I Blog Poetry and Prose

Today, Sunday, April 28, is the Feast Day of Beauty. Last night, before going to sleep I read some of The Hidden Words and said prayers revealed by The Bab, Baha'u'llah, and 'Abdu'l-Baha. I miss going to the community Feast, but reading more of the Holy Scriptures on the evening of the Feast helps refocus my energies, while helping me to sleep. In addition, it helped me compose a prayer-poem asking Baha'u'llah for assistance.

This is the Fifth Day of Ridvan, the Festival of Paradise. In 1863, Baha'u'llah spent twelve days in a garden outside of Baghdad. The name Baha'u'llah gave the garden was Ridvan (rizvan), which means paradise. In the Garden of Ridvan, Baha'u'llah declared that He was the one the Bab referred to as "Him Who God Will Make Manifest". On April 21, Baha'u'llah, with a number of the faithful crossed the Tigris River to the Garden. On the April 29, the Baha'u'llah's family joined Him. On May 2, the Twelfth Day of Ridvan, Baha'u'llah left the Garden and was escorted by Turkish troops on the next leg of His exile.

On Sunday, April 21, the Baha'is in Las Vegas and around the world will be celebrating the First Day of Ridvan. In Las Vegas, will wil celebrate this Holy Day at the Baha'i Center. The Twelve Days of Ridvan celebrates the Declaration of Baha'u'llah, which took place, in 1863, in a garden that was located on an island, in the Tigris River, outside of Baghdad. The Garden of Ridcan, which means paradise, was full of flowers and nightingales.

Uncertainty is a test of faith. It encourages us to place our trust in the All-Mighty creator. When we place our trust in God, by whatever name we call the Divine Essence, we no longer have to worry about the uncertainties of the material world. Uncertainty is an attribute of material existence, while certitude or certainty is a spiritual or divine attribute. When we place our trust in God the uncertainties of material existence stop bothering us because those uncertainties will stop when our souls ascend into the spiritual world.

It's Saturday, April 13, and--for me--its the beginning of a new week. I've encounter some problems over the last week or so when it comes to responding to blog prompts. I've also had problems coming up with blog prompts on the days I post them. After praying and meditating on the problem, I've decided the best way to sole my "prompt block" is to change the way I writing in this blog. For the next seven day (perhaps longer) I will put a scripture for meditation, a poem inspired by that verse, and my gratitude list in this journal. After seven days, I will reevaluate this decision.