child of africa

New Year's Resolutions 2012

2012-01-01T18:39:00.011-05:00

No time for blogging in my new life as a mother and yet so many things to write about and celebrate. My little Johnny is taking me on a magical tour of all the wonders of the world as I share in his awe and delight of light and beauty and trains and car washes and monkeys and goats that eat corn from your hand and jumping and running and spinning around.

Now we have another baby, David Ezra--born just a couple weeks ago. Two boys. Oh my!

I feel the need to ponder again the qualities I most want to develop for the upcoming year and so I return here to my blog to try to revive my New Year's tradition.

I cannot quite come up with the name of the quality I feel I need the most...

It is something like "can-do-ness"

Perhaps I am trying to verbalize a complex cluster of qualities that are at the heart of what is means to be a mother...

What I feel I need is much more than just determination or perseverance...

It is something lighter and more open than these... a radiance and joyfulness powerful enough to penetrate through the haze of sleep deprivation...

It is more than magnanimity because it is powered by such an outpouring of love that there is nothing to forgive

It is transcendence and a powerful state of calm when the baby is crying while the toddler is kicking and squalling...

It is sparkling and alive with creativity and resourcefulness and generative of good humor capable of carrying us over the contrariness and the "no, no, no"s and the wrangling power struggles

It is faith and contentment and gratitude for the multiplying blessings and for the toughness of the challenge

It is discipline, vision, energy, foresight and organizational skills that enable the pursuit of other vocations alongside the rigors of mothering

It is uncomplaining

It is motherhood Level II... may I please be granted capacity to cope with grace!

new year wishes

2010-01-02T04:25:00.003-05:00

creativity

imagination

resourcefulness

color

music

joyfulness

radiance

laughter

smiles

affability

spontaneity

flexibility

order

planning

reflection

determination

energy

prayerfulness

clarity

discernment

gratitude

faith

steadfastness

little johnny hashemi

2009-12-27T05:18:00.007-05:00

On December 9, 2009 little John Sargent Hashemi was born. He is named after my father. My father's love of the number 9 was one of his trademarks along with bolo ties and rainbow suspenders. So I am most delighted that his little namesake was born on the 9th day of the month in the year '09. Wouldn't be surprised if he had something to do with it from the realms above. I can just hear him chuckling about it now.

Little Johnny was born in Beijing in the "Middle Kingdom". In his coming into being he unites the clashing civilizations of our times. He comes from a fine Christian heritage on the Sargent side of his family and, far more dramatic, on the Hashemi side of his family he is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad making him a Siyyid. Little Siyyid John Sargent. I can't help but think that this would tickle my dad too.

We gave him the Chinese name 兰凯 Lan Kai. Mainly because Kai was a name I liked given its Scandinavian roots and connection to my mother's side of the family. But, the Chinese character that we chose for Kai means victorious or triumphant. May he be victorious and triumphant as a force for uniting our deeply divided world. May he be a citizen of the world in all the newest meanings of the phrase that are as yet to be understood. (Lan is the first character of Ram's Chinese name so we gave it to Johnny too like a surname.)

"These children are neither oriental nor occidental, neither Asiatic nor American, neither European nor African; but they are children of the Kingdom; their home is Heaven and their resort is the Kingdom of Abha."

(Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Vol. 3, p. 647.)

The weight of the responsibility of motherhood hangs about me as I fumble through the first few weeks of little Johnny's life with us.

"For mothers are the first educators, the first mentors; and truly it is the mothers who determine the happiness, the future greatness, the courteous ways and learning and judgement, the understanding and the faith of their little ones."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 125)

So so much I feel I should be doing, preparing, thinking and I feel hindered by my need to sleep and the necessary limitations imposed by the breastfeeding imperative which keeps both my hands tied. When Johnny falls asleep in my arms I can hardly bear to put him down so sweet is the warmth of his body on my lap and so I am his willing prisoner all day and all night.

"O my Lord! O my Lord! I am a child of tender years; nourish me from the breast of Thy Mercy, train me in the bosom of Thy Love. Educate me in the school of Thy Guidance and develop me under the shadow of Thy Bounty. Deliver me from darkness; make me a brilliant light. Free me from unhappiness; make me a flower of Thy Rose-Garden. Suffer me to become the servant of Thy Threshold and confer upon me the disposition and nature of the righteous ones. Make me a cause of bounty to the human world and crown my head with the diadem of Eternal Life! Verily Thou are the Powerful, the Mighty, the Seer, the Hearer!"

'Abdu'l-Bahá

(Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 112)

diamonds in Zimbabwe?

2009-06-27T18:53:00.006-04:00

My beloved father was an exploration geologist in Zimbabwe. He worked to locate and excavate mineral resources in Zimbabwe over his lifetime working for both foreign companies and the Zimbabwean government. I am quite sure I remember, as I was growing up, him saying that no diamonds had been discovered in Zimbabwe but that he believed they were there and one day he was going to find his diamond pipe and make it big. Well I was surprised to see the article in the NYTimes today about corruption, massacres and human rights abuses in diamond mines in Zimbabwe.

Diamonds in Zimbabwe? Diamonds were only discovered in 2006 in the mine mentioned in the NYTimes article, Marange diamond fields. A search on Wikipedia turned up a couple of entries on diamonds in Zimbabwe. It seems diamonds were first discovered in Zimbabwe in 1997. Father dear passed away in 1998. I wonder if he had heard of this discovery. Judging from the NYTimes article and the references at the end of one of the Wikipedia entries it is a good thing he never did get involved in diamond mining. Literally a cutthoat field to be in. Which reminds me, I still haven't seen the movie Blood Diamond and it is something I have been planning on watching.

In spite of my beloved father's dream of finding his diamond pipe, all this violence surrounding diamonds makes me feel very pleased with the simple gold wedding band I have on my finger.

tiny being in my belly

2009-05-30T13:27:00.003-04:00

tiny tiny being in my belly. s/he looks very comfortable with feet up and crossed. just hanging out.

really one of the most moving experiences of my life to witness the movements of this tiny 7cm long little person.

"O my Lord! I dedicate that which is in my womb unto Thee. Then cause it to be a praiseworthy child in Thy kingdom and a fortunate one by Thy favor and generosity, to develop and to grow up under the charge of Thine education. Verily, Thou art the gracious! Verily, Thou art the Lord of great favor!"

~'Abdu'l-Baha

sunshine and sweet honey

2009-04-27T22:28:00.009-04:00

the days pass with sweetness and struggle... i suppose that is how life goes.

winter has come and gone.

Baha'is celebrate their new year on the first day of spring. Naw Ruz is also an ancient Persian festival and we set up a traditional table with the seven s's on it (haft seen) More pictures of traditional Naw Ruz tables are available on flickr. I found some introductions online to the symbolism of the various components of the table. We included on our table a plate of sabzeh that maman-jan sprouted for us from lentils representing fertility and the rebirth of nature; apples (seeb) representing natural beauty; garlic (seer) representing health, vinegar (serkeh) representing age, a mirror representing the images and reflections of Creation, coins (sekkeh), and goldfish representing life. Maman-jan suggested we add the Kitab-i-Aqdas for good measure to remember that we were celebrating Baha'i New Year and not just the traditional Persian holiday.

This past weekend spring arrived in full force with blue skies and sunshine. We went out to enjoy ourselves at Rutgers day and lay down on the lush green grass

listening to bluegrass music.

That evening dear dear friend k. who is one of those amazing souls who makes it her mission to bring sweetness and sunshine into the lives of others treated me to a concert at Princeton. It was a concert of Sweet Honey in the Rock. Just the kind of thing that fills my soul with delight. So spiritual, so educational, so concerned with social justice, so authentic, so good, so down to earth, so revolutionary, such brilliance and power these fabulous women evinced. If they are ever in your neck of the woods really DO try to go and see them. They put on a moving and inspiring live performance. CDs and youtube clips do not do it justice.

zhu zhu

2009-04-12T14:16:00.009-04:00

at not quite five weeks old zhu zhu (little pearl) is the size of a tiny lentil but "she" already has a backbone, a beating heart... and a soul... May her backbone grow ever more firm and steadfast, her heart ever more expansive and her soul maintain its purity and brilliance.

so astonished by the speed with which human life takes shape!! So many things to learn by reading and reveling in the astounding pictures in the wondrous book A Child is Born.

"...that from the union of these two seas of love a wave of tenderness may surge and cast the pearls of pure and goodly issue on the shore of life..."

('Abdu'l-Baha)

remembering Dan Seals

2009-03-29T21:29:00.002-04:00

one of the great Baha'i musicians in the world just passed away.

"we all are one, the flowers of one garden...
ponder in your hearts, how we were all created from the same dust"

<a href="http://www.joost.com/082004u/t/Dan-Seals-We-Are-One-Video">Dan Seals - We Are One (Video)</a>

the sweet days of fasting

2009-03-18T10:11:00.006-04:00

This year the month of fasting seems to have flown by. How sweet it has been to share it with my Ram. We have been having amazing breakfasts and dinners...colorful and joyous just how I LOVE them.
Breakfast this morning --lemon water, oatmeal with pine nuts and raisins and lots of fresh fruit.

Then some sweet prayer time together. We have been doing our 95 'Allah'u'Abha's together with the help of the coral and jade prayer beads that Ram made for me a few days ago. This morning we read from a lovely compilation on The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting...

"Well is it with you, as you have followed the Law of God and arisen to observe the Fast during these blessed days, for this physical fast is a symbol of the spiritual fast. This fast leadeth to the cleansing of the soul from all selfish desires, the acquisition of spiritual attributes, attraction to the breezes of the All-Merciful, and enkindlement with the fire of divine love." 'Abdu'l-Baha

We were very honored by the presence of Hayden Knight Weiler of Ellis and Knight fame at our little weekly devotional gathering last week. He played the song he and Vahid composed especially for our wedding--sweet sweet sweet!
[You must go to their reverbnation site and listen to some of their songs]

"make Thou this marriage to be as threading lights of Thine abounding grace..."

2009-03-07T11:53:00.011-05:00

the first week of our new marriage has been very sweet. we decided to begin our marriage during the Baha'i month of fasting (March 2-21) so that we could try to establish habits of prayer and meditation as integral to our family life from the very beginning.

my favorite pictures from the wedding are around the lovely wedding cake (carrot cake with cream cheese icing--delicious!!).

One picture in particular delights me because, just by chance,
it is almost a replica of my favorite picture from my parents' wedding that I have hanging on my wall.

I wore the jacket my mother wore at her wedding. I had it slightly altered.

"From the pairing of even the smallest particles in the world of being are the grace and bounty of God made manifest; and the higher the degree, the more momentous is the union. 'Glory be to Him Who hath created all the pairs, of such things as earth produceth, and out of men themselves, and of things beyond their ken.'[1]
And above all other unions is that between human beings, especially when it cometh to pass in the love of God. Thus is the primal oneness made to appear; thus is laid the foundation of love in the spirit. It is certain that such a marriage as yours will cause the bestowals of God to be revealed. Wherefore do we offer you felicitations and call down blessings upon you and beg of the Blessed Beauty, through His aid and favour, to make that wedding feast a joy to all and adorn it with the harmony of Heaven.
[1 Qur'án 36:36, and cf. 51:49]

O my Lord, O my Lord! These two bright orbs are wedded in Thy love, conjoined in servitude to Thy Holy Threshold, united in ministering to Thy Cause. Make Thou this marriage to be as threading lights of Thine abounding grace, O my Lord, the All-Merciful, and luminous rays of Thy bestowals, O Thou the Beneficent, the Ever-Giving, that there may branch out from this great tree boughs that will grow green and flourishing through the gifts that rain down from Thy clouds of grace.

Verily Thou art the Generous, verily Thou art the Almighty, verily Thou art the Compassionate, the All-Merciful."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 119)

committing to peace, joy and certitude

2009-02-21T13:16:00.009-05:00

I am getting married in exactly a week! it has been hard to write about all of this. i find myself fighting so many fears and anxieties. It is perhaps the speed of the transition.

We had a very sweet evening recently where we recited the "Remover of difficulties" 500 times together.

"Is there any remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praise be to God. He is God. All are His servants and all abide by his bidding." -The Bab

This is not any kind of a required practice and Baha'is are cautioned against all forms of ritual, but the following passage is found in God Passes By:

`Bid them recite: "Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!" Tell them to repeat it five hundred times, nay, a thousand times, by day and by night, sleeping and waking, that haply the Countenance of Glory may be unveiled to their eyes, and tiers of light descend upon them.'

(Shoghi Effendi citing Nabíl citing Bahá'u'lláh in God Passes By, p. 119)

My friends Sham and Joa use this during periods of crisis and have inspired me to try it several times during my life. I generally find that it has a very calming and centering effect and seems to lead to some insight. Wednesday night's sweet experience of reciting it together not only drew us closer together but lead to a strong sense that what would be the most constructive of goodness and rightness would be to commit myself wholly and fully to moving ahead with

peace, joy and certitude

It was quite liberating. The challenge is to honor that commitment which makes me think of the "Dynamics of prayer" which has been attributed to Shoghi Effendi. I found this on Baha'i Perspectives.

Step 1: Pray and meditate about it. Use the prayers of the Messengers of God (Jesus, Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Zoaster, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh) as they have the greatest power. Then remain in silence of contemplation for a few minutes.

Step 2: Arrive at a decision and hold this. This decision is usually born during the contemplation. It may seem almost impossible of accomplishment, but if it seems to be an answer to prayer or a way of solving the problem, then immediately take the next step.

Step 3: Have determination to carry the decision through. Many fail here. The decision, budding into determination, is blighted and instead becomes a wish or vague longing. When determination is born, immediately take the next step.

Step 4: Have Faith and confidence that the power will flow through you and the right way will appear, the door will open, the right thought, the right message, the right principle or the right book will be given you. Have confidence, and the right thing will come to your need. Then, as you rise from prayer, take at once Step 5.

Step 5: Act. Act as though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And as you act, you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for Divine Power to flow through you. Many pray but do not remain for the last half of the first step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision, but fail to hold it. Few have the determination to carry the decision through, still fewer have the confidence that the right thing will come to their need. But how many remember to act as though it had all been answered? How true are those words- "greater than the prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered and greater than the way it is uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out."

From Principles of Bahá'í Administration, p. 90-91.
* Excerpted from the pilgrim's notes of Ruth Moffet, an early American Bahá'i

forgiveness and acquiescence

2009-02-17T16:14:00.004-05:00

"We ought to show something greater than forgiveness in meeting the cruelties and strictures in our lives. To be hurt and forgive is saintly but far beyond this is the power to comprehend and not be hurt. This power we may have...acceptance without complaint and it should be associated with our name. We ought never to be known to complain or lament. It is not that we would "make the best of things," but that we may find in everything, even in calamity, the gems of enduring wisdom. We ought never be impatient. We ought to be as incapable of impatience as one would be of revolt. This not being so much long-suffering as quiet awareness of the forces that operate in the hours of dark or years of waiting and inactivity. Always we ought to move with the larger rhythm, the wider sweep, towards our ultimate goal, in that complete acquiescence, that perfect chord which underlies the spirit of the faith itself."

-- Bahiyyih Khanum, The Greatest Holy Leaf

dancing for universal peace

2009-02-01T15:17:00.006-05:00

Last night our dear friend Tanya rounded several of us up to go the Dance for Universal Peace at the Soma Yoga Center. This is the first I have heard of such a thing and it seems it is a worldwide organization that promotes peace through dance, music and prayer from the various faith traditions in the world.

The evening consisted of learning simple verses from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Native American faiths and then singing and dancing. It was so sweet, calming, joyous and uplifting.

Ram had a favorite song. It is from a poem of Kabir, an Indian poet who combined Hindu and Muslim themes. The lyrics for this song go like this:

"Fill your cup. Drink it up. Ya Allah Allah.
Fill your cup. Drink it up. Ya Allah Allah.
Ram Ram Ram Ram
Ram Ram Ram Ram
Ram Ram Ram Ram
A fish in the water is not thirsty."

You can see why Ram liked the song so much! I found a session of this song and dance on YouTube. This is just the dance that we did here in little Highland Park though with a much smaller group.

new beginnings

2009-01-27T19:19:00.006-05:00

a child of africa gets engaged to a child of iran. together they hope their union can contribute one more tiny thread that unites the people's of the world.

"O Thou Provider! The dearest wish of this servant of Thy Threshold is to behold the friends of east and west in close embrace; to see all the members of human society gathered with love in a single great assemblage, even as individual drops of water collected in one mighty sea; to behold them all as birds in one garden of roses, as pearls of one ocean, as leaves of one tree, as rays of one sun." (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 75)

One of the many perks of this new beginning is the possibility for greater opportunities to eat Persian food like the Shol-e-zard and Fessen joon that were served at our simple family engagment party. Yummm!

Happy 牛Year

2009-01-01T02:01:00.005-05:00

Here I am in Lanzhou, Gansu, China on New Year's Day 2009. The New Year of any culture or tradition is such a wonderful symbol of turning over a new leaf, of taking pause to reflect and bring oneself to account and to set new goals and directons.

I would like to sustain my New Year's resolution blog posting tradition in which I take stock of the previous year and consider what I would like to focus on for the next. Last year I resolved to strive for the following attributes in my life:

independence
strength
severance
FAITH
patience
calm
stillness
ZEAL
courage
energy
enthusiasm
purity of heart, mind, motive, intention
DISCIPLINE
focus
knowledge
discernment
and JOY

Quite an extensive list and, reflecting on the past year, I really did consciously strive to acquire most of these attributes and states of being. Actually I printed out this list and stuck it up on my computer monitor so that I could return to it for inspiration and focus when necessary.

How interesting it is to me that after just one year my world and future look so different. While I still wish to keep working on last year's list of attributes, new capacities seem to emerge as more urgently necessary as I contemplate the adventures in store for me this year. The first that come to mind are as follows...

LOVE

magnanimity

generosity (of spirit, material wealth and TIME... "when there is love there is always time")

graciousness

tenderness

affection

BEAUTY

magic and romance

loyalty

commitment

respect

encouragement

illumination ("day by day become ye more illumined")

industriousness

cleanliness and order

from bristol to brighton

2008-12-19T01:17:00.007-05:00

dear clea, my high school best friend, came to pick me up at oxford and take me to her home in a lovely little village outside bristol.

in her dear sentimental way she showed me a little gift that i had given her when we were young gals --"A friend is someone who likes you."

we had such fun catching up and the next morning was a perfect sunny day for a walk through the cotswolds. could NOT have been a more perfect outing.

just what i longed for-- a brisk and refreshing hike out in the fresh air and stunning scenery.

little stimpy accompanied us and supplied a continously fresh stream of delightful antics.

we walked up to the Tyndale Monument built in memory of William Tyndale who was burned at the stake in 1536 for the heresy of translating the Bible into English.

Next stop on my itinerary was a visit to my other dear dear friends sham, joa, arian and layla in brighton.

then off to china where i am sitting right now in beijing airport waiting for my plane to lanzhou.

More Baha'i tourism--sightseeing at Oxford

2008-12-13T11:43:00.009-05:00

I am here at the University of Oxford to present a paper at a conference on "Poverty, Education and Health in Rural China."

