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The Two Gardens of Ridvan

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Photo: Baha'i Media Bank

With Ridvan, The King of Festivals, upon us, we start to rejoice and reflect on all things Ridvan. With the Northern Hemisphere bursting into the full bloom of spring we start daydreaming about what it might have been like to be in the presence of Baha’u’llah, in the garden of Ridvan.

This brings us to an interesting point: there are in fact two gardens of Ridvan amongst the gardens of holy significance to the Baha’is. What the two have in common is that they were both blessed by the presence of Baha’u’llah and that they both were places of beauty and joy for Baha’u’llah and His followers. Continue reading →

In Memory of Mr. Ian Semple

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Mr. Ian Semple 1928 – 2011

To write a tribute for Mr. Ian Semple – a man so radiant and beloved – is a task which in itself an undeserved honour.

Mr. Semple was a man distinguished by both his exemplary character and his dedicated and unwavering service to the Baha’i faith from the days of his youth until his passing on the 1st of December at the age of 82.

Mr. Semple embraced the faith as a university student and went on to be elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the British Isles in 1956. He later served as an Auxiliary Board member in Europe before being elected onto the Universal House of Justice in 1963, the year of its establishment. Mr. Semple served steadfastly on the Universal House of Justice until 2005 when he was 76 years old. Continue reading →

The Spiritual Axis

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Image courtesy of GuySie (Flickr)

In Baha’i Blog’s last Trivia Quiz about Baha’i Houses of Worship, one of the questions made reference to “The Spiritual Axis” and this seemed to stump a lot of people, so I thought it would be a good idea to explore what “The Spiritual Axis” is all about.

In a world where the term “axis” – as it appears in the media – has political connotations (and somewhat sinister, at that), the concept of a spiritual axis is both uplifting and intriguing.

The notion of a spiritual axis is indeed remarkable. That a spiritual axis between two far flung countries can exist and result in a capacity to advance the spiritual growth of other countries in the region and beyond is truly awe-inspiring! Continue reading →