Writing in Snow

Midweek Reflections on The Feast Day of Mashíyyat

‘Idál (Justice), 1 Mashíyyat (Will) 174 BE - Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Feast of Mashíyyat (Will)

It is the Feast Day of Mashíyyat, the air is crisp on this first feast after the Autumnal Equinox. The morning has been quiet and tranquil, but I just heard some neighbors talking loud. They aren't fighting, screaming, or shouting, so I suspect they are using their normal outdoor voices. The postal delivery person drove up and delivered some mail to the boxes outside. I need to open my box to see if we got anything important or unimportant, I don't like leaving letters or flies in the box overnight.

"The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled."

Bahá’u’lláh1

I'm feeling a bit melancholy this morning. It could be the results of autumn and the end of the year in about three months. Sometimes autumn produces sadness and nostalgia, perhaps I'm feeling nostalgic rather than melancholy. Autumn in Las Vegas, isn't like autumn in Oklahoma. The only hint of a seasonal change is the lower temperatures. Instead of triple digit, we're experiencing double digits in the medium to high 70s or low 80s. That's a lot better than temperatures in the 100s. I'll get over this feeling of nostalgia or melancholy quickly because of prayer, meditation, and writing.

"O God, refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art My Guide and My Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved, I will be a happy and joyful being. O God, I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. O God, Thou are more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord."

'Abdu'l-Baha, (Baha'i World, Volume 11, p. 726)

I think I'm doing alright. I finished "Belva's First Crisis" , and decided on two forms from this week's poetry newsletter to use as poems dedicated to the Blessed Beauty. Sometimes form poems are difficult to write; however, they are rewarding because it makes me feel good after accomplishing them. The forms I'm using are Monotetra and Monchielle. I need to come up with the first line, once I have the first line then the rest will follow. It won't follow easily, but it will follow.

Footnotes
1  Bahái Words for September 27, 2017.