I took some time to go for a little sight seeing stroll today. From St. Anne's College I walked down Observatory Road admiring the colorfully painted homes and got some breakfast/lunch (woke up so late due to jet lag) at a little cafe on Walton St.

Funny how there was such a familiarity in the flavors of things--coming to England is also like a cultural homecoming in some sense--child of British colonial Africa that I am. The baked beans tasted how baked beans ought to taste in my mind--not sickly sweet like American baked beans. Even the tea and the jam on toast tasted "right" :-)

After lunch I strolled down towards Broad St where Balliol college is located.

Balliol college is where Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith studied the philosophy of politics from 1920. I spent some time strolling the courtyards.

I love the little faces that seem to be everywhere in the architecture.

Then I spent some time in the chapel.

I was struck by the bronze eagle lectern which holds a copy of the Bible. The eagle was apparently given for the chapel in 1630 by one of the fellows who studied at Balliol. It certainly made me think of Shoghi Effendi who so loved the symbol of the eagle. Sculptures of eagles can be found throughout the Baha'i gardens at the Holy Places in Israel and

also atop Shoghi Effendi's gravesite in London [image borrowed from Barney Leith's blog]. Surely the similarity between these two sculptures of an eagle atop a globe is not coincidental??

continuing to give thanks...

2008-12-02T22:52:00.002-05:00

"O Thou handmaid of God! In this day, to thank God for his bounties consisteth in possessing a radiant heart, and a soul open to the promptings of the spirit. This is the essence of thanksgiving."

'Abdu'l-Baha

I just love these simple and lovely directions for living a life of thankfulness. The inherent possibility and potential for new adventures to be had if one is open to the promptings of the spirit is intriguing.

Pomegranates

2008-12-01T16:42:00.002-05:00

so...my year of waiting is over and the future is brimming with new possibilities. i have been eating lots of pomegranates lately. they are so delicious. can't get enough of them. there is much symbolism connected to pomegranates in various cultures around the world. In various traditions they symbolize..

the fullness of suffering
the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom
the good things that God creates
abundance and good luck
...
fertility and marriage
...

how wonderful that i am surrounded by pomegranates like never before in my life. surely a portent of good things to come

A walk through the City of the Covenant

2008-11-30T14:30:00.010-05:00

Yesterday a dear friend of mine, Ram, and I set out on a little pilgrimage of sorts to visit a few of the places associated with the sojourn of 'Abdu'l-Baha in New York City which He named as the City of the Covenant. The trip seemed significant in its proximity to the Day of the Covenant (November 26) and November 28 which is the anniversary of the "ascension" of 'Abdu'l-Baha.

There are many spots in New York city that have been made blessed and sanctified by 'Abdu'l-Baha. Our tour yesterday focused on those spots in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I came up with the tour using the booklet 'Abdu'l-Baha in New York: The City of the Covenant which gives a chronological account of the time that 'Abdu'l-Baha spent there complete with sweet vignettes of occurrences at the time. I use excerpts from this book in this post.

We began our tour at the Hotel Ansonia where 'Abdu'l-Baha stayed when he first arrived on April 11, 1912.

"‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His entourage were driven from the ship to the Hotel Ansonia, Broadway and 73rd Street, His headquarters for the next nine days of incredibly intense activities." (p. 8)

Of the mornings at the hotel, Juliet Thompson wrote: “Oh, those mornings at the Ansonia in the Master’s white sunny rooms, filled with spring flowers and roses! People poured in to see Him in droves, sometimes a hundred and fifty in one morning! Exhausted, He received the late arrivals in bed…I would watch them go into His bedroom and come out changed, as though they had had a bath of Life.” Charles Rand Kennedy, author of “The Terrible Meek,” [a play depicting the crucifixion of Christ that 'Abdu'l-Baha had gone to watch] was there one morning, and deeply moved said: “I was in the presence of God.” (p. 14)

Yesterday, we sat in the lobby of the Ansonia reading some of the stories associated with 'Abdu'l-Baha's stay there. We imagined the droves of people pouring into that lobby to visit him. We also read stories of the next places on our mini-itinerary: Riverside Park, 309 W. 78th St, the American Museum of Natural History, the Church of the Divine Paternity, and Times Square.

After a refreshing and simple lunch at the Fairway Cafe across the street from the Ansonia we walked westwards along 75th street over to Riverside Park.

"He loved the Riverside Park area. He had selected a secluded spot there where He liked to go daily and walk by Himself or “sleep on the grass” a few minutes to rest. “When I am alone, exhaustion is removed and I am relaxed,” He said. Sometimes, He allowed the friends to go with Him to this "hallowed spot,” “His Garden,” as the friends named the place and a recurring name in Juliet’s and Mahmud’s diaries." (p.16)

We continued our pleasant walk to 309 78th St where Abdu'l-Baha also resided for sometime.

The American Museum of Natural History was next on our walking tour of points of interest in the Upper West Side.

"Juliet relates that on July 8th, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá expressed the desire to visit the American
Museum of Natural History. The Master laughed at the size of a huge whale, saying that “…he could hold seventy Jonahs!” He was very interested in the Mexican exhibit, pointing out the relationship of glyphs with Persian and Egyptian art..." (p. 31)

We made a special point to go to see the replica of the blue whale. It was indeed huge and is apparently the largest model of the largest creature that has lived on earth. It was just such an interesting and delightful thought that one could come to observe an exhibit at a museum and have it so infused with sweet and sacred connotations. Intriguing. I love museums anyway because my father loved museums so much and in particular museums of natural history. Ram's father is also a geologist. We spent some time enjoying the geology exhibits in the museum.

Onward two blocks down Central Park West to the Church of the Divine Paternity, one of the many many venues where 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke during his time in New York.

"On Sunday, May 19, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke at the Church of the Divine Paternity on Central Park West. The church’s Byzantine architecture seemed a natural frame for the Master who was often referred to as “the Patriarch of the East” because of His Eastern robes and headdress. The people attending were touched by the beauty of the scene as well as captivated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s address on progressive revelation and the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh." (p. 17)

Here is an excerpt of that talk:

"Religions are many, but the reality of religion is one. The days are many, but the sun is one. The fountains are many, but the fountainhead is one. The branches are many, but the tree is one."

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 126)

Our tour had taken us into the early evening and it was time to make our way down to midtown to get some dinner and catch our Broadway musical "The Phantom of the Opera."

Even Times Square has been sanctified by a celebratory comment of 'Abdu'l-Baha!!

"Returning to the hotel by taxi, the Master was amused by the glittering of Broadway ‘s electric signs, and was reminded that Bahá’u’lláh loved light, recommending that His household economize on everything except light." (p. 14)

all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me

2008-11-15T19:24:00.003-05:00

Devon Gundry - "Armed" from Justin Baldoni on Vimeo.

Baha'i prayer set to music and a moving little music video:

"Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me." Baha'u'llah

blessed is the spot and the house and the place...

2008-09-28T22:29:00.005-04:00

My little apartment has been blessed with various meetings and gatherings of late. Here is a picture of one of my esteemed guests holding little Lillian Jaleh who came along with her dad and contributed a great deal of joy and wisdom to that particular meeting.

"Children are the most precious treasure a community can possess, for in them are the promise and guarantee of the future. They bear the seeds of the character of a future society which is largely shaped by what the adults constituting the community do or fail to do with resepect to children. They are a trust no community can neglect with impunity. An all-embracing love of children, the manner of treating them, the quality of the attention shown to them, the spirt of adult behavior towards them--these are all among the vital aspects of the requisite attitude." (Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 2000).

I have also been holding weekly devotional gatherings in my apartment on Thursday nights. At a recent gathering, Bryn and I shared readings from family heirlooms.

She has a lovely book that belonged to her grandmother, the World Bible. She read an excerpt from the Koran from it.

I have a book that belonged to my mother entitled "The Pattern of Baha'i Life". It has a stamp in it from the "Baha'i World Congress London 1963" and is inscribed "Naw Ruz 121 To our dear Baha'i sister Aili, Eino and Sonja". In several places my mother has underlined words and penciled in Finnish translations. One such passage which I read on this particular occasion goes as follows:

"The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it...Verily I say, the world is like a vapour in the desert, which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mere illusion..." Baha'u'llah

my first football game

2008-09-28T22:12:00.006-04:00

i went to my very first ever football game this past Sunday--that is american football for all my international readers. i got free tickets from my esteemed institution.

a friend who knows a thing or two about football accompanied me and came well prepared with visual aids and all to educate this sports illiterate about the game and provide running commentary.

Go RU!

colorful Bollywood fun

2008-09-25T00:10:00.001-04:00

just watched my first Bollywood movie "Bride and Prejudice"... very entertaining, light hearted and cheerful

full moon

2008-09-18T23:19:00.004-04:00

during my time in china i developed a special relationship with the moon...a relationship with the moon is so much a part of Chinese culture in the poems, the songs, the calendar, the festivals. somehow i feel i had more frequent opportunity to notice the moon in china. perhaps i was outside walking at night more often. the beauty of the moon would captivate me and move me.

when i see a full moon i inevitably reflect on my life and which aspects of my life are in a state of fulfillment or completion.

Sunday was the night of the year that the Chinese celebrate the moon...the Moon Festival...I forgot to look for the moon on that night. Sunday also marked the date of my 9th wedding anniversary...quite possibly the last wedding anniversary i will commemorate in my marriage to mbh ...who is still mbff (my beloved friend forever). our year of separation is approaching its conclusion. it has really been a good year...a year rich in adventure and self-discovery... a year in which i was able to relish the benefits of solitude and the opportunity for prayer and reflection. it has also been a year of awakenings and new possibilities, a year filled with music, yoga, friends, service, travel, books.

"Ten thousand flowers in spring,

the moon in autumn,

a cool breeze in summer,

snow in winter.

If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things,this is the best season of your life." Zen poem

"The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens" Baha'u'llah

2008-09-17T22:21:00.007-04:00

Haven't posted in such a long time. I am catching up on my blog reading too this evening. Lots of interesting items on Baha'i Views including this link to a photoshop tutorial on how to create the effect here. Please click to enlarge.

Also on Baha'i Views, new links to more music from Baha'i artists around the world like Tahereh in Australia for example.

music for the soul

2008-08-27T13:42:00.005-04:00

music has been very important to me this year. and i go through distinct phases in the type of music that seems to feed and nourish me. my most recent phase satisfies a hunger for soothing meditative music for the soul. i just love how diverse cultures around the world have music to take one to that place of peace, that can accompany a person on an inner journey.

"We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they maybe lifted up unto the realm on high..."
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 38)

Tibetan singing bowl

Cistercian monks

and today's purchase/iTunes download which i so ADORE: "The First Flute" by Kevin Locke the renowned Baha'i musician and cultural ambassador for native peoples in North America.

societal transformation in China

2008-08-24T19:28:00.007-04:00

I have just been reading a paper about "market transition" in China.

Nee, V., & Matthews, R. (1996). Market Transition and Societal Transformation in Reforming State Socialism. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 401-435.

I would have to read it several times through very carefully to grasp the content adequately. But I am intrigued by this paragraph in relation to China's approach to rural development:

"Byrd and Gelb (1990) show that market-oriented rural industrialization is advantageous for rural communities as a whole and for the cadres who oversee them. First, salaries of local officials are closely tied to revenues generated from township and village enterprises...Ironically, in localities where township and village enterprises are well-developed and profitable, local cadres have an incentive not to be promoted to higher salaried positions in the state heirarchy because this would result in a reduction in their incomes...Local cadres thus have an incentive to improve the general standard of living in their area through development of rural industry. In this way, the relationship between local cadres and rural residents is becoming less vertical as local cadres focus efforts on marketizing community production."

I have all kinds of questions about examples of how this is occurring and the impact on the environment and land use patterns and loss of agricultural land and so on... but still I cannot help but be intrigued by the fact that in China there is still so much space for grass roots innovation and development. I have certainly witnessed this myself in my trips to the rural parts of Northwestern China. Seems to me there is more to be learned and understood about this state of affairs.

Another fascinating point relates to the Chinese approach to economic reform as compared to other postcommunist governments such as the states of the former Soviet Union which applied "textbook economics" to dismantle old institutions and replace them with market institutions--probably adapted from the West. In China, however, "reformers emphasized piecemeal incremental change, not by design, but by trial and error, resulting in an open-ended evolutionary process of institutional change."

Ha! How about that? They adopted a "posture of learning" and it paid off in many respects. How wise.

[All pictures taken during my stay in China, in Gansu province in Fall 2004]

"why should a mature humanity not be able to develop an economy with a totally new logic?"

2008-08-23T18:25:00.006-04:00

I have had a lovely time reconnecting with an old dear friend of mine who is working on a paper about Baha'i views of social and economic development. We are trying to help each other over our writing hurdles. I recommended to her a talk given by Dr. Farzam Arbab and in the process I was thrilled to rediscover the talk as I had never read it carefully myself. The talk is entitled The Process of Social Transformation.

It touches on themes I ponder regularly regarding the Baha'i view of social change.

The first point is that Baha'is view social change as resulting from an organic and complex set of interactions between profound changes in the individual and deliberate attemps to change the structure of society. Arbab defines change in social structures as not merely political change but change in mental, cultural, economic, social structures and also in the "very concept of political leadership and power".

Individual spiritual transformation and illumination frees the individual "from the bounds of oppressive social forces" !! and the continued spiritual growth of these liberated individuals can only occur as they arise to make efforts to create and strengthen new social institutions. Real social change is therefore an iterative process over several generations-- "organic change in the structure of present day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced" (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 43). Arbab describes this process as "the mystical-practical path of social activity and individual transformation".

He goes on to introduce the notion that there are "twin processes" at work in the world at large--the destructive processes and the integrative processes. There is no need to participate in the processes of the destruction of corrupt and outdated structures. These are collapsing on their own. He quotes at length from the writings of Shoghi Effendi. I love this quote--it is a bold and confident vision for the future world society--I have abbreviated it somewhat:

"The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds, and classes are closely and permanently united and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs, and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. ...

A mechanism of world inter-communication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity. ...

The press will , under such a system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated from the influence of contending governments and peoples. The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated." (Shoghi Effendi, Guidance for Today and Tomorrow, 1953, p. 167)

[as an aside this brings to mind the Peter Drucker quote I read this morning that "the best way to predict the future is to create it"]

Always a staunch advocate for the participation of rural populations in the larger global economy, Arbab discusses two of my central passions in life: education and agriculture from the point of view of the village community. He is writing in 1987 but all of his ideas seem so VERY contemporary as though they were written just today and we see the influences of these kinds of ideas permeating educational thought today.

"...it is important not to view these activities as a mere extension of the present educational system of the so-called developed world to developing rural regions. The unbridled process of transfer of technology and education, promoted vigorously by governments and churches during the past decades, has already shown its devastating effects in the creation of a most alarming state of hopelessness, alienation, and confusion among millions of rural youth who see no future for themselves either in the villages or in the marginal neighborhoods of the cities to which they are forced to migrate. It would not be an exaggeration to say that many Bahá'ís all over the world, while acutely aware of the great value of education, show profound disagreement with present educational practices. ...

The educational objectives that are being sought are integration of the spiritual and the material, the theoretical and the practical, the technical and the social, the sense of individual progress with service to the community at large, all these as opposed to the increasingly fragmented educational content of the present-day systems. The form of education is also to undergo profound change, become more participative and less autocratic, more consultative and based on joint exploration of nature and social reality. There is, moreover, an extremely strong emphasis on excellence, but not excellence exclusively for the children born to certain social classes. The educational system being sought will foster social justice and will fulfil all the requirements of universal education."

And with regard to my other passion--sustainable agriculture and its relationship to an alternative village economy and a just global economy:

"Peasant production systems all value diversity of species and include a very complex management of time and space unlike most monoculture systems of commercial agriculture. The utilization of family labour on one's own farm and on others' follows a far more complex logic than simple wage earning, work is a social process that has inherent in it interchanges with other families, a concept of reciprocity and social responsibility, and usually a deep commitment to the community. What the researchers in this field tell us then is that there is a logic to this mode of production quite different from the logic of a commercial agriculture based on the rate of return on investment, or that of an agricultural operation planned by the state to produce cheap and abundant food for urban areas and industrial workers.

My purpose here is clearly not the defense of peasant economies, which at best offer meager subsistence to people, but I would like to make two points on the basis of this short description. The first is that economies with different "logics" are quite possible, and the only choices open to humanity are not the capitalist and socialist modes of production, both of which are products of two or three hundred years in the history of the European people. There is no doubt that peasant economies are defective and that there is no use romanticizing present and past peasant societies. But why should a mature humanity not be able to develop an economy with a totally new logic that is not based on greed or false precepts of absolute equality, that allows reasonable freedom yet promotes and safeguards justice? Moreover, why should the village Bahá'ís, in their attempt to move forward, follow dreams of false modernization and become converted to the logic of one of the two dominant world ideologies?"

gaining the victory over self

2008-08-21T11:56:00.005-04:00

"Arise, O people, and, by the power of God's might, resolve to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies -- gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of, their wretched worshipers. These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection. We cherish the hope that the Hand of Divine power may lend its assistance to mankind, and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 93)

I have had a book on my shelf for a while-- "The Wisdom of the Desert" by Thomas Merton. I felt drawn to it this morning during my morning devotions. I imagine myself to be in a battle to regain victory over my thoughts to arrive at a place of purity, independence, freedom from enslavement, strength, zeal and enthusiasm. Thomas Merton was just the thing this morning. Who better to turn to for victory over self than the wisdom of nuns and monks and mystics who devote their lives to complete transcendence over self. I have posted previously about some of the books by Margaret Funk that have helped me in these endeavors, "Thoughts matter"and "Tools matter". She also draws on the wisdom of the early Christian mystics to explore ways that we can gain victory over our own thought.

Merton writes a nice introduction to the collection of wisdom that he has compiled. I found the end of the introduction compelling! Here is an excerpt:

"Ours is certainly a time for solitaries and for hermits. But merely to reproduce the simplicity, austerity and prayer of these primitive souls is not a complete or satisfactory answer. We must transcend them, and transcend all those who, since their time, have gone beyond the limits which they set. We must liberate ourselves, in our own way, from involvement in a world that is plunging into disaster. But our world is different from theirs. Our involvement is more complete. Our danger is far more desparate. Our time, perhaps, is shorter than we think.

We cannot do exactly what they did. But we must be as thorough and as ruthless in our determination to break all spiritual chains, and cast off the domination of alien compulsions, to find our true selves, to discover and develop our inalienable spiritual liberty and use it to build, on earth, the Kingdom of God...we need to learn from these men of the fourth century how to ignore prejudice, defy compulsion and strike out fearlessly into the unknown."

Hah! There is much in these two paragraphs that I wish to mull over at the current point in my life.

And a few of the simple yet profound nuggets of wisdom that are contained in the book from the desert mystics:

"There are three kinds of men who find honor in the sight of God: First, those who, when they are ill and tempted, accept all these things with thanksgiving. The second, those who do all their works clean in the sight of God, in no way merely seeking to please men. Those who sit in subjection to the command of the spiritual father and renounce all their own desires."

