden Word #19

2009-12-23T21:34:00.001-08:00

Uploaded on July 13, 2008 by Thiago Leon - thiagophoto! on flickr
Génesis 3:22-24
"Então disse o Senhor Deus: Eis que o homem é como um de nós, sabendo o bem e o mal; ora, para que não estenda a sua mão, e tome também da árvore da vida, e coma e viva eternamente em seus pecados, o Senhor Deus, pois, o lançou fora do jardim do Éden, para lavrar a terra de que fora tomado. E havendo lançado fora o homem, pôs querubins ao oriente do jardim do Éden, e uma espada inflamada que andava ao redor, para guardar o caminho da árvore da vida." - Almeida, Versão Corrigida e Fiel

"I've been thinking about a similarity in the story of the Garden of Eden and the Persian Hidden Words #19."

Rouha on Facebook. -gw

O MY FRIENDS! Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the all-glorious paradise? Awe-struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident unto all of you.

On Seasons Greetings: UnitedWay PSA Commercial uses quote from Baha'i writings

2009-12-23T16:03:00.001-08:00

Very cool to see. http://www.783nate.com/post/293607963/unitedway-psa-commercial-uses-quote-from-bahai

Nate likes it. -gw

> Season's Greetings from United Way (2009)

> From: UnitedWayPSAs | December 10, 2009 | 13,338 views

> Message written by Bahá'u'lláh.

http://www.legacy.com/VenturaCountyStar/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=137673929

On an In Memoriam: In 1931 he fell in love with surfing, spending many long hours catching waves on longboards

2009-12-23T15:26:00.001-08:00

Newell Ray Phelps

1928 - 2009

Newell Ray Phelps, beloved father and grandfather, passed away Sunday, Dec. 20 after receiving injuries from a fall. He was 81 years old. Ray, as he was known to his friends, was a resident of Camarillo since 1965. He was outgoing, friendly, generous of spirit, and much loved by his family, friends, and his Baha'i Faith community. ...

Born in College Station (now Lincoln) Nebraska, he came to Southern California with his family in 1931 where he fell in love with surfing, spending many long hours catching waves on longboards; at age 13 he was surfing Santa Monica Bay when he learned of Pearl Harbor.

At age 15, too young to join the Navy like his big brothers he fibbed about his age to enter the Merchant Marines. He was later drafted into the Army during the Korean War where he served at the Port of Whittier near the Aleutian Islands. While in the Army he had the good fortune to hear the all-girl swing band "The Victory Sweethearts" at a USO event in Indianapolis, Indiana. The lead trumpeter, Arthella Louise Lust, immediately stole his heart; they were married in 1954 and settled in Southern California, living in Santa Monica and the Pacific Palisades. ...

In 1955, pulling graveyard shift with a friend, Ray heard about the Baha'i Faith, and immediately connected with its message of the Unity of Humanity. He and Arthella were active members of their Ventura County Baha'i community. They traveled on Baha'i pilgrimage to Haifa, Israel in 1986 and 2007.

In memoriam. -gw

http://community.mentalhelp.net/showthread.php?p=22895

2009-12-23T13:09:00.001-08:00

I am so sorry to hear you are feeling so isolated and that you are hurting. It's good that you are reaching out ot us, we'll help you along today Pain does have a way of making us pessimistic, it tugs at our courage and makes it difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel. But whether we see it or not it there, so hang in there! ...

I realized just a few years back that I did not have to go to a family gatherings where I did not want to be. I look inwards and accepted my limits, and that unburdened me so much. I did not have to be mean about it, or defensive about it, and would just say that I was not up to it and that we would see each other some other time. And when I felt better and stronger, I would be able to see them. Just giving myself that option gave me my power back, one of those boundaries that I have I such difficulties establishing ... We are free and wise and empowered and we can make our own decisions about who we will allow close to us. We should not have people close to us who don't care about hurting us, right?
The other side of that though is that I also realized that I was projecting unto them things that were not theirs to bear. My own lack of self-esteem was wispering falsehoods in my head, voices from the past, and I could not discern it from reality, so that I was attributing to them what was in fact my own voice. Once I made the distinction I realized that some of what I though was in fact falsehood. They do love me, with all my faults, and they want what is best for me.
I realize that is not true for everyone, some families are very hurtful ... still, it is often our own desperate thinking that amplifies the negative feelings. What types of thoughts give you hope? Do you have readings around you that could elevate your spirit? There are many online that you could tap into... The word of God is very powerful on the soul and nourishes the spirit, and it comes in so many religious forms... Here are a couple that I find very comforting to the heart... from Baha'i writtings...
O SON OF BEING!
Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation.
O SON OF SPIRIT!
With the joyful tidings of light I hail thee: rejoice! To the court of holiness I summon thee; abide therein that thou mayest live in peace for evermore.
Hang in there!! Tomorrow is another day and we are with you today.
Paix !! Symora

Changing thoughts, changing feelings. Good advice. -gw

http://psychologyatlanta.com/therapy.aspx

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/12/23/december.dilemma/

On December Dilemmas and February Opportunities: Candy canes are confused by Ayyam-i-Ha

2009-12-23T11:32:00.001-08:00

> Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- As Christmas season went into full swing this year, Glen Fullmer's 7-year-old son came home from school with an assignment: Make a poster illustrating his family holiday traditions.

> The boy wasn't sure how to proceed because he and his family are Baha'is, not Christians, and they have no holidays during the Christmas season.

> Thus, Fullmer encountered the "December Dilemma" -- the term used for the quandaries and anxieties non-Christians and interfaith couples face during Christmas season.

> Fullmer, a Baha'i faith spokesman who lives in Evanston, Illinois, said he saw the poster assignment as a "teachable moment" for his 4-, 7- and 10-year-old sons who associated holiday traditions with Christmas.

> He reminded his boys that Baha'is have a gift-giving and charity period in February called Ayyam-i-Ha, a stretch of time not unlike the Christmas season.

> And he helped his son design the poster about that holiday, which precedes a fasting period and then the Baha'i New Year in March.

> "His classmates asked him questions about the holiday, and one of his friends came up to him and wants to celebrate that holiday," Fullmer said, pleased that his son's peers helped him reaffirm his identity.

sites.google.com/.../Home/ayyam-i-ha-and-naw-ruz

Baha'i Glen Fullmer was interviewed for a story about the Christmas season on CNN.com. Glen is with the Office of Communcations at the Baha'i National Center. He is also coming to the Northwest in February (Sunday 2/14/10 from 10 am - noon)to talk with Baha'is at the Bellevue WA Baha'i Center about the use of the Internet. I'll be there with (Christmas) bells on. -gw

Calling all bloggers, podcasters, webmasters and users of social networks. If you are using your time on the Internet to promote the Faith – or want to – this session is for you. The Bahá’í National Center’s Office of Communications will be discussing best practices and recent guidance on a variety of Internet-related topics. Come with questions and ideas for new projects. This session will be both fun and results-oriented. Open to all, no registration required.

http://www.podbean.com/home/podcast-directory-play.php?pid=45352

On Listening to a 25 Year Old Talk That Sounds Like It Was Given Yesterday: Taherzadeh, Alaska, 1984

2009-12-22T22:20:00.001-08:00

While riding in the car I am listening to the cassette tape series from the 1984 Alaska Baha'i Summer School of Adib Taherzadeh. No more stirring presenter can be found that this man. -gw

http://www.bahai-egypt.org/2009/12/grand-views-of-grand-ayatollah-hossein.html

On What Montazeri Would Wish to Be Remembered By: Protecting the rights of Iranian citizens, including Baha'is

2009-12-22T21:55:00.001-08:00

"Funeral of Ayatollah Montazeri" uploaded on December 21, 2009 by Hamed Saber on flickr

Bilo noted the summary on Montazeri referencing the Faith in the UK's Guardian. -gw

...what Montazeri would wish to be remembered for may be his attempt to change the basis of Shia jurisprudence from protecting the right of the faithful to protecting the right of the citizens. This made him issue a historic statement earlier this year calling for respect for the right of the Baha'i people in Iran as citizens of the country. No other leading theologian has ever dared to issue such fatwa. He expanded the boundaries of Shia jurisprudence into the realm of human rights ....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/dec/20/grand-ayatollah-hossein-ali-montazeri-obituary

http://william.hatcher.org/media/articles/the-role-and-function-of-bahai-institutes-in-the-life-of-the-bahai-community

On Organic Growth: Qualitative always precedes quantitative growth

2009-12-22T21:19:00.001-08:00

"Organic growth" uploaded on May 28, 2008 by bemky on flickr

William Hatcher wrote about everything, including the Institute Process. -gw

In any organic process of development, growth is both qualitative and quantitative, but qualitative growth always precedes quantitative growth. Qualitative growth is characterized by two things: specialization and complexification. In the early stages of the development of the Faith, everyone did everything --- public relations, proclamation, teaching, organization, etc. Now we have arrived at the point of complexification where more and more specialized abilities are needed. The training intitutes are conceived precisely for the purpose of allowing for diversified and specialized training, while of course maintaining the important process of deepening in the knowledge and understanding of the Faith in general. The quantitative phase of the current growth process will see a substantial increase in the number of believers in Baha'u'llah. This phase has been characterized, first by Shoghi Effendi and more recently by the Universal House of Justice, as "entry by troops." Thus, the training institutes, and the more effective teaching of the Faith that will flow from them, will not only enrich the quality of Baha'i life, both individual and community, but will also result in quantitative growth.

