V.J.Mehrabi

Good and Evil

2008-06-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Light and dark. What is it? Dark is the absence of light. Where there is no light there is dark. It’s as simple as that. When we leave this mortal world we enter the world of light. In that world there is no dark. Relating that to what we take with us when we go we can therefore say that we can only take what we have – only the positive things we have; the attitudes and virtues that we have accumulated whilst living our lives on this mortal plain. Think of it this way, if we go and visit someone and we have a lot of wealth and we take that wealth with us, then we can show what we have. It is a tangible thing. But if we go to visit someone and show them all the ‘nothing’ or poverty we have then we have got nothing to show them. You cant say look at all this nothing I have – there isn’t anything to see. So it is the same when we leave this world we can only take what we have learnt and accumulated through good virtues and qualities. So that also means that there is no badness or harm that can come to us from the next world because there is nothing negative or bad there. So ghosts and evil spirits and all those things that many people fear for and pray against is just not a reality – they don’t exist. They cant exist.

The real pain and loss is to live your life in ignorance of spiritual things. That is the hell that is talked of in all the spiritual books.

“True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self.”

(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 156)

That ‘self’ is our soul, its our true identity. We must nurture our spiritual side, let it grow and develop into something glorious. So how do we do it? Since our creator loves us and has only our best interests at heart, it follows that we should listen read and study what the Divine teachers have given us. Only then can we be assured that the paths we are trying to tread are indeed the right paths. The latest messenger has given advice and instruction for every aspect of our lives today and it is current with todays world. It follows therefore to hearken to His teachings, after all it is a wisdom that far exceeds anything that we may be able to create. When you accept this, your life becomes so much easier and much more beautiful and fulfilling, it gives you wings to soar with, it allows you to enjoy this life to its fullest, it gives you an appreciation of things like you could have never imagined possible before, and most of all it gives you a peace of mind, knowing that you are trying to live a life which is true to yourself.

“O FRIEND!

In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.

O SON OF JUSTICE!

Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved? and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart's desire? To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved.”

(Baha'u'llah, Hidden Words)

exercising my vocals

2007-06-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

what are they up to?

2007-05-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours; their work, the work of the Kingdom, is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call 'time and place.' Time with us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunrise, and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man. Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.

"In prayer there is a mingling of station, a mingling of condition. Pray for them as they pray for you! When you do not know it, and are in a receptive attitude, they are able to make suggestions to you, if you are in difficulty.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 96)

last few years of my family activities in video format

2007-01-20T06:10:00.000-08:00

Candle lit dinner for one

2007-01-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Still it hurts every day

The soap and shampoo she used

has now all gone away

I sit and recall conversations had

Her pictures hanging makes me feel

warm inside

Things have changed and I have

had experiences which she didn’t share

I think of her every day

and offer a prayer

I want to leave this mortal world

now as never before

I’m sad and weary and want

to close that door

To move to pastures new

To sing His praises

I long to be with her again

To serve together in the Real domain

Tears roll as before

I so much want to go through that door

An animator for His faith

Is this going to be my saving grace?

How to be happy

2006-12-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

I recently held a class on bereavement for nurses and those in the caring profession who care for terminally ill people. It was really all about faith and death. I was there to give the Bahai perspective – a personal approach. I showed the film of Nickie which was filmed last summer as she was dying.

There are certain things we cant change or elude – one is death, we are all going to die, its been happening for years so we may as well get used to it.

A friend sent me a poem the other day called Emerging Essence Its all about us being in a half-light clinging on with faith and trust. Anyway it got me thinking about the talk thing I did. I certainly conveyed the fact that when we believe with a certainty then there is nothing to fear. Its like when you know what is going to happen then the unknown doesn’t exist so we cant fear it if its not there. Now that’s well and good if you know but if you don’t then what sort of help can you offer especially if you are nursing a terminally ill person and they are in fear of their impending death? I think when people are in a state of fear or uncertainty they look for comfort in others. That is where it is vital to have an understanding of how things work so you can show that conviction and sincerity in your actions. It is strange how that works – so as you have faith, so shall your powers be. Its like if we have faith in the doctor to help us then invariably what they do, works. But if we doubt the expertise of the doctor then chances are the medicine will have little effect. That’s how witch doctors managed to get such a strong power over the tribe. I remember reading about an experiment which was done on a prisoner who was condemned to death, he was put on a table and a needle was inserted into his arm, a doctor announced as each 500ml of blood was taken out and what the patient should be feeling. It went on until the patient had died because he believed what the doctor was announcing when in actual fact not one drop of blood was taken from him. Amazing that isn’t it!

So we put our trust in people when we feel they can be trusted. So how do we figure they can be trusted? Well I suppose we use our powers of reason. That’s a bit like the independent investigation of truth which we are encouraged to do when checking out anything.