I find such peace in the notion of a life spent renouncing desire rather than seeking to attain and fulfill our desires. Although there are desires and then there are desires.

"...whatever you see your soul to desire according to God, do that thing, and you shall keep your heart safe."

"If we but had with us these three men: Noe, Job and Daniel... Now Noe represents those who possess nothing. Job represents those who suffer tribulation. Daniel, those who discern good from evil. If these three actions are found in a man, then God dwells within him."

"There are two things which a monk ought to hate above all, for by hating them he can become free in this world...An easy life and vain glory."

I have found all these really most comforting as I meet my struggles head on today. Merton states that the "desert fathers" were "inclined to accept the common realities of life and be content with the ordinarly lot of man who has to struggle all his life to overcome himself." Merton tells the story of the "monk John, who boasted that he was beyond all temptation and was advised by a shrewd elder to pray to God for a few good solid battles in order that his life might continue to be worth something."

I embrace an attitude of thanksgiving for the battle and the struggle and the daily opportunity to gain victory over my own self.

Blog Action Day 2008--POVERTY--October 15

2008-08-21T09:33:00.003-04:00

Get ready to do some posting for poverty this October 15 on the annual Blog Action Day. Thanks so much to Anne for reminding me of this annual event.

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

the crisis of "latter day capitalism"

2008-08-20T22:04:00.008-04:00

I am struggling to attain greater understandings of our global economic and social structure. I was particularly interested in a recent post on Iguana Journal which draws excerpts from Muhammad Yunnus' book "Creating a World without Poverty" which is a book I must get around to reading.

I am just now reading excerpts from a book "The Work of Nations" by Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor as he wrestles with the myriad issues that have arisen in the global marketplace with relation to job creation and employment. According to his argument the US excels at cultivating "symbolic analysts" who possess the type of human capital that is valued most highly in the global labor market. Symbolic analysts are capable of "abstraction, systems thinking, experimenation and collaboration." They work in engineering, research and development, education and communication, and marketing and management industries and so on. But only one "fortunate fifth" of the US population have access to these types of jobs and a large proportion of the rest of the world's population have become "structurally irrelevant" to use Castells term. Reich also warns of the selfishness and lack of social responsibility of the section of the population who end up being in control. But what would effective "social responsibility" look like in our global village? This is the question that I ponder frequently.

A recent issue of Time magazine featured a contribution written by Bill Gates entitled "How to fix capitalism" in which he touts the idea of "creative capitalism" and says things like "...the world will make lasting progress on big inequities that remain...only if governments and non-profits do their part by giving more aid and more effective aid." This strikes me as an extraordinarily limited perspective and yet I feel that I am not possessed of a full explanation for why it is so limited. I'll just start with the sense that this seems to perpetuate a disempowering, patronizing, "deficit model"-- a term some of my dear colleagues are fond of using--and not at all a creative solution...in fact such philanthropy has been tried over and over again and found wanting.

A wise mentor of mine talks about the difference between charity and justice and I am trying to wrap my head around the idea. How is it possible to rework community and societal structures such that they become oriented around higher order values such as human health, happiness and prosperity, and environmental sustainability?

This all ties into my current listening material. I am listening to the audiobook of the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan on those mornings when I manage to get myself out for a walk/run. Readers please note that this is another book on my "YOU-MUST-READ-THIS-BOOK" list. This book has just wowed me in terms of the complete irrationality of the US agricultural system and the extraordinarily serious implications of this set up for the national and global economy, the environment, human physical health and moral/ethical/spiritual well-being. Issues related to sustainable agriculture are a long lost passion of mine but apart from that this book really makes clear the moral bankruptcy of current societal paradigms that are set up for a few people to earn large profits at the HUGE expense of the well-being of humankind and the planet such that our very existence becomes endangered. The book does not feel polemical at all. Just a matter of fact account gleaned from careful research. It is a highly recommended look into what we eat and why. I am an ardent customer at my local farmer's market as a result of reading this book...what else can I do??

I turn to a statement from the Baha'i International Community written in 1995 and entitled "The Prosperity of Humankind" in search of some comfort and inspiration...

"This unprecedented economic crisis, together with the social breakdown it has helped to engender, reflects a profound error of conception about human nature itself. For the levels of response elicited from human beings by the incentives of the prevailing order are not only inadequate, but seem almost irrelevant in the face of world events. We are being shown that, unless the development of society finds a purpose beyond the mere amelioration of material conditions, it will fail of attaining even these goals. That purpose must be sought in spiritual dimensions of life and motivation that transcend a constantly changing economic landscape and an artificially imposed division of human societies into "developed" and "developing".
As the purpose of development is being redefined, it will become necessary also to look again at assumptions about the appropriate roles to be played by the protagonists in the process. The crucial role of government, at whatever level, requires no elaboration. Future generations, however, will find almost incomprehensible the circumstance that, in an age paying tribute to an egalitarian philosophy and related democratic principles, development planning should view the masses of humanity as essentially recipients of benefits from aid and training. Despite acknowledgement of participation as a principle, the scope of the decision making left to most of the world's population is at best secondary, limited to a range of choices formulated by agencies inaccessible to them and determined by goals that are often irreconcilable with their perceptions of reality."

...

"The bedrock of a strategy that can engage the world's population in assuming responsibility for its collective destiny must be the consciousness of the oneness of humankind. Deceptively simple in popular discourse, the concept that humanity constitutes a single people presents fundamental challenges to the way that most of the institutions of contemporary society carry out their functions..

...Justice is the one power that can translate the dawning consciousness of humanity's oneness into a collective will through which the necessary structures of global community life can be confidently erected.

... Concern for justice protects the task of defining progress from the temptation to sacrifice the well-being of the generality of humankind -- and even of the planet itself -- to the advantages which technological breakthroughs can make available to privileged minorities."

sacred spaces in extraordinary places

2008-08-15T11:50:00.004-04:00

The Finns are very private about their spirituality and their religious beliefs. this is a very personal matter. They are, however, passionate about saunas and will talk to you earnestly about the sacredness for Finns of time spent in the sauna. Time spent in the sauna is time to be quiet and reverent and to sit with yourself and reflect. --a time to get naked physically and spiritually perhaps. Conversations, if any,in the sauna are serious and respectful. When the weather goes above 70 degrees Farenheit Finns are complaining about how hot it is. If the temperature in the sauna is below 170 degrees Farenheit then it is not nearly hot enough. Most people have a sauna in their home and a huge proportion of the population also have summer cottages on the lake with a separate sauna.

I had the privilege of being invited to a summer cottage on a lovely little lake. i had a sauna with my aunt and then followed her to go swimming in the lake right afterwards--still naked mind you! but it was all very modest. We tiptoed down to the lake with our towels wrapped around us and slipped in before anyone could notice--not that there was anyone else around. Wow!! did that feel so delicious!!

My aunt went back to the sauna before me and there I was all alone swimming in an entire lake by myself with the blue sky above and a ring of green forest around me. "Finns like to be alone" declared the beautiful woman on the plane next to me on my way home. I guess they have learned that because they so often have the opportunity to be alone. I have since embraced this attitude as part of my Finnish heritage and I have found it most empowering. Yes... I have discovered I DO like to be alone even more than before and I think part of it is that I allow myself even more than before to enjoy it. We often feel that we should not be alone and I rarely have the chance to be recently as I have become engaged in a myriad of diverse activities. I find I really miss the opportunity for solitude and need to engineer it back into my life.

But back to saunas. Since I came back from Finland I have been swimming weekly and there is a sauna and steam room at the pool. How disappointed I was at first with how the sauna was not hot enough and how you are not allowed to pour water on the rocks in the "dry sauna" which is at least made of wood and so feels a little like the saunas in Finland. If you want "wet heat" you are to go into the ceramic tiled environment of the steam room. Well I have resigned myself to making do with what is available. Yesterday in the steam room I got to chatting with a Korean woman who was describing with such longing the bathhouse culture in Korea-- jjimjilbang --a large complex with various different kinds of gender segregated steam rooms and saunas where families go to relax. I fully empathized with her dissatisfaction at the barrenness of steam room/sauna culture in the US.

Typically Finnish: Coffee and the Blues

2008-07-25T03:33:00.011-04:00

Just back from a trip to Vaasa in Western Finland to visit my other aunt and my amazing cousins. My two aunts are so different and each so very delightful and full of good cheer and loving kindness. One aunt is in her early eighties, is a world traveler (trips to Estonia and Egypt planned before the year is out), is adorned with the coolest designer glasses (Dior), has a rather new computer hooked up to the internet (hence my ability to keep blogging) and still speeds around town in her sporty little red Renault. My other aunt is Finnish-Swedish, has deep blue eyes and is a mother of four, grandmother to eight and great grandmother to two! She confessed that she doesn't care much for travel, tends to like classical Scandinavian culture and has a home adorned with antiques, family heirlooms and Finnish glass and crystal items.
She emanates grandmotherly love, warmth and always has some kind of good food available to urge you to be eating--potato and vegetable casseroles for example (just like my mother used to make).

Which brings me to this post's installment on Finnish cuisine. I will surely have put on a lot of weight by the end of this two weeks what with all the mandatory afternoon Finnish coffee and cakes that I am served when visiting each new family member and friend. Finnish coffee is certainly a cultural institution.

But I was mentioning my trip to Vaasa. I got to meet three of my cousins. How I admire and adore each one of them. It is quite sad that I have been so out of touch, but on the other hand it has been SUCH fun to discover so many new things about my family and learn more about Finland in the process. There are large groups of Swedish minorities in Western Finland and my cousins are half Swedish-Finnish and half Finnish so they are all fluent in Swedish as well as Finnish-- and English for that matter. They all went to Swedish schools and even Swedish university--all in Finland. Much to be researched there by those interested in bilingualism and language and education. So I have some relationship to Sweden too it seems :-)

All three cousins have lovely families and they are all working on gradually completing the construction on new houses.
One cousin has an important position in the municipal government of Vaasa working for the mayor. Another is a music composer, lyricist, guitarist and vocalist in a Finnish blues band! Hard rock and the blues are very popular in Finland I hear. I love to hear my cousin talk about his passion for the blues and how African Americans in the southern US have somehow been able to speak to his heart and soul and express his feelings with such beauty, shape and form. Through the blues this tall Scandinavian man has found a language to express his own emotions and find solace and comfort as he confronts life's inevitable tests and trials. He is a walking encylopaedia on all things American blues. I just find it so touching and beautiful and intriguing. And he is a very good musician indeed. I am so hoping one day he will be able to visit the US and take me on a tour of Mississippi. I was fortunate enough to be able to go and watch him and his band--The Cotton Blues-- playing in downtown Vaasa. Here is a video (not sure if this an original composition or not but much of what they play is.)

He is also a music therapist in his day job where he uses music to work with mostly young people with severe psychological challenges such as autism and other troubles. Music therapy is a cutting edge field and he is continuing his studies at the best program in the world at the university at Oulu.

His beautiful daughter is also a fan of American musical culture--Elvis to be specific :-)

It was also such a delight to meet my cousin Tuija who is also a psychologist. On our visit to her we dined on the freshest salad I may have ever tasted (salad is NOT traditional Finnish fare) and a couple of different kinds of Finnish cheeses and fish pie and ice cream. I did not have a chance to meet her husband and son as they were on their annual summer fishing trip to Inari, in the far north of Finland near the arctic circle in Lapland where the Sami people have traditionally farmed reindeer and that is the legendary home of Santa Claus. This is the place where you can really experience the midnight sun and truly pristine forests, lakes and rivers. Sigh... I will have to make it up there one day in summer or winter. So much left of this beautiful country to see and explore.

Birch trees and berries

2008-07-18T12:23:00.006-04:00

So here I am glorying in the cool Finnish summer in Hämeenlinna. I am so enjoying getting to know my very elegant aunt. Her English is certainly far better than my Finnish but she likes to rely on her dictionary to communicate.

She has the sweetest little garden that feels just like another magical room of the home. Large picture windows in the living room and dining room look out onto the garden so you always feel like you are in it.
Every day she takes her little dog Ines out for a walk in the forests that surround her little apartment. The forests are of silver birch trees--the quintessential Finnish tree and they abound with wildflowers.

I do try to pick up a bit of Finnish from my aunt and she gets most enthusiastic about teaching me when it comes to the names of wildflowers--Yesterday she picked kamomilla (chamomile), clover, lupiini (lupines) and others to make a big bouquet to take home. Finland is the land of berries and what berries they are!! We bought a big flat of fresh strawberries and those were REAL strawberries. I am afraid I will never again be able to eat an American strawberry. These strawberries run deep red with juice and they are so very very sweet.

My aunt made several jars of strawberry jam which we ate with the fabulous porridge that she makes in the morning. Such delicious porridge! I also love the rye bread and cheese so much. Everything seems to taste so good to me here.
Speaking of berries... it is not quite raspberry season yet, but when it is the forests will abound in raspberries. This morning I spied two raspberries in my aunt's garden. I popped them right in my mouth after I took the picture. Just sweet sweet and full raspberry flavor--not the slightest bit sour.

I have always LOVED berries and forests. I have decided to claim this as part of my Finnish inheritance somehow passed down to me.

I was up at 4:30 this morning in the garden. (Still jet lagged). It was still slightly light out when I went to sleep at midnight. And as you can see in the raspberry picture it is light out at 4:30 in the morning too. Not sure if it ever gets completely dark during the Finnish summer. Haven't seen pitch black yet. While up in the garden this morning I also had an exciting encounter with a hedgehog. To a Finn, encounters with hedgehogs are as unexciting as encounters with a squirrel for those who live on the east coast of the US but it may have been my first encounter so I was delighted. Here is more of my far from stellar cinematography if you would like to share the encounter with me.

Today we made a trip into Helsinki to visit the Kiasma museum of modern art.
You can have several chances to interact with the art including if you would like to take a nap on one of the unusual benches outside the museum.

tuhatyhdekhsänsataakahdeksankymmentäkolme

2008-07-14T16:29:00.007-04:00

tuhatyhdekhsänsataakahdeksankymmentäkolme!!

This is a word in Finnish that I have just learned how to write. Yes indeed it is one word. It means one thousand nine hundred and eighty three and is also how you say the year 1983 in Finnish. 1983 is the year I went to visit Finland with my mother. My mother was Finnish. She moved to Africa, to the then Republic of Rhodesia, in 1968 to marry my father and to serve as a Baha'i pioneer--perhaps the first Baha'i pioneer from Finland to the African continent. I wonder if there have been others since.

Tomorrow, twenty five summers after my last visit, I am making a journey to Finland again. I will visit my aunt and hopefully be able to meet some of my other relatives. My mission is to learn a little more about my mother and to discover a little bit of my Finnish cultural heritage that has really been invisible to me but surely is there given that I was raised by a Finnish mother. I hear that in contemporary Finland most of the young people speak fluent English. My aunt speaks very little and somehow I love this idea and I am eager to learn a little Finnish though I do realize that two weeks is a rather short stay to make much progress in this difficult language.

I gave myself my first language lesson just now using the book Beginner's Finnish. I had so much fun with it!! I realize that I do have some foundation in the language. A familiarity with the sounds and rhythms. My mother taught me just a very little as a child. She had a set of Finnish flashcards for me and I learned words like ice-cream and sun and peanut. I realize I LOVE the Finnish language. It has such a soft and light hearted feel to it. Makes me think of humming while skipping.

Here is a sampling of what I learned today (it is taking some energy to type the umlauts (ä):

Hei! Hauska tutustua. Minä olen Tanja. Asun Amerikassa. Olen työssä yliopistossa. Minä puhun vain vähän suomea. Kiitos kaikesta.

(Hi! Its nice to meet you. I am Tanja. I live in America. I work at the university. I speak only a little Finnish. Thank you for everything.)

I also learned my numbers as you can see above. Not bad for the first lesson. The book is as good as the recommendations on Amazon suggested.

"Thou art even as a finely tempered sword"

2008-07-12T14:40:00.005-04:00

O MY SERVANT!

Thou art even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the darkness of its sheath and its value hidden from the artificer's knowledge. Wherefore come forth from the sheath of self and desire that thy worth may be made resplendent and manifest unto all the world.
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

Picture from http://www.arscives.com/bladesign/koreanswordreview.htm

What does it mean to be a "finely tempered sword"?

A dear friend recently sent me the following meditation on the sword making process. Becoming a finely tempered sword requires a great deal of fire, testing, polishing. Not a comfortable process to be sure:

1. HEATING AND BELLOWING: the process in which steel is exposed to intense heat

2. FORGING: the process of removing impurities and homogenizing the carbon content by repeated beating of the metal

3. ADJUSTING THE FORGED BLADE: less intense, but repeated hammer blows to shape the blade

4. HEAT TEMPERING: to remove stress in the metal

5. QUENCHING: placing the hot, stressed sword into a cold bath of water to see if it will hold together, or break apart after having been exposed to the aforementioned processes

6. POLISHING THE FINISHED BLADE: repeated filing and sanding of the metal to add to its luster

7. SHAPING THE TIP: the process of forming and sharpening the tip

8. FINAL POLISH: giving it that extra shine by removing excess material

9. GRIP MAKING: wrapping the handle with leather strips to assure a firm grip

10. FINAL ASSEMBLY: putting it all together to be tested out in the field

Sword Making - Click here for more blooper videos

Dance4Life

2008-07-10T21:53:00.001-04:00

Dance4Life

Baha'i shrines chosen as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO

2008-07-10T20:38:00.003-04:00

The Baha'i blogosphere is abuzz with the news that

the Shrine of the Bab and

the Shrine of Baha'u'llah have been chosen by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. You can read about it from the Baha'i World News Service:

QUEBEC CITY — A United Nations committee meeting here has determined that two Baha'i shrines in Israel possess "outstanding universal value" and should be considered as part of the cultural heritage of humanity.
The decision today by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee means that the two most sacred sites for Baha'is - the resting places of the founders of their religion - join a list of internationally recognized sites like the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and Stonehenge.
The World Heritage List also includes places of global religious significance like the Vatican, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the remains of the recently destroyed Bamiyan Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. Continue reading-->>

eat pray love

2008-07-01T08:06:00.009-04:00

I just finished reading eat pray love.

This book has received quite a bit of attention. Liz Gilbert was even nominated as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people as a result of writing this book. The book chronicles the year she spent traveling in Italy, India and Indonesia following a divorce and a terrible rebound relationship. She resolves to remain celibate for a whole year and embark on a journey of exploration and discovery. In Italy she relishes in the pleasures of food, in India she immerses herself in spiritual nourishment and purification and in Indonesia she sets out on a quest for balance.

I was ambivalent in the first third of the book and couldn't help but feel that the book was not really worth all the fuss but after finishing it i decided it was at least very worth reading. Liz Gilbert is inspirational really and the book is fun and chatty and humorous as well as reaching surprising depth of insight on a number of occasions. If I were to put together a recommended reading list for Baha'i women in a year of waiting this book would definitely be on it.