William S. Hatcher,"The Role and Function of Bahá'í Institutes in The Life of The Bahá'í Community." The William S. Hatcher Library. Used under the terms of the Creative Commons-Attribution-Non-Commercial-No-Derivative Works 2.5 Canada license.

On the Singapore Baha'i Youth Camp: Dawnbreakers, set it off

2009-12-22T17:28:00.001-08:00

"Set It Off" from the Dawnbreakers Collective makes an ideal track for this video. -gw

Build a new race of men. Youth are the channels through which the catalyst will bring about the spiritual revival of mankind.

http://www.redepaz.org/projeto/projeto_ficha.asp?cod_projeto=878

On Singing Was the Easy Part:: How the Baha'i Faith helped Vic Damone thru life's problems

2009-12-22T12:37:00.001-08:00

This is from: Northwest BahaiLibrary. (Thanks, Robert)

Singer Vic Damone announced his retirement this year and published his autobiography: "Singing was the Easy Part", available in your public library.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Singing-Was-the-Easy-Part/Vic-Damone/e/9780312570255
He writes how he became a Baha'i and how it has helped him through life's problems.

Posted via email from bahai music

2009-12-22T00:00:00.001-08:00

This is a group of Baha'i pioneers in a get together in Cochabamba, Bolivia, circa September 1971. Uploaded on December 7, 2009 by Steve Pulley on flickr. This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them [here].

Where are they now?

Eloy Anello -- In the next world: http://www.facebook.com/pages/in-memory-of-Eloy-Anello/145648438862

Steve Pulley -- In Southern California: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swpulley/

John Kepner-- In Bolivia and Brazil: http://www.onecountry.org/e134/e13401as_Nur_Moral_leadership.htm

Phil Lane -- In Seattle and Canada: http://harvardmagazine.com/2008/03/trails-of-tears-and-hope?page=0,4

http://pizza.sandwich.net/2004/09/phil-lanes-fireside.shtml

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85934826@N00/4205682376/

On Being 100% Baha'i: Not that I practice Baha'i faith or even know what it is

2009-12-21T22:40:00.001-08:00

re: What religion should you be?
en>fr fr>en
By jkc67 Comments: 35, member since Mon Apr 17, 2006

1. Baha'i Faith (100%)
2. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (83%)
3. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (81%)
4. Jehovah's Witness (75%)
5. Liberal Quakers (75%)
6. Hinduism (70%)
7. Orthodox Judaism (70%)
8. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (68%)
9. Unitarian Universalism (66%)
10. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (65%)
11. Sikhism (61%)
12. Islam (58%)
13. Seventh Day Adventist (56%)
14. Jainism (55%)
15. Mahayana Buddhism (55%)
16. New Age (55%)
17. Orthodox Quaker (55%)
18. Eastern Orthodox (53%)
19. Roman Catholic (53%) ...
This is pretty much what I expected. Not that I practice Baha'i faith or even know what it is. I was raised and am a practicing Catholic, but I have a good deal of ambivalence about certain tenets of the church and feel very strongly about others. My spirituality really comes from my involvement in a 12 step fellowship. That really informs my Catholicism. Very cool survey though.

http://www.dance.net/topic/8530522/3/Religion/What-religion-should-you-be.html&replies=61

How many Baha'is first heard of the Faith through taking a "What religion should you be" survey? I wonder. Baha'is are found, not made. -gw

Posted via email from bahai music

2009-12-21T21:14:00.001-08:00

I first started posting to Baha'i Music on 9/11, 10 days before I started a Baha'i Views blog on posterous. I have posted 90 times on this site, not counting this post. Total post views amount to 15,479 total. Site views number 3,404 to date, bringing the total to 18,883 views altogether.

The content on http://bahaimusic.posterous.com/, like the content on http://bahaiviews.posterous.com/, is autoposted to four other blogs, Baha'i Views on WordPress, Bahai Views on Blogger, Defense of Faith, and Teaching the Baha'i Faith. The total views for both posterous blogs (Baha'i Music's 18,883 + Baha'i Views' 35,396) is 54,279. -gw

Posted via email from bahai music

2009-12-21T13:44:00.001-08:00

I started posting Baha'i Views content on posterous on Sept 21st, the fall equinox. Today is the winter solstice, Dec 21st. Today I tallied up the figures for http://bahaiviews.posterous.com/. Not counting this one, I have put up 238 individual posts so far. Those posts have garnered 30,714 views. Additionally, there have been 4682 site views over the past quarter. Add the two figures together, and there are 35,396 total views on posterous. I continue to autopost the same content to Baha'i Views on WordPress, Bahai Views on Blogger, Defense of Faith, and Teaching the Baha'i Faith. I'll tally up those figures before the end of the (Gregorian) year.

On NOT Elevating the Discourse of Society: Lou Dobbs Talks One World Government, The New World Order & Copenhagen

2009-12-21T10:03:00.001-08:00

Egress and regress. Affimation and negation. Integration and disintegration.

We can point with our Internet finger to affirm practices that will carry mankind into the future or we can point at practices that are clearly destructive. Elevating the Discourse of Society is a new blog for Baha'is on the Internet you might want to check out.

Elevating discourse is, of course, a goal that Baha'is nobly aim towards. Below is an example of what, in my view, is an example of discourse that is in the destructive category. That the commentator is unabashed and well-known only underlines the the fact of the decline of society, which he rails against, yet actually represents.

On Devotions at Rocky's This Time: The Covenant and cornbread

2009-12-20T21:49:00.001-08:00

Rocky has come many times to the Thursday night Baha'i devotional in our home. Today Bonita and I went for the first time to the monthly devotional that is held in his home. What a treat it was to be with the friends, hear their prayers and testimonies, and meet Rocky's wife. Rocky calls her Zee. She is Catholic and a long-time science teacher. She loves Egyptian history about the time of the pharaohs, of which there is much evidence in the house. Rocky and Zee love their kids and grandkids as the many family pictures all around the house attest.

We hung around in the kitchen until all the friends had arrived, then we all gathered in the living room for our prayers and reflections, returning to the kitchen for a potluck brunch afterwards. Early early to arrive and almost last to leave, we enjoyed the conversations all around. I particularly enjoyed watching the game of dominoes that was in progress. We look forward to coming back, next time with Sharoma, Charles, Rashid, Kim and Dylan, other dear souls who know Rocky and will appreciate his hospitality just as much we did. -gw

On Learning How to Line Up: During a Ruhi Book 3 refresher Baha'i tutors put it all on the line

2009-12-20T19:23:00.001-08:00

> It should be remembered that the purpose of the main sequence of courses in the Ruhi

> Institute's program, and its various branches, is the development of human resources -

> - in this specific case, Baha'i children's class teachers. The materials provided in

> Books 3 and 5 to create lessons for the children, as well as those in the books yet to

> come, can only be as effective as the teachers who use them. The success, then, of a

> national community in establishing a program for the spiritual education of its young

> people, with regular classes for different age groups, will depend largely on its efforts

> to systematically develop the capability of its teachers through a vibrant institute

> process.

Course Outline for Book 5

Ruhi Book 5: Teaching Children's Classes, Grade 2

Last weekend we held a Ruhi Book 3 refresher in our home on teaching Baha'i children's classes effectively . It was a powerful three hours, more powerful perhaps than anyone quite expected. The fun-est part was practicing lining up. We were on a roll with our role-playing. -gw

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/inglis-defends-everest-actions/2006/05/26/1148524861553.html

On Seeking Danger in Extreme Sports: Underlying it may be the oppression of a soul searching for meaning

2009-12-20T18:44:00.001-08:00

"I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. They don't give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesn't impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die," Hillary was quoted as saying. ...

"I think David was number seven of at least 13 who died this year. Some people a lot closer to me have died on Everest this year . . . the tragedy of climbing Everest, especially these days, is that so often you're stepping over bodies," Inglis said.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

Uploaded by katherinesmithton434 on 30 Jul 09, 11.44AM PST on flickr

I was struck by a brief reference made by Peter Khan in a talk given on July 3, 2009 reflecting on the Ridvan Message. It was an observation on extreme sports. I thought about the crush of climbers wanting to climb Mt Everest. -gw

Today we see the desperation of the search for truth and meaning. It takes its form in adherence to a variety of substitutes for true religion. ...

Indulging in extreme behavior to fill the spiritual vacuum, and maybe absorption in alcohol, involvement in narcotics or in promiscuity, or even deliberately seeking dangers in extreme sports, underlying that I see the oppression of a soul searching for meaning, looking for the truth, exactly as Baha’u’llah describes in Kitab-i-Iqan, and being driven by the desperation of that search to become involved in things we know are self destructive as well as unsatisfying to that need.

2009-12-19T22:52:00.001-08:00

Mr Ali Nakhjavani answers questions from the participants at the 2009 Portuguese Baháí Summer School, in a fascinating series of videos taken by Marco. One of the questions answered is this one: What is the wisdom of being only men on the Universal House of Justice? -gw

marco1963 uploaded a new video (1 day ago)

Mr Ali Nakhjavani (1)

(9 hours ago)

Ali Nakhjavani (2)
Mr Ali Nakhjavani answers questions from the participants at the Baháí Summer School: "What is the wisdom of being only men on the Universal House of Justice?" "Will the number of House members increase in the future?"

marco1963 uploaded a new video

(8 hours ago)

Ali Nakhjavani (3)
Mr Ali Nakhjavani answers questions from the participants at the Baháí Summer School. "Are we puppets in the hands of God?"

marco1963 uploaded a new video

(8 hours ago)

Ali Nakhjavani (4) Mr Ali Nakhjavani shares some memories of Shoghi Effendi

http://discourseofsociety.wordpress.com/2009/12/

On Analyzing the Effectiveness of the Baha'i Presence on the Internet: Baha'is, share your your learnings

2009-12-19T22:12:00.001-08:00

Mapa de Internet 6

Any Baha'i who has a presence on the Internet should consider sharing his/her insights on this blog and become in a participant in a unique learning experiment. -gw

What are we trying to achieve when we communicate on the internet?