So we should apply this to everything we do right? One of the first quotes I ever learnt was ‘Be ye guided by wisdom in all your doings, and cleave ye tenaciously unto it’ I must have been about 9 or 10 at the time. I had done something which was not very well thought out and this quote obviously hit a chord with me at the time.

So if the ultimate apex of our strivings should be God then it kinda figures we should put a bit of effort into figuring it out. And what tools do we use to figure it out? Well lets start with our reason capacities. Look at the facts. Read what the founders of all religions have to say. See if it makes sense to us. What some do here is get scared as there is a power in the words you read and when you open yourself to taking them to heart it can be a bit scary at first. But eventually if you persevere you trust and they become part of you. There is that word again – trust. Then you start reading and questioning to understand not to find fault or difference. Then the real journey of discovery begins. You will get such a wonderful knowledge of who you are, what your reality is, how the soul and progression all fits into things. What your life should be about. Why we need to develop attitudes and behaviors which are beneficial to mankind. How to bring up our kids to be open and sincere to themselves. How all this is such a liberating thing and not a straightjacket in life – as many see religion as being. Now then once you gain a bit of an understanding of what life is all about what happens is that you can relax. Yep that’s it just relax and take each day as it comes. You can confidently follow your passions and hearfelt desires knowing that its fine to do so and that its your God given right to do so. When adversities come in your life they wont affect you so severely as to shake your very core but your understanding of how it all works will make these challenges appear as learning opportunities and you can truly rejoice in them at a heartfelt level.

You will live your life in awe and wonder like a little child who experiences something for the first time.

You end up taking extreme pleasure in how others think and do things. You see others as special noble spiritual beings who were created for a purpose and that gives you an inquisitiveness and natural curiosity which fills you with excitement and awe. People smile at you and warm to your presence. Its all very very pleasant.

insignificant

2006-11-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

We are told that this world is not worth anything much - infact it’s been referred to as a rubbish heap, a mere shadow of the real world, worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant.

Now then, think about the beauty of this physical world in which we live. The wonders in nature; The beauty of space and other planets; At the molecular level there are worlds within worlds to be in awe of. The varied foods which are absolutely wonderful – I love tandoori and it amazes me how much pleasure I get from a well cooked tandoori dish.

And then we have visual delights, sunsets, again in nature there are images of an incredible variety to feast our eyes on. Hearing - another sense which has again a wealth of surprises and delights to wallow in whilst in this physical world, a beautiful bit of music a poem a story, I am currently playing a blues music piece on a loop as I think its wonderfully uplifiting.

Then there are things like communication. The helping of another person to realize something; The passing on to another of an awareness or skill which we might have learnt, now I don’t know about you but the pleasure in doing that sort of act surpasses all else – well maybe the tandoori meal comes close! No joking aside it really is overwhelmingly pleasing to be able to help another person. It is surely the ultimate joy.

Then there is stuff like prayers, which is a natural thing to do in the same way its natural for a flower to turn towards the sun to get the warmth and sustenance. But then there is praying for others too which again when done selflessly gives a pleasure on a different plane from any of the physical pleasures.

Now then, all this kind of stuff we can lump together and categorize it into earthly existence. Some of the pleasures we can say are spiritual but really they are as nothing when compared to what true spirituality is all about and to what we will partake when we leave this world at the point of death. And that’s what gets me really exited. If this wonderful awe inspiring, beautiful universe in which we live is regarded as nothing when compared to the ‘real’ world then that makes the next world something absolutely way beyond anything we can possibly imagine or experience, again going back to the womb and trying to tell the child what this life is like its just not possible. We get glimpses of the next world by the pleasures we feel from doing selfless acts. The ultimate act as we know is to help another soul find its true calling and place in this world. So many go through this life without giving any regard for their true identity and spiritual growth – a tragedy indeed.

Grieve thou not over the troubles and hardships of this nether world, nor be thou glad in times of ease and comfort, for both shall pass away. This present life is even as a swelling wave, or a mirage, or drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted image on the desert serve as refreshing waters? No, by the Lord of Lords! Never can reality and the mere semblance of reality be one, and wide is the difference between fancy and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof.

Know thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this nether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow hath no life of its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and nothing more; it is but images reflected in water, and seeming as pictures to the eye.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 177)

Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in the estimation of the people of Baha, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant? Abandon it unto such as have set their affections upon it, and turn thou unto Him Who is the Desire of the world. Whither are gone the proud and their palaces? Gaze thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this example, inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the breezes of Revelation to seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh unto this sublime Vision."

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 55)

Now read this bit from Adibs book -

Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart. Set all thy hope in God, and cleave tenaciously to His unfailing mercy.

