For the Yaran. For the flood-stricken in Pakistan. For the women of Congo. For everyone.
Lauded be Thy name, O my God! Thou beholdest how the tempestuous winds of tests have caused the steadfast in faith to tremble, and how the breath of trials hath stirred up those whose hearts had been firmly established, except such as have partaken of the Wine that is life indeed from the hands of the Manifestation of Thy name, the Most Merciful. These are the ones whom no word except Thy most exalted word can move, whom nothing whatever save the sweet smelling fragrance of the robe of Thy remembrance can enrapture, O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names and the Maker of earth and heaven!
I implore Thee, O Thou Who art the beloved Companion of Baha, by Thy name, the All-Glorious, to keep safe these Thy servants under the shadow of the wings of Thine all-encompassing mercy, that the darts of the evil suggestions of the wicked doers among Thy creatures, who have disbelieved in Thy signs, may be kept back from them. No one on earth, O my Lord, can withstand Thy power, and none in all the kingdom of Thy names is able to frustrate Thy purpose. Show forth, then, the power of Thy sovereignty and of Thy dominion, and teach Thy loved ones what beseemeth them in Thy days.
Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the Most Great.
I started reading the Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude) again this week. It is one of Baha’u'llah’s most important books, and I realized that I hadn’t spent enough time with it, especially in light of questions that have been coming my way recently. I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Hooper Dunbar’s A Companion to the Study of the Kitab-i-Iqan if you really want to get into it.
“A model of Persian prose, of a style at once original, chaste and vigorous, and remarkably lucid, both cogent in argument and matchless in its irresistible eloquence, this Book, setting forth in outline the Grand Redemptive Scheme of God, occupies a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of Bahá’í literature, except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book.” -Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By
“The significance and essential purpose underlying these words is to reveal and demonstrate unto the pure in heart and the sanctified in spirit that they Who are the Luminaries of truth and the Mirrors reflecting the light of divine Unity, in whatever age and cycle they are sent down from their invisible habitations of ancient glory unto this world, to educate the souls of men and endue with grace all created things, are invariably endowed with an all-compelling power, and invested with invincible sovereignty. For these hidden Gems, these concealed and invisible Treasures, in themselves manifest and vindicate the reality of these holy words: “Verily God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth.” -Baha’u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan
I’ve been immersed in some pretty amazing music recently. If you want to know the playlist running through my head, here ya go!
Jonsi, the lead singer of Sigur Rós, put on a fantastic live show on April 27 at The Vic. Hands down the best show I’ve ever been to. Tickets are still available for the November 3 show in Chicago, and I’m definitely going.
Voxtrot was on a farewell tour, and I got to see them play May 21 at Lincoln Hall. That venue is probably one of my favorite ones in Chicago, as it is clean and small, without feeling stuffy.
The National played August 4 at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee. I love this band so, so much. That voice gets into my bones!
A few weeks ago I was making afternoon tea at work as I usually do, Persian style. We have a cute little Russell Hobbs tea tray contraption that has a little warmer for the tea to steep. I boiled the tea, set out the cups, and let the tea steep for a few minutes.
I picked up the glass carafe and prepared to pour the tea into the cups.
And it exploded in my hand. Boiling tea and shards of glass went flying.
I let out an involuntary scream. Partially because it was hot, and partially because I was in shock. A few of my coworkers came running, bless them. I was ok, but it really was not expected. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve broken my fair share of kitchen implements and dishes, but the carafe was not touching anything when it spontaneously shattered. This time, it was not my fault!
I looked today to find out if I could get a replacement carafe. Turns out, this item has been discontinued. Maybe that is for the better…
“We may well emulate Bahá’í youth whose recent surge forward into the van of proclamation and teaching is one of the most encouraging and significant trends in the Faith, and who storm the gates of heaven for support in their enterprises by long-sustained, precedent and continuing prayer. We are all able to call upon Bahá’u'lláh for His Divine, all-powerful aid, and He will surely help us. For He is the Hearer of prayers, the Answerer.”
(The Universal House of Justice, Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1968-1973, p. 90)
It is the Baha’i month of Perfection (Kamal in Arabic). The photos, captions, and quotations are up on Nineteen Months, so go check them out! Here is my photo.
I had the opportunity to volunteer at the 4th Annual Baha’i Choral Music Festival in May. It was wonderful to see so many people at the House of Worship. I was manning the main entrance for both performances, so I got to see everyone.
A number of my dear friends went on the Voices of Baha tour in India in June. Imagine 120 singers from around the world, traveling around India in the heat of summer just to sing! Seeing the photos and video made me wish I was with them.
I purchased my copy of The Baha’i Gardens by my friend Marco Abrar a few weeks ago, and received a copy of this gorgeous book soon after. It is a coffee table book that I think everyone should have. It has beautiful photos of the Baha’i Holy Places in Haifa & Akka, Israel, and it nearly brought tears to my eyes as I looked through the pages and remembered my time there.