Are we just trying to convey information about ourselves or are we trying make a positive impact with friends, neighbors and coworkers?

How do we constructively contribute to a different type of culture on the Internet, whether through concepts, language, use of technology, or creation of spaces that truly reflect Bahá’í vision, ideals and spirit?

Are we just riding the Internet wave and not innovating?

Can spiritual empowerment occur through the Internet?

Can we increase our community of interest through electronic social networks?

Is there a role for intensive use of the internet during the various phases of Intensive Programs of Growth?

If you are interested in exploring some of these questions together, you are invited to participate in a learning experiment. We are attempting to gain more information on three interrelated key points:

How is the internet being used to explore the teachings of the Faith with others?
How is the internet being used to elevate the discourse of society?
If you are not currently involved in this purposeful use of the internet, what are some ways that you could engage others on the internet to produce a purposeful result?

We would then like you to share your learning, successes and failures, to this blog as a central point of capture. Share you strategies and lines of actions. Update your progress and the advancements you have made. Our goal is to collect a large amount of learning for analysis on the effectiveness of our presence on the internet. In addition, we hope to elevate the discourse of society by having more and more people consciously thinking about the ideas presented here and then purposefully communicate in a way that addresses these ideas.

You should feel free to contribute to this experiment anonymously if you like. You may also wish to review position papers for ideas and guidance at <www.bcca.org/bia>. Data from this blog will be gather and analyzed by the Bahá’í Internet Agency.

http://gardenofmind.blogspot.com/2009/12/searching-for-meaning-of-life-contd.html

2009-12-19T21:34:00.001-08:00

http://gardenofmind.blogspot.com/

This is one of those extraordinarily focused Baha'i blogs that explores its topics with great depth. It's posts pack an emotional wallop. -gw

When I was back in China, though able to develop the intellectual part of me (my mind), I could not find anything that was beautiful enough, perfect enough and noble enough for me to devote my whole heart to it. And at my early phase of religious experience, I found the beauty and the perfection in the teachings of Christ that I could devote my heart for, but I have to try hard to suppress my mind not to question anything I learned. I dreaded the moment when I shall one day come face to face to my Lord and have to confess that I could not devote all my heart to His beauty because my mind was in the way. Now I am free from all these worries. I can freely exercise my rational capacity to seek truth and add the truth to the beauty that I can love wholeheartedly. Truth must be beautiful and beauty cannot be false. Everything becomes one and I become whole. My life is no longer divided into two parts that can not be reconciled, and my mind and my heart no longer have to play game against each other. If one day I shall come and submit myself at that Holy Threshold, I can unreservedly with all my heart, all my mind and all my being say to my Lord: "I believed."

On the Holiday Reinhorn Interview on ABC News Radio: She learned of the Baha'i Faith through her husband Rainn Wilson

2009-12-19T21:15:00.001-08:00

abcnewsradio December 15, 2009

Tags: holiday reinhorn big cats the office rainn wilson

http://www.bahai.no/935.0.html

On the Lyrics to 81 Baha'i Songs: When you want them quick

2009-12-19T21:02:00.001-08:00

Want to find the lyrics to lots of Baha'i songs fast? Here are the lyrics to 81 Baha'i songs all crammed onto one page to quickly scroll down.

On the Candle Dance for a Baha'i Holy Day: Circle round in adoration

2009-12-19T20:50:00.001-08:00

The song is familiar, known throughout the Baha'i world. The dance performed by youth at the Penang Baha'i Centre during the celebration of the Birth of the Bab this past October to the song is astounding in its simple beauty. -gw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candid_photography

On a Candid Look at Baha'i Life: Without pretense

2009-12-19T20:27:00.001-08:00

Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than technique, on the immersion of a camera within events rather than focusing on setting up a staged situation .... Candid photography is best described as un-posed and unplanned, immediate and unobtrusive.

The photography I most admire is candid. I deeply appreciate the efforts of Baha'is who put up photos and videos that represent Baha'i community life, pure and simple. No need to be fancy. Baha'i life in all its reality is amazing enough. Here is video of devotions in Conway SC. It is joyous worship of people from all walks of life, young and old, black and white, without pretense. --gw

On Dylan and Kim Attend Their First Baha'i Fireside: I.e, a really cool home party, often with music and usually with food

2009-12-19T13:54:00.001-08:00

Dylan and Kim attend their first Baha'i fireside. Kim is new to the area as of this fall and a new Baha'i. Dylan learned of the Faith through her. The Baha'i fireside, Baha'i jargon for informational meeting /slash/ really cool home party, often with music and usually with food, was at Chris & Shadi's who have been hosting monthly firesides in their home for 16 years.

http://www.bahai.us/bahai-faith-in-america

On What Made the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago Grand: The World's Parliament of Religions, which brought together religious teachers of all faiths & lands

2009-12-18T06:51:00.001-08:00

History of the U.S. Baha'i Community

The Baha'i Faith was first mentioned in the United States in 1893 by a Presbyterian missionary at the World's Parliament of Religions held during the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The following year, Thornton Chase, a Chicago insurance manager, became the first American Baha'i. By the end of 1894 four other Americans had also become Baha’is. The Baha'i Faith spread quickly and groups formed in cities across the country. In 1909 the first National Convention was held and 39 delegates from 36 cities attended.

What was the Columiban Exposition like, during which the Baha'i Faith was first mentioned in America? You may be amazed at how grand an event it was. Check out the extensive photos and text here: http://www.chicagohistory.org/history/expo/photos.html -gw

In association with the Columbian Exposition, the World's Congress Auxiliary conducted 224 congresses, ranging in subject from Agriculture to Woman's Progress, at the then recently constructed Art Institute building. Printed programs show 1,283 sessions at which 5,978 addresses were delivered by 4,822 speakers. The congresses' attendance was estimated at 700,000. The most notable was the World's Parliament of Religions, which brought together religious teachers of all faiths and from all lands for a discussion of their various tenets.

http://www.chicagohistory.org/history/expo/ex3.html

Thanks, Canadian friend. -gw

They Do Not Speak In My Name | Treasures of Wonderment

On a Baha'i Mention on the Unicef Site

2009-12-17T22:00:00.001-08:00

Hi George,
I stumbled across this article on the UNICEF blog. The caption of the second photo mentions Baha'i Botswana:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/botswana_52187.html
Anne http://www.anne99.blogspot.com/

Indeed, Baha'is have a long-standing association with UNICEF. -gw

23 hours ago - The Baha'i international community has an accredited consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, and with UNICEF. ...
www.treasuresofwonderment.com/story/2009.../they-do-not-speak-my-name

Bahá'ís play key role behind the scenes in UNICEF concert at the ... - 12:49am

Baha'i Statement Library is a service of the Baha'i International Community. ... the concert featured the 300-voice UNICEF World Chorus - assembled by Mr. ...
www.onecountry.org/e141/e14105as_Locke_Lenz_story.htm -

Equality and the Girl Child — Baha'i International Community ... Interns, Insights & the Baha'i International Community's United Nations Office ... We share UNICEF's distress at the blatant neglect of girl children and ...
www.bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic.../92-0317.htm

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90862/6841431.html

On Climate Change and Cooperation Between China and the EU: Baha'i interviewed

2009-12-17T13:25:00.001-08:00

With the hot discussions aroused by the Copenhagen conference, the issue of China and the EU's cooperation in the new energy industries is also warming up. With changing climate, how will China and EU, two of the world's largest economies, work to strengthen their economic and trade ties? To what extent will the two sides contribute to curb global warming? When will the EU-China Partnership and Cooperation Agreement come out? Mr. Joerg Wuttke, President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and Mr. Yu Yuantang, Division Director for EU Affairs in the Ministry of Commerce, will share with us their opinions.

Mr. Wuttke, a Bahai, is interviewed. -gw

Mr. Wuttke became President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China in April 2007. He is also Chief Representative of BASF China, based in Beijing. He had worked with ABB for 11 years before he joined BASF in 1997. In fact his first professional encounter with China was in 1988 as the Finance and Administration Manager of ABB Beijing.
Mr. Wuttke is a Rotarian and a member of the European Bahai Business Foundation, a member of the advisory board of the Centre for International Business Ethics (CIBE) in Beijing and a member of the China advisory council of the Robert Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart, Germany.
Joerg Wuttke holds a BA in Business Administration and Economics from Mannheim and studied Chinese in Shanghai 1982 and in Taipei 1984-85.
A frequent speaker on business and industry issues in China, in 2005 he co-authored "The Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry in China" by Springer Publishing Trust. In 2008 he is featured in the book "My 30 years in China" as one of 13 prominent expatriates in China. People Daily's Special Book on "30 people reflect on 30 years China's Reform policy" features a long interview with Mr. Wuttke.
By People's Daily Online

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90862/6841431.html

Thanks to my Canadian correspondent for this. -gw

http://www.interfaith.org/forum/climate-ethics-at-copenhagen-conference-12413.html

On the Baha'i Worldview at Copenhagen: Of course

2009-12-17T09:57:00.001-08:00

Baha'is are at Copenhagen, of course. -gw

Acceptance of the ethical dimension of climate change has risen to a new level of importance in discussions at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, say members of the Baha'i delegation.
"It is no longer just a small group that is talking about the moral and ethical dimensions of the issue – these ideas are becoming part of the discourse at Copenhagen," said Duncan Hanks, executive director of the Canadian Baha'i International Development Agency.
"We hear it from people at the podium, in discussions in the hallways, and we see it on banners saying things like 'Climate justice now,'" he said.
Peter Adriance, another member of the Baha'i delegation, said the focus on ethics and justice has also helped bring about a realization on the part of many at Copenhagen that climate change must be considered beyond the bounds of domestic politics

To read the full article and see the photographs, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/742

For the Baha'i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/

On Counting Heads & Hearts in Cluster 19 WA: Good counting

2009-12-16T22:37:00.001-08:00

We count everything in this new Baha'i era. Numbers attending the core activities, those who have completed courses of the Training Institute, the number of friends participating in the Intensive Programes of Growth, homes visited, Feast and Holy Day attendance -- in a word, everything.