In this Tablet Bahá'u'lláh defines the real purpose for which God bestowed faculties on man:

Thine eye is My trust, suffer not the dust of vain desires to becloud its lustre. Thine ear is a sign of My bounty, let not the tumult of unseemly motives turn it away from My Word that encompasseth all creation. Thine heart is My treasury, allow not the treacherous hand of self to rob thee of the pearls which I have treasured therein. Thine hand is a symbol of My loving-kindness, hinder it not from holding fast unto My guarded and hidden Tablets.

These exalted concepts give us a glimpse of the nobility and purity to which man, under the shadow of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, will attain. The study of the Writings clearly indicates that the purpose underlying the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is to create a new race of men whose thoughts and deeds will reflect and manifest in this world the most lofty attributes and divine virtues.

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 2, p. 139)

truthfulness

2006-11-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

If only it was that easy

Truthfulness is the foundation of all the virtues of the world of humanity. Without truthfulness, progress and success in all of the worlds of God are impossible for a soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also become realised.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 384)

Now then, this is extremely interesting. Read it again. See the middle sentence “Without truthfulness, progress and success in all of the worlds of God are impossible for a soul”

All the worlds of God! Although we can understand why being truthful is of benefit in this world we cant understand why its good in all the worlds of God. This goes for all the virtues, to be reliable to be joyful, courageous, forgiving, just, loving, understanding there are loads of them. I wonder how it all works in the other worlds of God to which we will attain and how virtues we acquire and develop here allow us to contribute to the animating force which the arts and wonders of this world are made manifest.

The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Through them the clouds rain their bounty upon men, and the earth bringeth forth its fruits

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 156)

Bob Brozman a fantastic guitar player said in a concert I went to once that ‘if you always tell the truth then you don’t have to remember anything’. Isn’t that neat?

All religion does is cause wars!

2006-11-07T01:59:00.000-08:00

Some say ‘all religion does is cause wars. If you have no religion then there will be no wars’

Well lets have a look at the scale of human suffering caused by religion and caused by non religious activity. There are many more than I have listed below but these are pretty major conflicts and are quite dominant in our history.

In the name of religion

The crusades.

Middle east wars.

Witch hunting burning.

Islamic militant activities

Northern Ireland catholic and protestant conflict.

Non religious attocities

The 19^th centuries worst crime against humanity was the killing of some 6 million jews.

Stalins regime in former Russia was responsible for killing millions of people.

In China there has been extreme suppression, torture and killings not only within its own borders but through Tibet too.

Korea - Marxism suppression torture and killing.

Apartheid segregation of blacks in south Africa

Scientific communities in America created a Eugenics movement in the early 1900’s. Eugenics was the racist American initiative designed to wipe out all human beings except those who conformed to a particular stereotype. The belief was that by eliminating the racially impure from the gene-pool we would eventually have a perfect society. The philosophy was enshrined into national policy by forced sterilization, segregation laws and marriage restrictions that were enacted in 27 states. Ultimately, eugenics coercively sterilized some 60,000 Americans, barred the marriage of thousands, forcibly segregated thousands more in colonies and persecuted untold numbers in ways we are just learning. Only after eugenics and race biology became entrenched as an American ideal was the campaign transplanted to Germany, where it came to Hitler’s attention. Hitler studied American eugenic laws and rationales and sought to legitimize his innate race hatred and anti-Semitism by medicalizing it and wrapping it in a scientific facade. Indeed, Hitler was able to attract many reasonable Germans by claiming that scientific truth was on his side. Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, coined a popular adage in the Reich: “National Socialism is nothing but applied biology.” Nazi doctors would become the unseen generals in Hitler’s war against the Jews and other Europeans deemed inferior. Doctors would create the science, devise the eugenic formulas, and even hand-select the victims for sterilization, euthanasia and mass extermination. (quoted from a paper my Dr M.Sier – The right not to believe)

So to go back to the question – does religion cause wars I think the answer is clearly no it does not. It is clearly mankind who uses religion to dominate over others as he uses any power at his disposal to dominate over others. This is undeniably a sad state of affairs but nevertheless a true one.

if we throw out religion from the world then what will we have?

Well Baha’u’llah clearly states :-

Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness and justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine. Unto this will bear witness every man of true understanding.

(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 125)

All religions teach that we must do good, that we must be generous, sincere, truthful, law-abiding, and faithful; all this is reasonable, and logically the only way in which humanity can progress.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 141)

Global conscience

2006-11-02T05:38:00.000-08:00

The explosion in global conscience is an interesting thing to think about.

I have read some really neat stuff which attributes everything which happens in this earthly plane to universal law and when we ‘tap’ into that law then we can have huge abundance. Also these methodologies recognise that we feel good when we help others so advise that in order to gain true personal pleasures and wealth is to help others to gain these things also. Even though these are universal truths they still sit a bit uncomfortable to me.