Let me post a couple of random quotations from the book:

"I can't seem to get my mind to hold still. I mentioned this once to an Indian monk, and he said, 'Its a pity that you are the only person in the history of the world who ever had this problem.' Then the monk quoted to me from the Bhagavad Gita, the most sacred ancient text of yoga: "Oh Krishna, the mind is restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding. I consider it as difficult to subdue as the wind." (p. 131)

Reading this book has actually made me determined to put a little more oomph into my own daily meditative practices. This morning I almost made it up at my goal time of 5:30am. I want to really take this early rising in order to pray and meditate seriously as a daily life practice. This morning I put on some meditative music--I thought I would start this attempt at daily meditative practice with something Yogic in honor of Liz Gilbert's Indian inspiration so I put on Aruna Sairam [one of the world's most renowned performers of Carnatic music]--it is quite possible you will not find Aruna Sairam conducive to meditation but it worked so well for me this morning.

I LOVE the drums. Drums have SUCH a power to take one to a place of transcendence. While listening and sitting in a yogic crosslegged posture I endeavored to focus on my inner connection to God, my inner divinity which seemed in keeping with Liz's experience in India. I focused on the verse from Baha'u'llah's "Hidden Words"

"Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting." Arabic Hidden Words, no 13

And then performed my 95 Allah'u'Abha's as my "mantra" with so much more purpose than usual. When I got around to my morning prayers and readings there was a very marked increase in my ability to focus my mind. I wonder what might happen if I could really make a life habit out of daily practice of pre-dawn meditation. It really has been a wish and longing of mine to actually be able to accomplish such a thing and when I think of all the things that people wish for in the world this seems so incredibly accomplishable. Let me see if I can do it again tomorrow...

And the inspiration from Liz that got me thinking that maybe I could really do this:

"The search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order. In the search for God, you revert from what attracts you and swim toward that which is difficult. You abandon your comforting and familiar habits with the hope (the mere hope!) that something greater will be offered you in return for what you have given up. Every religion in the world operates on the same common understandings of what it means to be a good disciple--get up early and pray to your God, hone your virtues, be a good neighbor, respect yourself and others, master your cravings. We all agree that it would be easier to sleep in, and many of us do, but for millenia there have been others who choose instead to get up before the sun and wash their faces and go to their prayers. And then fiercely try to hold on to their devotional convictions throughout the lunacy of another day." p. 175

The above is an excerpt from chapter 57 which I think might be my favorite chapter in the book. She goes on to meditate on faith. A few more excerpts from this chapter:

"The devout of this world perform their rituals without guarantee that anything good will ever come of it...Devotion is diligence without assurance...Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God adn the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith adn it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be... a prudent insurance policy.
I am not interested in the insurance industry. I'm tired of being a skeptic, I'm irritated by spiritual prudence and I feel bored and parched by empirical debate. I don't want to hear it anymore. I could care less about evidence and proof and assurance. I just want God. I want God inside me. I want God to play in my bloodstream the way the sunlight amuses itself on water."

Finally, I love this greeting that she received from someone she met in India..

"Congratulations to meet you"

Annual Souvenir Picnic, Teaneck, NJ

2008-06-29T13:57:00.006-04:00

Yet another wonderful, mystical weekend. I went to attend the annual Souvenir Picnic held at the Roy Wilhelm properties in Teaneck, NJ. This gathering of Baha'is and their friends has been held every year for 96 years on the last Saturday in June to commemorate a picnic that was held there by 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1912. What a pleasant occasion!! We all gathered under the shade of the pine trees for a relaxing summer afternoon. Such joy and love. I saw so many dear friends that I don't usually get to see. Old Friends that I have known in Philadelphia, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and many new friends to meet as well.
At around 3:00 in the afternoon we all gathered close to the spot where 'Abdu'l-Baha addressed the 250 friends who were in attendance on that very first picnic in 1912 and enjoyed a
brief musical and lecture presentation on the theme of Unity. Robert Ahdieh, professor of law at Emory University, currently a visiting professor at Princeton was the keynote speaker. He has come to this picnic every year of his life since he was a baby.

Here is another one of my very poor quality video presentations. In spite of the poor videography it gives a little window into the musical presentation where beautiful Diane tried to teach us a Hidden Word "O Son of Being, Love me that I may love thee, If thou lovest me not, My love can in no wise reach thee." As Diane points out Rambod was the most enthusiastic audience member.

In the middle of the presentation large rain drops began to fall and not a person moved. I was wondering how heavy the rain would have to get before the presentation would stop. After about 5 minutes it was the rain that stopped and the clouds blew away and the sun came out again and the presentation continued without pause. How lovely it was to read the following story from "'Abdu'l-Baha in New York: The City of the Covenant"--where the meeting was also interrupted with a few raindrops.

"On the 29th [of June, 1912], ['Abdu'l-Baha] went to the home of Mr. Roy Wilhelm, in Englewood [NJ], for the Feast. On this day, the friends came from New York and the
neighboring area. The grounds of Mr. Wilhelm’s home were beautified by a pine grove, surrounded by lawns spread with flowers of every hue, and tables had been set up under the trees. Seated on an armchair in the shade, the Master looked rested and loving. The friends surrounded Him on the lawns. He greeted every newcomer and asked two ladies to sit on
either side of Him- Mrs. Krug, young and elegant, and a very old lady in shabby clothes. They both had the same radiant look, their love for the Master shining like a fire in their
eyes raised toward Him.

He spoke to the friends: “This is a delightful gathering… This is a New Day and this hour is a New Hour… Such gatherings as this, have no equal or likeness in the world of mankind… This assembly has a name and a significance which will last forever. Hundreds of thousands of meetings shall be held to commemorate this occasion and the very words I speak to you today shall be repeated in them for ages to come…”*

At the end of the talk the meal was ready, but a sudden storm blew up, and big drops of rain splashed on the tables. The Master walked calmly in His ivory and white flowing robes, went out toward the road, took a chair which had been stranded there and sat down, His head toward the sky. The Persian friends who had followed Him were behind the chair. After a while, a strong rushing wind raced the dark clouds away and the sun shone again. The Master rose and returned to the grove, smiling at the children who rushed toward Him. Lovingly, He went among the 250 guests with a vial of attar of rose, anointing each one of the friends while a Persian meal was served. Then He went into the house to meet with visiting ministers. After dark, some 60 people were lingering, unable to tear themselves away from this place of love, unity and beauty. The Master talked to them by the light of candles held by the ladies seated on the lawn: “It was a resounding call to arise from the tomb of self in this Day of the Great Resurrection and to unite around Him to vivify the world.” He left them, disappearing into the night: “Peace be with you. I will pray for you.” His melodious voice chanted the last words echoing forever in their hearts.
On the following day, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the guest of Mr. Topakyan, the Persian Consul General in Morristown. The reception was attended by prominent people and members of the press. At night, the Master returned to New York.
*This event is commemorated every year at the same location, on the last Saturday of June. "

Here are the words that 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke on that day in their entirety:

29 June 1912
Talk at Unity Feast,
Outdoors
West Englewood, New Jersey

Notes by Esther Foster

This is a delightful gathering; you have come here with sincere intentions, and the purpose of all present is the attainment of the virtues of God. The motive is attraction to the divine Kingdom. Since the desire of all is unity and agreement, it is certain that this meeting will be productive of great results. It will be the cause of attracting a new bounty, for we are turning to the Kingdom of Abhá, seeking the infinite bestowals of the Lord. This is a new Day, and this hour is a new Hour in which we have come together. Surely the Sun of Reality with its full effulgence will illumine us, and the darkness of disagreements will disappear. The utmost love and unity will result; the favors of God will encompass us; the pathway of the Kingdom will be made easy. Like candles these souls will become ignited and made radiant through the lights of supreme guidance. Such gatherings as this have no equal or likeness in the world of mankind, where people are drawn together by physical motives or in furtherance of material interests, for this meeting is a prototype of that inner and complete spiritual association in the eternal world of being.

True Bahá'í meetings are the mirrors of the Kingdom wherein images of the Supreme Concourse are reflected. In them the lights of the most great guidance are visible. They voice the summons of the heavenly Kingdom and echo the call of the angelic hosts to every listening ear. The efficacy of such meetings as these is permanent throughout the ages. This assembly has a name and significance which will last forever. Hundreds of thousands of meetings shall be held to commemorate this occasion, and the very words I speak to you today shall be repeated in them for ages to come. Therefore, be ye rejoiced, for ye are sheltered beneath the providence of God. Be happy and joyous because the bestowals of God are intended for you and the life of the Holy Spirit is breathing upon you.

Rejoice, for the heavenly table is prepared for you.
Rejoice, for the angels of heaven are your assistants and helpers.
Rejoice, for the glance of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh, is directed upon you.
Rejoice, for Bahá'u'lláh is your Protector.
Rejoice, for the everlasting glory is destined for you.
Rejoice, for the eternal life is awaiting you.

How many blessed souls have longed for this radiant century, their utmost hopes and desires centered upon the happiness and joy of one such day as this. Many the nights they passed sleepless and lamenting until the very morn in longing anticipation of this age, yearning to realize even an hour of this time. God has favored you in this century and has specialized you for the realization of its blessings. Therefore, you must praise and thank God with heart and soul in appreciation of this great opportunity and the attainment of this infinite bestowal--that such doors have been opened before your faces, that such abundance is pouring down from the cloud of mercy and that these refreshing breezes from the paradise of Abhá are resuscitating you. You must become of one heart, one spirit and one susceptibility. May you become as the waves of one sea, stars of the same heaven, fruits adorning the same tree, roses of one garden in order that through you the oneness of humanity may establish its temple in the world of mankind, for you are the ones who are called to uplift the cause of unity among the nations of the earth.

First, you must become united and agreed among yourselves. You must be exceedingly kind and loving toward each other, willing to forfeit life in the pathway of another's happiness. You must be ready to sacrifice your possessions in another's behalf. The rich among you must show compassion toward the poor, and the well-to-do must look after those in distress. In Persia the friends offer their lives for each other, striving to assist and advance the interests and welfare of all the rest. They live in a perfect state of unity and agreement. Like the Persian friends you must be perfectly agreed and united to the extent and limit of sacrificing life. Your utmost desire must be to confer happiness upon each other. Each one must be the servant of the others, thoughtful of their comfort and welfare. In the path of God one must forget himself entirely. He must not consider his own pleasure but seek the pleasure of others. He must not desire glory nor gifts of bounty for himself but seek these gifts and blessings for his brothers and sisters. It is my hope that you may become like this, that you may attain to the supreme bestowal and be imbued with such spiritual qualities as to forget yourselves entirely and with heart and soul offer yourselves as sacrifices for the Blessed Perfection. You should have neither will nor desire of your own but seek everything for the beloved of God and live together in complete love and fellowship. May the favors of Bahá'u'lláh surround you from all directions. This is the greatest bestowal and supreme bounty. These are the infinite favors of God."

material embodiments of spiritual power

2008-06-23T12:10:00.008-04:00

I had the most extraordinary experience spending the weekend in a home in Lancaster, PA that is the embodiment of Baha'i spirit and power. An extraordinary home. It is a large and spacious home, a row house that looks unassuming from the street and yet expands into glorious cavernous spaces, three stories and a basement. Every inch of the home is used for service, love, edification, enrichment, spiritual delight. Three little girls enjoying their friendship brought laughter and sweetness among us. They pranced around loved and cared for by the spectrum of youth and adults who seemed to stream in and out of the home. All the vacant rooms in the home were filled with young people just graduated from college and transitioning on to other things in their lives. They were there soaking in the empowering energies for a few months and engaging in various acts of community service--to children and youth. Then there were the visitors, including me and marvelous Melissa, who had spent the weekend or who streamed in and out for a brief visit to one of the inhabitants of the household or for spiritual and intellectual meetings---- The great attraction I believe was the desire to just be close to the blessed owner of this home and his wonderful wife. In spite of the high traffic in the home the atmosphere was one of cleanliness, orderliness and pure refinement. Such elegance, simplicity combined with loving, friendly, unassuming, welcoming comfort. Instantly one feels at home and so loved.

The experience really got me reflecting on the importance of purity and refinement in our environment, in our speech and in our actions and the powerful effect this can have on our own spirits and on the spirits of others.
The only feeling I could compare it to was the feeling that I have experienced in the Holy Land--since i did not take any pictures this weekend let me pause to post a few pictures of the Baha'i propreties at the World Center that seem to embody

immaculacy,

simplicity,

refinement, taste,

and the extent to which

classical and modern blend harmoniously. It seems also useful to consider how such refinement can also feel so friendly and welcoming and infused with love...

In the aforementioned home, spirituality finds physical expression in the environment and this environment in turn impacts upon the spirit.

"We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon theother and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions."
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 84)

Somehow there was always enough food for everyone to eat at a long table to which individuals spontaneously appear and are welcomed with such wholehearted sincerity and humility as dearly loved family members. Such joy and fellowship, each one feeling comfortable instantly and yearning for the blessing to offer some small service in the co-construction of the spontaneously emerging event. Book shelves line the walls in the living room and in the dining room containing tomes of the worlds classical and contemporary spiritual, philosophical and social thought. The conversations in the home range from light and humorous to conversations of deep intensity...

Truly a holy and sanctified home. A rare spot. A rare spot. The embodiment of the following ideals...

"Blessed is the spot and house....where mention of God hath been made and His praise glorified." (Baha'u'llah)

"Verily, I pray God to make thy home a center for the radiation of light and the glowing of His love in the hearts of His people. Know that in every home when God is praised and prayed to, and His Kingdom proclaimed, that home is a garden of God and a paradise of His happiness."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 69)

"My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whosoever enters through the portals of this home, must go out with gladsome heart. This is the home of light; whosoever enters here must become illumined...."
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 397)

"In this glorious Cause the life of a married couple should resemble the life of the angels in heaven -- a life full of joy and spiritual delight, a life of unity and concord, a friendship both mental and physical. The home should be orderly and well-organized. Their ideas and thoughts should be like the rays of the sun of truth and the radiance of the brilliant stars in the heavens... They should always be elated with joy and gladness and be a source of happiness to the hearts of others."
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 397)

where do you look for this hope that yer seekin'?

2008-06-21T10:17:00.003-04:00

Bob Dylan's "Last thoughts on Woody Guthrie"... a poem

thanks so much to my dear friend Bradley who is always introducing me to beautiful thought- provoking gems...he is my popular culture guru

a new stage in social evolution

2008-06-16T11:18:00.010-04:00

My dear friend Alicia and I went to Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot Maine to attend the "Vision of Race Unity" program a couple of weekends ago. It was my very first trip to this historic landmark in the Baha'i world.

Negin Toosi and Lev Rickards, a powerful pair, presented a stimulating morning session that not only got us thinking about the oneness of humankind but also the power of harmonizing perspectives from science and sacred scripture.

Negin presented a review of the literature on social psychology of racism and racial bias. We are, one and all, riddled through with bias and, given this fact, one of the most important spiritual tasks in this day and age is becoming aware of this problem within ourselves and then setting to work on eradicating all forms of prejudice from our hearts. There can be no progress if we are not even willing to recognize that we have a problem.

Following the presentation of the scientific evidence by Negin, Lev lead us through a discussion of excerpts from the Baha'i Writings. Here are a couple that I found so fresh...

"In sum, the differences in objects have now been made plain. Thus when the wayfarer gazeth only upon the place of appearance -- that is, when he seeth only the many-colored globes -- he beholdeth yellow and red and white; hence it is that conflict hath prevailed among the creatures, and a darksome dust from limited souls hath hid the world. And some do gaze upon the effulgence of the light; and some have drunk of the wine of oneness and these see nothing but the sun itself."
(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 20)

"It is always important to remember that with the coming of Baha'u'llah the human race as a whole was summoned to recognition of its oneness, and this has launched it on a wholly new stage in its spiritual and social evolution."

(The Universal House of Justice, 3 June 2007)

I was privileged to receive a personal invitation to the event from one of the blog writers I admire most--Phillipe Copeland of Baha'i Thought fame. I am so glad that I took him up on it! How fun when friendships in virtual reality can facilitate face-to-face friendships and interactions. In the afternoon Phillipe moderated a discussion led by some distinguished panelists including a leader in the New Hampshire NAACP and a provost from the University of New Hampshire. The discussion was heartfelt and painful at times but hopefully also productive of important thought and partiuclarly to the extent that it awakened within us an awareness of the severity of the issues and effects of racism.

This past weekend I was privileged once again with an astonishing opportunity. I attended a meeting/conference with, in my estimation, one of the contemporary world's greatest visionaries, Dr. Farzam Arbab. Dr Arbab is a member of the Universal House of Justice, the governing institution of the Baha'i world community. He has also worked tirelessly for much of his life in the development and design of a program of education that aims to achieve the spiritual empowerment of humanity starting at the grass roots level. Spiritual empowerment of individuals is to translate into action for community empowerment and regeneration. The program is global in scope and thus it aims to eventually bring about global regeneration--and all starting from the transformation of the individuals that inhabit the villages and neighborhoods of the world. The Ruhi materials and method have spread from the villages of Columbia to every corner of the planet and have become the main mode through which the Baha'i world community engages in learning and community development--people coming together to interact with the Sacred Word and with each other, each sharing the deepest wisdoms from her or his heart with others and reflecting on how to translate spiritual principles into daily actions to bring about societal transformation. The vastness and splendor of this project is something I am trying to fully come to terms with. It leaves me in awe really. A grand project for the civilizing of the planet to bring love and justice into our midst.

I bring this up in the context of the work in achieving racial unity because Dr. Arbab placed great emphasis on the task of overcoming prejudice. He lead us in pondering how we go about overcoming our prejudices and according to my understanding discouraged us from spending too much time talking about the problem. What we really need to do is to act. How do we act? We go out and engage with people directly who are outside our common social circle. Baha'is are doing this around the world. They are standing up and going out to meet humanity and have conversations with their fellow humans about the spiritual principles for the age that are brought by Baha'u'llah. They are engaging in prayer and study with people from all faiths and racial backgrounds in purposeful projects that bring about close spiritual bonds between people. As they do this they are "drawn further and further into the life of the society around [them] and will be challenged to exend the process of systematic learning in which [they] are engaged to encompass a growing range of human endeavors." Universal House of Justice, Ridvan Message 2008.

He also stressed the key role of the quality of humility. We are ALL... EVERY member of humanity...learning together about how to go about building a new world civilization. There is no sense in which some of us from "privileged" backgrounds are to imagine we can design programs of development which we can impose upon those who are "underprivileged". We all have indispensable roles to play in the regeneration of each other and of the whole planet. As we walk the path of spiritual transformation together processes of social action emerge organically and are thus intimately connected with local needs and issues.

the garden state

2008-06-11T15:41:00.011-04:00

I had a very enjoyable, inspirational and educational five days touring the Garden State last week with the Rutgers Faculty Traveling Seminar which was designed to connect faculty members at The State University of New Jersey with the state that they serve. We learned about

state politics,

agriculture--NJ is one of the three largest producers of cranberries

and is the "horsiest" state in the nation with more horses per square mile than any other state.

We got insights into land use and environmental issues in the state from the South Jersey Pinelands to the Highlands in the Northwest.