We were Institute "pioneers," an early "A" Cluster -- too early some might say -- but we are finding our stride now. Our Cluster starting keeping track of numbers five years ago this month. If I read the statistics right (and my math isn't off), the Baha'i population in Pierce County WA is 90.1% larger now than it was in December of 2004. Maybe we're finally getting good at counting. -gw

On Design Simplicity: Videos for teaching with a laptop

2009-12-16T21:45:00.001-08:00

I love the overall design simplicity of this collection of videos. What great teaching tools! O -gw

The Human Family

2 months ago 128 0 0

Draft for evaluation only

Diversity

11 months ago 67 1 0

Appreciating the beauty in the diversity of the human family. Not judging people by appearances. Everyone has a unique story.

The Golden Rule

11 months ago 71 1 0

God's Religion is renewed from age to age. Every religion has a season. The concept of 'Progressive Revelation' is explained. The 'Golden Rule' is common to all religions. It demonstrates the similarity between the spiritual teachings of all religions.

Culture of Growth

11 months ago 66 2 1

Seeing the End in the Beginning - The Training Institute Process

Children - Light or Darkness

11 months ago 37 0 0

Every child is potentially the light of the world - and at the same time its darkness; wherefore must the question of education be accounted as of primary importance (Abdul-Bahá) Childhood is but for a day, ere you are aware, it will be gone with all its gifts forever. (George Townshend) The importance […]

Perfect Mirror

11 months ago 67 0 0

If we are lovers of the light we adore it in whatever lamp it may become manifest but if we love the lamp itself and the light is transferred to another lamp we will neither accept nor sanction it.

Divine Physician

11 months ago 64 1 0

The All-Knowing Physician has His finger on the pulse of mankind. In every age, He perceives the disease, and prescribes the remedy.

Walking the Spiritual Path

11 months ago 63 0 1

Following the example of Abdu'l-Baha in His life of love and service

World of Matrix

11 months ago 86 1 0

The concept of Life after Death. The parallel drawn between life of a fetus in preparation for this life, and the life here in preparation for the life after.

Power of the Human Spirit

11 months ago 97 0 0

'The greatest power in the realm and range of human existence is spirit' (Addu'l-Baha). Each individual has the power to accomplish significant achievements.

On Rainn Wilson in Nicaragua: Baha'i pioneer at age 4

2009-12-16T21:14:00.001-08:00

We all know from the Oprah interview that Rainn Wilson was a security guard at the Baha'i House of Worship north of Chicago in 1984. Did you know that he was a Baha'i pioneer in Nicaragua when he was 4? -gw

From: Northwest BahaiLibrary

Date: Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Subject: Rainn Wilson Baha'i pioneer at age 4

FYI:

Here's an old photo of Rainn Wilson, age 4, when he and his parents were Baha'i pioneers in Bluefields, Nicaragua, August 1970 with two other American Baha'is. Pictured left to right is step-mother Kristin Wilson, Michael Dunlap, father Robert G. Wilson, and Steven McKinstry.

From the Northwest Baha'i Library photo collection

On Life After Death:The World of the Matrix

2009-12-16T21:09:00.001-08:00

Tonight, after watching a segment of Rainn with Oprah and a bit of Arising the Serve, we continued our Baha'i Ruhi Book 1 study class on the soul and its progress. We had our laptop at the ready. We checked out the beautiful ceilling of the Sistine Chapel in a discussion of what God does NOT look like. We watched Welcoming a New Soul on GoogleVideo. This video on life after death we could have watched as well.

http://www.iranpresswatch.org/post/5343

On a New Trial Date Set for Friends in Iran: January 12th

2009-12-16T12:26:00.001-08:00

prison-city ou l'origine de peace-city زندان شهر

Uploaded by soheil aryan on 24 Jan 09, 8.09PM PST on flickr

My alert on this came via Alexander. -gw

Trial date announced for seven Baha’i “leaders” held in Tehran’s Evin Prison
December 16th, 2009

(BWNS) Attorneys in Iran have received formal notification of a trial date of 12 January in the case of the five men and two women who were arrested in the spring of 2008 and have been held in Tehran’s Evin Prison for more than a year and a half.

The seven Bahá’ís formerly comprised the small group that had been attending to the spiritual and social needs of the several hundred thousand Bahá’ís of Iran.

On Soaring After Louhelen: Homeboys all

2009-12-15T23:08:00.001-08:00

I was a broken-winged bird, didnt know how to fly
Never once felt worthy of the title Bahai
Realigned myself with the calling of Baha
Now Im serving neath the banner Ya Bahaul-Abha
I was a lost nightingale, didnt know how to sing
Royal falcon swoopin in and unfolds my drooping wings
Service to my fellow man is service to my Lord
Was a broken-winged bird, now I know how to soar

http://www.getacd.org/listen_wzfLL8c_KOo/broken_winged_bird

"Broken-Winged Bird," a rap video by Shameem Moshrefzadeh filmed at Louhelen Baha'i School, has Tacoma homeboy Isaac included in the footage. Yeah Isaac! -gw

http://www.chilean-temple.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

On a Structure of Light: With a dome of nine wings

2009-12-15T22:10:00.001-08:00

“There was this really wonderful quote in our Baha’i writings that when a person becomes transformed, their inner being becomes a structure of light; people recognize your radiance,” Hariri says. “So I thought, What does that mean architecturally? How do you create a structure of light?”

“…a dome of nine wings made from translucent alabaster that would glow softly from within at night and admit natural light into the interior during the day. Beneath the alabaster is an interior volume of perforated wood tracery; combined the two materials create a sense of dappled light shining through tree branches. “You’ll see an inner form and outer form,” Hariri explains. “We’re hoping that’s symbolic of a higher reading. There are inner and outer forms in all of us.”

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/hariri+pontarini

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?softrock&1266096907

On the Songs on the Summer Breeze Album: Including hauntingly beautiful excursions into Baha'i scripture

2009-12-15T21:54:00.001-08:00

The Seals & Crofts playlist is long. Think of just the songs on the Summer Breeze album.-gw

Summer Breeze offered an unusually ambitious array of music within a soft rock context -- most artists tried to avoid weighty subjects in such surroundings (except, of course, CSN or Simon & Garfunkel, who could pretty much get away with anything). The title track is one of those relentlessly appealing 1970s harmony-rock anthems, in the same mode as the Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music" and appropriately ubiquitous on the radio and in the memory; the guitar (electric and acoustic) and vocal hooks are all well-nigh irresistible. The rest varies in sound and focus. "Hummingbird" quotes from the Baha'i scriptures and has a segmented structure with a chantlike opening and a sharp change in tempo, which didn't stop it from becoming a hit, and for all of its beauty, the soaring Marty Paich-arranged orchestral accompaniment, highlighted by lofty strings and a gorgeous horn part, never eclipses the core sound of the duo's singing and their acoustic guitar/mandolin combination. "Funny Little Man" mixes understated harmonies and acoustic instruments into an extended break that could almost pass for a classical piece. "Say" asks a lot of serious philosophical questions amid its rapid beat and playful tone. "East of Ginger Trees" is a hauntingly beautiful excursion into more Baha'i scripture, with delectable harmonies, a gorgeous mandolin part, and one of the most exquisitely restrained uses of orchestra of its era. "Fiddle in the Sky" shifts the album into purer country territory, while "The Boy Down the Road" moves listeners into a country-folk vein with a spookily melodramatic tale. "The Euphrates" picks up the tempo, providing an upbeat take on the meaning of life that loses none of its inherent sense of wonder. "Advance Guards" has that same sense of wonder, conveying it in a slower, more luxuriant setting, and the record ends on a rougher-hewn note with the more beat-driven, electric guitar-heavy "Yellow Dirt." Summer Breeze was the most highly regarded of all of Seals & Crofts' albums, a fact reflected by its reissue as part of the all too short-lived Warner Archives series in 1995, which also accounts for its far better than average sound.

http://spraveenitpro.blogspot.com

What Matters Now.........Dec 16 2009

2009-12-15T16:16:00.001-08:00

Download now or preview on posterous

23711234-What-Matters-Now.pdf (3167 KB)

Movers and shakers

Seth Godin

Anne Jackson

Jessica Hagy

Jacqueline Novogratz

Hugh MacLeod

Elizabet Gilbert

Howard Mann

Chris Meyer

Michael Hyatt

Rajesh Setty

etc.

