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 |   This blog contains responses to blog prompts, & thoughts on spiritual or religious themes |
Disclaimer: Any views, about religion or sacred scriptures, expressed in this blog are my own and not the official views of the Baha'i Faith or any other religion. If you wish to know more about the Baha'i Faith, please check one of these websites: The Baha'i Faith: The Official Website of the Worldwide Baha'i Community  or Baha'is of the United States ."The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers." Abdu'l-Baha1                     Other Blogs and Journals Content Rating 18+ "Writing in Snow" "The Snowflake Chronicles" "Snow Melt" "More Snow Melt" "Welcome to My Life" "Melting Snow" "Memories of Snow" "Dreams of Snow " "Poem Experiments" "Devotional Poetry" Other Journals Content Rating ASR "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" "Treasures lie hidden beneath the throne of God; the key to those treasures if the tongue of poets." The Bab "O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord." Bahá’u’lláh2 ![Merit Badge in WDC Soundtrackers
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Kamál (Perfection), 8 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Monday, November 11, 2019
PROMPT November 11th - Today, your prompt is one word: Transformation. I am a caterpillar Death is transformation, nor annihilation. The human body dies, decomposes into the elements and subatomic particles of matter, while the soul ascends into the spiritual realm. |
Jamál (Beauty), 7 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Sunday, November 10, 2019
PROMPT November 10th - What do you find yourself insecure about? Are you able to overcome your insecurities? If so, how? Insecurities always blowing in the breeze: I place my trust in God! I'm not listing any of my insecurities for three reasons. First, I'm sure the list is too long to include in a sing blog entry, and I'm not going to make more than one blog entry on this subject in November. Second, they are my insecurities, I'm the one who has to deal with them, and past experience has taught me that when I share my insecurities all I get is more difficulties to deal with. Three, the only one I have to confess anything to is Baha'u'llah, God's representative. There could be, and probably are, other reasons I'm not sharing my insecurities, but those would only emphasize some of my insecurities. Therefore, I will share a poem. November Nights are growing longer and colder, as the tapestry of the year is rolled up waiting to be stored in the closet of memory. |
Jalál (Glory), 6 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Saturday, November 9, 2019
DAY 2546: November 9 to November 14 is the International Week of Science and Peace . How do you think technology affect international peace? I'm reading a series of article by Victoria Welborn titled How Science and Religion Can Agree "Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity." Abdu’l-Baha3 As a Baha'i, I not only believe World Peace is possible I believe it is inevitable. It is the next stage in the collective evolution of the human race and cultural. We have went through the early stages of family, clan, city-state, and nation--each of which was generated by a Manifestation of the attributes of God. We are now on the verge of world unity and peace. This is the reason God sent both the Bab and Baha'u'llah. However, world peace and unity won't come easy because we, as human beings, are expected to help by asking questions and investigating reality. We are expected to help by putting aside all of our learned prejudices because prejudice of any type is detrimental to peace and unity. Technology and science will assist us in establishing World Peace, if we are willing to ask ourselves the hard questions. If each individual human being is willing to investigate, for themselves, the discoveries made by scientist. The International Week of Science and Peace is a good time to start by looking into community projects that cover the scientific discoveries we are interested in. Footnotes |
Jalál (Glory), 6 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Saturday, November 9, 2019
PROMPT: November 9th - Write a stream of conscious entry starting with the words “I wish...” I wish... What is it I wish for? A dish of chocolate ice cream or a slice of death by chocolate cake covered with a couple of scoops chocolate ice cream and a trenta cafe mocha. Maybe a slice of pepperoni pizza with with Jalapeños. Wishes are strange and secretive critters. At birthday parties you blow out the candles and make a wish. However, you're not supposed to tell the wish or you won't get it. That never made any sense to me. If you don't tell someone about your wish, how are you supposed to get it. Is there a wish fairy--cousin to the tooth fairy--that reads your mind and grants wishes. I don't remember ever getting any birthday wish unless I told either Grandma Mary or Grandpa Frank. Sometimes Mama would grant my wish if I told her, but I had a better chance of getting it if I told one or both of my grandparents. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 5 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Friday, November 8, 2019