To not recognise the source of this ‘new age thinking’ is detrimental and the outcomes are driven solely from a selfish standpoint i.e. for ones own benefit and growth.

Baha'u'llah makes provision for this but there is something about the moth sacrificing itself to the light of the candle. When there is unconditional love and acceptance there is another aspect which seems to kick in which takes it into another dimension.

If we were to do acts of service purely for the love of doing them, if we knew that what we were doing would make no difference to our growth or realisations then that is something special that’s a good space to be in. It’s the moth to the candle scenario – we do these things for the love of doing them not for personal gain.

I was speaking to a work colleague yesterday morning before coming off shift about death, I told her I think about it daily, she didn’t like that and had a fear of death and didn’t want to think about it. We proceeded to talk about it and when I shared with her the parallel of the unborn baby with this life then she did accept that perhaps that was a good way of ‘tricking’ myself into believing it is ok. I thought about her comment and really its not ‘tricking’ ourselves – if something is true then its true. If its true to you because you can see proofs then that’s fine for you, but its seeing these proofs that is key to believing.

Last night I watched the Al Gore movie – an inconvenient truth. All about the impending global changes which have for the last 40 or 50 years have been very clearly clarified as a definite happening by the scientific communities throughout the world but little has been done to address the problem.

It’s a bit like stretching your hand almost in the fire before retracting but then there could be some irreparable damage done. Absolutely crazy. OK lets relate that to something in our lives like the purpose or attitudes we should have during this earthly existence.

Looking at the beauty of what is out there let’s list some stuff. Nature, plant life, the oceans, the wildlife, space – the universe and all the infinite planets and stars, at the atomic level there are some absolutely spectacular photos of things at the moleculer level too. All these things to me fill me with awe and wait a minute all these things are physical things hmmmmm. And we are told we are essentially spiritual beings and that this physical part of our existence is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant. Woah, that’s quite a statement isn’t it. All this immense beauty and diversity and richness. Hmmmmm. Ok lets look at other pleasures which we can partake in. We have communication with each other, when you really communicate with another person - soul to soul, often you come across someone who you are able to have a connection with and the communication you have is indescribable as it really give a pleasure which all the riches of the world wouldn’t come close to matching. The love we have for our dear ones and family, I remember being almost moved to tears with my overwhelming love I feel for my children, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for their personal development. That is something every loving parent will feel for their kids. What else, by helping another to realise something which will benefit them in their lives gives us such a buzz again we wouldn’t barter that for any physical pleasure. Well some would I suppose but most recognise the beauty and pureness of such a thing and value it accordingly.

The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System -- the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 136)

There that’s whats caused all this. Look back in history when have all these global developments started? Mid 1800’s that’s when.

And guess what? The majority of the inhabitants on earth don’t know why this has happened and whats worse is that they don’t even find it peculiar that this has ‘suddenly’ happened. Now that’s weird don’t you think? It is to me. If something new happens and its staring you in the face isn’t it normal to want to figure out what is happening?

“My signs have encompassed the earth, and My power enveloped all mankind, and yet the people are wrapped in a strange sleep!"

(Baha'u'llah)

Ah, right so we are in a strange sleep. Well that’s for sure!

Well I say WAKE UP, look around, get a grip on what we should be doing, get animated about stuff, get excited, have a passion for what you are doing and involved with – live life to the full and check out this wondrous day in which we are living.

The soul of every Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this wondrous Day. All the divers kindreds of the earth have, likewise, yearned to attain it." "This Day a door is open wider than both heaven and earth. The eye of the mercy of Him Who is the Desire of the worlds is turned towards all men. An act, however infinitesimal, is, when viewed in the mirror of the knowledge of God, mightier than a mountain. Every drop proffered in His path is as the sea in that mirror. For this is the Day which the one true God, glorified be He, hath announced in all His Books, unto His Prophets and His Messengers."

(Baha'u'llah)

Questioning

2006-10-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Kiplings poem reads -

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I know);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

Often we think of applying these questions to the smaller things in life. Apply it to the larger things in our life and when we have honest and truthful answers about the larger things in life like why are we here, what should we busy ourselves with, what is our souls about, our destinies, life after death etc etc. then we can confidently embrace whatever life has to offer and it wont devastate or knock us back as severely as it might do if we really didn't understand what its all about.

photos family and happinings

2006-10-18T03:35:00.000-07:00

Kian my son has posted up a whole pile of photos of us here for anyone thats interested - some real oldies there too.

http://flickr.com/photos/kian-mehrabi/sets/

Conflict and living in fear

2006-10-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

Conflict - Living in fear and Pre-empting a situation.

