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.
Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.
In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.
In this episode I’m in LA with playwright and author, Tom Lysaght. Tom and I talk about being a hippie and what it really meant. He tells me about the three books he took with him on his mystical journey around the world and how he became a Baha’i. We talk about the history of the Baha’i Faith, music, career-ism, the importance of storytelling, the book he’s been working on for over 30 years, and the crucial role love plays in religion. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy our conversation!
To find out more about Tom Lysaght and some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following links:
Learn more about Tom Lysaght and what he’s been up to here on his website: www.yourcreativestage.com
Tom and Rainn talk about the following musicians and bands: The Grateful Dead; Jefferson Airplane; The Allman Brothers Band; George Harrison; Mahavishnu John McLaughlin; Ravi Shankar; Bob Dylan; Radiohead.
Tom mentions a quote from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha: “…make ye a mighty effort, and choose for yourselves a noble goal…”.
Tom shares a quote from the Seven Valleys by Baha’u’llah:
“If the wayfarer’s goal be the dwelling of the Praiseworthy One (Maḥmud), this is the station of primal reason which is known as the Prophet and the Most Great Pillar. Here reason signifieth the divine, universal mind, whose sovereignty enlighteneth all created things—nor doth it refer to every feeble brain; for it is as the wise Sana’i hath written: How can feeble reason encompass the Qur’an, Or the spider snare a phoenix in his web? Wouldst thou that the mind should not entrap thee? Teach it the science of the love of God!”
Rainn shares quote from the Writings of Baha’u’llah: “Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.”
Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.
Very good, but seems like it was a private conversation between to young male’s who wanted to say the best comeback line. Good, funny but get on with it. And then when you two talked about history, changes, then it is very good. “lust for recognition” – wonderful topic, thank you!
I celebrate Tom’s progress toward his noble goal as a writer and look forward to reading his entire trilogy in good time. You know, the other day, a deepening on Hidden Word (from the Arabic) #13 turned up this dual meaning of the word “noble”: 1) related to precious metals; 2) of high birth. Well, Bahá’u’lláh tells us our true self, our soul, is the apex of God’s creation – you can’t be any higher born than that! May we all, each in her or his own way, take heart from that, set our own noble goals, and attain that which makes our hearts sing!
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Very good, but seems like it was a private conversation between to young male’s who wanted to say the best comeback line. Good, funny but get on with it. And then when you two talked about history, changes, then it is very good. “lust for recognition” – wonderful topic, thank you!
Ruth Bush (August 8, 2019 at 11:30 PM)
I did go to Tom’s web page and found some wonderful information on Sacred spaces for Feast! wonderful. I am going to try to use his sample for Feast.
Ruth Bush (August 8, 2019 at 12:54 AM)
Like Ruth, I found good program material for Feast on Tom’s page. The alternating narrator format could serve as a useful template.
Keith Taylor (September 9, 2019 at 8:31 PM)
I celebrate Tom’s progress toward his noble goal as a writer and look forward to reading his entire trilogy in good time. You know, the other day, a deepening on Hidden Word (from the Arabic) #13 turned up this dual meaning of the word “noble”: 1) related to precious metals; 2) of high birth. Well, Bahá’u’lláh tells us our true self, our soul, is the apex of God’s creation – you can’t be any higher born than that! May we all, each in her or his own way, take heart from that, set our own noble goals, and attain that which makes our hearts sing!
Keith Taylor (September 9, 2019 at 8:35 PM)