Did you know that the largest waterfalls in the Northeast US after Niagara falls are surrounded by the struggling urban landscape of Paterson, NJ? Rutgers professor Steven Handel, a specialist in urban restoration ecology [which sounds like a profession I might have aspired to had I known it existed] is helping to preserve and beautify the area immediately surrounding the falls so that they can once again become a tourist destination.

Day 4 of the tour took us to the heart of urban New Jersey with a whirlwind tour of Newark, the largest urban center in NJ and the nation's third oldest major city.

We toured the brand new Prudential Center home of the New Jersey Devils ice hockey team,

the magnificent (mainly inside) and historic Newark Symphony Hall which is scheduled for major renovations.

We had a stroll around Lincoln Park where our gracious host Professor Clement Price introduced us to community leaders in the arts and in other community service such as

drug rehabilitation institutions

We also had a chance to visit the church of Reverend Dr. M. William Howard, who also happens to be chair of the board of governors of Rutgers. While there we were inspired by the work of Bethany Cares, a project coordinated by

the dynamic Tynesha McHarris that works with young men who have had some run ins with the juvenile justice system.

In the evening we stopped by a panel discussion at the studio of WBGO public radio station which was commemorating Martin Luther King's 1968 visit to Newark.
We had dinner at the New Jersey Historical society in the presence of a picture of American poet Walt Whitman who lived in Camden, NJ in his later years. We also were able to view the exhibit about the "urban rebellion" that took place in Newark in 1967. Whew! This was a powerful day.

On the final day, the traveling seminar ended with a trip to Ellis Island where we were able to visit parts of the island that have not yet been opened to the public or even renovated. It was fascinating to walk through the vast maze of hospital wards where immigrants were screened and given what appears to have been top quality treatment for the time.

Not only did the five days of the traveling seminar give a sense of the diversity that characterizes the landscape, economy and population of New Jersey, it also offered a precious opportunity to interact with a diversity of wonderful and brilliant professors teaching in departments from astronomy to political science. I learned as much from my interdisciplinary colleagues as I did from the astonishing array of people from all walks of life who were given the microphone to speak to us. It was fascinating to hear the questions that professors asked of different people. People trained in different disciplinary backgrounds have such intriguingly different ways of understanding the world and thus have different types of questions that bring to light different aspects of reality. Yet more evidence that diversity of all types lends important richness to our lives.

the Samaritan woman at the well

2008-06-09T11:23:00.008-04:00

The past 8 days have been a whirlwind of amazing experiences.... learning, learning, learning in the most wholesome, challenging, joy-filled ways.

I will start with a quick post about my trip to Asbury Park, NJ last Sunday, June 1st, to hear Reverend Fred Hanna preach at the Triumphant Life Church. The church was filled with the shouts of glory and praise of the Lord and I was filled with awe at the vibrance and richness of the experience and the extent to which the rest of the nation needs to draw upon the vast spiritual resources that are available in African American Christian communities.

Picture from Sharpiron

Reverend Hanna's sermon was a masterpiece, a symphony, that integrated rigorous biblical scholarship, contemporary critical pedagogy, deep spiritual insight, and delight-inducing humor. He drew on the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4 to call on us all to follow Jesus' example and turn our sights to working at the grassroots level in our communities, to reach out to the poor and marginalized and those "burdened with sin". If such individuals can be supported in uplifting themselves through the "water of life" to the station for which they were created perchance they may in turn be enabled to upraise, uplift and recreate our world. In the last couple of weeks I have been thinking much about our inherent nobility and the high station to which we are all called. What steps should we take to reach this nobility for ourselves and how can we better prepare ourselves to collaborate in the upliftment of others? It strikes me that our own upliftment and that of others are intimately interconnected. It is only in humbly trying to assist others to understand their true nature that we ourselves come to understand our own.

O SON OF SPIRIT!
Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created.
(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

"all i want is the chance to see the person i was meant to be"--from the song "My Refuge" on the Dawnbreaker Collective CD Arise.

A prayer from the Baha'i Writings that seems most suitable for the "samaritan woman" within us or at our side...

"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beg of Thee by Thy Name through which He Who is Thy Beauty hath been stablished upon the throne of Thy Cause, and by Thy Name through which Thou changest all things, and gatherest together all things, and callest to account all things, and rewardest all things, and preservest all things, and sustainest all things -- I beg of Thee to guard this handmaiden who hath fled for refuge to Thee, and hath sought the shelter of Him in Whom Thou Thyself art manifest, and hath put her whole trust and confidence in Thee.
She is sick, O my God, and hath entered beneath the shadow of the Tree of Thy healing; afflicted, and hath fled to the City of Thy protection; diseased, and hath sought the Fountain-Head of Thy favors; sorely vexed, and hath hasted to attain the Well-Spring of Thy tranquillity; burdened with sin, and hath set her face toward the court of Thy forgiveness.
Attire her, by Thy sovereignty and Thy loving-kindness, O my God and my Beloved, with the raiment of Thy balm and Thy healing, and make her quaff of the cup of Thy mercy and Thy favors. Protect her, moreover, from every affliction and ailment, from all pain and sickness, and from whatsoever may be abhorrent unto Thee.
Thou, in truth, art immensely exalted above all else except Thyself. Thou art, verily, the Healer, the All-Sufficing, the Preserver, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful."
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 234)

start all over--make a new beginning

2008-05-31T11:42:00.012-04:00

a new favorite that i am PASSIONATE about! what great souls and sages exist in this world. today I celebrate Tracy Chapman.

My heart is filled up with the prayer that I might be allowed to be a part of the New Beginning.

Watch New Beginning.

"The whole worlds broke and it aint worth fixing
Its time to start all over, make a new beginning
Theres too much pain, too much suffering
Lets resolve to start all over make a new beginning
Now dont get me wrong - I love life and living
But when you wake up and look around at everything thats going down -
All wrong
You see we need to change it now, this world with too few happy endings
We can resolve to start all over make a new beginning

Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over

The world is broken into fragments and pieces
That once were joined together in a unified whole
But now too many stand alone - theres too much separation
We can resolve to come together in the new beginning

Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over

We can break the cycle - we can break the chain
We can start all over - in the new beginning
We can learn, we can teach
We can share the myths the dream the prayer
The notion that we can do better
Change our lives and paths
Create a new world

and start all over

The whole worlds broke and it aint worth fixing
Its time to start all over, make a new beginning
Theres too much fighting, too little understanding
Its time to stop and start all over
Make a new beginning

Start all over
...
We need to make new symbols
Make new signs
Make a new language
With these we'll redefine the world

And start all over
..."

Ladysmith "white" mambazo

2008-05-15T12:02:00.008-04:00

The South African acapella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo are legendary. I would say they are counted as a global gold standard for acapella virtuosity. One of their classic songs that is known around the world is the song "Homeless."

Now look at these white guys singing the classic. They do such an astonishingly great job. It is quite a feat. Far from diminishing the greatness of the skill of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, watching these guys perform this so spectacularly gives me a fuller appreciation of the musical genius of the piece. The performance is is so good complete with clicks and the endearing Ladysmith Black Mambazo type choreographed gestures. Sweet sweet sweet! They are the group Voices Unlimited from Salzburg performing at the "Musikverein" in Vienna. How it delights me to see great gems from the African heartland being valued as great masterpieces in the global cultural treasury.

And here is the real thing. "Homeless" sung by Ladysmith Black Mambazo themselves at the Nobel Peace concert. EEGH-- eegh eegh-- eegh eegh!

I first saw Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform in Harare Zimbabwe in the late 1980s at Paul Simon's Zimbabwe Graceland tour concert.

"its a battle and I am my greatest opponent"--Badi

2008-05-14T23:46:00.008-04:00

Here is some more Hip Hop from a Baha'i artist... Badi with his fabulous new album "Departure." The album is full of calls for social justice and global mindedness. Click over to the MySpace page and experience it.

This post is about the track entitled "I don't know." The Baha'i standard of chastity is high and it can be pretty difficult to maintain the standard as a Baha'i youth immersed in a highly sexualized society. One generally would not say that abstinence and chastity would make it on the list of what makes
a handsome dude cool. But just listen to Badi's track "I don't know" and you will see just how cool it can be.

In the song he reflects with us on how intricately the issue is related to responsible relationships, respect for women, respect for self. This is all achieved in a dialogue with himself in the face of peer pressure coming from a voice that is constantly chiming in to encourage him to make his move "You know she's feelin' you... You know she likes you..."

Here are a few of the lines I managed to jot down while listening to it. You need to listen yourself though. Please do forgive me for always being so demanding :) Well you are here reading and this is my soap box.

is this love is this love is this love that i am feeling
i am not quite sure so let me pull the reel in
i try to decide justly but don't trust me because I am not even sure
if i even trust myself
i don't want you to just be a picture on a shelf
before i know you i need to look into myself

i don't know i don't know man i don't know man
i am trying my best to act like a grown man

When they say why? tell them that its human nature
But sometimes nature can overtake you
it is hard to control it when i'm in the moment
it's a battle and i am my greatest opponent
Yeah i can see your interest in me
But i don't want to fall into false intimacy
like some type of consumer
lookin' for product
that is ripe for the pickin
a wife in the kitchen

sometimes i wonder if they even looking for love
i wonder if they even know what real love consists of
now i don't want to tell you how to run your business
we are one and the same there is no difference between us
but regardless of who it is
one things for sure...when i recognize godliness
thats when i will know

i don't know i don't know man

now maybe she's the one for me
maybe she could keep me company
she could be the one i care for
the one that i will always be there for
we could make a lifelong commitment
wait!
i don't know if i should do this when...

...

citoyenne du monde entier

2008-05-13T21:57:00.010-04:00

Zap Mama...I know I have posted about her before but she really is my FAVorite! I suppose technically Zap Mama is the group and the fabulous WOMAN I speak of is Marie Daulne. If you are ever feeling down I prescribe watching one of her videos on YouTube. 100% guaranteed to cheer you up with no side effects or your money back :-) Love love love her. She is my heroine.

Here is a video of the song Gati from the album Supermoon.

and the lyrics for which I attempt a translation according to my limited French:

citoyen, citoyenne du monde entier !!

citizen, "citizeness" of the whole world !!

ce chant

this song

cette melodie jolie

this pretty melody

le pouvoir

has the capacity

de nous faire danser

to make us dance

le pouvoir

has the capacity

de nous faire chanter

to make us sing

...

si vous ete pret

if you are ready

on va commencer

we will begin

alors soulevez vous

so rise up!

...

je vais les faire

I am going to do

mon....danser

my... dance

avec le peuple

with the people

nous sommes le peuple de dieu

we are the people of God

Allah u Akbar, dieu il et grand

Allah u' Akbar, God He is great

Allah u Akbar, dieu n'est pas petit

Allah u Akbar, God He is not small

The video is so happy but the song has its roots in a very tragic event! I just read this on Wikipedia:

Marie Daulne, the founder and leader of Zap Mama, in Isiro, (pronunciation: "ee SEE roh" or [IPA] /i 'si ro/), one of the largest cities in the north of Orientale, Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo,[4] the fourth child of Cyrille Daulne, a Walloon (French-speaking Belgian) and Bernadette Aningi, a Bantu woman from Kisangani, formerly Stanleyville, the third largest city in Congo Kinshasa.[1] When Marie was only a week old, her father was attacked and killed by Simba rebels, who were opposed to mixed-race relationships.[1] ... Her mother escaped into the jungle...Daulne pays tribute to those pygmies who rescued her family in the song "Gati" from Supermoon.[6] "They saved my family and many others during the Congolese rebellion," Daulne says, "and they deserve recognition for that."[6]
Marie and her sisters were eventually airlifted out to Kinshasa with their mother and flown to Belgium because their father had been a Belgian citizen.[1] "... What I know that I learned from my mother is to be strong and to stay positive in any kind of situation; that's the best weapon to survive. That's what I learned, and this is the main message I pass into my music," says Daulne.[2]

Islam: Empire of Faith

2008-05-12T21:50:00.003-04:00

Dear readers,

If I had the authority to require you to do anything or assign you some homework I would insist that you watch this PBS documentary Islam: Empire of Faith. Honestly, I feel in this day and age of such misunderstanding and prejudice that each individual should take it upon themselves to do everything they can to gain some understanding of Islamic civilization. And here is an easy and fascinating way to do so. I found this program breathtaking. It is so well made and so engaging with use of dramatization and beautiful photography and narrated by Ben Kingsley....AND guess what!! The ENTIRE progam (160 min) is available online!! I simply MUST URGE you to watch it. Learn about the life of Muhammad, how he united the warring tribes of the Arabian desert, and gave divine impetus to a grand civilization that has had an enormous influence on Western civilization. Among His teachings are the oneness of God and the establishment of unity and peace among peoples. He also taught a powerful message of social justice and tolerance. Islamic civilization fostered the advancement of science, knowledge, the arts and architecture. Yes, you also get to learn about the wars and power struggles.

You can watch it here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

ceasefire--emmanuel jal

2008-05-11T11:01:00.015-04:00

I just purchased the album "Ceasefire" by Emmanuel Jal and Abdel Gadir Salim. I am just LOVIN' it!!

emmanuel jal was a child soldier in Sudan. now he is a musician and uses his music as a way to raise awareness about the plight of child soldiers. Emmanuel Jal is a Christian. Abdel Gadir Salim is a Muslim and an oud playing legend in Sudan. In this musical collaboration they send the peoples of the world a powerful message of peace and reconciliation across this increasingly contentious divide as well as make musical magic that not only unites cultures and beliefs but also unites tradition and modernity.

From a review on pitchforkmedia.com

"Jal and Salim do not mix their music thoroughly on most of Ceasefire, instead allowing Salim's elegant desert blues-- played on oud, accordion, saxophone, wooden drums, and bass-- to rub up against the sequenced beats and funky flow of Jal, who raps in Nuer, Arabic, English, Dinka, and Kiswahili-- sometimes bouncing between four different languages in the space of one verse.
It works surprisingly well, and not just because the two musicians appear on some of each other's tracks. What really is striking about it is how effortlessly Salim's organic, traditional percussion and Egyptian-influenced singing style fits alongside Jal's more 21st century sound. Unsurprisingly, the lyrics of both men reflect on the hope for lasting peace in their country (a peace already encroached upon by the Darfur violence). Jal opens "Aiwa" (Arabic for "yes") with a verse in Nuer that translates to "I would love to sing in all the people's languages/ With this chance that I have I want to express/ The whole of my heart to the whole of the world." The chorus trades Nuer lines with Arabic affirmations, something that would have been next to impossible only a year ago."

here are some images of emmanuel from Globe for Darfur

and here is a video of emmanuel performing one of his top songs, Gua, at the 2006 Festival of World Cultures in Ireland.

another prominent former child soldier who is working hard to raise awareness about this issue and who has captured the public imagination is

ishmael beah.

I assigned his powerful, masterfully written and moving autobiography of his experiences as a child soldier in sierra leone, "a long way gone," in one of my classes this past semester.

fundamental principles

2008-05-10T13:22:00.016-04:00

Ben Heine is a Belgian cartoonist. One of his drawings of a Baha'i artist named Mona was featured today on Baha'i Views.

Here is Ben Heine's portrait of a Tanzanian political cartoonist named Simon Regis. I love the representation of the pencil as a potentially powerful weapon for the conquering of the minds through the raising of awareness, the obliteration of ignorance and the exposing of injustice, and for bringing social issues to our attention for our reflection...

Peoples around the world struggle with the cultural dilemmas that are raised by globalization. On the one hand English is now the lingua franca that is used for global citizens to communicate and interact with each other and endeavor to understand each other. On the other hand, the necessity of learning and using English threatens the maintenance, assertion, and development of local languages, cultures and identities around the world. Cultural identity adn a wealth of unique perspectives and world views are bound up within language. In the almost two decades that I have been studying and speaking Chinese, new worlds and understandings have been made available to me that I would not have had access to otherwise. While it would be impossible for me to ever be able to learn all the languages of the world, I suppose I can console myself that the experience of learning Chinese has cultivated within me the awareness of the richness of diverse cultures and the urgent need for the respect for this diversity among all the world's inhabitants.

Simon Regis does his cartooning in both English and Swahili. I so wish that I could understand the cartoons in Swahili. My lack of ability to understand feels like such a closed door!

Here is another lovely image from Ben Heine entitled "Child of the Universe". The reality of Baha'u'llah's words "The earth is one country and mankind its citizens" is easily apparent to everyone in the contemporary global village. What would a language policy for a global society look like? The Baha'i writings exhort humanity to adopt an international auxiliary language to facilitate communication among all the peoples of the world. According to Merriam Webster online dictionary, auxiliary refers to "functioning in subsidiary capacity". This seems to place important emphasis on the maintenance of the various languages around the world and thus the cultural richness that comes with them. Proper respect for the richness that various languages and "indigenous knowledges" offer the world can only be achieved with a deep recognition of the most fundamental spiritual principle of the age--the "oneness of humankind."

Thurgood with Laurence Fishburne

2008-05-08T23:21:00.004-04:00

I went to my very FIRST show on Broadway lastnight... a one man play starring

Laurence Fishburne protraying Thurgood Marshall. I thoroughly enjoyed it AND it was so educational.

From Wikipedia:

"Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Before becoming a judge, he was a lawyer who was best remembered for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education."

a different story about elections!

2008-04-29T13:06:00.008-04:00

Are you wishing for a new and refreshing election story? How about this one that has the hearts of Baha'is all over the world soaring--today was the day when delegates from around the world came together in Haifa, Israel to elect the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha'i International Community.

At this time in the US where the end seems to justify the means, the part that thrills me about the election of the nine member Universal House of Justice is in fact not the specific individuals who will be chosen but rather the process by which they are chosen. Members of the human family from ALL OVER THE WORLD, from every imaginable racial, ethnic, national, and religious background came together in love, spirituality and unity and, in an atmosphere completely sanctified from the slightest taint of campaigning, cast their ballots. Enough to take your breath away.

To read the whole story from the Baha'i World News Service click here.

In a global procession, ballots are cast for the Universal House of Justice

29 April 2008
HAIFA, Israel —

In a ceremony that combined spiritual dignity with global diversity, a thousand Bahá’ís from 153 countries cast ballots today in an election to choose the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bahá’í Faith.

...

The event was a study in globalism, a hallmark of the Bahá’í Faith, which has some five million followers and is established in virtually every nation.
Delegates were called by name, in alphabetical order by country. Many proudly wore traditional or native dress, an acknowledgment of their belief in the concept of unity in diversity.
The result was colorful and joyous, as women in bright ethnic dresses or simple pantsuits mixed with men in Western business suits or gaily decorated tribal costumes.
...

Chief head teller Thelma Khalghati of Guinea reads the names of each delegate as they bring their ballots forward.

ubuntu

2008-04-23T23:08:00.003-04:00

this evening I went to a panel entitled "Black Rage vs. White Guilt" organized by the student group on campus called Ubuntu. The panel was really very good. I particularly liked the presentations given by Edward Ramsamy and Saladin Ambar.

Ramsamy's presentation touched both mind and soul.

He quoted liberally from a range of writings in the humanities and from the words of Desmond Tutu, one of the four nobel peace laureates from South Africa.

