Intellectual stimulation and spiritual refreshment all in one place!

We have such sweet, intellectually stimulating and spiritually refreshing devotional gatherings in Highland Park, NJ. They are attended mainly by students from Rutgers, the large university on the other side of the river, and every week is a different experience depending on who shows up. We spend the first hour or so wrapped in spontaneous intellectual conversations about so many topics. Every week I come away with new insights to ponder. Last night the devotional gathering moved to my little apartment. Usually they are at Bradley and Cynthia's. Bradley is doing his Phd in Geography, studying the fair trade movement and its impact on coffee growers in Nicaragua.

Bradley and I share a love of the work of Paolo Freire, the Brazilian educator, whose thought was so influential in the design of the world-wide movement embodied in the Ruhi Study Circle --a participatory educational program being undertaken by the Baha'i international community that is designed to empower individuals wherever they live to become a force for positive change in the world.

I see it as a kind of a revolution--not in the traditional sense of the word revolution but rather a spiritual revolution where individuals unlock their capacity to love ALL humanity and act in service to overcome injustice, inequity and suffering around them.

The study circle concept was first developed in Columbia but is now used all over the world, from the remotest mountain villages to the largest metropolitan centers, as a tool for personal and community transformation.

Baha'i study circle in Thailand.

Bradlely likes to comment that it is a "third world solution to first world problems"...this comment really strikes me as beautiful as I find myself tiring of first world solutions to "third world" problems.

Cynthia is a doctoral student in Women's studies and every time I chat with her she gets me thinking once again about issues of gender inequality and what true gender equality might actually look like. The last couple of weeks we have considered the topic of gender equality in some depth at our devotional gatherings and have said special prayers for women who have suffered physical and sexual abuse.

Two wonderful sisters who often attend come from a Jewish family but have invested a great deal in learning about Arabic culture. Lisa has studied in Egypt and has a high proficiency in the Arabic language. Last week she stunned me with her insights and comments on the wearing of the hijab and the degree to which it is usually an active choice that Muslim women make and can even be a political statement and an assertion and celebration of one's identity as a Muslim woman and a symbol of allegiance to one's faith.

The spontaneous genuine heartfelt conversations laced with love and spirit of such openness drift so naturally into the prayers and readings that follow. Sometimes there is a theme suggested, but always it is a spontaneous meditative sharing by the individuals in attendance of prayers, songs or readings from the Baha'i Writings and any of the world's great Scriptures.

The most well-known devotional gathering in the Northeast United States was started by members of the Black Men's Gathering . Baha'is in the area will often say "Have you been to the HushHarbor devotional at the New York City Baha'i Center? Oh you should go, it is an amazing experience." One of these days I will make it there.

Devotional meeting pulses with energy
NEW YORK 28 November 2005 (BWNS)
The sounds of African drums and soaring voices burst out over a normally quiet lower Manhattan Street lined with antique dealers and four-story apartment buildings.

It was a recent Sunday morning and the pulsating energy was coming from the New York Baha'i Center where a drum circle was being led by African-American men, with people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds joining in.
The gathering was a striking example of a new and growing feature of Baha'i community life: community devotional meetings designed to engage the world at large through uplifting and inspirational prayers, music, readings and more.
In this case, the monthly event also offers a striking antidote to the sometimes subtle, sometimes overt sense of racial segregation that still pervades American society.
Called the "Hush Harbor Devotional," the gathering takes its name from meetings held by slaves who hung wet fabric on tree branches to stop their voices carrying while they were praying and planning escapes.
"The whole idea is to extend that idea of a safe place, not just for black folks but for everyone that comes to the devotional," said Lloyd Lawrence, one of the organizers.
"I think we free people up from their own cultural limitations," Mr. Lawrence said.
...
"Many people want to have a conversation with God, feel the spirit of the Almighty," said Dr. Roberts.
"They want to have their souls quickened with that spirit -- and coming into this kind of devotional allows them to feel that spirit."
... In addition to drumming and singing, the Hush Harbor Devotional also features the chanting of prayers in a wide range of languages, including Arabic, Persian, Mandarin, and Spanish.
...The purpose [of Hush Harbor] is not to perform, it's not to read perfectly, but to pray," said Dr. Roberts.
Kenneth Ray, who organizes the event with Mr. Lawrence, said he thought it had helped the community to understand its wonderful diversity.
"When we first started, Hush Harbor was mainly attracting the African-American community, but now it is inclusive of people from all backgrounds, Baha'is and non-Baha'is alike," ...

..."Really what's happened is we've witnessed men who have been marginalized in their community step forward," Dr. Roberts said.
"It allowed them to know that being a Baha'i does not mean you have to put aside your culture, your way of doing things," he said.
Mr. Ray said that the devotional provides many with a different understanding of diversity and worship.
"It's a way for everyone to express his or her spirit -- it's about the full participation of everyone in the room," he said.
"We seek to touch people's hearts. If people's hearts are affected then Hush Harbor is serving its purpose." ...Read more