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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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Jalál (Glory), 2 Mashíyyat (Will) 176 B.E. - Saturday, September 28, 2019
PROMPT: September 28th - Write about what fascinates you about space and/or the universe. "Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute." Baha'u'llah3 I think space and the universe is the next frontier to be explored by humanity, I don't think it's the final frontier just the next frontier. As to what fascinates me about it, that isn't an easy question to answer because each atom and molecule composing every star and planet fascinates me. Every comet that flashes past the Earth, arouses my curiosity about where it's been and where it's going. Ever since I was a child, growing up in Blackwell, Oklahoma, I believed that there was life on other planet. I didn't hear about Baha'u'llah until I moved to Las Vegas. When I became a Baha'i and read the scriptures of Baha'u'llah about life on other planet, I was thrilled. Baha'u'llah never went into what type of life can be found on exoplanets, because that is left up to exploration and scientific discoveries. Footnotes |
Istiqlál (Independence), 1 Mashíyyat (Will) 176 B.E. - Friday, September 27, 2019
PROMPT: September 27th - Share a quote from either your favorite author or your favorite book and discuss why you like it. What is my favorite quote? That depends on the day, time of day, and my mood. If I'm in a "bright sunshiny day" (pardon the cliché) mood, I prefer positive quotes. If my mood isn't quite as sparkling, I prefer somber quotes. However, these aren't my favorite. For the past several years my favorite quotes have come from the Baha'i scriptures or prayers because they brighten my mood, which can sometime be dark. "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 art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord." That is my favorite prayer because it short circuits my dark mood. If I let the depression persist it gets worse until I'm on the verge of tears. Looking for the reason for my depression doesn't help because most the the time I can't find a logical reason. When I can find a, logical or illogical, reason it doesn't help because my mood just gets worse. Footnotes |
Istijlál (Majesty), 19 Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Thursday, September 26, 2019
PROMPT: September 26th - Write about a special place where you might go to meditate, unwind, de-stress, relax, or just be. My Special Place I In the cooling silence of midnight, I contemplate His words looking for the subtleties of meaning in each metaphor and simile. Alone and undistracted by the mundane joys and sorrows of the day, I attempt to find the pearls that lay concealed in the ocean of His words. II Ablutions performed and prayer beads in hand, I face Bahji-- the burial place of my Lord-- and intone the Greatest Name. III My special place depends upon the time of day and the need to unstress. Exhale the stress, inhale tranquility and peace, and count one. I can breath anywhere, I can say a silent prayer anywhere, I can close my eyes and meditate anywhere. Focus on the breath, on the prayer, on a favorite scripture, and feel the presence of the Creator. Footnotes |
‘Idál (Justice), 19 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, September 25, 2019
PROMPT: September 25th - What manner of creature is your Muse and how do you feed it? Where does it live and does it ever escape your control? I've answered this question numerous times in the past. Each time I've answered it the answer was slightly different because of the changes that took place in my life since the last time I answered the question. Today my muse is The Bab, Baha'u'llah, and 'Abdu'l-Baha. The reason for this is that the closer I get to my physical death the more I focus on the spiritual. I find that reading the prayer, reading the sacred writings, and meditation helps me write poetry. I do have some novel starts and short stories in my port; however, lately I've found myself more interesting in wring poetry rather the stories. I might attempt a novel during NaNoWriMo this year, I haven't decided yet. At this point I'm more interested in reading and reviewing stories and novels, while writing poetry. |
Kamál (Perfection), 17 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Monday, September 23, 2019
PROMPT: September 24th - When was the last time you were dishonest, and why? I attempt to be honest, because I'm a human being there are times when I fall short of this goal. Unless I have to apologize to someone, and admitting the sin is necessary to the apology, I don't confess my sins to another human being. When I confess my sins, I confess to Baha'u'llah, the Glory of God, and ask forgiveness directly from the Glorious Lord. I'm not going to break that rule in this entry. |
Kamál (Perfection), 17 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Monday, September 23, 2019
PROMPT: September 23rd - If you won a free trip to any foreign country, all expenses paid in your own private jet, and had the time, where would you go? I Want To Go I want to go to Haifa by the sea to visit the burial place of the Bab6, to see the Queen of Carmel as she looks across the planet inviting humanity into the safety of the Arc7 on Carmel's crest. From Mount Carmel I want to go to Baji8 to visit the burial place of my Lord, and whisper a prayer at His shrine. Footnotes |
Jamál (Beauty), 16 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Sunday, September 22, 2019