Is it possible to pre-empt a situation occurring and be fully prepared for it? I think you cant really do this 100% of the time. It’s a bit like imagining how you would cope with every imaginable scenario with your marriage before deciding to marry – its just not possible. So what can we do? Well if we can be as honest as possible with ourselves, be as prepared as we can be, be as open as we can be then if something unexpected comes along, then we can take it in our stride.

This does require a bit of psychology education though, so we can quickly read a situation and therefore be able to respond to it automatically in a positive helpful way. This also requires a value system, what I mean here is that we need to have a basic understanding and acceptance of what people are, what their needs and wants are, what their beliefs are.

There is always an element of fear involved too because we fear being physically or mentally abused because it ‘hurts’ and we want to avoid pain. Some people think of F E A R as meaning False Evidence Appearing Real. When you are prepared emotionally and physically then there is nothing to actually fear. To illustrate all of this I remember once in a unit I worked in, a large kid was shouting, swearing spitting and swinging his fists, hitting and kicking. My heart was racing but I recognised that if I was to go in there meeting rage with rage then we have 2 rages which isn’t very helpful. In order to dissipate the situation I had to get into his ‘space’ so I went in there and face to face I consciously mirrored or copied his breathing rate with eye to eye contact after 6 or so breaths I gradually slowed mine down and he copied me until we were both sitting down in an embrace. Now had I not known a bit of NLP I wouldn’t have been aware to do this – so that was psychology knowledge. Also had I not believed that this was a very special precious individual then I wouldn’t have the respect or love for him. It also doesn’t work all the time but it did diffuse that situation, no respect was lost it was all very nicely and appropriately addressed.

In order to make long term progress it is important to capitalise on these situations (this was taught to me by a hypnosis trainer). The situation above was an excellent opportunity to do some work with this kid in order to help him change his reaction behaviour. Immediately after this emotive episode when we were sitting down he was in a state which had occurred many many times in his life before, so I acknowledged that it must be very difficult for him to deal with this situation earlier this year when such and such happened, and we spoke about a similar thing happening in the recent past, he was sobbing, I had genuine compassion with him and took him back to when he was a kid and he was told by an adult to do something and how he reacted and how difficult it must have been and felt for him at that time. Now this was taking him back to when he was a little boy. He acknowledged this was true and sobbed in agreement, almost re-living the episode. Then I offered a different response he may have adopted at that time and because all his defences were down he would accept my suggestion and imagine a different outcome way back when he was a kid. I would then take him to a more recent episode and suggest what would have happened if he had adopted this new response for that too. All of which showed a positive outcome. It is very important to clothe all these scenarios in lots and lots of emotion using phrases like ‘feel how uplifting and empowering that made you feel’ ‘ it made you feel you were being listened to’ ‘you knew that it was fair’ etc etc. What this does is instil new behaviour patterns so that if this is done frequently enough, when a similar situation happens, then this kid will ‘automatically’ respond differently and deal with the situation in a more productive way instead of lashing out.

When you have all the carers with the same beliefs, attitudes, expectations and desires then you have a truly transforming atmosphere where all can grow and develop. This may sound an utopian idea but it only needs an attitude of learning and a genuine heartfelt desire to try and offer a little positive experience in others lives. Although it is dealing with very raw emotion it is a beautiful opportunity to learn and grow. Those times in our lives when we experience the most sorrow, despair and pain are often the times when we learn the best lessons.

No room for Guilt

2006-10-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings.

There is no human being untouched by these two influences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the world of matter -- the spiritual world bestows only the joy!

If we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and all the trials and troubles come from this world of illusion.

For instance, a merchant may lose his trade and depression ensues. A workman is dismissed and starvation stares him in the face. A farmer has a bad harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A man builds a house which is burnt to the ground and he is straightway homeless, ruined, and in despair.

All these examples are to show you that the trials which beset our every step, all our sorrow, pain, shame and grief, are born in the world of matter; whereas the spiritual Kingdom never causes sadness. A man living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows perpetual joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by, but they only touch the surface of his life, the depths are calm and serene.

Today, humanity is bowed down with trouble, sorrow and grief, no one escapes; the world is wet with tears; but, thank God, the remedy is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the world of matter and live in the spiritual world! It alone can give us freedom!

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 109)

Lets talk dirty

2006-10-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

If we are created by God and then God sends people to guide and advise us surely it makes sense to listen to these people. These people know us better than we know ourselves so surely we should trust them?

They have our best interests at heart. God doesn’t want us to be unhappy but happy. So it figures we should listen and try and follow what they say, doesn't it?

All that original sin stuff is guff. How can that be true. It is just a tactic imposed by those in power to control the multitude. Its like a parent wishing their child to be miserable it just doesn’t make sense unless they are into some sick power trip.

