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Devotional Gatherings

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Baha’is believe in the power of prayer and you’ll find Baha’is and their friends, throughout the world, getting together to pray. This is often referred to as a ‘devotional gathering’ or ‘devotional meeting’, and they happen in diverse settings, whether in cities or villages. These gatherings are open to all and are intended to embrace that attitude of prayer and practice of devotion that is universal to all religions.

8 Creative Ideas for Your Next Devotional Gathering

February 1, 2012, in Articles > Baha'i Life, by
Devotional Gathering by John Marmaras

Getting together to share prayers and writings from the Baha’i faith, other scriptures and enlightened souls, is a staple of Baha’i life. These devotional gatherings are one of our core activities and all Baha’is are encouraged to not only attend, but to host them.

There is no set format or formula for running a devotional, and they run the gamut from organized public events through to informal sharing of prayers and readings around a coffee table. And since there is no particular way that a devotional should be held, it’s open for creativity and inventiveness!

So in this post I thought I would explore some ideas for devotional gatherings. If you have more ideas, please do share them in the comments!

1. Add a Visual Slideshow for Accompaniment

Beautiful images can be a magical addition to a devotional gathering. Software such as PowerPoint can be used to create a slow running slideshow of images which you can project on to a nearby wall to slowly fade in the background during readings and prayer. You’ll need a dim room so the projection really shines and you should make sure it’s all set up beforehand so you don’t have to flail about with any unplanned technical difficulties.

Selection of images is absolutely key as you want images that are visually beautiful, interesting and consistent with the gathering. Expect to spend a lot of time finding, choosing and cropping images for your slideshow. And be prepared to cull images that don’t feel appropriate. The last thing you want is everyone getting pulled out of their thoughts to wonder “what the heck is that picture doing there?”

Don’t feel you need to create a slideshow of images of Baha’i buildings or gardens. Think outside the box and look for creative, artful images that convey an idea, or abstract enough to just give a visual ambience to the room.

The site 500px can provide some wonderful inspiration in the Popular, Favourites and Editor’s Choice sections.

2. Give Attendees a Memento

Party favours work a treat at a variety of other get togethers, so why not something small from your devotional gathering? A common take-away is a copy of the programme so that attendees can continue to reflect on the readings later, or perhaps use them in their own devotions.

Years ago I attended a series of devotional gatherings where every month attendees were given a bookmark with a different virtue written on them. After a few months of attendance I had a little set of virtuous bookmarks to remind me not just the page I was up to, but what virtue I was supposed to be practicing that month.

3. Live Music Performances

Abdu’l-Baha says that “We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls”. So what more fitting accompaniment to a devotional than music? And when it comes to music, nothing beats a live performance. It can be a bit tricky finding performers, especially if you are organizing just a little get together, but if you can manage it you’ll be glad you did! Of course if you can play an instrument or sing, you need never worry about where to find a performer.

Drummers send out energy and inspiration during a Hush Harbor devotional meeting at the New York Baha’i Center. (Photograph by Mike Relph)

4. Find a Special Venue

The photo at the beginning of this post is from a devotional that one of my old communities once organized at dawn on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We had a photographer along as we needed photos for the Bahai.org.au site, so you will notice that along with the beautiful morning light we all look slightly awkward! Still, it was a gorgeous devotional once the photographs were over, and afterwards we all had breakfast by the sea.

You don’t need to live somewhere as picturesque as by Sydney’s beaches to have a special venue for your next gathering. Going outdoors generally works well in any sort of natural surrounding when the sun is out and the skies are blue. Alternatively you can make an indoor spot special with the use of some decorative ingenuity.

I also once attended a candlelit late night devotional which was pretty special and very atmospheric. If you go for that sort of thing, just remember to make provisions for the readers to, you know, read! A little torch or reading light does the trick.

On the subject of night-time gatherings, every year my family attends a winter-solstice bonfire put on by another community group. I’ve never been to a Baha’i version of that, but wouldn’t it be cool? Marshmallows and prayers? I’d be there!

5. Run a Guided Meditation

The Guardian Shoghi Effendi has said that “…the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling that unites man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer.”