Let me add to the list....Praveen. -gw

"What Matters Now" is the work of more than 60 people with big ideas and something to say. It may inspire you to make some changes in 2010, and to keep doing work that matters.

Warm Greetings,
Praveen

On a World Language - Esperanto: Google celebrates Zamonhof's 150th birthday

2009-12-15T15:43:00.001-08:00

When I clicked on Google today, I asked, "What's with the flag?" I open my Gmail and see the answer in Robert's email. -gw

From: Northwest Bahai Library

http://www.huliq.com/7504/89672/ll-zamenhof-honored-google

Zamonhof Birthday 12-15-2009

On Managing Disappointment: Baha'is experience peaks and valleys in their efforts to teach the Faith

2009-12-14T23:10:00.001-08:00

Deb, Bonita and Walter discuss the experience of disappointment while teaching the Faith. It helps for the Baha'i friends to be able to share and reflect with each other. -gw

On the Walter's Back At It Devotional: Accountability

2009-12-14T22:48:00.001-08:00

After a lapse of three weeks or so, Walter is able to join us for our regular Thursday night Baha'i devotions. -gw

http://www.backtype.com/anonymous/comment/00056f25f4dd5ae4000000005a150fbf

On Claims of Truth: To label the Baha'i concept of unity as “exclusive” because it negates the claims to exclusivity of those it means to unite is absurd

2009-12-14T11:42:00.001-08:00

"Inclusivity: Custom Belt Buckle" Uploaded by ClifFlo on 12 Dec 09, 2.52PM PST.

More on exclusivity vs. inclusivity. -gw

You:
I am sure you appreciate that that statement is a claim to exclusive truth of its own. You are claiming to know that the distinguishing features of religions that separate themselves from each other are merely man-made. By what authority, besides your fallacious appeal to authority in declaring yourself well-versed in holy books, do you make this claim.

Me:
With all due respect, your usage of the word “exclusive” is so broad as to make it meaningless. To label a concept of unity as “exclusive” because it negates the claims to exclusivity of those it means to unite is as absurd as saying sobriety is really just another form of drunkenness, so it’s no better than going on a bender.

I make no appeal to authority, fallacious or otherwise. I am merely pointing out what in my opinion are self-evident historical facts which can be checked and verified by anyone. For example, within the fold of Christianity alone there are hundreds of sects & denominations, all with widely divergent ideas on theology, eschatology, soteriology etc. Some Christian groups hold beliefs closer to Hinduism or Buddhism than to other Christians! These differences did not arise from differing source texts: all possess the same original New Testament. They arose from differing opinions & interpretations, the opinions & interpretations of fallible (& stubborn) human beings, which clearly demonstrates that there are hundreds of different ways of reading the same text. This has been going on ever since Christ ascended to His Father over 2000 years ago. The same phenomenon has occurred in just about every other major religion.

On Morning Exercise: Praise be the Lord, hallelujah!

2009-12-13T20:17:00.001-08:00

If this doesn't make you want to get up off your feet, nothing will. -gw

On the Pierce Peninsula (Gig Harbor) WA Baha'i Children's Class: Recent photos

2009-12-13T20:05:00.001-08:00

Our ATC has requested that the friends their photos to me of core activities for use as part of a slide slow during out next Cluster Reflection Meeting. Here are the latest photos I've received, these of the Baha'i children's classes in Gig Harbor. A photo set taken by my wife of the Leaves of Grass Baha'i Children's Class several years ago have remained among my favorites among the 6000 photos on our Flickr site. I am so glad to have this updated set, taken by Chris, and must share here. If ever child had the benefit of the quality of experiences portrayed here, our world would be a profoundly different place than it is now. -gw

On Mirrors Upon Which No Dust Has Fallen: Young children

2009-12-13T19:42:00.001-08:00

"The hearts of all children are of the utmost purity. They are mirrors upon which no dust has fallen. But this purity is on account of weakness and innocence, not on account of any strength and testing, for as this is the early period of their childhood, their hearts and minds are unsullied by the world. They cannot display any great intelligence. They have neither hypocrisy nor deceit. This is on account of the child's weakness, whereas man becomes pure through his strength." - Abdu'l-Baha

These pictures were taken by Chris at the Gig Harbor children's class. The teacher is Tahirih. -gw

On Tags: Music Dizzy Gillespie Mike Longo big band jazz music concerts in New York

2009-12-13T19:25:00.001-08:00

Mike Longo, a former protege of Oscar Peterson is best known as the long time pianist and musical director of the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. Here he leads his big band the New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble in a concert from the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium in New York's Baha'i Center on 12/01/09. This is an original composition and arrangement by Mike called "The Painting." Concerts are held there every Tuesday with world class jazz artists in honor of Dizzy Gillespie. The theater is located at 53 E. 11th St. between B'way and University Pl. Prices are kept low to encourage interest in this type of music. Gen. admission is $15.00 and students-$10,00

Category:

Music Tags: Dizzy Gillespie Mike Longo big band jazz music concerts in New York pianists live

What a great way to honor Dizzy Gillespie. -gw

On Feast of Masa'il: Unquestionable fellowship

2009-12-12T23:18:00.001-08:00

Here are the photos I took at Feast Friday night. -gw

Only Baha'is (of any age) can contribute to the Baha'i Funds, BTW. -gw

2009-12-12T23:01:00.001-08:00

(click here for larger image)

This is the story of the Little Red Hen. What if the Little Red Hen had been a Baha"i? How would the story had been different, considering this story of Abdu-l-Baha?-gw

Through the war years, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged the Bahá’ís in the Jordan River valley and on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to plant crops. The wheat they produced was distributed to the needy population of Haifa, saving it from starvation.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás

Because it's the month of Questions

2009-12-12T22:30:00.001-08:00

The Feast of Questions has inspired Leif. -gw

Dear ones,

Because it is the month of Questions I started making a list of questions posed in the Writings of God.

Feel free to add to via this form if you come across any in your reading. Share if you like.

A bit arbitrary? yes

Potentially useful to someone in some way? i don't know

Much love, Leif

2009-12-11T23:03:00.001-08:00

Google "Baha'i." Then go to show options, images, icon, face, and any color. These are some of the results.-gw


I find myself drawn to 45 x 45 - 2k - jpg wildculturecafe...	Baha'i Jewelry 48 x 48 - 3k - jpg flickr.com	Open source freak, 48 x 48 - 2k - jpg twellow.com	World Citizen, 48 x 48 - 3k - jpg twellow.com	Baha'i Faith 3 40 x 40 - 2k yelp.com


		Baha'i teacher, 50 x 50 - 3k - jpg facebook.com	I am Baha'i, 48 x 48 - 15k - jpg soulpancake.com


United for Baha'i 50 x 50 - 4k - gif blogcatalog.com	Super Baha'i Girl 50 x 50 - 7k - jpg comicbookreligion.com	Baha'i Faith - 48 x 48 - 9k - jpg community.beliefnet.com

On coming of age in the Baha'i Faith: Andy Grammar's ode to Illianna

2009-12-11T17:31:00.001-08:00

Surprise 15th birthday song. -gw

http://onebahai.blogspot.com/2009/12/daily-prayers-and-habits.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

On the Baha'i Lingo of Growth: What's a cluster?

2009-12-11T16:40:00.001-08:00

But for those of you who don't know the lingo: a cluster is a geographical area, based upon socio-economic considerations, defining an area of similarity, in order to assess the spiritual needs and development of the community. The cluster in which I live is centred around Winnipeg.
The region in which I live is Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, which was swiftly, and appropriately, dubbed the SNOMAN region. Within this region, the cluster in question focussed around the cities of Regina, Fort Qu'Appelle and Moose Jaw, with all towns and Reserves between.
An intensive program of growth is an on-going and sustainable development project in which the Baha'i community is active and effective enough to begin creating a healthy change in the dynamics of civilization itself within said area.
Simply put, the Baha'is of an area get together and begin offering children's classes, junior youth groups, adult education classes and devotional gatherings for the purpose of growing and developing a new culture. This new culture, by the way, is based upon spiritual principals and service to humanity.

http://bahaikipedia.org/Cluster

On Heartland Baha'i School: In a Wordle

2009-12-11T16:01:00.001-08:00

http://www.wordle.net/. Images of Wordles are licensed .

How do you describe a Baha'i school? In a Wordle. -gw

On Overcoming the Discomfort When a Tune Gets Stuck in Your Head: A paradoxical approach

2009-12-11T12:36:00.001-08:00

Tim is walking the equivalent of the distance around the world. Little by little, day by day. For fun and exercise. He says he has a desk job (he publishes the Guild of American Luthiers quarterly) and has to get out from time to time. Anyway, Tim knows a lot of tunes; has listened to a lot of music over the years. Tunes sometimes get stuck in his head during those hours of meditative walking. He uses a paradoxical approach in getting over the mild discomfort of tune stuckness. Here is a snippet of his explanation. -gw

http://www.joshuaproject.net/definitions.php

On the 10/40 Window: Tough for Christians, easier for Baha'is

2009-12-11T11:10:00.001-08:00

Christianity has had a tough time expanding within the 10/40 window, whereas the Baha'i Faith has had relative success. -gw

On a Men's Accountability Group: Combining climbing, biking, fishing, and bowling with study circles

2009-12-11T09:00:00.001-08:00

How's this, what Baha'is in Cluster 19, are doing to help build more spiritual communities?

Why Do we Do things the way they are always done?