PROMPT: November 8th - Besides music, what are some of your favorite sounds?  What are my favorite sounds? Any noise that doesn't remotely resemble the sound of small arms fire, the police breaking down a neighbors door, or an unidentifiable loud noise that wakes me up in the middle of the night wondering if we're being invaded by extraterrestrials. I don't mind most animal noises, with the exception of the damn pigeon that nests above the next door apartment. This pigeon keeps singing the "Lonely Pigeon Blues" all day beginning in March until about the middle of November. It is the most pathetic and weird animal noise I've ever heard, and I heard some really unusual and weird animal noises in my life. My favorite animal sound is the song of a nightingale. I like to listen to music, at least most types of music. If I find a song that I don't like or feel is offensive, I don't listen to it again. I enjoy cats purring. I don't mind dogs barking, and I like the sound of a rooster crowing. I don't mind neighbor noises, as long as they're not airing their dirty laundry in public. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 4 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Thursday, November 7, 2019
PROMPT: November 7th What is your favorite color? Do you have a favorite color pairing? What’s something in your life that you picture when you think of your favorite color? Do you choose to wear clothing that is your favorite color? Has your favorite color changed over your life? Use these questions to explore how your favorite color has influenced you. **Optional  Enjoy this video about a woman’s love affair with the color green: https://youtu.be/pE5h2kk0NTIPurple butterflies Flutter around lilac blooms Oklahoma dawn Indigo is the flame of my soul as it burns for the Glory of God. Violets scatter Their innocent and abundant Fragrance across the planet. Plums so cold, so sweet, and so pure wait to be eaten. What is my favorite color? My favorite colors are shades of purple and indigo. What are my favorite color pairings? Purple, indigo, and shades of rose or magenta. What do I picture when I think of my favorite color? Lilacs, plums, violets, and grapes. |
‘Idál (Justice), 3 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, November 6, 2019
November 6th: I have another link for you all today: What parts of the chart did you find to be accurate and which did you find issue with? Anything you related strongly to? Is a chart like this useful, or does it rely too heavily on stereotypes? Labels separate, labels segregate, people into cubicles of disunity. That chart is just another way of labeling people! It's another way of dividing humanity into small groups that a an individual can ignore, hate, or look down on. Instead of separating people by color, religion, nationality, or gender, it separates them by generation. Since each human being is a unique individual--with some attributes and talents in common with or different from other human beings--you can't lump all "baby boomers" or "generation Xers" into the same category with other "baby boomers" or "generation Xers". Labels and categories build walls between people, without encouraging communication. We need more communication between generations, so that one generation can understand the other without either generation judging the other. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 2 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, November 5, 2019
PROMPT: November 5th - Write your entry today inspired by one of the emotions listed on the webpage below: https://soulspottv.com/15-words-youve-never-heard-describe-emotions-we-all-feel-... Yù Yī "(n) The desire to see everything with fresh eyes To feel things just as intensely as you did when you were younger—before expectations, before memory, before words."4 It tiptoes through my mind, after prayers, after scripture readings, after meditation-- it is the desire to see reality, humanity, the planet, and the universe, with new eyes. I want to put aside the expectations, the memories, and the words that label and conceal the inner truth of the atoms and subatomic particles that make compose the core of the cosmos and life.
DAY 2524: Use these words in your entry : herald, dawn, pivotal, light, and shadows. Herald of a New Dawn: To The Bab He appeared at a pivotal time in history, when the shadows of dogma and superstition veiled the inner light of faith and covered the common foundation of religion, with the crumbling stones of ancient places of worship. The herald of a new dawn, the Bab proclaimed unity and announced the approach of Him Whom God Will Make Manifest, of Baha'u'llah-- the Glory of God. Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 1 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Monday, November 4, 2019
PROMPT: November 4th - Would you rather be surprised or surprise someone else? Write about it! To Surprise or Not to Surprise I have never had a surprise party. I have never attended a surprise party (at least I can't remember attending one). I have never planned a surprise party. The only type of surprises I like and look forward to getting are those wrapped in Happy Birthday paper some other type beautiful gift paper or bags. I do not like to have people dropping by my apartment without calling first (the only exceptions to this are UPS, FEDX, or some other delivery persons).
