In a study circle, I was asked to examine one of Baha’u’llah’s commandments in order to see how it raises consciousness, increases understanding, lifts standards of personal conduct and enables society to progress. I chose to examine work. Continue reading
The Long Healing Prayer revealed by Baha’u’llah is a potent medicine, an elixir. It offers a unique approach to healing; this prayer is a remedy many turn to in times of tests, difficulties and pain. Its potency is felt always. Below is a brief reflection on this powerful prayer, particularly as it relates to the spiritual healing of humankind.
My love for this Long Healing Prayer comes from an appreciation and curiosity into the statement made in one of Baha’u’llah’s Hidden Words:
The healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not.
In a world that is being governed more and more by the words of those leaders and individuals who prove “skillful at appealing to superficial emotion”, we are called to lofty heights, to rise above the sea of slogans to a spiritual distinction that is defined by our deeds. These slogans are nullifying our ability to act and rise beyond our “natural inertia” and become those beings of light that are distinguished by their actions.
It is in this world of gross materialism, the mud of our current reality, that the lotus of action must bloom. It must be our actions that distinguish us as those who truly believe: people who “do as they say”. The deeds of our lives are those that distinguish our moral selves and continually imbue us with the principle of an unwavering commitment to integrity. Here are three ways that our deeds can define us: Continue reading
One analogy that has developed in my head and heart recently is the notion that reading the Baha’i Writings can be analogous to watering the garden of our soul. This article was inspired by Haylee Navidi’s insightful post on farming as an analogy for community building, based on the 29 December 2015 message from the Universal House of Justice and other excerpts from the Writings, as well as recently being charged with the duty of watering a new garden where I live. Like I mean, the green stuff that grows outside. I actually had to water it. Continue reading
(Photo courtesy: Baha'i World Centre)
In the Baha’i Faith, education is extremely important, and the Baha’i Writings explore and honour the noble station of the teacher, particularly in relation to the education of children. It is in this exchange between the learner and the teacher that education takes on meaning. Continue reading