PROMPT: September 22nd - What was the first thing you remember writing that made you want to be a writer (casually or professionally)? Memories are weird creatures, whose fur is matted with tears and other emotional debris. Even the memories of events which we didn't share with siblings, friends, or acquaintances have emotional content to them. This is understandable since almost everything in a human being's life is colored by emotions. What I've found, when discussing shared events with family and friends, is that everyone remembers the event from a slightly different emotional view, if they remember it at all. That being written, I'm going to attempt to write about my first memories of writing. I think my desire to write begin with poetry, although it could have begun with a family newsletter I attempted to write when I was younger. That was before my family moved from Blackwell to Shawnee. I've lost those early attempts at self expression in the many moves I've made from town to town and state to state. These early attempts gave me an insatiable desire to write. I have to write, I have no choice. Creativity is a part of my soul, and poetry is my preferred means of expression. |
Jalál (Glory), 15 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Saturday, September 21, 2019
PROMPT: September 21st - It’s come to my attention that Leonard Cohen has a posthumous album coming out, and the first single dropped today. It's spare and beautiful and sad and lovely. Listen to the song below and write anything you want about how it makes you feel. Even if "the goal falls short of the reach", one must continue attempting to reach the goal. Life is a struggle from the moment one leaves the womb to the moment soul and body are separated at death. Sometimes there is a pause in the struggle, to let soul and body catch a breath, after which, the struggle continues pushing the individual forward and helping the soul evolve. Lessons are learned or the tests are repeated over and over and over again until the lesson is learned. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 14 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Friday, September 20, 2019
PROMPT: September 20th - Have you ever experienced hateful comments on the Internet? How do you deal with shaming, blaming, and intolerence? I haven't experienced hateful comments, as yet. I've experienced snide comments on some of the things I've posted, but I just ignore those. It hasn't gotten so bad that I've unfriended or blocked anyone, at least not yet. There are some posts, especially political posts, that I dislike and don't respond to. There isn't any use starting an argument with someone who isn't going to change their opinion or just wants to start an argument. Responding to hateful or snide comments only increases hatred and disunity. There is enough of that in the world today with bringing it into one's personal life. The internet has a great deal of potential for good, but this potential can only come to light by not responding to trolls. Responding to trolls feeds their egos and increases your own irritation and blood pressure. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 13 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Thurday, September 19, 2019
PROMPT: September 19th - Write a detailed description of how your significant other (or another loved one) has made you a better person. Has a significant other made me a better person? Yes, all the significant others in my life has made me a better person. They revealed to me the kind of men I am/was attracted to and that I'm better off single. I've enough difficulty making a living and surviving by myself without having to make a living for some guy who doesn't like to work for a living. The tests and difficulties I have faced throughout my life has made me a better person. Sometimes those tests and difficulties included other people (friends, family, and foes). Sometimes they test were brought on by my own fear or inability to face reality. Other times those tests and difficulties just seemed dropped out of the blue. I know something caused them, but I haven't figured out what it was. I'm 72, I have difficulty getting around without a walker. I have difficulty doing some types of housework. I have a housemate, who can do the house work I can't. I can wash dishes, and do some other things. I contemplated at one time having my sister move in with me, which wouldn't be a good idea for numerous reasons. I'm better off having a housemate who isn't related to me because she tells me when I tend to get a bit lazy, which is good for me. |
‘Idál (Justice), 11 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, September 18, 2019
PROMPT: September 18th - If you had to switch places with one other person, who would it be and why? What in particular would you do? Switching Places If I switched places with someone else, If I were to switch places with someone, who would it be? I'm sure I wouldn't want to switch places with someone who is alive at this point in time. There are numerous events in history that I would be interested in witnessing, so switching places with one of the witnesses to one of those events. The three main historic events I would like to witness are (1) the Crucifixion of Christ, (2) the Martyrdom of the Bab July 9, 1850, and (3) the Declaration of Baha'u'llah, April 21-May 2, 1863. Why? Because I believe that these are critical junctures in human history that historians tend to ignore or don't know about. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 10 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, September 17, 2019
PROMPT: September 17th - Did you have a comfort blanket/toy when you were little? What comforts you now? I remember only two dolls from my childhood. Both dolls were birthday presents, which I received in different years. I think one was the size of a three year old, she was a white doll and a gift from my mother. The other was a black baby doll, and a gift from my Grandmother. I received the baby doll from my grandmother because I ask her for it. To this day I give thanks to the Lord that I ask for the baby doll, and that my Grandmother purchased it for me. Having that baby doll gave me my first, and most important, lesson about prejudice. I took the doll with me when I went to play doll with some friends. One of the girls said, "Whose baby is that?" I replied, "Mine!" One of the other girls said, "Oh, you adopted." I resented the remark at the time, and I still do. As far as I was concerned, the doll was my baby and the color of the doll was different from the color of my skin. As for having a comfort blanket or toy, I don't remember having one. I could have had one, and never learned anything when I had it. The toys I remember most were those associated with important lessons. The lesson I learned from the three-year-old doll was that my sister and I could play dolls without arguing (she got a doll the same size). |
