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Editors note: this item is no longer available for sale however we hope you enjoy the interview with its creators.
A couple of months ago, two young Baha’is based in Melbourne, Australia named Tanisha and Tina set out to design a planner like no other. They wanted Baha’is to have access to a planner based on the Baha’i calendar (known as the Badi calendar) on a daily basis, so this month, they’ve launched their own brand called ‘Fire & Gold’, with the 2021 Badi Collection of planners being their very first product.
I got in touch with Tanisha and Tina to find out more about Fire and Gold, and particularly about their Badi planners:
I felt like I have never been familiar with the Badi calendar. I do not know what Baha’i month we are currently in and personally have always relied on emails from my Local Spiritual Assembly to let me know when Feast or a Holy Day was. I thought to myself that I can’t be the only one who was feeling this way. I needed something to help me plan my life more coherently. Hence, I felt a planner that combines the Gregorian calendar and the Badi calendar would be a great way to bridge that gap. I didn’t want to just create another wall calendar. I wanted to have something accessible, something I would carry around wherever I go and that is a planner.
Tanisha had presented the idea of a two-in-one Gregorian and Badi planner to me, and I was on board immediately. There had been so many instances where I wasn’t aware of certain Feasts or Holy Days, leaving me to rearrange my plans at the last minute. It was such a beautiful yet practical concept to assist ourselves and others in building a Baha’i identity, whilst still being functional for other aspects of life, whether it be school, university or work. We also cherished the opportunity to collaborate with each other to create a product that would benefit so many.
The planner includes Gregorian dates accompanied by the Badi month and day. Nineteen-Day Feast dates are stamped with a nine-pointed star, making planning around feast a priority. Our Holy Days are also marked within the monthly page and clearly written in the weekly pages.
The planner also includes 13 pieces of beautiful artwork from three Baha’i artists: Lawrence Heggie (Australia), Neda Mei (Australia), and Juan Pablo (Canada). We personally believe that these artworks made the planner so special and beautiful. We have added Holy Writings at the start of each month. There is also something special for the Birth of The Bab and Baha’u’llah but we want our customers to be surprised. So we won’t mention it here.
We were inspired by this quote found in ‘A Brief Account of My Visit to Acca’ by Mary L. Lucas, where she recalls Abdu’l-Baha saying: “It is natural for the heart and spirit to take pleasure and enjoyment in all things that show forth symmetry, harmony, and perfection. For instance, a beautiful house, a well designed garden, a symmetrical line, a graceful motion, a well written book, pleasing garments – in fact, all things that have themselves grace or beauty are pleasing to the heart and spirit…”.
Simplicity is an integral part of our design philosophy. We wanted to provide an opportunity for Baha’is to weave their two calendars with ease. We had to figure out how to design a planner with two calendars, one with 12 months and the other with 19 months, without it being messy and confusing for the consumer.
Simplistic lines and minimal details became a central theme of our planners, to create that symmetry Abdu’l-Baha speaks about in the above quote. From our weekly planning pages to our artwork, lines seem to provide a sense of harmony and perfection. We definitely think that because of its simplicity, this planner can also be used as a diary, gratitude journal or just a space for your thoughts, ideas and reflections.
We have focussed our time and attention to creating this planner but have since been inspired to create more meaningful products for Baha’is. We believe that our everyday items help contribute to who we are as we navigate through our physical and spiritual existence and we want to help Baha’is build a strong sense of Baha’i identity.
We are looking into creating a few other products. We are also eager to collaborate with other Baha’is to help them bring their ideas to life. We see Fire and Gold as a space for collaboration and creativity.
Our Badi Collection is ready for pre-orders at www.fireandgold.shop. Even though we are based in Melbourne, Australia, we deliver internationally. However, because of COVID-19, there may be delays or cancellations, and our team will do the best they can to keep you updated if there are any changes to your orders.
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Join activities, celebrations, study groups, spiritual empowerment and education programs for young people, and more.
Horizons is an online magazine of news, stories and reflections from around individuals, communities
and Baha’i institutions around Australia
Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.
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Alah o abha
It’s gud to heard… Badi calendar
Neetu (September 9, 2020 at 7:06 AM)
What a wonderful product! I clicked the link above and received an error message. The message stated the site is no longer available. Will they be creating planners for 2022?
Tanya Seifried (September 9, 2021 at 1:20 AM)
Looks like you may want to remove this article. The website it redirects to is in German and has nothing to do with the Badi Calendar or planners and it looks like this company went out of business.
DeedsNotWords.org (April 4, 2022 at 3:24 PM)
Thank you for pointing this out! We have updated the article accordingly and we really appreciate you letting us know.
Sonjel Vreeland (April 4, 2022 at 10:00 PM)