I suppose the difficulty or challenge in this day is that we have ‘independent investigation of truth’ and with that comes a responsibility. In past ages we could hand this responsibility to the minister or religious person of a community but now we must check it out ourselves. But the fact is this is a hugely empowering thing that we have the power and the capacity within ourselves to decide is a wonderful thing - a liberating thing. The huge advantage of this is that we wont get too much of the blind faith as we need to use our intellect – God gave us the capacity to reason and we need to use it. To question in order to find truth. Not to question in order to find fault. A subtle difference there.

Everyone has the capacity to understand too – its not confined to a few. That wouldn’t be fair, would it? So when folk say they don’t understand then that’s codswallop. It is just them saying something else – like they might feel they 'cant be bothered' but then that would be them not actually realising what’s been offered. Anyone who recognises the validity of the latest messenger of God cant help themselves but to get involved. Its exactly like in the matrix when the guy is offered a choice of pills to take. Take this one and you will return to your old life and live a lie as you are not addressing the ‘real’ existence or take this one and there is no turning back and what you experience could never have been imagined, the joys the realisations, the depths of awareness you experience, the doubts all go, the answers to all your questions it goes on forever, there is nothing in creation which compares to the enhanced state of being, experienced when you embrace the religion of the latest messenger from God.

It’s a bit like marriage – for those that have experienced a true union know what I am talking about. You could never have imagined the joy the sweetness the shared excitements. Those special times need to be experienced to be believed. And they take a bit of effort to create but where there is love, there is always energy and interest and time.

Some folks say they lose their independence by trying to live by a religion because of all the rules. In a very simplistic way if we think of the traffic system as a parallel, with no driving rules which we all adhere to, there will be chaos and no-one will be able to get to where they want to go. It is a liberating thing to abide by laws of God, it actually gives us wings, not abiding by them gives the allusion of freedom but nothing could be further from the truth.

Loads of examples spring to mind – heres one about relationships. Many folks of the opposite sex and within a certain age group when they meet they have an expectation of having a bonk. If not an expectation then certainly they think it may be a possiblility – there is flirting and other stuff going on which inhibits proper communication. It amazes me how in this world so much attention and importance is put on a loose bit of flesh at the end of the male belly and a bum on a girl. Don’t get me wrong there is a place for all that sex stuff but properly expressed in the sanctity of matrimony is that place, and it is a wonderful beautiful thing when properly expressed. When you respect that and know it to be true, then what happens when you meet others of the opposite sex is that you are totally free to communicate with each other on a real level without all that guff which inhibits true communication.

my boy Kian, is 21 today

2006-10-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday son

I love you.

You are the best cos
you just are.
you follow your passions
you are very thoughtful of others
some other qualities i've seen in you include:

Sincere

Philosophical

Just

Fair

Compassionate

Kind

Selfless

Loving

Loyal

Faithful

Humorous

Determined

Strong willed

Conscientious

Responsible

Reliable

Hard working

Proud

Dignified

Courteous

Noble

Spiritual

Courageous

Independent

Patient

Ambitious

Prayerful

unique

Sociable

Playful

Creative

Imaginative

Reasonable

Practical

Down to earth

Honest sensitive

Strong

Appreciative

Grateful

Accepting / acquiescent

Charming

Self-respecting

Direct / frank

I suppose you are a bit like me

Detox for the Soul

2006-10-11T02:47:00.000-07:00

I set someone this challenge once and it completely transformed them. In order for it to work though you need to suspend judgement and put on hold some of your beliefs about existence of God, the purpose of our lives and things like that.

Ok, so each day for the next 9 days do the following

1. recite the long obligatory prayer do this when you get up in the morning just after you come out of the shower.

2. then read a passage from the writings of Baha'u'llah. my presonal favourite is the Hidden Words.

3. then sit quietly and watch your breathing for 10 minutes and be aware of your thoughts but concentrate on your breathing - this is easier said than done but can have tremendous effects when mastered. (vipassana meditaion)

4. read from the writings of Baha'u'llah just before your head hits the pillow at night time.

thats it - give it a go, try and do it with feeling and with a searching attitude.

After day 9 you will feel a different person and will most probably want to continue. And if you dont want to continue then view it as a spiritual detox.

Do it with joy in your heart, get excited about what you are doing - have passion.

if you cant source the writings or prayer email me.

spiritual foetus

2006-10-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

Thats us - spiritual foetus's

I often think of the unborn child and how it feels and thinks about its impending birth into this world. It is used as a parallel for our existence on this earthly plane. It needs to develop physically in order to be able to function and appreciate the world to which it will be born. We too need to develop in this physical world but spiritually so we can appreciate, partake and serve in the next world. Now when we think of the unborn child and ponder what indeed it will experience, and think how we could explain these things to the foetus so it can have some appreciation of what it will experience, then we are left with a huge problem, we are greatly limited in what we can relate things to, due to the finite capacity of that foetus. It is not the foetus’s fault that it cant understand it is just because its beyond its present capacity.