2009-12-10T23:19:00.001-08:00

Download now or preview on posterous

How is a paradigm formed.ppt (294 KB)

Praveen brought this to my attention. -gw

http://www.backtype.com/anonymous/comment/00056f25f4dd5ae40000000099c80be5?ref=3

On Prefering Vain Imaginings to the Truth of God: Or Read the Kitab-Iqan

2009-12-10T14:17:00.001-08:00

If it works for you, then is that all that matters?

on Psalm Trees from 1 day ago

As a religion nerd who has actually read the source texts and holy books of almost every "major" religion (Christianity - all kinds, Judaism - all kinds, Buddhism - all kinds, Islam - all kinds, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism - several kinds, Sikhism, Baha'i Faith), I can appreciate your position but must say your concerns & objections are easily dealt with when one understands that it is not the original religions that disagree, but rather their adherents, due to the accumulated detritus of hundreds of years of human commentary, opinion & interpretation. When one returns to the source - without preconceptions!! - it is apparent that there is no conflict. It is only our fossilized ideas that cause us to be incapable of recognizing the underlying harmony of religious Truth-with-a-capital-T. It is easy to scoff at this when faced with the overwhelming "evidence" of conflict in the world and the vitriolically opposed doctrines of men, but as we have been told in every Revelation, the majority of mankind is sleep-walking, blind and deaf, preferring their own vain imaginings to the Truth of God. Also, Muslims actually do believe Jesus was the Messiah. He is even called that in the Qur'an in multiple verses.If you are not familiar with it, I highly recommend the "Kitab-i-Iqan" or Book of Certitude by Baha'u'llah, which addresses many of the issues you raise in this post.

Following comments on BackType is fun. -gw

On the 2º Edição do Canto do Rouxinol News: Understand every word

2009-12-10T09:35:00.001-08:00

The creative endeavors of Baha'i youth, via youthful Sam, com amor. -gw

http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=20091208_11_A11_hTULSA344853

On Entering This Plane of Existence and Leaving It: Two souls

2009-12-10T09:25:00.001-08:00

This week news from near and far via email and the Internet. Charles was the poet of Black Oak Tree, a dear friend whom I met in the elevator where I work and who went on, with his wife Peggy, to become a fellow believer in the Cause. Tanja is the blogger of Child of Africa whom I first met on LiveJournal, and who a year ago gained a companion, Rambod, with whom to labor in God's vineyard. -gw

Dear Friends, Charles has passed to the Abha Kingdom this morning (12/5). His presence here will be missed, but he will be one of the souls aiding and cheering us on from the Abha Kingdom.

King, Charles Norris, 70, Navy senior master chief, died Saturday. Service 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel, Broken Arrow.

Tanja's blog image:

Dear family and friends, We are thrilled to announce the arrival of John Sargent Hashemi (Lan Kai), who was born December 9th, 2009 at 1:06 am in Beijing, People's Republic of China, and weighed 8.9 pounds! Little Johnny is strong, happy and perfect in every way! With love, Tanja and Rambod

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/518416/word_cloud

On a New Believer's Toolkit Weekend: One of the names of God is Fashioner, because He loveth craftsmanship

2009-12-09T22:51:00.001-08:00

Above were the comments of Immaculate reflecting at our devotional meeting last week upon an activity at the New Believer's Toolkit held at Karen and Frederick's home a month ago. Below are some pictures, taken by Irv. -gw

On Famous African American Baha'is: Asa Bundy Sheffey, John Birks Gillespie and Fayard Nicholas

2009-12-09T22:34:00.001-08:00

fayard Nicholas and me.

I got to meet dance legend Fayard Nicholas when he was in the hospital in DC. I brought him food and we sat and talked about the old movie and music stars of the 30's and 40's. It was great, he and I talked like we were old friends, mostly because I am such a fan of that era's movies and music. He told me stories about Glenn Miller and Gene Kelly and it was just wonderful.

Uploaded by Banana Donuts ~ Half Baked Photography on 11 Apr 08, 6.49PM PST on flickr.

Herein I learn of poet Robert Hayden's real name. -gw

On Banning the Baha'i: Big News in 2009

2009-12-09T15:02:00.001-08:00

Banning the Baha'i - The Top 10 Everything of 2009 - TIME

32 tweets retweet

TIME.COM - Treatment of Baha'is in Iran named in Top 10 Religion Stories by Time Magazine, http://bit.ly/5sNR0q #bahai #iran #bahairights

First tweeted by PupaKat.

It's not just the Baha'is who care about this. -gw

Uploaded on March 5, 2009 by joolmp on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic

2009-12-09T14:33:00.001-08:00

Dear friends and family, near and far. Yes, it's time for our annual end-of-year letter, and let me start by wishing you all a very merry Xmas - and to our Jewish friends, a happy Hanukkah! And to our Muslim friends, a pleasant Eid al-Fitr! And to our little Baha'i friend, Tony, well, we don't know what to wish you because we don't know what you celebrate - you say you believe in all faiths but that's a little vague and non-committal so we'll just wish you a nice summer break.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/another-good-year-in-the-katz-home-20091209-kk30.html

Tony, tell him about Ayyam-i-Ha. -gw

On D2D in Clusters WA: Baha'is invite their neighbors to participate in core activities to build spiritual community

2009-12-09T12:45:00.001-08:00

On a very cold night Baha'i friends in Issaquah-Sammamish gathered in preparation for door-to-door teaching in three designated neighborhoods during their Intensive Program of Growth this weekend and next.-gw

WA 15 is also doing some D2D teaching this weekend, too. Pretty exciting, huh! -gw

A group of friends from Sector 6 in Seattle will be using the expansion phase this weekend to launch a D2D campaign to introduce the core actitivities in a four block area of their neighborhood. The friends are ready to support the consolidation. The friends in Sector 6 can support at least one of each core activity in the neighborhood. As a beginning D2D activity last weekend, they found a couple of Jr. Youth in the neighborhood and are launching a Jr. Youth program.

On Baha'is and Christmas: Being well-wishers of all religions

2009-12-08T06:50:00.001-08:00

My colleagues from work -- we are all mental health counselors -- gather after work for a holiday party in the home of one member of the team. We have a potluck meal together, complete with Christmas desserts of the decadent kind, then continue with a tradition of a gift exchange of used books we think our colleagues may appreciate. -gw

Baha'is and Christmas - Baha'i Baha´is and Christmas and overview of the Baha´i Faith and Christmas Holiday. - Baha'is and Christmas - Baha'i is a personally written site at BellaOnline. www.bellaonline.com/articles/art26693.asp

Ayyam-i-ha: A Uniquely Baha'i Celebration - Baha'i

My husband and I have never really celebrated Christmas because we are both Baha'is. His whole family is Baha'i; however, my family does celebrate Christmas ... www.bellaonline.com/articles/art55034.asp

Baha'i gift-giving season follows different cycle | Bahai Faith ... Jun 28, 2006 ... But in our home we don't put up a Christmas tree or buy each other gifts. We save that for Ayyam-i-Ha. The Baha'i Faith has very few rituals ... www.bahai.us/node/67

Baha'is and the winter holidays | Bahai Faith | Baha'i Faith Dec 18, 2008 ... I became a Baha'i on the first day of my second year in college, in 1973. I experienced my first Christmas ever a few months later as a new ... www.bahai.us/winter-holidays

http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/Laldasa-Chapter-Sixteen

On Writing Transracially: And multiracially

2009-12-07T12:09:00.001-08:00

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff is a writer. -gw

Maybe because I’m a Baha’i and interracial harmony has been woven into the fabric of my life, but I’ve always taken “write what you know” to mean “know it; then write about it.”

To me, writing is exploration, and I am fascinated with the exploration of other people’s experiences. So most of my protagonists are transracial, and often multiracial. All the characters in Laldasa are Indian; Taco Del (of TD and the Fabled Tree of Destiny) is a young Latino and his love interest is a red-haired Chinese girl who’s surname is Flanigan; Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko (of Tinkerbell on Walkabout” is Japanese/Russian/American, her love interest (in the novel I’m trying to sell) bears more than a passing resemblance to Antonia Banderas.

Now, it has been suggested to me that this is why the novel has not sold and why at least one marketing director has said she didn’t know how to market it—transracial characters are feared not to to be “of interest” to the reading demographic—that is, white American females).

I sincerely hope this is not the case, because I have always written transracial characters and have every intention of continuing to do so.

http://blog.bookviewcafe.com/2009/12/04/transracial-writing-for-the-sincere/

On a Photographic Series on Half-Persian Families: The truth of the persecution, 2009

2009-12-07T07:56:00.001-08:00

Download now or preview on posterous

Shahriar Invite.pdf (105 KB)

Another valuable artistic offering from World Art Collective.

Shahriar Asdollah-Zadeh:

The Truth About the Persecution

, 2009

Displacement of a generation

In my photographic/sound series, I am addressing the Baha’i Persian Diaspora that happened in the 1980’s post Iranian revolution. Thousands upon thousands of Persian Bahá’ís left Iran when the fanatical regime came to power. The Bahá’í communities in Iran are still being oppressed till this day and human rights violations are directed towards their communities. Thousands of Bahá’ís since 1979 have been killed, imprisoned, or otherwise oppressed. They are being persecuted solely because of their religious beliefs.

In my photographic series I have taken pictures of families, in which one of the spouses is Persian and has left their homeland due to the persecution. They have married into new cultures, living in a new environment. They are displaced from their home land and extended families but they have begun a new life and family in another country. This act of displacement and place is what interested me. The children of these couples are identified to be half persian but they do not always carry that identity of place or culture. They speak broken Farsi, somtimes identifying english as their mother language and are unable to read or write in Farsi. They lack the identity of culture even though they carry the Persian names within their own names.