A guided meditation before you begin your devotional is a really lovely way to get participants into a deep prayerful and relaxed state. If you are comfortable leading such a meditation you certainly could do it yourself, otherwise guided meditation CDs and audio tracks can be purchased from most music stores.

One of the first times I ever tried meditation was at a little devotional gathering and it was pretty serene. It was about 10 minutes long and played off a CD which the host had. There were only five of us attending and we were seated amongst a whole load of cushions that you could sink into. By the time we began praying I recall feeling very calm and focused. It was lovely!

6. Explore Art and Devotions

I have never seen or heard of this being done, but when brainstorming ideas for this post my wife suggested that one might organize a devotional that mixed some sort of art activity with prayer. This certainly seems consistent with what the Baha’i Writings say about art. Abdu’l-Baha once said that:

All Art is a gift of the Holy Spirit. When this light shines through the mind of a musician, it manifests itself in beautiful harmonies. Again, shining through the mind of a poet, it is seen in fine poetry and poetic prose. When the Light of the Sun of Truth inspires the mind of a painter, he produces marvellous pictures. These gifts are fulfilling their highest purpose, when showing forth the praise of God.

Abdu’l-Baha quoted in The Chosen Highway by Lady Blomfield

You might for, instance, ask participants to meditate on a handful of readings and then work to reflect on them through painting or drawing. You may find some resistance if you have not pre-warned your participants of the plan for your devotional. But assuming you have a group of willing and enthusiastic attendees, this could go down well!

If you’ve ever been to, or organized, a devotional that incorporated art, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

7. Create an Experience

Beauty spas are the masters of creating a relaxing experience. Through the use of location, environment, ambient music, beverages, scents and lighting, they put their customers into a tranquil state of being, even before the spa treatments begin. There’s a lot we can learn from this!

If you consider the whole devotional experience you can better help your attendees to elevate their minds and spirits by bringing them to the right space to begin prayer and reading.

Earlier I mentioned a devotional I attended that incorporated guided meditation. I remember that as soon as we arrived the whole room was setup to feel calming. The lighting was warm, there were rose petals on the doorstep, the room had a light floral scent coming from two candles burning, the room was small and cozy with soft cushions liberally placed, and upon seating we were given a glass of sparkling water with mint and slices of fresh strawberries. Coupled with the guided meditation, it was quite the experience!

8. Theme the Gathering

Themes make parties more awesome, so why not devotionals? When you have a theme, you can make the devotional experience that much more memorable by incorporating elements of the theme into everything.

Imagine a devotional gathering reflecting on the life of Baha’u’llah where everything is set up to evoke images of Iran. You could have a slideshow of historical imagery, beautiful Persian music playing ambiently when guests arrive, a special Persian sweet for each guest as they sit, readings could be printed on paper with a Persian design embellishing it, and so on.

There are lots of themes you could run with too! The theme ‘Refreshed’ could be a devotional where everything is cool, refreshing and invigorating. The theme ‘Nature’ should be an easy one, as would be ‘Light’. You could do a devotional on the theme of ‘America’ or ‘Paris’ with readings from Abdu’l-Baha’s trips there. Or you could tackle themes like ‘Oneness’ or ‘Woman’ which might be a little trickier but all the more rewarding for it!

Theming your gathering is definitely taking your devotional gathering to the next level, and really combines many of the earlier ideas of creating an experience around your gathering. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but the results will be worth it!


A devotional can be very simple, but for me I like to experiment and try out different ideas. It makes things more interesting! These were just a few ideas I’ve seen in action, tried out myself or hope to try out one day in the future. I hope you find them useful, and if you have any ideas to share, please do add them in the comments!

Posted by

Collis Ta'eed

Hi I’m Collis! I live in Darwin, in the Northern Territory. I’m a Baha’i, designer, entrepreneur, climate tech angel investor, and engaged in philanthropy to support First Nations young people in Australia. I've been working on Baha'i Blog since its inception in 2011!
Collis Ta'eed

Discussion 23 Comments

This is fantastic, Collis! It’s got me thinking about how much more we can be doing when we run devotionals to help participants feel connected to God and comfortable with prayer/reflection. Very inspiring!

Preethi

Preethi (February 2, 2012 at 10:14 PM)

I had an unusual devotional involving art. I put quotes from the writings on some of the photographs I shot. I framed them and put them on stakes around my yard. I have a large yard. There is a rose garden, veggie garden, forest. People walked around the yard see the photos and reading the quotes.