The philosophy of ubuntu is the foundational philosophy of the new South Africa and the African renaissance. In Desmond Tutu's words:

"Ubuntu is very difficult to render into a Western language... It is to say, 'My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in what is yours.'"

Tutu said that Ubuntu was the gift that Africa was going to give to the world. Yes please please let us accept this gift! How very desperately we are in need of it. Here is Nelson Mandela on "ubuntu".

catching up on botany in time for spring

2008-04-21T23:14:00.008-04:00

i purchased a Golden Field Guide to North American Trees at the New Jersey Audubon Society Plainsboro Preserve yesterday. A few of us went for a little spring stroll there.

Naim amassed an impressive collection of sticks and stones...

And we also had an exciting encounter with the tiniest turtle I have ever met... and close encounters with a snake, a hawk, and some geese...all out there in the wild.

With the aid of my new book--the Golden Field guide to North American Trees I have finally been able to set to rest a question that no one has been able to give me a satisfying answer to... What are those beautiful trees that people tell me are Tulip Trees? Are they Magnolias or not? In fact they ARE! They are not native to the US. They are Japanese Magnolias. Well they seem to be doing very well in New Jersey. They had their week of splendor and now we have to wait for another year before we can enjoy them again.

In the meantime we still have time to enjoy the non-Magnolia type of tulips like these that George and Cherie planted at the Philadelphia Baha'i Center.

My newly acquired book has also enabled me to confidently identify the tree outside my window as an American sycamore.
Outside the other window I have a Ginkgo tree. Did you know there is only one species in the Ginkgo family? There were many species in prehistoric times but now only one remains. That does give this tree an added air of mystery don't you think?

I have always associated it with mystical moments around Buddhist temples in China and so have been delighted to have one so close to my bed.

ala ghawas "hums"

2008-04-21T23:11:00.001-04:00

current comfort listening

listen here

north to south

2008-04-20T12:20:00.011-04:00

well life seems to be getting too full for blogging. this is probably a good thing. the last few months have been full of travels, hard work and happy learning from myriad interactions with different beautiful members of the human race...

yang xiao and i went to three academic conferences, two of them in New York City...

And one in Atlanta where we ate some good old southern home cooking...
beets,
okra, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, mac & cheese, and peach and berry cobbler for dessert.

while in Atlanta we also immersed ourselves in important American history and culture...
we made our pilgrimage to the MLK center for nonviolent social change. what a moving experience. it should be a required trip for ... well for everyone in the world really.

"We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and our relationship to humanity." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"As long as there is poverty in the world I can never be rich, even if I have a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people in this world cannot expect to live more than twenty-eight or thirty years, I can never be totally healthy...I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the way our world is made. No individual or nation can stand out boasting of being independent. We are interdependent." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"In the final analysis the white man cannot ignore the Negro's problem, because he is part of the Negro adn the Negro is part of him. The Negro's agony diminishes the white man, and the Negro's salvation enlarges the white man...I doubt if the problems of our teeming ghettos will have a great chance to be solved until the white majority, through genuine emphathy, comes to feel the ache and anguish of the Negroe's daily life." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We happened to be in Atlanta on the day of the anniversary of Dr. King's death.

While in Atlanta we also made it to Sunday morning program at the Baha'i Unity Center. Wow!! What powerful spirit in the South ...soulful music, soulful speakers. Baha'i communities in the rest of the United States are urgently in need of the brilliance, spirit and passion of their African American brothers and sisters.

As a result of having the opportunity to hear the New World Unity Ensemble at the Unity Center I have a new cd that I am listening to over and over again--David Guillory's "Thy Name is My Healing." Mm mm beautiful.

Escola came with us on our trip to the Baha'i Center. She has only been in the US for a short time. She and her family are refugees from Burundi. I just wonder what this quiet stoic little tender soul has witnessed and experienced in her life. Please keep her in your prayers.

you can be that servant

2008-03-28T15:31:00.005-04:00

i have so much to catch up on that i really want to post about. still struggling to focus on one final conference paper that i will present in Atlanta next week at the Association for Asian Studies conference. While I am there I plan on visiting the King Center. Visit the website for a very cool experience listening to an excerpt of Dr. Martin Luther King's sermon the "Drum Major Instinct"

"If you want to be important—-wonderful. If you want to be recognized—-wonderful. If you want to be great—-wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That's a new definition of greatness.

And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant."

guidance for a would-be spiritual warrior

2008-03-16T07:26:00.004-04:00

From my readings this morning in "Creating a New Mind: Reflections on the Individual, the Institutions and the Community" by Paul Lample:

"The plan of conquest is the Divine Plan. The "conquest" is, in actuality, the liberation of the human race. Its methods eschew force and coercion and opt for service, wisdom and love:

"To do battle, as stated in the sacred verse, doth not, in this greatest of all dispensations, mean to go forth with sword and spear, with lance and piercing arrow--but rather weaponed with pure intent, with righteous motives, with counsels helpful and effective, with godly attributes, with deeds pleasing to the Almighty, with the qualities of heaven. It signifieth education for all mankind, guidance for all men, the spreading far and wide of the sweet savors of the spirit, the promulgation of God's proofs, the setting forth of arguments conclusive and divine, the doing of charitable deeds." 'Selections from the Writings of Abd'ul-Baha, p. 260

Lets go forth into battle then!

African sunshine in my little apartment

2008-03-09T23:09:00.008-04:00

Tonight Gustaff Besungu stopped by and brought rhythm, Cameroonian warmth, sunshine, joy and happiness to a few New Jersey residents in my little apartment. How it filled my soul and took me home to Africa! He gives of his talents freely, joyfully and in service. If you have the opportunity to have him over or to go to listen to him I suggest you sieze it. If you are afraid the neighbours might object to all the drumming why not invite them in too? That is what I did.

I was thinking of my dear mother tonight and he sang a song just especially for mothers and here it is-- "a song for all the mothers" he said.

Gustaff is also keeping the Baha'i fast so we broke the fast together before the evening program and also had a little chopsticks lesson.

Yay for unity!! Baha'i children's classes on NPR this morning

2008-03-07T17:09:00.010-05:00

Click here to listen

"Class Teaches Virtues to Children of Many Faiths

It sounds like the start of a bad joke: A Jew, a Baptist and a Baha'i get together every Sunday morning ...
But it's a new kind of Sunday school, where families from a range of religions gather to teach virtues to their young children. On a recent Sunday in Falls Church, Va., Layli and Gil Miller-Muro invited parents and children — aged 14 months to 6 years old — to their home to learn about helpfulness.
"Parents of my generation feel incredible pressure to make our kids read earlier, to know math sooner and better, to get into the top preschools and then the best schools," Layli explains. "But what many of us forget is the other side of the character of our children, not just the academic side, but the spiritual side and their character side."
...In the past decade, the Baha'i Faith has sponsored about 900 such classes nationwide. They're based on the central Baha'i tenet that all religions are different but come from the same source, God. Gil says the couple then asked their friends if they'd be interested.
"When we proposed this idea to them, they said that was something they'd like to do to," Gil says. "So we realized we had a critical mass and it was time to get started."
The parents come from Muslim, Jewish, Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, Greek Orthodox and Baha'i backgrounds. Rachel Galoob-Ortega, who is Jewish, says she wants her son Luka to learn about and accept all religions."

...So, do the virtues stick?
Shazia Philipsen thinks so, especially when she receives an occasional lecture from her daughter, Serena.
"It's things like patience," she says. "In the car, when I'm driving, Serena will say, 'Mommy, you have to be patient!' So she understands through the books, through the storytelling, what it means. I don't think she learns that at school. She's changed, and it's great."
And the children have been so patient for more than an hour, waiting for the highlight of the class, Cowboy Hay. Gil Miller Muro's stepfather strides into the room, sporting a long white beard, a hillbilly hat and a banjo. He begins strumming and the kids join in, perhaps not realizing they are crooning a theological message.
"We are drops ... of one ocean. We are waves… of one sea. Won't you come and join us in our quest for unity. It's the way of life for you and me," they sing.
The parents collapse into comfortable chairs, as Cowboy Hay and his young virtuosos sing about unity in the complex future they face.

Read whole article

the "season of restraint"?

2008-03-02T22:15:00.007-05:00

this is the month of fasting and the "season of restraint" BUT this post is all about FOOD!! the good food continues and i find myself feeling so grateful for all the flavors and cultures that i have the bounty of being exposed to.

There continues to be the wonderful chinese cooking of yx.

a couple of days ago there were colorful cakes for Ayyam-i-Ha [the 4-5 day festival before the Baha'i fast begins]

and the other night a dear colleague invited us to dinner and her charming Mexican husband cooked us a scrumptious Mexican meal.

tonight we celebrated the end of the first day of fasting in style and vibrance at the pouschti's with

prayers and music,

pomegranate soup,

a couple of different types of Persian rice sprinkled with various precious items such as dried cherries and saffron, and much more. Of course there was Persian tea on the samovar and ended it all with

some joyful dancing and laughter.

The evening made me remember that wonderful quotation of 'Abdu'l-Baha that goes

"My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whosoever enters through the portals of this home must go out with gladsome heart. This is the home of light; whosoever enters here must become illumined...."('Abdu'l-Baha, quoted in an article on humor and laughter published in "Baha'i Studies Review 7," 1997)

I told them so and it turns out they had that quote framed on their wall.

spiritual goodies online for the Baha'i month of fasting March 2-21

2008-02-26T23:41:00.003-05:00

Check out the lovely project that leila and amy have started for the fast. i will be stopping by daily for my spiritual nourishment.

"These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast bidden Thy servants to observe the Fast. Blessed is he that observeth the Fast wholly for Thy sake and with absolute detachment from all things except Thee. Assist me and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts. Thou, verily, hast power to do what Thou choosest."
– Bahá’u’lláh –

linfen connections

2008-02-24T14:09:00.014-05:00

i have not been posting for quite a while. i have been busy hosting a visiting scholar from Shanxi Teacher's University in China. we are working on a couple of papers together that analyze recent developments in the content of Chinese language arts textbooks that are used in China. we are considering themes such as the tensions between globalization and traditional culture. yx is interested in examining the nature of humanistic education in contemporary China and whether or not the socialization that is occurring through the chinese language arts curriculum is suited to the needs of the current global age. [speaking of humanism what is it anyway? i have been trying to arrive a definition. yx says that the word humanistic comes up regularly in policy discourse of all types in contemporary China. there was an interesting little post on Baha'i Views recently about humanism]

while yx is here i have been eating lots of wonderful food. yx is a a wonderful cook.

Items on the menu have included jia jiang mian--noodles with sauce

and egg and leek (jiu cai) dumplings

we have also been making sure yx gets her fill of some American favorites...

we were given a fabulous opportunity in the form of an invitation to a Sunday service at the Christ Church in New Brunswick where the minister is a woman and all the food for the coffee hour was prepared by the men! the congregation was notable in its diversity also and in the extent to which the fostering of a critical awareness of social injustice was an important part of the program.

we made some lovely new friends and yx was impressed by their high ideals and "humanistic spirit." both of these two radiant souls have given up lucrative prestigious positions in industry and academic service to become teachers in urban areas feeling that this was the way they could be of the most service to humanity. what an inspiration.

aforementioned radiant souls introduced me to some real tea, having grown up drinking british tea themselves--one in Nigeria and one in England. i have been suffering along with lipton all this while and what i really have needed all along was a decent british blend. i couldn't find pg tips at my local stop and shop

but a box of tetley's british blend is serving me just fine until i can it somewhere else.

we went for a walk around the Princeton university campus on Friday afternoon

including a stop in their exquisite chapel where rehearsals were being held for an event called Organic Chants so we were immersed in angelic sounds.

great is Your mercy towards me

2008-02-22T10:49:00.001-05:00

feed your soul with this exquisite video recommended by one of my spiritual mentors.

"We are one people" --Barack Obama

2008-02-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

i am politically nonpartisan in principle. so I do really like the message of unity and oneness that Barack Obama is disseminating and that he really represents to quite a large degree.

"...there has never been anything false about hope...yes we can heal this nation... yes we can repair this world....we are not as divided as our politics suggests, we are one people, we are one nation..."

Watch the video made by will.i.am at DipDive or watch it right here...

World Unity Jazz Ensemble--carrying the legacy of Dizzy Gillespie to China!!

2008-02-03T15:19:00.000-05:00

Ha ha! Look at the lovely discovery I made on Baha'i Views today--the World Unity Jazz Ensemble.

Two musicians who played with Dizzy Gillespie (perhaps THE most famous Baha'i musician ever) have been traveling for years around Asia and incorporating Asian sounds into their jazz music.

Picture from Gene Martin photographics.

Looks like I have a new discovery to purchase for my next meal of music. You MUST go and listen on their My Space page.

Please especially listen to the track Philanthropy ...listen to it in honor of African American history month because it is a wonderful tribute to all the astonishing African American jazz musicians who have contributed so richly to American culture. I can just imagine the World Unity Jazz Ensemble taking this little musical history lesson around Asia with them to educate their audiences.

Speaking of celebrating African American history month, reading Baha'i Thought and Black America I found so inspiring the vision of the future of "Black America"...Phillipe includes a quote on the important role that African Americans have to play in the regeneration of human civilization:

"There can be no doubt that Americans of African descent can find in themselves the capacity, so well developed as a result of their long encounter with injustice, to recognize and respond to the vision of love and justice brought by the Promised One of all ages. Imbued with that vision, past and present sufferings are transformed into measures of patience, wisdom and compassion-qualities so essential to the effort to moderate the discordant ways of a confused world and aid the healing of its spiritual ills. What better than the transformed character of a bruised people to smooth the course, to offer perspectives for new beginnings toward world order!" Universal House of Justice

I am engaging in a practice of lectio divina inspired by the reading of the book Tools Matter for the Spiritual Life by Mary Margaret Funk. In lectio divina you invest in the practice of daily reading of sacred texts. This month my reading for lectio divina is focused on this compilation from the Baha'i Writings:

Toward Oneness: A compilation on racial and cultural issues.

From todays reading

"Complete freedom from prejudice should be the immediate, the universal, the chief concern of all and sundry members of the Baha'i community, of whatever age, rank, experience, class, or color, as all, with no exception, must face its challenging implications, and none can claim, however much he may have progressed along this line, to have completely discharged the stern responsibilities which it inculcates." Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice.

"It is difficult for the friends to always remember that in matters where race enters, a hundred times more consideration and wisdom in handling situations is necessary than when an issue is not complicated by this factor." On behalf of Shoghi Effendi.

worldly food for body and soul

2008-02-02T20:06:00.000-05:00

i am feeling SO spoiled. dear Krista gave me a gift of a CD that is just the type of CD that nourishes and soothes me. i am engaging in my usual habit of listening over and over again to the same cd which i always do with a new cd that i cannot get enough of. this has the unfortunate result of making me tire of beloved cds earlier than i would like. the cd features smooth songstresses from france, czech republic, iceland, brazil, cape verde, algeria, croatia and MORE. intriguingly the voices follow one another seamlessly. yay for the wonderful people at putumayo who are certainly my favorite record label. they always know just exactly what i am going to like.

then i have also been nourishing my body so delightfully with the guidance of Mollie Katzen's group at the Moosewood restaurant. I got this book from dear Celeste (how lucky I am to have all these spectcular friends!) This is also JUST my kind of a cookbook. simple, startling delicious recipes from all across the globe. and so so nourishing and healthful. So far i have made the West African Peanut soup, the Middle Eastern cucumber and yogurt salad and the Egyptian Ful Nabed --Bean and vegetable soup. The last two turned out VERY well and are highly recommended.

Here is the recipe for the cucumber and yogurt salad--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jajoukh

2 cucumbers thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dried dill (3 tblsp fresh)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2-3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
3 large garlic clove minced
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
3/4 tsp salt

Toss all ingredients and chill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

there are so many recipes still to explore. All the important geographical locations of my life are covered. There is an entire section on Finnish cuisine which seems random enough to make me feel the book was just MEANT for me. I have been wanting a Finnish cookbook to see if I could find some things that seem to resemble my mother's cooking. none of them seem to ring a bell except for my mother's love of open faced sandwiches and beetroot but I will be delighted all the same to try some of them out one of these (not so) wintry days.

berbere and injera

2008-02-02T10:53:00.000-05:00

Last weekend a wonderful classmate and her wonderful Eritrean husband invited several of us to their sunny little home in Philly for a little grad school reunion.

They made us an authentic Eritrean meal and WOW was it ever good!

more Baha'i Gardens on Mt. Carmel

2008-01-22T23:10:00.000-05:00

Baha'i Center for the Study of the Sacred Texts, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel from Leila's flickr album Arc, Terraces and Gardens

I have the Holy Land on my mind still today.

Here is such a short and sweet little video of the Terraces. Makes me just long to be able to go and sit there by the fountains surrounded by the exquisite, immaculate-beyond-imagination gardens and the immense grandeur of the Shrine of the Bab. Truly truly a "spiritual garden".

"The Baha'i gardens in Haifa have been called the eighth wonder of the world and likened to the hanging gardens of Babylon...the entire garden is enveloped in spiritual feeling." Narrator

"Spiritual garden somehow directs you to your inside and feel that you are alone with God...the fountains are designed to be so quiet it is as if someone is saying a prayer in your ears..." Fariborz Sahba--architect

Faith and the cave of Elijah

2008-01-21T13:29:00.001-05:00

"And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:9

Terraces in the Baha'i Gardens on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel

I have been pondering the puzzle of how one might actively work to increase one's faith in God. Fortunately, I have access to a number of powerful and discerning individuals who are striving to walk the spiritual path through life and so I have resolved to ask these people for their advice and insight into this question. The first dear friend that I consulted referred me to the story of Elijah in the Bible in 1 Kings 19:1-18. Not only is the story rich and abstract enough to keep me engaged in trying to understand it and the meanings about faith latent within it but it is also engaging me in learning a bit about Elijah who I have wanted to learn more about.

Seat of the Universal House of Justice on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel

Elijah spent an important period of his life in a cave at the foot of Mount Carmel in Haifa Israel which is a place on this planet that is of monumental significance for all humankind and is also important for me in very intimate personal ways as my parents met on the slopes of Mt Carmel and they gave me Carmel as a middle name. Mt Carmel is the heart of the Baha'i World Center and every Baha'i feels so strongly connected to the holiness of the many spots on that mountain and the regions surrounding it.

I have wanted to know more about Elijah and the cave of Elijah since my pilgrimage to the sacred Baha'i sites in Israel. So I am delighted I have been directed the story of Elijah and the cave where he meditated about faith and steadfastness through his own sufferings.

Regarding the Cave of Elijah sacred-destinations.com has this to say:

"Many important events in the life of the Prophet Elijah (9th century BC) are said to have happened in this revered cave: he lived and meditated here before defeating the pagan prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel; he hid here when fleeing the wrath of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel; and Elijah established his school here upon his return from exile. The cave is sacred to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze, all of whom venerate the prophet Elijah. There was a mosque here until 1948. Tradition also has it that the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph and Jesus) found shelter in this cave for a night on their return from Egypt."