Just as important as the photographs are the names that the family members have inherited. They are hybrid combinations, of Persian and another ethnic group. This is what I find most fascinating.

Artist Biography

Born in 1985, Iloilo City, Philippines.

Shahriar came to New Zealand at the age of four. He is the son of a Persian father and Filipino mother whose relatives were executed in Iran in the 1980’s for their belief in the Bahá’í faith. His artwork marries contemporary art and the internet to examine issues of global social and human injustices, particularly the Declaration of Human Rights. Themes of persecution and resistance are recurrent in his practice.

Shahriar explores what can be achieved through the gesture of protest, combining contemporary mediums of practice and how they can influence the overall outcome. These were done through photography, sculpture, video, installation, sound, internet social networking websites and communication technology (e-mail and text messaging). To this date Shahriar has involved thousands of participants from around the world in his artworks. He says,

“I have always been interested in the power of technology, particularly the internet, in opening broad avenues of interaction among the world’s diverse populations. Artists are now able to use global communication as a medium to express the arts. They have the opportunity to utilise and tap into popular culture phenomena such as online social programmes and reach out to new audiences and like-minded people through cyber space. I want to engage those who have been previously unexposed to what contemporary art can achieve socially and expand beyond the confines of a traditional art gallery setting”.

Website: http://www.worldartcollective.org/

2009-12-07T04:58:00.001-08:00

This is a reason to go out and buy an iPhone, iPod Touch, a Blackberry, or an Android. -gw

Bahá’í eBooks Publications is a private initiative not associated with any Bahá’í institution or other publishing company. Its sole aim is to make the Bahá’í Sacred Writings available on portable devices to as wide an audience as possible and at no cost to the end user.
Initially, we have provided digitally formatted books for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch (download ‘over the air’ from your device by pressing the eReader button for each book), Blackberry and other smart phones as well as Barnes & Noble’s Nook and the PC using the eReader software (download links are on the Home Page). Books in formats for other devices such as the Sony Reader and Amazon’s Kindle will be added shortly. If you have a particular device and wish to have our eBooks in an easily readable form for that device, please add your request in the comment section below.
It is also our aim to provide the formatted books in French, German and Spanish over the coming year. Other languages may be added over time.
The Sacred Writings are copyrighted by the Bahá’í International Community, and are used with its permission in our formatted books.
The formatting of the books available from this website is copyrighted by Bahá’í eBooks Publications and no creation of derivative works, copying, modification or re-distribution of the files is permitted.
This site will keep changing to reflect the ever growing eBook market, so please check back periodically and see what has been added.
Bahá’í eBooks Publications

http://www.thelyricarchive.com/song/1091593-146349/He-Loves-You

On the Devil Is a Voxxy Liar: We're children in love

2009-12-06T21:03:00.001-08:00

Markal is a musician and a Baha'i. He plays with a blues band called Voxxy Vallejo. He called me up to ask me if I had listened yet to two songs by Seawind he had previously asked me to hear so I could add them to my music collection: "He Loves You " and the "Devil Is a Liar." I hadn't, but with his eager reminder, I did this evening.

Listen to our laughter
We're children in love
We were brought together
By the good Lord up above

We are singing songs that echo

Themes of love for you
Just listen with all your heart
And you can sing them too

Christian-inspired Seawind is not a new group. Their debut album came out in 1976 and contained the hit song, "The Devil Is a Liar," which earned the group a Grammy Award Nomination for Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist. They disbanded in 1982, but have done a recent reunion album. The devil is a liar and a metaphor.

Thanks, Markal, for the tunes. -gw

Bahá'ís have no belief in a devil as such. Bahá'u'lláh speaks of the "Satan of self" (Kitáb-í-Iqán), p. 72); thus we are responsible for our own behaviour.

http://www.bci.org/scotland/quest/unit6.htm

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/o/BNE/bne-172.html

On Hiking to Hugo Peak: Every mountain and hill shall be made low

2009-12-05T23:37:00.001-08:00

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Isa. xl, 1–5.

A crisp December day. Sunshine. Bonita and I were long overdue for a hike in nature. We made the perfect choice. The Pack Forest near Eatonville. Call it heavy frost or light snow, but there was white stuff on the road (gated, closed to vehicles). Bonita brought a ton of food and drink, in thermoses. She brought enough clothes to open her own thrift shop. I had to laugh at how many times she was either taking layers off or putting them back on. She was forever adjusting her stuff. We took a road up so we could be on the south facing slope of the mountain for the sunshine. Saw a group of horse and rides, A jogger with doggie ran by, too. From the road we took a short horse trail up to Hugo Peak, where we had our picnic lunch, then took the Hugo Peak trail back down to the car. It was a perfect hike.

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAQ/saq-77.html

On a Prayer at the Site of the Lakewood Police Murders: An outpouring of emotion

2009-12-05T20:12:00.001-08:00

The chief foundation of the prohibition of murder, theft, treachery, falsehood, hypocrisy and cruelty, is reason. Every intelligent man comprehends that murder, theft, treachery, falsehood, hypocrisy and cruelty are evil and reprehensible; for if you prick a man with a thorn, he will cry out, complain and groan; so it is evident that he will understand that murder according to reason is evil and reprehensible. If he commits a murder, he will be responsible, whether the renown of the Prophet has reached him or not; for it is reason that formulates the reprehensible character of the action. When a man commits this bad action, he will surely be responsible. ...

The law of the community will punish the aggressor but will not take revenge. This punishment has for its end to warn, to protect and to oppose cruelty and transgression so that other men may not be tyrannical.

Four Lakewood WA police officers were murdered the day after Thanksgiving. A day or two later the man responsible ended up being shot and killed by a policeman responding to an auto theft call apparently involving the man. There has been much in the news about this case locally and an outpouring of emotion for the lives lost. I visited the site where the murders took place today to say a prayer. I was not alone. -gw

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/TB/tb-12.html.utf8?query=livingwaters&action=highlight#gr48

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85934826@N00/sets/72157622814397943/

2009-12-04T23:12:00.001-08:00

Magnified be Thy Name, O Lord of all beings and Desire of all created things! I beseech Thee, by the Word which hath caused the Burning Bush to lift up its Voice and the Rock to cry out, whereby the well-favoured have hastened to attain the court of Thy presence and the pure in heart the dayspring of the light of Thy countenance, and by the sighing of Thy true lovers in their separation from Thy chosen ones and by the lamentation of them that long to behold Thy face before the dawning splendour of the light of Thy Revelation, to graciously enable Thy servants to recognize what Thou hast ordained for them by Thy bounty and Thy grace. Prescribe for them then through Thy Pen of Glory that which will direct their steps to the ocean of Thy generosity and will lead them unto the living waters of Thy heavenly reunion.

On Arising to Serve: Now on YouTube, too

2009-12-04T21:36:00.001-08:00

These videos below will be widely viewed for years to come, just like "It's Just the Beginning." -gw

To view or download the entire video in the best quality, go here: http://www.bahai.org/arising

On the U.S. Senate Passes a "Commonsense Resolution":

2009-12-04T20:45:00.001-08:00

Every member of the senate deserves our appreciation. -gw

On December 1, 2009, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent a concurrent resolution to H. Res. 175, condemning the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran.

S.Res.71 was introduced to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2009, by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. The other original cosponsors are Sens. Sam Brownback, Robert Menendez, Olympia J. Snowe and Sheldon Whitehouse. Download PDF

The following 17 senators cosponsored the resolution:

Sen. Brownback, Sam [KS] – 3/9/2009
Sen. Burris, Roland [IL] – 7/7/2009
Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] – 6/3/2009
Sen. Collins, Susan M. [ME] – 3/17/2009
Sen. Durbin, Richard [IL] – 5/19/2009
Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [UT] – 7/30/2009
Sen. Isakson, Johnny [GA] – 11/5/2009
Sen. Levin, Carl [MI] – 11/30/2009
Sen. Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] – 4/20/2009
Sen. Martinez, Mel [FL] – 7/8/2009
Sen. Menendez, Robert [NJ]- 3/9/2009
Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [AK] – 5/19/2009
Sen. Murray, Patty [WA] – 7/22/2009
Sen. Reid, Harry [NV] – 4/1/2009
Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [NY] – 7/7/2009
Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] – 3/9/2009
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] – 3/9/2009

On Elika's Year End Special: Music

2009-12-04T13:19:00.001-08:00

Jarome invited me to "Elika's Year End Specials! Only until December 15th" -gw

Event: Elika's Year End Specials! Only until December 15th
Start Time: Tuesday, December 1 at 9:00am
End Time: Tuesday, December 15 at 11:00pm
Where: http://www.facebook.com/l/9221c;www.elikamahony.com/music/specials

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=191458212829&mid=1837063G2871222fG34eab7eG7

On Our Ruhi Book Three Refresher: It's FRESH

2009-12-04T13:15:00.001-08:00

It's FRESH. Exciting. So Exciting to me. -gw

Join us for our Ruhi Book 3 refresher!

Saturday, December 12th

9:30 - 12:30

Hosted by George & Bonita Dannells

Tacoma

Who should come?

Everyone interested in seeing that the children in our

neighborhood have an opportunity to have a children's class!