Kamál (Perfection), 9 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Monday, September 16, 2019
PROMPT: September 16th - Have you ever played a sport? Were you any good? What did you like about it? Why did you stop playing (if you did)? The only sports I ever played was in Junior high (Middle School) in Gym class. I played tennis and soft ball, neither of which I was good at. With the exception of the summer and winter Olympic Games, I don't watch sports on television. I don't attend ball games, unless someone else pays my way, and buys me a hot dog, soda, and any other type of non-alcoholic food and drink they sell. I remember, when I was in Junior high, going to a track meet. We had to go, even if we were participating. A friend of mine broke her wrist, which was the only exciting thing that happened at that track meet. |
Jamál (Beauty), 8 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Su nday, September 15, 2019
PROMPT: September 15th - In 1969, Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon. Afterward, people commonly complained, “If they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they ______?” How would you finish that statement today? “If they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they stop denying climate change and global warming and accept them as scientific facts?” With the glaciers melting, heat waves in Alaska, and forest fires in South America, there is enough evidence to prove global warming a fact. Look at the hurricanes, which are becoming worse each hurricane season. Look at the evidence, instead of listening to the trolls who deny climate change or any other scientific they don't like. It's time humanity faced reality. If we don't so something now to alleviate the problem, our children or our children's children are going to end up dying on an uninhabitable planet. It's alright to believe in both God and science. God doesn't send a person to hell because they believe scientific evidence. When the Unknowable Spiritual Essence--that we humans call God--created the human race The Essence gave us brains to use, and we are expected to use them to ask questions, search for truth, and come to conclusions without depending on anyone else to tell us what to think. We are living in the twenty-first century. Humanity is on the verge of maturity. If the human species can survive into the twenty-second century, without making Earth so hot or so cold that it's uninhabitable, humankind and the Earth have a glorious future. However, to survive we need to tear down walls--between nations, religions, individuals, etc--rather than building them. We can no longer afford to live in a them and us world because there is only us, humanity. |
Jalál (Glory), 7 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Saturday, September 14, 2019
PROMPT: September 14th - It's said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Describe something that you think is beautiful or attractive that someone else might consider unattractive or ugly. Turned brown by nature's cold kiss one-by-one petals fall to the ground. Once brightly colored blossoms succumb to their inevitable demise, revealing new degree of beauty in their slow transformation from life to death. Brown petals cover the ground keeping still living roots warm as winter takes its toll upon the land. In spring decomposed petals feed another generation of colorful blossoms. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 6 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Friday, September 13, 2019
PROMPT: September 13th - List some of your favorite books/movies and explain why you like them. After posting your entry, go comment on other bloggers' entries with suggestions based on their favorites. What books are my favorite? This is a good question! Most of my reading the past few years has been reviewing on writing.com. In addition, most of my favorite authors are no longer living in the physical realm, they've passed on to the next world and are probably creating in a different medium. In addition, I have difficulty reading small print. If I read online, I can use the zoom function to increase the magnification on the page, which works much better than a magnifying glass. My favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke, Issac Asimov, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.,P. Lovecraft. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 5 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Thursday, September 12, 2019