Speaking of photobooks, you should definitely pre-order Hasten Forth, a photobook that takes you on a journey of Haifa and Akka, by my Haifa companions (and lovely friends) Ginous Alford and Anis Mungapen. I can’t WAIT until my copy arrives!
When I was little, I loved bleu cheese salad dressing. If ever given a choice, I would choose that. I don’t know why, especially because I find it rather revolting now (especially since it usually contains gluten).
Most salad dressings are too thick, contain ingredients that make me sick, or are just unhealthy. I have never been a “salad for a meal” type of person. I’ll throw down some steak and potatoes with no hesitation. But in the summer I often have a craving for something lighter. What to do?
The other day I noticed that my glass bottle of olive oil had about 1 cup of oil left in it. I removed the plastic insert at the opening of the bottle, and added:
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Then I shook it up. I now have homemade dressing that I keep in my fridge, and I love it.
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Over the last few years, I’ve just picked up whatever Persian tea was easily accessible. My mother tends to mix her own tea, but I don’t have the skills for that. Recently I received some Anisa Tea as a gift, and was stunned to taste something like the tea that is served in Haifa. The one I like is the “Persian Tradition” blend, of course.
Do you have a particular kind of tea or flavor of tea that you really love?
I really needed a weekend of nothing. It feels good.
Things to be happy about, a list:
-summer and all that it implies
-friendship & family
-dustless surfaces
-orange-blueberry muffins
-breakfast on a slow Sunday morning
-fireworks on the beach
-books
-having an occupation
-finding my writing inspiration again
-local stores that I can walk to
Happy 30 years, and hoping for 30 even more wonderful years. I love you!
my heart crashes into the pit of my stomach
I might forget for 5 minutes, or an hour, and then it all rushes back.
in circular thought I spin
in dreams we claw through mud as thick as limbo
as thick of the loss of hope
trapped inside my head
the words struggle to be heard
understood without meaning
oh the wasted years
the wasted tears
the forever dreams and joy…
after the storm is this, the lingering headache and colors
I run through the thundering waters
the sky’s tears, the sky’s laughter
the steady beat tapping out
too soon subsiding in exhaustion.
wait, wait! In every tiny reflection, in every color
we wait, wait with every breath held back
my feverish pen halts, my feverish thoughts dim
hold hands up to the storm
fingers intertwined, in sudden silence.
I saw the sky on fire through my kitchen window tonight, and grabbed my camera. The wind had died to nothing, the world was silent, and the clouds were running away. What beauty!
O ye who have turned your faces toward the Exalted Beauty! By night, by day, at morningtide and sunset, when darkness draweth on, and at early light I remember, and ever have remembered, in the realms of my mind and heart, the loved ones of the Lord. I beg of Him to bestow His confirmations upon those loved ones, dwellers in that pure and holy land, and to grant them successful outcomes in all things: that in their character, their behaviour, their words, their way of life, in all they are and do, He will make them to achieve distinction among men; that He will gather them into the world community, their hearts filled with ecstasy and fervour and yearning love, with knowledge and certitude, with steadfastness and unity, their faces beauteous and bright.
I got a lot of responses about my last post, in many different ways: email, chat, Twitter, Facebook, and, shockingly, real life. I had no idea that the subject would resonate so strongly. There were suggestions to delete/deactivate my Facebook page. To remove “friends” from social networking sites. To take a break. And all of these are valid suggestions, and I’m thinking about all of them and how to apply them.
“Waste not your time in idleness and sloth. Occupy yourselves with that which profiteth yourselves and others.” -Baha’u'llah
The media has been freaking out about privacy in social networking recently, but that isn’t my main concern, OTHER than the fact that most people who use social networks don’t know much about privacy. I try to be careful about what I share, although I am probably not careful enough!
In my quest to become more mindful of my time usage online, I discovered some things, positive & negative. I want to reiterate that I’m not hating on the internet, I’m merely trying to be more aware of my consumption.
1. I actually use Facebook to connect people and get information that assists me in my life. In the last week, I introduced a friend to some folks overseas, connected with a few old friends, found out about a free concert, used it to figure out if friends were still living in the cities that I thought they were in, and introduced people to each other. In other words, I spent more time acting as a small-scale connector than surfing mindlessly.
2. The glow of the screen at night is not helping me sleep, and it actually distracts me from reading! My former habit was to fall asleep to a good book. In the chaos of moving so much, I did not have a library card or any of my beloved books with me, and my book consumption dropped. I am still struggling to get back on track.
3. Being able to access other people’s lives so easily makes one susceptible to gossip & jealousy. It isn’t pretty.
4. I do not like it when people pull out a smartphone or laptop at a party, dinner, or even a casual social event, and start texting, chatting, checking scores, whatever. Stop. I stopped getting Twitter updates on my phone because the constant distraction was driving me (and my friends) crazy. Whatever is happening on the internet or your phone is not more important than the people in front of you. (I am sure I am guilty of some of this, and I’m working on it!)
5.Ramin gave me a great tip the other day: change your Facebook bookmark on your browser to go straight to your profile page. My unthinking clicking doesn’t pull me into the newsfeed. It has worked really well.