Cynical-C Blog | Sign of the Day

On Misspelling Baha'i: I can't help but find the variable font kerning impressive & intriguing

2009-12-04T10:04:00.001-08:00

1 day ago by Chris
Guessing that's a misspelling of “Baha'i” which is a religion. Reply. dang ,. December 3, 2009 at 4:59 pm. As a HIGH FULLUTENT, I can't help but find the variable font kerning impressive and intriguing.

The questios that go along with the answers in this post are: (1) what is kerning? and (2) what is highfalutin? I think I've seen this sign before. -gw

Definitions of highfalutin on the Web:

grandiose: affectedly genteel
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Self-important, pompous; arrogant or egotistical; tending to show off or hold oneself in unduly high regard
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/highfalutin

define:highfalutin

On Charles' First Baha'i Devotional: Responding to the inmost longing of every heart to commune with its Maker

2009-12-04T09:14:00.001-08:00

Devotional Gatherings

Responding to the inmost longing of every heart to commune with its Maker, we carry out acts of collective worship in diverse settings, uniting with others in prayer, awakening spiritual susceptibilities, and shaping a pattern of life distinguished for its devotional character. We hold these gatherings wherever convenient, such as in your home and mine, for Baha’u’llah has said: “Blessed is the spot, the house, the place, the city, and the heart… where mention of God has been made and his praise glorified.”

-- From a presentation for use in door-to-door teaching developed locally, incorporating language from a letter by the Universal House of Justice.

Charles was able to join us last night at our Thursday Baha'i devotional meeting, his first in our home. The spirit was high. He said on the way home that he has friends he would love to bring over in the future to partake of that spirit. Walter was not able to attend, but a painting of his magically appeared in keeping with the tradition of the use of the arts associated with the gathering. -gw

http://www.bahai.org/arising/

On Baha'i Film for Free Download, Arising to Serve: Glimpses from 41 Regional Conferences

2009-12-03T14:29:00.001-08:00

Re-live the experience. -gw

It is hoped that the film will serve as a source of learning, encouragement, and inspiration to those who, in response to the summons of their Lord, are arising to serve their fellow citizens in every corner of the world.

On the National Spiritual Assembly of Brazil's Open Letter to Mr. Ahmadinejad:

2009-12-02T11:51:00.001-08:00

Via Sam... -gw

Here are translations in both English and Spanish of the Open Letter the Brazilian NSA sent to Mr. Ahmadinejad, during his last week's visit to Brasil.
Credit goes to to Ms. Jheniefeer Sayyáh, who, gladly and promptly, translated it from the Portuguese published version.

Uploaded on November 24, 2009 by MIRIAM GODET on flickr

ESPANHOL:

Exmo. Sr. Presidente:
Su visita a Brasil, por invitación del Presidente Lula, provoca una reflexión sobre las relaciones de los dos países. Brasil e Irán han aumentado su actividad en el escenario mundial: son países emergentes, con enorme influencia geopolítica, y presentan poblaciones marcadas por la diversidad. Nada más natural, por lo tanto, que promover esta aproximación, compartiendo buenas prácticas y comprobando posibilidades de cooperación.
En nombre de dichas semejanzas, llamamos su atención sobre el siguiente punto: mientras que Brasil ha adoptado un modelo de convivencia en medio de la diversidad, con políticas direccionadas a la apertura de la participación y el respeto de los derechos humanos, en Irán hay prácticas temerarias de restricción de los derechos y de persecución a las minorías raciales, de género, etnia, orientación sexual y de identidad religiosa.
Allí, los bahá’ís (la principal minoría religiosa del país) enfrentan severas consecuencias de la discriminación religiosa, siéndoles negadas sus licencias de trabajo, el acceso a educación y justicia. Sus propiedades y sitios sagrados son confiscados y destruidos. En los últimos 30 años, más de 250 fueron ejecutados; más de 200 fueron presos arbitrariamente, intimidados y hostigados desde 2005 —todo por no negar su fe. Sus 7 líderes nacionales continúan presos arbitrariamente hace más de 18 meses, siendo su defensa continuamente obstaculizada.
Los medios de comunicación controlados por el gobierno ofenden a los bahá’ís con centenas de artículos, programas de radio y televisión, publicaciones en la web y folletos con discursos de odio, promovidos por clérigos y oficiales gubernamentales —mientras que los bahá’ís son prohibidos de ejercer su derecho a respuesta.
Aquí en Brasil, los bahá’ís participan en la construcción de la democracia y el desarrollo de sus comunidades —actividades reconocidas por la comunidad y el gobierno brasileño. Aquí pueden practicar su fe con libertad y seguridad, de acuerdo con los principios de unidad de los pueblos, de igualdad racial y de género, de promoción de la paz y el servicio de la humanidad.
¿Cómo justificar esta diferencia de trato? ¿Por qué los bahá’ís en la mayor parte del mundo son vistos como personas de buena voluntad, comprometidos con el avance de la sociedad, sin involucrarse en la política partidista, y en Irán, justamente la tierra en que su Fe nació en el siglo XIX, reciben un trato tan degradante?
Es responsabilidad de los gobiernos promover el bien común, defender los intereses de sus ciudadanos y estimular el desarrollo humano, con justicia y dignidad. Esperamos que el diálogo entre los dos Presidentes estimule a la reflexión sobre las necesidades de nuevas políticas en Irán, que permitan a los seguidores de todas las religiones, incluyendo a los bahá’ís, contribuir con el progreso de su tierra natal.

INGLÊS:

Mr. President:
Your visit to Brazil, invited by President Lula, provokes a reflection on the relations between both countries. Brazil and Iran have increased both their attention in the world scenario: they are emerging countries, with enormous geopolitical influence, and a population marked by the diversity. Nothing more natural, therefore, that to promote this approximation, sharing good practices and verifying possibilities of cooperation.
In name of the above mentioned similarities, we call your attention on the following point: whereas Brazil has adopted a model of living together in diversity, with policies aiming at intensifying participation and the respect for human rights, in Iran there are reckless practices of restriction of the rights and of persecution to the racial minorities, of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and of religious identity.
In Iran, the Bahá'ís (the largest religious minority in the country) face the severe consequences of religious discrimination, having their work licenses denied, as well as their access to education and justice. Their properties and sacred places are confiscated and destroyed. In the last 30 years, more than 250 were executed; since 2005, more than 200 were arbitrarily imprisoned, intimidated and harrassed – all because they will not deny their faith. Their 7 national leaders have been arbitrarily imprisoned for more than 18 months, their defense being constantly impeded.
The government-controlled media offends the Bahá'ís with hundreds of articles, radio and television programmes, web posts and leaflets with speeches of hatred, promoted by clergymen and governmental officials – whereas Bahá'ís are prohibited from exercising their right to response.
Here in Brazil, the Bahá'ís take part in the construction of democracy and development of their communities – activities recognized by the Brazilian Government and society. Here, they can practice their faith with freedom and safety, in consonance with the principles of oneness of humankind, equality of race and gender, promotion of peace and service to humanity.
How can this difference of treatment to be justified, then? Why is it that the Bahá'ís, in most parts of the world, are seen as persons of good will, committed with the advancement of the society, without any involvement to partisan politics, and in Iran, precisely where their Faith was born in the 19th century, they receive such a degrading treatment?
It is the responsibility of governments to promote the common good, to defend the interests of their citizens and to stimulate human development, with justice and dignity. We hope that the dialogue between both Presidents may stimulate the reflection on the needs of new policies in Iran that allow the followers of all the religions, including the Bahá'ís, to contribute with the progress of their motherland.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Plus conference

On the Power of Praise: When she points out their “bad” behaviors of her children, they seem to embody those traits even more,

2009-12-02T11:42:00.001-08:00

A subject dear to my heart addressed on Baha'i Perspectives. -gw

Another young mother was giving me advice once on how to encourage more positive behavior from some of my students and she told me to always point out the ways they have improved and outline the further progress they can make, rather than criticizing them. She said that with her own children she has seen that when she points out their “bad” behaviors, they seem to embody those traits even more, but when she speaks to them from the perspective of ‘this is where we are currently and here is where we can continue to progress’, their behavior improves.

We have to be so careful as human beings not to crush one another with the things we say, even when we think we are being helpful. Because at the end of the day, our role is to love, support and encourage one another, not modify each other’s behavior and pass judgment on one another.

http://www.bahaiperspectives.com/society/2009/12/02/criticism-is-it-ever-really-constructive/

http://soultalk.ning.com/profile/JimFlood

On My Shelf Life as a New Baha'i: Short

2009-12-02T08:48:00.001-08:00

An update from Tamara to a friend on Soultalk. -gw

I am doing well. I am coming up to two years of being or "striving" to be a baha'i.I will never forget meeting you at the first feast I ever went to and you gave me a sniff and said you could smell that new Baha'i smell on me!
It still makes laugh!!!
My shelf life as a new Baha'i was short...........once I found Baha'u'llah it seemed like I had been a Baha'i all of my life!I had found my Beloved!!!
Peace & love,
Tamara

http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/sse/wq/nick/claymation.htm

On a Thumbs Up Job Done by the Junior Youth in Lucknow: Moral education in clay

2009-12-01T23:48:00.001-08:00

The movie:

How it was done:

Who it was done by: The Laxmanpuri Baha'i Junior Youth Empowerment Group in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India -gw

Claymation uses artist's clay, a digital camera, a computer, and video software to engage students in active learning. Students create clay figures and make them come to life by posing them in multiple frames and creating a mini-movie.
Not only does Claymation encourage students to learn about social studies, writing, and technology, but it also encourages cooperative learning and use of multiple intelligences.