So what of the connection between Elijah and having faith in 1 Kings 19...I still await some commentary from my friend the Bible scholar but in this story it seems that Elijah fought battles against the pagans and as a result had to suffer at the hands of King Ahab resulting in his exile far away where he went through many tests and trials that included a period of feeling remoteness and separation from God.

"11And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire"

After all of these tests and trials the voice of God was heard as a "still small voice" but Elijah was listening and so was able to perceive it and the voice of God became louder and stronger instructing Elijah that he was being called to carry out tasks and missions of great importance as a result of his faith and steadfastness.

"15And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room."

That is my attempt at understanding the story of Elijah as told in 1 Kings and now I must continue to meditate on the implications for my own struggle to grow in Faith.

These days mark the three year annivesary of my 9-day pilgrimage to the Baha'i Holy Places in and around Mt Carmel. Speaking of active ways to strengthen one's faith, going on pilgrimage strikes me as one extremely important way to do this and so remembering those days also seems like a powerful tool for the activation of faith.

Baha'i Archives building on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel

It seems January is pilgrim season. Leila reminisces about the one year anniversay or HER pilgrimage in recent posts. She excerpts such a moving quotation from her own journaling during that time and I found it so inspiring that I wanted to dig out my own pilgrim's journal and choose an excerpt. I like being reminded of the powerful Zambezi River so I choose this one...

"In vibrant radiance there is no room for guilt. For gilded service there is no room for fear. Steadfastness so immovable it is as a mountain of rock... One must become so dynamic, so driven as to crash through life with the force of the mighty Zambezi river that crashes with joyous noise through the forest never deviating from its course." January 24, 2005

Leif is also just back from his pilgrimage this year. He has posted his wonderful photos in his facebook albums.

Shrine of the Bab, Mt. Carmel, Haifa Israel

Supplication

2008-01-19T22:14:00.000-05:00

Came across this video on the blog of a dear friend. She said it was from the soundtrack for the movie the Kite Runner which I am so looking forward to seeing. It is a stunningly meditative Islamic prayer.

At the end of the video the supplication is in English

"O my Lord, my sins are like the highest mountain. My good deeds are very few. They are like a small pebble. I turn to you, my heart full of shame, my eyes full of tears. Bestow your forgiveness and mercy upon me. Send Your peace and blessing on the Final Prophet and His family and companions and those who follow Him."

wave your body like a bandy snake

2008-01-16T12:43:00.000-05:00

well this is the day i am supposed to be finally hunkering down for the long haul, focusing on my work and avoiding all distractions BUT i just had to write quickly about the wonderful creative, spiritual, exercise experience i had this morning.

dear lisa told me about this little yoga studio right here in highland park that she had been to once and loved. i have passed by it many times but i thought i would go and try it out this morning and participate in something called "The Wise Woman Workout"... it was yogic and athletic but it was also so joyful and creative and the lovely laid back teacher/owner also shared words of wisdom as we went through the class . And so much FABULOUS music!!... just exactly the type of music i have been hungering for and trying to immerse myself in... music from Africa, aboriginal digeridoo, soulful, indian, new agey meditative and more.... a different sound for each phase of the class. and she made us all move and create our own movements and connect with each others movements during the class in SUCH a safe and inspiring way AND there was lots of sweating to be had but so much fun and joy. just what i needed :) THANKS LISA!! i am going to try and work it into my schedule this semester.

and somehow related in my mind is the wondeful CD that Bradley and Cynthia loaned to me but which i am going to buy my very own copy of-- Ancestry in Progress by Zap Mama. I am such a fan. Her flare in the following video from this album reminds me a bit of Leila's recent post on Bjork. The video and lyrics for Bandy Bandy capture an element of the class I experienced this morning-- just the pure celebration of being a woman and "like bandy bandy wave your body"

"there is something i learned long ago..

something people do to set their spirit free

in the morning time in the afternoon in the cool evening breeze

like bandy bandy

wave your body

like bandy bandy

wave your body

anytime of day

any place

if you are feeling down

move your body like a bandy snake"

Rebuilding war torn regions--Bosnia and Birmingham, AL

2008-01-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

I never did finish all the storytelling about the remarkable individuals I met in Florida.

Jay Craig is an urban designer and was (still is?) the executive director of a non-profit organization called Global Networking for Rebuilding. We were at lunch with a group of wonderful individuals with experience around the world from Uganda to Finland and it took some prodding to get Jay to tell us about his experiences in Sarajevo where he spent a month in 1994 in the middle of a war zone! and has returned several times since then to work in the rebuilding of urban landscapes to try to heal the tremendous damage that war caused to the cultural heritage of the nation. There is a great deal of material on the website...Here is one example of the work and vision that they had:

"In the Old Town of Sarajevo, as in Jerusalem, all the major religions of the Western world are represented. Mosques, cathedrals and temples co-exist within a few hundred feet of each other, testament to Sarajevo's long tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance.

What had taken centuries to build has been brought to the edge of ruin in a matter of months, victim of a ruthless campaign against diversity and freedom of expression. During the siege of Sarajevo religious buildings were targeted for their emotional value. Those who wished to destroy the community recognized that the Old Town is its heart, and that to break the historical bonds that bind the city they had first to loosen the spiritual moorings that hold neighbors firm to their beliefs.

We seek to highlight and enhance the common ground of the religious district, both literally and figuratively, to de-emphasize symbols of contention among competing ethnic groups while emphasizing their shared heritage and the doctrine of toleration common to all the world's great religions.

Just as Sarajevo, as an intersection of fervent beliefs, might prove to be the flash point once again for a war reaching far beyond the boundaries of Bosnia, so too can it be the place where reconciliation gains rebirth.

Studies should focus on linking foot traffic between religious sites and nearby parks and markets. Motor traffic and parking must be accommodated, perhaps with space taken from demolished buildings, in order to embrace future tourism."

Indian Idol--Abhijeet Sawant

2008-01-09T13:13:00.000-05:00

i have a tremendous appetite for new music especially as I am spending so much time alone recently. I feel that as soon as I am listening to music that I enjoy my mood and energy picks up. It is hard to keep my appetite sated with fresh sounds however. the last couple of days I have been hooked on Pieters Imeem player. This has been giving me a taste of "the East"--near East that is. One song in this collection that I have been enjoying is called Junoon by Abhijeet Sawant so I decided to look it up and see if I could find out more about the artist. It turns out he was a winner of Indian Idol. Indian Idol!??? Another American cultural export I guess. Not only is there Indian Idol there is also Singapore Idol and when all the various "idols" in the region come together for a competition there is the Asian Idol. Well apparently Abhijeet Sawant did not manage to win the Asian Idol competition but I have enjoyed his song Junoon. You can listen on Pieter's blog or you can watch the video here:

three of my favorite people on this planet

2008-01-08T19:52:00.000-05:00

i discovered a photo of my favorite family on facebook. they were here in highland park, nj last year, now living in england, and in this picture attending Sham's sisters wedding in Namibia. they DO get around a lot. aren't they EXQUISITE!! i do MISS them so much!

South Africa--alive with possibility

2008-01-08T13:21:00.001-05:00

contemporary Iran and the plight of the Baha'is

2008-01-05T19:35:00.000-05:00

i am continuing my search for readings for my course in Comparative Education. this evening I have been reading "Children of Jihad" by Jared Cohen. In his first chapter he describes his trip to Iran in 2004 to conduct research for his studies at Oxford University. He juxtaposes the severely repressive regime and the constraints it imposes upon its citizens with the vibrance, warmth, resistance and openness of Iran's youth. He describes the power of the use of technology for giving the youth of Iran a means of connecting with each other and also with the rest of the world.

Technology is also offering Baha'i youth in Iran an opportunity to get an education. Baha'is represent the largest religious minority in Iran, the birthplace of this cause that aims to reinvigorate human civilization and unite the hearts of all the diverse inhabitants of the planet. Baha'is have been persecuted in Iran since the inception of the Faith. A renewed wave of persecution began in 1979 at the time of the Iranian revolution. When I was growing up as a Baha'i youth we were all galvanized by the story of the ten Baha'i women who were executed for their Faith in 1983. Among these ten women was a 16 year old named Mona Mahmudnizhad who was found guilty of crimes such as "corrupting and misleading the youth" for her work teaching children and also for being a Zionist (the Baha'i World Center is in Israel. Baha'u'llah was exiled to Palestine in the latter half of the 1800s and so this is where He is buried and this is the reason that Baha'is are often accused of being Zionists though they take no sides in the current conflict.) Really the only crimes of these women were that they were Baha'is. They were given the opportunity to recant their Faith and "return" to Islam and all of the women refused.

Jack Lenz is a tireless champion for the rights of the Baha'is in Iran. He has spent a great part of his life trying to bring Mona's story to the world. You can find out how you can help and listen to a continuous stream of songs that various artists have produced over the years about these "martyred" women including the beautiful song "Traces" by Seals and Crofts (who are also Baha'i musicians by the way).

On the website above be sure to click on the tab "freedom" to read a paper that Mona turned in to her teacher on one of her assignments and you will see how "dangerous" and courageous she was in her speaking out against the tyranny and injustice her co-religionists were enduring.

In the 1980s Jack Lenz made a music video about Mona, Mona with the Children, sung by Doug Cameron, to inspire youth around the world to carry out her wish that youth around the world would gather together and create unity.

But back to the theme of the role of technology in granting greater freedom and access to education for the youth of Iran. In Iran today Baha'i's suffer many restrictions including the fact that they are denied access to higher education. The Baha'is have established the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education so that Baha'i youth can have access to distance education offered by faculty members around the world. Would you like to be a volunteer faculty member or an ESL tutor for these youth? See what you can do here at BIHE. I have sent in my volunteer application.

Find out more about the project:

The Bahá'í Institute Of Higher Education: A Creative And Peaceful Response To Religious Persecution In Iran

Adamou Kombo and the power of consultation

2008-01-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

I digressed away from my reporting on the Baha'i Social and Economic Development Conference that I attended in Orlando a couple of weeks ago. There were really so many many stories I wanted to tell and learnings I wanted to share.

Given my bias towards all things Africa I really cannot fail to mention the astonishing plenary session on the topic of "Serving humanity through mediation: Electoral processes and conflict resolution" given by Adamou Kombo who is originally from Niger but now working in Paris as an international electoral consultant for the United Nations, IFES (International Foundation for Election Systems) and NDI (National Democratic Institute).

His rich experience working in mediating the most complex international conflicts around the world puts him in a extraordinarily unique position to comment on processes that need to come about before any kind of real peace and unity can be achieved on our troubled planet. What was just as remarkable was his personal story. He comes from a very religious Muslim family in a Muslim country. He tells the story of the Iranian Baha'i family who befriended him when he was a child and who were influential in shaping his world view and his understandings of the consultative processes that need to be employed to bring about real and sustainable dialogue between opposing factions.

While he was a professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Niger the university became wracked with student protests and strikes. He had been called to serve as the director of Student Affairs at this time as those who had come to know him felt he was the only one who would be able to bring peace and order to the university so that classes could be resumed. He describes how before he accepted the position he went to visit the dear Iranian Baha'i friends that he had maintained since his childhood (although he himself was still not a Baha'i at the time) to ask them for advice on how he could possibly get a handle on the situation and whether or not he should accept the task. They had discussions about the principles of Baha'i consultation, the importance of integrity, humility, love and if possible prayer!

So he accepted the Student Affairs position, brought all the faculty, staff and students together to draw on their diverse opinions and have frank and transparent consultation and they jointly managed to arrive at a peaceful resolution. His role in the resolution was recognized by the students and the faculty and this success and recognition lead to him getting offered other positions including eventually being selected as the President of the Electoral Commission to help to organize free and fair elections for the whole country! He points out that he was actually not trained in this field. He was a professor in Comparative Literature but that the reason that was given for why he was asked to help with each of these events was "Because we trust him"... they trusted him to be fair, just, honest, transparent and to deal with his duties with integrity. He has since become a Baha'i and is married to an Iranian Baha'i woman.

Now in his role as an international electoral consultant he has traveled the world to all manner of conflict ridden situations including accompanying Jimmy Carter on a trip to the Middle East, and being involved in conflict resolution between the Hutus and the Tutsis in Burundi. He is optimistic about Africa's future in spite of all the continued crises facing that great continent. He foresees the day when the United States of Africa will be formed.

*** please note that this post was written from my unreliable notes that were taken two weeks ago so there may be some errors but hopefully I have captured a little bit of the spirit of what Mr. Kombo had to share with us.

Trip Barthel explains the concept of Baha'i consultation as follows:

"In essence, consultation seeks to build consensus in a manner that unites various constituencies instead of dividing them. It encourages diversityof opinion and acts to control the struggle for power that is otherwise so common in traditional decision-making systems.

Bahá'í consultation is based on the followingprinciples (from http://www.bahai.org/):

Information should be gathered from thewidest possible range of sources, seeking a diversity of points of view. This may mean making special efforts to seek the views of specialists--such as lawyers, doctors, or scientists. It may also mean looking for information outside traditional specialties or making a special effort to consider the views of community members from diverse backgrounds.

During discussion, participants must make every effort to be as frank and candid as possible, while maintaining a courteous interest in the views of others. Personal attacks, blanket ultimatums and prejudicial statements are to be avoided.

When an idea is put forth it becomes at once the property of the group. Although this notion sounds simple, it is perhaps the most profound principle of consultation. For in this rule, all ideas cease to be the property of any individual, sub-group, or constituency. When followed, this principle encourages those ideas that spring forth from a sincere desire to serve, as opposed to ideas that emanate from a desire for personal aggrandizement or constituency-building.

The group strives for unanimity, but a majority vote can be taken to bring about a conclusion and make the decision. An important aspect to this principle is the understanding that once a decision is made, it is incumbent on the entire group to act on it with unity--regardless of how many supported the measure."

attract the hearts

2008-01-01T15:35:00.000-05:00

today's pick of music by baha'i artists discovered on that authoritative compendium of all things virtual Baha'i--Baha'i Views

mellow oh so mellow... very good for those two items on my new year's wish list--calm and stillness.

TaliaSafa "Attract the Hearts"--performed by

Talia Johnson

and Safa Paulson

and produced by

Jon Rezin [this may well be my favorite profile pic of all time]

Lyrics for Let All Associate

"Let all associate, therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend together side by side ...Love ye all religions and all races with a love that is true and sincere and show that love through deeds..." (Abdu'l-Baha)

The Tongue of Grandeur hath, however, in the day of His manifestation proclaimed: "It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world."
(Baha'u'llah)

Listen listen...you will love it...i promise

taking stock

2007-12-31T21:52:00.000-05:00

i think all opportunities to reflect and evaluate and bring oneself to account are worth participating in so in this spirit i consider my new year resolutions from last year

"pray more

love more

laugh more

smile more

praise more

connect more

see more sunsets

dance

swim

write

read

teach

learn

ruhi

cook

wake up early EVERY DAY--5:30am--this would revolutionzie my life...how i wish i could accomplish it"

i would say i did all of these more consciously except perhaps see more sunsets and wake up at 5:30 every day! overall it has been a good year. an eventful year. in many ways it has been a year of healing and growth and also a year of moving on.

what would my list be for this year? i think i would like to strive for the following attributes

independence

strength

severance

FAITH

patience

calm

stillness

ZEAL

courage

energy

enthusiasm

purity of heart, mind, motive, intention

DISCIPLINE

focus

knowledge

discernment

and JOY

i suppose such a list is endless so i will stop here as these are the items on my wish list that come first to mind.

"unshakeable faith in the oneness of the human family, despite 500 years of slavery, rejection, and discrimination"

2007-12-31T11:06:00.000-05:00

On Baha'i Thought and Black America Phillipe Copeland urges us to celebrate January 1st 2008 as "the 200th anniversary of the prohibition of importing enslaved Africans into the United States."

Phillipe says...

"At the very least I encourage everyone to tell everyone about this anniversary so it does not pass unnoticed. You might even include in your New Years resolutions a resolve to redouble your efforts until racial unity and justice prevail in America."

I am endeavoring to take him up on his challenge by at least posting about it here. In keeping with my recent posting theme I even have some MORE music by Baha'i Artists to suggest in your celebrations of this event! --the music of the Columbian Baha'i artists Leonor Dely & Millero Congo. Again fabulous, so fabulous is this music. Such a high quality production. The hand of JB Eckl at work once again I discover!

And why do I link this CD to a celebration of the prohibition of the slave trade??

Here are the liner notes for the CD...
"Millero Congo wants to express our deepest thanks to our friends in the villages of Northern Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Guadelope, Suriname, Venezuela and Brazil for having preserved and shared with us their African sacred drumming traditions, their dignity, loving hearts, easy smiles and unshakeable faith in the oneness of the human family, despite 500 years of slavery, rejection and discrimination."

Millero Congo also strives to acheive an integration of musical genres--it seems that this is a common goal among contemporary Baha'i musicians--achieving unity in diversity through music!! In Millero Congo's words:

"We want to take Bahá’u’lláh’s Words and Spirit to everybody, through a new music style that we coined “tribalglobal”, which powerfully welds together North and South, Black and White, and, we hope, will “set the hearts of the listeners ablaze and cause their bodies to soar”."

Tribalglobal!! HOW COOL IS THAT!? I find myself quite prone to excitement these days. I do hope you will pardon me. Okay...now how is this for TRIBALGLOBAL. In searching for anything Millero Congo on YouTube I found a video someone made of the Baha'i Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India and they chose Oye Oye by Leonor Dely & Millero Congo as their sound track. Even for me, as a self-proclaimed world citizen, this juxtaposition of the tribal and the global is quite mind blowing. Check it out and fall in LOVE with the powerful sounds of African sacred drumming accompanying the sacred words of the Spirit of the Age. The translation of the Spanish is as follows:

"Magnify My cause that I may reveal unto thee the mysteries of My greatness and shine upon thee with the light of eternity. Rejoice in the gladness of thine heart, that thou mayest be worthy to meet Me and to mirror forth My beauty."

music for the children of the half light--"my beautifuls hold tight"

2007-12-30T12:59:00.000-05:00

recently i have stocked up on a whole bunch of music by baha'i artists. there is SO MUCH GOOD STUFF out there now!! WOW! my newest passion is the music of the Dawnbreaker Collective. When I first heard their music a few months ago I think I was so taken aback by the pure hiphopness of it that I couldn't quite accept it as spiritual music. Now that I have the cd I just CANNOT get enough of it! It is truly truly inspired art. Just listen carefully carefully to the incredible genius of the poetry, to the rich use of allusions to Baha'i Scripture, to the powerful transformative messages being conveyed to the hip hop generation and to the rest of the world who may dare to listen. It is so fresh and so exciting.

Furthermore, I feel that no other music could be more suited as a battle cry for the "spiritual warriors" who are doing battle on the toughest frontlines in the world among the neglected victims of oppression, inspiring, and raising individuals up in their earliest years of youth to take their place in the struggle for the spiritualization and unification of the planet. We need them so much and all the receptivity they have to calls of the spirit. We cannot do it without them.

Here is a little documentary of the making of Volume 1 of Arise

And here is a video of "O Son of Being"--please please open your heart and mind to the POWER and beauty of the Baha'i Writings delivered in this medium.