Some of the wonderful things the unborn will experience but we cant explain to it are things like colour, music, running, swimming, shapes, sight, smells, taste the list goes on and on. Some of these things you could say it does indeed experience a bit of, like noise where it would hear muffled noises of vacuuming or voices from beyond the womb, but it is very limited. Hmm there is a spiritual parallel here where we can actually experience things of the next world whilst here. Spiritual joys, communicating with people at a soul level - something that happens way more often than we give credit for, times when we do selfless acts of service to others. Times when we help another person realise something life changing in their lives. All these are major spiritual highs which are not part of this physical world. Creating artistic works or being creative in business or our personal life is a major tapping into the outpourings of the next world for our benefit. How often have we heard people say they have no idea where that idea or inspiration came from? But its the small things too like smiling at someone and seeing them smile back - this is a communication at a soul level.

In the Diary of Juliet Thompson Abdul-Baha is cited as saying “The unborn child would deny the existence of this world for the reason that he knows nothing of it and the best condition to him is the world of the womb, the best food his nourishment there. He could not visualize this world. But when he is born and arrives at understanding, he sees what a beautiful world this is.

"So with the spiritual kingdom. The people of this world cannot comprehend the conditions of that immortal world, but, when they reach it, they see that this, in comparison, is just like the world of the womb. The unborn child says: 'This is the best world. I am quite satisfied with it. I must not leave it.'"

"Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved," Bahá'u'lláh wrote. "By the righteousness of God! It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue can describe."

other worlds and their creatures

2006-10-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

O people! I swear by the one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all seas have proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return.
Through His potency the Trees of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to God's creatures in each of the worlds whose number God, alone, in His all-encompassing Knowledge, can reckon. This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen -- a Pen moved by His directing Finger -- His Finger itself sustained by the power of God's Truth.

So this means that there are countless worlds which have creatures in and each of these worlds have their own spiritual directive just the same as us humans have had, amazing or what!

yes its me. need a shave but hey whats new.

2006-10-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

the oneness of man

2006-10-09T02:59:00.000-07:00

The oneness of man.

‘Ponder at all times how you were created’ It is interesting to ponder on this advice of Baha’u’llah when we know that our reality is spiritual and we have these physical bodies to lug around this earth for the duration of a few years until we shed this mortal frame and return to the ‘real’ world. What is even more amazing is to think of how it all works. We can skimp the surface and take on board just enough to satisfy our existence or delve a little deeper and when we do, the beliefs we have become an integral part of our being, we go around as believers with a conviction, a clarity, an understanding of how things work which is very very enlightening. It’s a bit like driving a car – its not necessary to understand the 4 stroke combustion cycle in order to drive the car, but understanding how it works gives a different dimension to the act of driving. Even more so when it comes to life! When we understand a bit of how it all works then this gives us a conviction - a confidence at a very deep level of what we are doing.

Science and religion being hand in hand springs to mind when I read about quantum physics and this is one area where it really is hard to ‘prove’ there is no Creator.

We are ‘noble beings created by God’, Each one of us are beautiful noble souls that have been created for a purpose, ‘a mine rich in gems of inestimable value’, every single human being is precious in the site of God. ‘Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee’, ‘I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life’. ‘With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light’, this shows we are EXTREMELY precious.

Now this is not just confined to believers, but to every single person walking this earth. This is an amazing fact and one which when pondered upon gives a sense of awe and gratitude. When we meet people we can have a genuine feeling of love and appreciation of that person and excitement to have met another soul who in reality is a beautiful soul created by God.

When it comes to exerting efforts in the path of God with this understanding we really have something to offer others. Baha’u’llah states that we should not worry if ‘things contrary to our wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight are assuredly in store for you’ not that we would make these efforts for a personal reward but do it out of love of God and as a natural activity to which we are created for. But he goes on to say that we are ‘destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt attain.’ Now you will notice it is in this life and the next we will attain these things. When we do a positive act of service to another in this life the ‘buzz’ or spiritual high we experience is a spiritual delight, a blissful joy.

Now what is interesting is that science is catching up which is a truly wonderful thing as it proves the validity and gives reasons of global benefit to adopting spiritual practices in our lives and in our exertions. In the tablet of Ahmad it says that ‘truth will be distinguished from error’ through Baha’u’llah and his proofs and utterances, this is the standard to which we all should turn.