Pat

Pat (February 2, 2012 at 11:27 PM)

What a great idea. I’ll try it at our devotionals in summer.

bassir Sobhani

bassir Sobhani (January 1, 2019 at 5:30 PM)

I was impressed by a devotional gathering that was focused into different rounds, like ripples emanating outward. The first round asked people to reflect on their personal reality and pray for themselves, assistance and virtues they wished for. The next round people shared prayers for others in their community such as healing prayers and prayers for the departed. A third round asked people to share prayers offered for their nation, and the last for all of humankind. You could really feel the energy radiate!

Russ Marston

Russ Marston (October 10, 2021 at 1:30 AM)

I love all of these ideas!!! I’ve been to a few devotionals where there was one or more of these things incorporated & it was so fun & spiritual. Thanks for making this list of ideas. I’ll be using these ideas for sure! 🙂

Shamim Bina

Shamim Bina (February 2, 2012 at 7:16 PM)

1836. Points Towards the Attainment of True Spirituality–Spiritual Exercises of Prayer and Meditation

“These points, expressed in other words, have already been conveyed to the friends … by the Counsellors, but the House of Justice wishes to stress them, because they represent the path towards the attainment of true spirituality that has been laid down by the Manifestation of God for this age.

“It is striking how private and personal the most fundamental spiritual exercises of prayer and meditation are in the Faith. Bahá’ís do, of course, have meetings for devotions, as in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar or at Nineteen Day Feasts, but the daily obligatory prayers are ordained to be said in the privacy of one’s chamber, and meditation on the Teachings is, likewise, a private individual activity, not a form of group therapy. In His talks Abdu’l-Bahá describes prayer as ‘conversation with God’, and concerning meditation He says that ‘while you meditate you are speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain questions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is revealed!'”

1487. Wiser to Use Meditations Given by Bahá’u’lláh–Not Set Form Recommended by Someone Else

Micheal D. Barry

Micheal D. Barry (February 2, 2012 at 3:54 PM)

[…] Just remember, elaborate decorations and refreshments can always be saved for Holy Days.  (Here is a great article to read if you are wanting to plan something extra […]

This blog is a great idea, my parents have been running an art devotional on sundays. They read some prayers or readings, mostly thise available in ‘reflections om the life of the spirit’ then they draw, sketch, paint etc and talk about their thoughts and reflections. Theyhave no backgroumd in art andiyhink before this they had never so as drawn a picture, but they, and the devotional participants have found it an excellent way to engage with the creative word in a novel and deep way.

Arran

Arran (June 6, 2012 at 12:16 AM)

[…] Eight ideas for a "Devotional Gathering": So check out some of these ideas for your next meeting: 8 Creative Ideas for Your Next Devotional Gathering | Baha'i Blog […]

“On the subject of night-time gatherings, every year my family attends a winter-solstice bonfire put on by another community group. I’ve never been to a Baha’i version of that, but wouldn’t it be cool? Marshmallows and prayers? I’d be there!”

I’ve been to one! The Lehigh Valley Baha’is used to hold the December 30th Feast at an amazing farm-turned-art studio located on a hill in the back country. Towards midnight the bravest went out to start a bonfire and recite the Fire Tablet. I don’t recall any marshmallows, but there may have been some…

Alas, the more recent celebrations have been tamer! 🙂

Jennifer

Jennifer (March 3, 2013 at 9:19 PM)

Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article.

I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info.
Thanks for the post. I will definitely comeback.

Salvatore

Salvatore (November 11, 2013 at 6:19 PM)

Thanks for the fantastic article! Some great ideas for how to raise the quality of our devotional gatherings. We have a few very soulful (lots of energy in the room) devotional gatherings in our local area, and I’ve noticed that the attitude of the host makes a big difference to creating this, whether we incorporate all these other interesting ideas or not. You can really tell the difference between the spirit (or lack of) of a devotional gathering hosted by someone who’s doing it out of a sense of duty, or whose heart’s not really in it, versus by someone who sincerely wants to nurture the spiritual heart of his local community.
I’ll bookmark this page of ideas though!