There are so many tracks that i love on this cd. One that I find particularly moving is a poem recited alongside the singing of a prayer by Baha'u'llah

"Prayers like shoes" (Ruth Foreman, Tara Ellis, Jamey Jaz)

i wear prayers like shoes
pull em on quiet each morning
take me through the uncertainty
don't know what might knock me off course
sit up in bed
pull on the the right then the left
before shower
before teeth

they were my mamma's gift to walk me through this life
she wore strong ones
the kind steady your ankles
i know cos when her man left
her children gone
her eldest son without goodbye
they the only ones keep her standin'
i saw her still standin'

mamma passed on some things to me
my smile
sense of discipline
my subtle behind
but best she passed on
"girl you go to God and get you some good shoes
cos this life ain't steady ground"

now i don't wear hers
you take em with you you know
but i suspect they made by the same company
pull em on each morning
first the right then the left
best piece o' dress i got

"I have risen this morning by Thy grace, O my God, and left my home trusting wholly in Thee, and committing myself to Thy care. Send down, then, upon me, out of the heaven of Thy mercy, a blessing from Thy side, and enable me to return home in safety even as Thou didst enable me to set out under Thy protection with my thoughts fixed steadfastly upon Thee.
There is none other God but Thee, the One, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."

pull em on each morning
first the right then the left
best piece o' dress i got

i wear prayers like shoes
like shoes

calmness, stillness, faith and more baha'i music

2007-12-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

On Befriended Stranger today Mitko writes --

if one is not calm, centered, focused on God’s Will in the beginning, probably it will show in the end. And vice versa, if the beginning is rooted in the calm, confident reliance on God’s guidance, the end will be the way it needs to be, regardless of the specifics of the outcome, regardless of our inability to see the end in the beginning.

"The beginning of all things is the knowledge of God, and the end of all things is strict observance of whatsoever hath been sent down from the empyrean of the Divine Will that pervadeth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth."
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 5)

and on the topic of tests and faith Elika Mahony's new cd "Fire and Gold" is just just about to be released in January 2008.

From the lyrics of the title track: "The world is like a vapor in the desert which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might until he findeth it to be mere illusion...busy not thyself with this world, for with fire we test the gold and with gold we test Our servants..." Baha'u'llah

Listen to sample tracks here
Sign her guestbook here .
And here is a video for "This is Faith," one of the songs on the album with lyrics from a poem by Amatu'l-Baha Ruhhiyih Khanum.

I have shared some geographical pathways through this life with Elika. She is also a "child of africa" and currently resides in China. I first met Elika in California where she was always the one inspiring her fellow Baha'i youth, myself included, into song. I have so enjoyed immersing myself in the two Melodies of the Nightengale cds and I do look forward to owning my very own copy of Fire and Gold.

SED 2007 Musical presentations

2007-12-28T18:29:00.000-05:00

One of the many highlights of the Baha'i Social and Economic Development conference was the music. We were treated to high quality musical presentations every night from some of the Baha'i world's favorite musicians. People who have spent any time with me in the last couple of weeks already know that I am a raving fan of Eric Dozier and JB Eckl having just purchased their fabulous cd Badasht . So you can imagine how thrilled I was to actually see them perform live. I also just love how their music blends and integrates so many musical genres: "Drawing upon the Bahá'í Sacred Writings for lyrics and inspiration, and incorporating elements of soul, rock, Gospel, folk and world music, Eric and JB's ﬁrst collaboration weaves a rich tapestry of sound at once intimate and expansive, introspective and jubilant." [from the CD cover]. JB Eckl is a first class music producer as well as a musician so the album was in good hands.

They have quite a repertoire and we got to hear songs that were just being born like a new bluesy song from the "Mornin' Suns" which may (or may not?) be the name of their new partnership?? Here they are performing a song that is one of those NOT on Badasht.

sweet sweet sweet!

We were also treated to some "new age/world" music by Afshin Toufighian on piano (original composition) and Gustaff Besungu on his djembe. Mm mmm mm. So nice so nice. Just close your eyes and do some serious meditating to this one.

In addition to these rich listening experiences we heard from Jack Lenz [who also put the whole musical program together], Gwendolyn Watson [virtuoso cello player and improviser], Vedad Theophilus, and Roya Bauman. As if this were not enough Red Grammar was there too! Wow!! He is a very well-known and popular singer of children's music that adults LOVE too. He sang so many so many of everyone's old favorites including Teaching Peace, Listen, the ABCs of you ... Here he is singing "We're rich" which he introduces by explaining the inspiration for the song in the following quote from a document put out by Baha'i International Community in 1995 entitled "The Prosperity of Humankind"

"History has thus far recorded principally the experience of tribes, cultures, classes, and nations. With the physical unification of the planet in this century and acknowledgement of the interdependence of all who live on it, the history of humanity as one people is now beginning. The long, slow civilizing of human character has been a sporadic development, uneven and admittedly inequitable in the material advantages it has conferred. Nevertheless, endowed with the wealth of all the genetic and cultural diversity that has evolved through past ages, the earth's inhabitants are now challenged to draw on their collective inheritance to take up, consciously and systematically, the responsibility for the design of their future.

(Baha'i International Community, 1995 Mar 03, The Prosperity of Humankind)

Erica Toussaint and the unity of humankind

2007-12-20T23:31:00.000-05:00

ALL of the plenary sessions at the Baha'i social and economic development conference 2007 were incredibly inspiring and uplifting. It was worth coming down to Florida even just for the first night's opening program to hear Erica Toussaint speak. She is a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and an incredibly brilliant, down-to-earth, joyful individual.

She kicked off the conference by reminding us that the Baha'i Faith is one huge social and economic development project and that we were all already actively engaged in this project through the work in community building and the fostering of unity that every Baha'i naturally engages in. She spoke of education as being foundational to everything that the Baha'is do and that it is through education that we seek to achieve our mission which is the spiritualization of human society and civilization.

She referred to this wonderful quotation of 'Abdu'l-Baha in connection with the importance of education:

"Material civilization, through the power of punitive and retaliatory laws, restraineth the people from criminal acts; and notwithstanding this, while laws to retaliate against and punish a man are continually proliferating, as ye can see, no laws exist to reward him. In all the cities of Europe and America, vast buildings have been erected to serve as jails for the criminals.

Divine civilization, however, so traineth every member of society that no one, with the exception of a negligible few, will undertake to commit a crime. There is thus a great difference between the prevention of crime through measures that are violent and retaliatory, and so training the people, and enlightening them, and spiritualizing them, that without any fear of punishment or vengeance to come, they will shun all criminal acts. They will, indeed, look upon the very commission of a crime as a great disgrace and in itself the harshest of punishments. They will become enamoured of human perfections, and will consecrate their lives to whatever will bring light to the world and will further those qualities which are acceptable at the Holy Threshold of God." (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 132)

Erica Toussaint also reminded us that while engaging in all manner of specific social and economic development projects is of course important and valuable, the "well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."

And so we should always keep in mind this greater goal for which we are working---the unity of humankind.

In light of this goal of the Baha'i World Community, let me display some proof of the success that the Baha'i World Community enjoys in bringing us all together-- the beautiful faces that I had the bounty of laying eyes upon at the conference.

I caught these three in animated conversation and asked if I could take a picture of them as they were so beautiful in their shared joy representing as they do the great nations of India, Cameroon, and China.

Another picture of Gustaff Besungu and his drum (you can just see it peeking out from behind him).

I met old friends from Macau --Farah and Farid Samandari. They introduced me to this wonderful Turkish woman who now lives in Germany and who I was not able to speak with as she is "only" able to speak Turkish, Farsi and German.

I wanted to take a picture of Navid's shirt. He is from Togo (of Iranian descent) and every day wore a different wonderful shirt.

He is currently a graduate student at MIT. This other friend in the picture lived in Tianjin, China for some years and we had nice conversation in Chinese together.

One of the very lovely faces in the bookstore.

Wife of the late Norwegian Baha'i sculptor Arild Juel Petterson and co-founder of Martha's Barn which is a "19th century barn that is in the process of being restored to be used as a facility devoted to promote education in the arts/sciences, encourage non-violent conflict resolution, and stand as restored historic site." What is unique about this barn tucked away in rural Pennsylvania is that it belonged to that great Baha'i heroine and world traveler Martha Root.

These two delighted everyone with their mutual love and affection.

"These children are neither Oriental nor Occidental, neither Asiatic nor American, neither European nor African, but they are of the Kingdom; their native home is heaven..." (Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 647)

Baha'i social and economic development conference 2007

2007-12-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to attend the annual Baha'i Social and Economic Development conference held in Orlando, Florida for many years. This year I finally did it and being in a large group of Baha'is felt like a wonderful homecoming. The Baha'i world community has come a long way in the last decade and there is a very tangible growth in the capacity of the Baha'i community to begin having a transformative impact on the culture and civilization of humankind.

Before the conference even started I began having heart-warming interactions. As I walked into the bookstore after registering I saw a radiant woman who I remembered from almost 20 years ago (honestly can I REALLY be this old????) when she was doing her Baha'i youth year of service coming from the US to travel through the countries of Southern Africa. Now she is living in Chicago.

Here she is with her beautiful half-Iranian son.

Walking out of the bookstore I greeted another beautiful young woman identifiable as a conference participant by her name tag. We started chatting and she mentioned she was thinking of getting something to eat and so I invited myself along. What an opportunity that was!!! Really what blessings and grace are available to us if we are just a little open to them.

She is originally from South Carolina and now living in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her four kids. She announced she was a fourth generation Baha'i. I said..."Oh you have some Iranian heritage?" as that is what I tend to assume when I meet people who have such a long Baha'i heritage. No... she is a fourth generation African American Baha'i. The story really begins with her uncle Rick. Uncle Rick at 12 years old started hanging around with the Baha'is in the 1950s in the south. Rick's father (Shelley's grandfather), Charles Abercrombie, was an important leader in a Southern Baptist church and was really worried about this "cult" that his son, Rick, was getting involved with. So Charles Abercrombie asked Rick to invite some of the Baha'is to come to their home so that he could learn more about the Baha'is. Rick invited two ladies who were best friends and who were traveling together in areas of South Carolina for the purpose of teaching people about the Baha'i Faith. These two friends were Joy Failey Benson--a white woman --and Ulele Bobo--an African American woman. These two women came to visit with the Abercrombies and to talk with them about the Baha'i Faith. The conversation went long into the night and Charles said..." Now wait a minute you have to come back now because I still have not understood what you are trying to tell me."

So over the next few days these two ladies came back and spoke with them night after night until really late and Charles had his Bible in hand and they had their Baha'i Writings and they had very heated exchanges. Finally the grandfather and the grandmother were still not satisified and they said that since they were at their house so much and were staying so late every day they might as well come and just move in for a while!! So Ulele Bobo moved in with the Abercrombies for three weeks and after this time of intensive interaction the grandfather and the grandmother became Baha'is. What followed was a period of intense testing. Charles went back to the church to tell them that Christ had returned! The Abercrombies, perhaps not surprisingly, were subsequently ostracized from the church and the community for becoming Baha'is and Charles lost his job. The Abercrombies had their own large plot of farmland and to this they returned and and grew their own food and they built properties that they could rent out and they did just fine. This spiritually receptive couple went on to have eight children who all became staunch supporters of the Faith.

Shelley's father, Sherryfield Abercrombie, was six when Joy and Ulele walked together into his family's home for that first time and the shock of seeing a white woman and a black woman together as friends in the Jim Crow south was enough to persuade his very young heart of the power of the message they brought. He said right there and then that he wanted to be a Baha'i. Sherryfield is now retired and is "pioneering" all on his own out remote in the African bush of Lesotho thereby answering the call of the Universal House of Justice (the governing body of the Baha'i World Community) for African American Baha'is to travel to Africa to serve humanity and teach people about the Baha'i Faith there. He is using his own money to establish a school there and now Shelley is here at the Social and Economic Development conference to help to realize her goal of supporting her father in establishing his school as an official non-profit organization that can apply for grants.

So Shelley is a fourth generation Baha'i because her great-grandmother learned of the Faith from her grandfather and became a Baha'i too. And now Shelley who works in a restaurant, is studying full time for her Masters in Business Education, is a full-time Mom and a full-time Baha'i, active in absolutely everything and she is raising the fifth generation of the Abercrombie Baha'is. She said that with all the children and grand-children and great-grandchildren of these two original pure-hearted souls there are now 60 Baha'is in their family. She has relatives serving the Faith all over the world but she is right there serving in inner-city Ann Arbor with her new fiance who has made it possible for her to come out here to the conference and who works as the executive director of Peace Neighborhood Center. I felt so honored to have met her and to have had a chance to chat with her.

The experience chatting with Shelley reinforced my awareness of the power of personal narratives!

Icelanders in China

2007-12-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

Joa's lovely sister Hildigunnur and her just as lovely best friend Birna are taking time away from Iceland between high school and college to travel around the world.

They spent some time in China including time in Shanxi with spectacular Sophia. They had a few days in New York too and I just had to see them and hear their China stories so I zoomed up to pick them up from the airport and take them for breakfast and deposit them in Brooklyn where they were to stay with friends/family.

We ended up in a quaint little cafe in Brooklyn called the Flying Saucer where we were served by the sweetest androgynous person. We sat ourselves down on leather sofas that looked like they had been purchased at the Salvation Army with our coffee and babka and bagels and had a nice chat about their travels. After New York they are on their way to the Dominican Republic and then a month or two in various countries in Latin America.

What sweet, gentle, strong and independent young women they are.

More Flickr pictures of their trip to Shanxi and other parts of the world are available here. And just in case Icelandic is one of your languages, they are keeping a blog of their travels too--Heimsreisa ójá!!

happy holidays

2007-12-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

thanks to dear dear friends and colleagues I am getting all my holiday celebrations in this year. I was invited to Hannukkah dinner with the magical family of a colleague in their large and rambling home in Montclair, NJ. It was a delight to meet
Maya

and Kai

and to watch the menorah being lit accompanied by songs. we then feasted on a traditional Russian "peasant" meal that included

potato latkes and brisket. Delicious! Then there were gifts for the kids. it was such a wonderful cultural experience for me and I was so grateful to have been invited. here is a little documentary of lighting the menorah. it starts out VERY dark but the light comes as the menorah is lighted.

I have also been immersed in Christmas spirit. dear Krista invited me to Princeton this weekend and we went out to a little square in downtown Princeton where there is a huge Christmas tree and many lights all around. Student acapella groups sang Christmas carols like my favorite Silent Night. And each group seemed to have a humorous song to offer as well, much to the delight of the crowd.

solitude

2007-12-17T21:17:00.000-05:00

solitude can seem frightening and overwhelming. we do so much in the modern world to stay so connected to others. it seems to me that solitude can be a spiritually potent state if one allows oneself to embrace it. it is so tempting to try to escape it. to fill it with activities and thoughts and longings and imaginations. if one can submit to it entirely perhaps one will be able to experience the all-encompassing ecstasy of prayer. perhaps if one stays with it one will arrive at a place of peace and calm and clarity.

embracing true solitude seems to require complete severance from the world...

a baha'i year of patience is a beautiful opportunity to practice such solitude, detachment and severance. it strikes me that it is very similar to the practice of fasting. i am delighted at the thought of a year. the part that I find more difficult is to embrace the possibility of a life time of solitude. of course, it will not be constant solitude--there will be plenty of room for all manner of new friends and joys and activities and more purposeful and pure hearted service. but, in all, perhaps the opportunity that a single celibate life affords for solitude must needs be treasured and utilized to its fullest potential. activities and friends should never be used as a means to simply fill up a void.

Cousin Dave has chosen a life of solitude in his work as a missionary in the Ukraine. I asked him recently if he had any suggestions about achieving a state of true prayer and acquiring spiritual discipline and I found his simple answer to be so powerful. . Part of what he said was...

"It seems to me that being disciplined in spiritual activities like prayer and reading and meditating on passages from the Bible, and keeping one day a week set aside for resting and focusing on God etc. will not in themselves bring me into a close relationship with the Lord, but on the other hand, you can't have a close relationship with the Lord without them... I know in my life, and I see it in most other people, getting too busy with lots of good things prevents me from focusing on the best thing - my relationship with the Lord. That is why a day of rest is really important, as I see it. Not just that we need physical rest, but we need to stop the rat race and have some time to consider the spiritual. That runs counter to society around us as you well know."

I say it is simple...because really it is so obvious and yet how many of us really do make this time for our own concentrated spiritual growth and development? It is only now in my new life of solitude that I have been really endeavoring to make real time every morning and evening for my prayers, readings and meditations.

A couple quotes on solitude from here...

"Solitude, the safeguard of mediocrity, is to genius the stern friend, the cold, obscure shelter where moult the wings which will bear it farther than the suns and the stars. He who should inspire and lead his race must be defended from traveling with the souls of other men, from living, breathing, reading, and writing in the daily, time-worn yoke of their opinions. "In the morning - solitude;" said Pythagoras; that Nature may speak to the imagination, as she does never in company, and that her favorite may take acquaintance with those divine strengths which disclose themselves to serious and abstracted thought. 'Tis very certain that Plato, Plotinus, Archimedes, Hermes, Newton, Milton, Wordsworth, did not live in a crowd, but descended into it from time to time as benefactors: and the wise instructor will press this point of securing to the young soul in the disposition of time and the arrangements of living, periods and habits of solitude." -- from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Conduct of Life"

"Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius."Sir Edward Gibbon

cold and sunny in Kamloops

2007-12-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

i got a lovely little greeting from my brother in Kamloops, BC today! Just what I needed to make my day. Here it is :)

And here he is surveying the British Columbia beauty during my summer 2003 visit.

Cultural experiences and end of semester celebrations

2007-12-07T18:16:00.000-05:00

Last night in my class with my favorite group of students we had an end of semester party. I had consulted my colleague in a nearby office for suggestions for places to order food and she had pulled out a huge stack of menus and she shared her own enthusiastic descriptions of the food at some of her favorite places. She is such an endless repository of local information.

I decided I wanted something ethnic and the menu from Sahara looked like just the thing. I called to ask about delivery for a group of 14 people and the owner, Sam, invited me to come to talk to him in person about my options. This sounded like an adventure so I walked from our building down the streets of New Brunswick, NJ lined with run down houses to some entirely new and undiscovered territory. Surrounded by the desolation of urban decay was a brand new building that looked like an oasis of sorts. I entered the cavernous interior space and Sam arrived to chat with me. It struck me that this was a cultural experience I was having here. In the middle of central Jersey I was being treated to a Middle Eastern experience of building relationships and business at the same time. "Would you like to try some of our baklava?" Sam asked and also brought a glass cup of tea for me. It was some of the best baklava ever. After a little small talk we started to discuss the order.

He gave me such a good deal and the food when it was delivered was just superb. Everyone seemed to feel so. Chicken kebab and various other assorted meats, falafel, cucumber and yogurt, salad, rice, and all kinds of appetizers. I wish I had thought to take my own pictures.

For our party entertainment we played YouTube videos projected onto the screen from popular singers in Ukraine...

India (Om Shanti Om theme song--a big Bollywood blockbuster apparently)....

China, Japan and even a few from US popular culture ending with some socially conscious gospel and smooth Jazz.