Everything in creation serves God, the purpose in creation to this point in time is for us to promote the word of God, to share with others our beliefs our faith, to obey the institutions to embrace and support the local activities, to wholeheartedly get involved in our Bahai administration, to creatively come up with new ideas to share the message of Baha’u’llah. This ultimately is all that matters in our lives on this earthly plane. ‘Soon will your swiftly-passing days be over’ Abdul-Baha tells us ‘and the fame and riches, the comforts, the joys provided by this rubbish-heap, the world, will be gone without a trace. Summon ye, then, the people to God, and invite humanity to follow the example of the Company on high. Be ye loving fathers to the orphan, and a refuge to the helpless, and a treasury for the poor, and a cure for the ailing. Be ye the helpers of every victim of oppression, the patrons of the disadvantaged. Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race. Pay ye no heed to aversion and rejection, to disdain, hostility, injustice: act ye in the opposite way. Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only. Let each one of God's loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord's mercy to man; to be the Lord's grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light, no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest. O friends of God! That the hidden Mystery may stand revealed, and the secret essence of all things may be disclosed, strive ye to banish that darkness for ever and ever’

In quantum physics when you break down to a subatomic level what matter actually is you can take it down to the level of energy which is what makes up an atom or waves of energy. These energies exchange with everything else at all times. Now if energy is the building blocks of all matter. The same energy which makes our flesh is the same as that which makes up a tree or a house. It is all the same energy. Energy is constantly at flow, changing form all the time. This is a very simple explanation of what is a fairly complex thing.

At this level we can assume it is one large pool of energy a ‘soup’ or ‘ocean’ of energy which is always flowing. Now this ocean has different concentrations at different points. Like a warm spot in the ocean or a turbulent spot. The different spots represent various physical objects like your body or the tree. The warm spots in the ocean exchanges water molecules with the rest of the ocean. But the essence of that warm spot remains warm. And of the turbulent spot - turbulent. Even though the molecules that composed them a moment ago are gone and replaced by others. The character of a region can remain the same even though the particles forming that region are always different. This is how we look on a quantum level – one huge interconnected field of energy with local characteristics. We share the same energy with everything else.

Now to illustrate this with a human effort, imagine there are two people in a room. They are both gloomy and sad. Their energy level is low. One tells a joke, the other one laughs. The one telling the joke causes the one who starts to laugh to raise his energy level and become vibrant. This makes the one telling the joke to laugh because there is a new joy in the air and they are sharing a joke. Person A causes a change in person B and it went back to cause a change in A. Now you have noticed how you feel good after you tell jokes to many people and they laugh. How it feels greater than telling to one person only. And these people take your joke and they tell it on and on to other friends and family and so it goes on and spreads. The universe is a whole lot more complicated than that but in essence a shift in one part of that massive field of energy ripples on and causes shifts in the parts next to it and they cause shifts in the part next to that and that ripple goes on for ever. Your smile changes the composition of the entire universe!

Anything you do, any thought you have, ripples on forever and changes the composition of the whole universe, however small that change is.

Now here is something even more interesting. Because you are part of that universe, that ripple comes back to you and gives you back a dose of similar essence. You cause a change in the energy field around and in you, and it ripples, touching everything. And everything of course ripples back in reaction sending it back to you, all multiplied! It is similar to the way ripples form in expanding circles when you dip your finger in a glass of calm water. But these waves go forever, and also bump into other energy localisations and cause changes in them and these react, so to speak, and send back their own waves, and these sent back waves hit you and change you and react, and this amazing dance goes on and on. That is how, scientifically, the law of cause and effect works, and works multiplicatively. This happens on an energy level and on a spirit level. In both cases, the betterment of one individual in the system causes a betterment of the whole system, and betterment in the whole system causes betterment in the individual.

The quantum physics point of view is based on a publication on quantum physics -cause and effect by David Gikandi although not an exact quote but this is the gist of the article which illustrates that man is indeed one and interconnected.

first post

2006-10-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well here I am with my first post for anyone thats interested. I am Vahid. I live alone now since my 2 kids are off at uni, one in Cardiff the other in Leicester.

I am 43 a widower my wife died last year of cancer. The BBC did a programme about her dying and our attitudes to death as we are Bahais. We made the coffin and arranged the whole thing, it really was quite a special time. I may figure out how to edit videos and post up some of the interviews we had.

Anyhoo, its all done and dusted as they say and life goes on. Over recent years i have been working in the care world. I just left a job in mental health to return to working with teenagers who have had a rough start in life. Challenging but rewarding work - i find. Will see how things pan out over the coming years. The main thing is that i enjoy what i am doing and feel i am contributing in some way to mankind. I did trade the forex financial markets and still dabble but its not my main interest.

So until next time, a bientot!