6. My real life has been so busy that I’ve not had much of a chance to process photos. I’m about 250 photos behind right now, which is a lot for me and I’m struggling to catch up. Honestly, it does not feel like a burden, which tells me that this is one of those parts of my technological life that makes me happy. I just wish I had more technical know-how!
Last night I rode my bike, went to the antique shop and chatted with the owner, got some books at the library, and spent the rest of the evening baking cookies and reading. I highly recommend this sort of evening once in a while.
What is my action plan now? I’ve reduced consumption of Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds. I try not to have my computer open in the evening. Things are not usually so urgent that I can’t leave it for a little while. My emails are being horribly neglected, but I am attempting a systematic response system. There is only so much time in a day. I would rather concentrate my energies on better things.
“Ours is the duty to fix our gaze with undeviating attention on the duties and responsibilities confronting us at this present hour, to concentrate our resources, both material and spiritual, on the tasks that lie immediately ahead, to insure that no time is wasted, that no opportunity is missed, that no obligation is evaded, that no task is halfheartedly performed, that no decision is procrastinated. The task summoning us to a challenge, unprecedented in its gravity and force, is too vast and sacred, the time too short, the hour too perilous, the workers too few, the call too insistent, the resources too inadequate, for us to allow these precious and fleeting hours to slip from our grasp, and to suffer the prizes within our reach to be endangered or forfeited.” -Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America, p. 101
Let me explain that. In the last few months, I realized that the time I spend on the internet is split into two different categories. The first is social networking like Facebook & Twitter, random entertainment sites, and things of that nature. The second area is blogs, Flickr, educational sources, and the news.
It is the first area that really gets me, that makes me angry. I do not feel good when I am spending time on sites in the first category. Every day I feel more inclined to disengage.
Now, I’ve been bumming around the internet since I got my first AOL screen name in 1997 or so. I’m not against the internet, it is marvelous.
However, there is a subtle drag on my spirit when I read the Facebook news feed. As a friend put it today, “I just want to live in the moment!” I am living other people’s moments, over and over, in a stream of information that just doesn’t stop. I don’t have my own stories anymore, and the stories that I DO have are uninteresting, banal, and incredibly lame. I feel this insatiable need to know, but I don’t really need to know!
The second category makes me happy. I like the creative side, I love the tools and education I come across on the internet. There are so many positive things that have come about because of the development of the web.
A mechanism of world inter-communication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity. (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, 1938)
The internet is a tool, a piece of human creativity and knowledge, but it is becoming life for some. We reference the collective as if it is alive, as if we are somehow obligated to keep feeding this machine simply because it exists.
I highly recommend Jaron Lanier’sYou Are Not A Gadget, it is a fascinating read and a wonderful encouragement to think about the history and modern-day trends of the Internet.
“[You are Not a Gadget] delivers a powerful reminder of the limits of the Web’s capacity to meet our needs-and its power to shape us to its will . . .” -Matthew Battles, The Barnes & Noble Review
I still have not figured out where my frustration is taking me. I have friends who limit or delete their Facebook profiles, who refuse to even get an account. I am stuck, in a way. I use FB to inform, advertise, keep in touch with friends, and keep track of events. Twitter has enabled me to communicate with friends that I wouldn’t normally have time to contact. I am so entangled that deleting profiles is almost unthinkable. Now I must take steps each day to reduce consumption, to slowly wean myself off the flow, and to live my life away from a computer as much as possible.
Stories are not created by sitting by myself in front of screen. Real thought and contemplation does not happen in status updates and fleeting moments.
I am utterly overwhelmed and consumed by information.
Quite frankly, I’m exhausted.
O friend, the heart is the dwelling of eternal mysteries, make it not the home of fleeting fancies; waste not the treasure of thy precious life in employment with this swiftly passing world. Thou comest from the world of holiness – bind not thine heart to the earth; thou art a dweller in the court of nearness – choose not the homeland of the dust. (Baha’u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 34)
WHENEVER the faithful hear the verses of this Book being recited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their hearts will be deeply touched by Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance for the love they cherish for God, the All-Praised. He is God, the All-Knowing, the Eternal. They are indeed the inmates of the all-highest Paradise wherein they will abide for ever. Verily they will see naught therein save that which hath proceeded from God, nothing that will lie beyond the compass of their understanding. There they will meet the believers in Paradise, who will address them with the words ‘Peace, Peace’ lingering on their lips…
(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 62)
I have some friends who are really talented. And they made this great short film called Revival that I think that you should see. So many of my friends are in this little movie! I’ve embedded both parts here. Tell your friends about it!
It would be impossible at this stage to ignore the indispensability or to overestimate the unique significance of the institution of the National Spiritual Assembly – the pivot round which revolve the activities of the believers throughout the American continent. Supreme is their position, grave their responsibilities, manifold and arduous their duties. How great the privilege, how delicate the task of the assembled delegates whose function it is to elect such national representatives as would by their record of service ennoble and enrich the annals of the Cause!
(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated 3 June 1925 to a National Convention)