DAY 2042: Does your brain surprise you with its brilliance or its glitches? If you wish, would you like to elaborate on the idea? At 72, I surprise (perhaps I should say scar myself) with my brain glitches. I also dazzle myself with my brilliance, especially when it come to poetry. Sometimes, I wonder where the ideas, phrases, lines, metaphors, and similes come from. After thinking about it, I realize that they either come from my subconscious mind or are gifts from God. I attribute them as gifts from God because the only way I can access my subconscious mind is with the help of the Lord. |
Jamál (Beauty), 19 ‘Ilm (knowledge) 176 B.E. - Sunday, November 3, 2019
PROMPT: November 3rd - Write about a time when you waited a long time for something. Did you end up getting what you wanted? Was it worth it? Waiting Seconds Walk into view Dawdling over minutes Waddling past light curtained portals Seconds Waltz with Minutes beneath Artificial white lights Across bright floors hiding hours that waltz with Seconds Dance down the ages Forgotten by minutes Unremembered by echoing Seconds Beyond Forgotten hours Waiting outside of sight Outside of hope outside of time Beyond It seems I'm always waiting for something. In Las Vegas you stand in line at buffets or wait at stop lights that seem to take forever to turn form red to green. I wait at any doctor's office I go to. Sometimes I wait in line at Supercuts. At certain times of day I can find myself waiting in line at a fast food place. I wait for the RTC paratransit bus to pick me up and drop me off either at the business I'm going to or at home. Most of the time the bus arrives within the thirty minute window, but sometimes it is late. The paratransit bus always arrives and the drivers apologize when they're late. Queued 1 Like a giant snake, the line advances slithering between roped corridors. 2 I stand and wait; I set and wait; I wait and wait and wait! I wait for money; I wait for food; Sometimes it seems I wait int line, To wait in line, to wait in line ... |
Jalál (Glory), 18 ‘Ilm (knowledge) 176 B.E. - Saturday, November 2, 2019
PROMPT: November 2nd - Write about jouska. From Psychology Today, jouska is defined as “a hypothetical conversation that you play out over and over in your head. For example, replaying an argument in your head where you say all the right things and “win” the argument, or practicing asking your boss for a raise and playing out his or her responses and your comebacks.” At least now I have a name for it that sounds better than talking to myself. I play out conversations, poem, blog entries, and stories in my head all the time. The conversations usually don't come to fruition because by the time I encounter the person (usually on the phone) another subject is discussed. The only time the planned conversation comes to fruition is with one of my doctors or the physician assistant. I usually address Baha'u'llah when I have internal conversations. It helps focus my mind on the issues which are bothering me. If I have difficulty focusing I can't write, so I discuss the situation with Baha'u'llah or I repeat a prayer I've memorized. Both help me refocus when my thought start to roam. I get irritated with myself when I catch myself fantasizing or my thoughts wandering over things that have nothing to do with what I'm working on at the moment. November started out a bit better than October. So far, I've managed to focus on a the blog entries and poems I'm composing. Of course, this it just day two, and for the past few years November has been a difficult month to focus because that's when my mother died in 2012. She died on Thursday, November 29, 2012, one week after Thanksgiving. November 29 is also Grandpa Franks birthday., I'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the month goes and if I can finish the goals I've planed for this month in "November Writing Goals" . |
Istiqlál (Independence), 17 ‘Ilm (knowledge) 176 B.E. - Friday, November 1, 2019
PROMPT: November 1st - I’m sending this prompt in between princesses and spidermen begging at my door for free candy.  If you celebrate Halloween in your part of the world, what are your family’s traditions? What were the popular Halloween costumes in your childhood? Which candy was the most coveted?   I don't celebrate Halloween anymore. When Mom was alive, we gave out candy because she like to see the costumes that all the children wore. My roommate purchased a bag of candy this year, and we didn't have any trick or treaters. We'll be eating candy for several weeks, which is alright with me. The only problem is that it isn't chocolate candy. The most I'll do for Halloween is writ poems or stories.
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