PROMPT: September 12th - Have you ever taken writing classes or writing workshops? Here or anywhere else? What are your thoughts on taking them? Writing Workshop Poems I've attended several writing workshops, and found them inspiring, enlightening, and fun. Most of the worships I attended had to do with poetry. Below are two poems that were the results of two different workshops. Writing Poetry: The Compulsion To Write The compulsion to write poetry does not fulfill my body's needs nor sate my desire. When I am in the arms of the Muse food is moldy leftovers, sleep is a discarded lover at the door of my consciousness; shelter is the rusted husk of a topless convertible in an Oklahoma snow storm; and sexual satisfactions is a stale cigarette in the mouth of my libido. Eve Teaches Cain And Abel The Alphabet Adam’s rainbow presence enthralled, captivated and drew me into his embrace; pulled me to the ground beneath trees that … Blossomed and fruited, at the same time, without the seasons of separation between … Connubial bliss interrupted, not by sons arguing at the fire pit but, by the Voice … Descending from the sky; reverberating through the trees; echoing across the garden … Enunciating paradise … Forming the conjunctions of immortality … Giving us a choice between life and death; love and hate; innocence and guilt … How many times had I heard the Voice; it always came in the cool of the day; it always spoke in gentle nurturing tones laced with power and authority; it never told us we were naked … I do not remember being naked in the Garden; do not remember your father being naked before we bit into the … Juicy red succulent sweet tartness of … Knowledge ran down my chin; dripped onto my … Left a scarlet trail of disobedience across the body of my shame … My first taste of animal flesh came on the day we fled the garden; your father killed his first animal that day; for the first time in my life the Voice did not come in the cool of the evening; that … Night we clung together in cold terror of the noises coming from beyond the circle of our fire … Outside the Garden we were alone in the panic of our own thoughts; we had no comforter; we had no succorer; we had no one to turn to but each other; we had only ourselves to blame … Prayer came on the third day of our exile; we camped in a grove of pine trees; we slept on the needle covered ground; it was a simple supplication; we both intoned it at the same time; we spoke it, not to each other but, to the star filled sky; we hoped the Voice would hear and forgive; we hoped the Voice would … Quaver through the pines, as it had quavered through the trees of the Garden … Speak to us as it had spoken in the Garden when it intoned the BE of our creation … Thrush nesting in the pines announced the break of day; their songs preceded the arrival of the Voice from the direction of the dawn; the Voice’s … Undulating sonances washed away our guilt and terror; this time the … Voice spoke to us individually at the same time; it used different words and a different tone with each of us; your father told me later that with him the Voice spoke in tones of power and used words of authority; precisely what it said to him he has never told me … With me it used the tone of a nurturing-lover; it warned me of a new terror; it gave me a new name for fear … Xenophobia: fear of the stranger within myself; fear of the foreigner outside myself; fear of my own duality marked by the choice between opposites … You Abel and you Cain are now of age; this year each of you must sacrifice the first born of the flocks and the first fruit of the fields; your bickering jealousy will only contaminate the offering and separate the family; the choice is now yours; you can choose to obey the commandment to love one another and focus your … Zeal on developing the positive abilities intrinsic to your individual natures, thus contributing to the family’s survival, or you can go your separate ways before your jealousy destroys our family, the choice is yours … |
‘Idál (Justice), 4 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, September 11, 2019
PROMPT: September 11th - Write about someone who truly moves/touches/inspires you. Do you know them personally, or admire them from afar? What do they do that makes them special? It is women of faith--female mystic poets, female mystics, the mothers of the Manifestations of God, and women who remained steadfast chosen faith, despite the tests and difficulties they encountered--that inspire me. Táhirih9, the Pure One, the only woman among the Bab's eighteen Letters of the Living, mystic, poet, and martyr for women's rights. Ásíyih Khánum10, wife of Baha'u'llah, titled the mother of Consolation because of her work with the poor before Baha'u'llah's wealth and land was taken away by the government, because he became a Babi. Khadijih Begum11 the wife of the Bab. There are others I could add to this list; however, I'm going to stop here. It is women of faith that inspire me because of the sacrifices they make, and the poetry they write. Footnotes |
Fiḍál (Grace, 3 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, September 10, 2019
PROMPT: September 10th - What are some of the weirdest facts you've ever learned? Wow us with your bizarre knowledge! Life is Weird Life is weird, perhaps not all of the time, but some of the lime. Life is weird, so we have to celebrate the weirdness, celebrate the friend who has a pet red legged tarantula and prefers coffee grounds in the bottom of his coffee. Life is weird, and people acquire weird facts that aren't always true: for instance, at one time people didn't eat tomatoes because they thought they were poisonous. |
Kamál (Perfection), 2 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Monday, September 9, 2019
PROMPT: September 9th - What is your favorite storytelling medium, and why? Face-to-face? Movies? Novels? Audiobooks, audioplays? Stage productions? Comics? TV shows? Tweetstorms? Concept albums? Something else? What is my favorite storytelling medium? I've never give this much thought until today. I enjoy reading books, watching movies, comics, stage productions, and some TV shows. I've never listened to a concept album or participated in a tweetstorm. The concept album sounds like it would be interesting, but the tweetstorm doesn't appeal to me. The the three comics I follow regularly are Garfield, BC, and the Wizard of Id. The last stage production I saw was Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I don't have a proper anti for my television, so I don't watch many TV shows any more. When I do watch television, I prefer science fiction, fantasy, and nature and science documentaries. |
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