Sonia

Sonia (January 1, 2014 at 11:04 AM)

Thanks for the ideas. I’m thinking about how to serve healthy snacks each week for 7pm devotional gathering. Any ideas?

Nancee

Nancee (July 7, 2015 at 11:52 AM)

We serve lots of healthy foods. My favorites are homemade hummus which is really easy with whole grain/seed corn chips. Veggie plates and fruit plates are also really easy and good. half and half whole wheat pasta/white pasta with an organic red sauce and vegan meatballs or past with an olive oil veggie sauce is a big hit here also. Dark chocolate is healthy, also banana bread (we always have very ripe bananas hanging around or in the freezer) made with whole wheat flour and nuts is one we do a lot. I live in Texas and fresh salsa is a must have at most events here. Chips can be organic stone ground corn, blue or yellow. Add some black beans to the salsa to make it heartier.

Tiffini Sobhani

Tiffini Sobhani (November 11, 2018 at 1:25 AM)

I have also hosted a “Bread of the Spirit” Devotional. The food is just Breads of all kinds (whole wheat, flatbread, cornbread) and spreads, dips, toppings. I think the most fun is a make your own pizza with Greek flatbread, sauce, cheese and toppings but lends itself more to a party than a devotional.

Tiffini Sobhani

Tiffini Sobhani (November 11, 2018 at 1:30 AM)

In Australia we have done “Swiss Army” prayers – something for the various sectors of the community, and devotionals mindful of particular groups – local Council, emergency services, animal shelter, university, high school, and sent a copy of this to those organisations just to let them know.

Charles Boyle

Charles Boyle (July 7, 2016 at 2:25 AM)

There was this one time the host, together with us, carved our reflections/ideas after discussing a quote from the Writings on soap bars. It was challenging for me personally, considering i had no prior experience with carving, but refreshingly awesome! 🙂 till date, it’s one of my most cherished and unused soap bars 😀

Ritika Ghose

Ritika Ghose (July 7, 2016 at 6:55 PM)

Thank you, thank you…this is wonderful!
I remember Ruhiyyih Khanum once saying how we need to be more creative, and here you see it!
When training to be a trainer years ago one of the things emphasized was how much more effective it is to convey concepts, ideas using as many mediums as possible. Some people learn through reading, some through the senses, some through reflection, etc. And here you have incorporated all of them.

Samira Samimi-Moore

Samira Samimi-Moore (August 8, 2016 at 6:38 PM)

Thank you for your comment, Samira! I’m glad you enjoyed this article!

Sonjel Vreeland

Sonjel Vreeland (August 8, 2016 at 10:14 PM)

I live in a senior hi-rise building where I get together every Friday with about 6-9 other residents to work on adult coloring pages, a monthly wall / bulletin board, or some other art activity. I reproduce their coloring pages to serve as backgrounds on which to mount a prayer or quote from the writings. We read the prayer and they have something to take home each time. When I don’t, spontaneously, produce one, they ask for it. That might be our only pointed reference to devotions, but these are folks who never came when I specified a Devotional without mention of art or creativity.

Jeri Corbin

Jeri Corbin (May 5, 2017 at 1:47 AM)

What a creative idea! Thanks for sharing, Jeri!

Sonjel Vreeland

Sonjel Vreeland (May 5, 2017 at 9:52 PM)

I have done a series of devotionals with various artistic themes that include art activities and they are really fun. Beauty, Art and Social Justice, Women and the Arts, Art and Spirituality, Art-Community-Social Justice are a few of our topics. Some activities that we have done are drawings of social justice topics, a group chalkboard mural, presentations of peoples artwork, calligraphy. We always have a slideshow as this topic really lends itself to this. I also showed the documentary Who Does She Think She Is. Art is a very enjoyable topic to put at the center of devotionals. I hope to do more. These are in the evening, I do the program and slideshow but I really want to do a Sunday afternoon one that is more laid back and people come pray together and eat snacks and work on their art together.

Tiffini Sobhani

Tiffini Sobhani (November 11, 2018 at 1:15 AM)

Thank you kindly for sharing. I look forward to incorportating some fresh ideas into my weekly devotionals 🙂

May Neyestani

May Neyestani (April 4, 2020 at 4:45 PM)

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