Breath of a New Spirit
“The Call of God, when raised, breathed a new life into the body of mankind, and infused a new spirit into the whole creation. It is for this reason that the world hath been moved to its depths, and the hearts and consciences of men been quickened. Erelong the evidences of this regeneration will be revealed, and the fast asleep will be awakened.”–‘Abdu’l-Baha
The revelation of Baha’u’llah is not a religion, per se, but in actuality is the coming of the Kingdom, which is a government for all the people of the world. In order to form this human civilization (which is divine in origin) on planet earth for all people, God has sent forth a series of messengers to all the different peoples and tribes of the world. These became reified as the various religions; and the different civilizations are the result of being derived from the primordial teachings of these manifestations of God who are the first educators of the people of the world.
For this reason, all these former religions contain the prophecies of the coming of the revelation of Baha’u’llah which is actually the ancient root and origin of their own diverse faiths. Thus when the person of any faith recognizes the reality of Baha’u’llah at the root and origin of their own personal and traditional faith–this new spirit is breathed upon them and they are re-created and re-animated into the oneness of God. This is why it is stated by The Founders that the individual should not (or need not) convert to another religion (which is outward and toward the surface) but should instead seek the foundation, truth, root and origin of their own cultural faith they have received or inherited by tradition while at the same time seeking the reality of the One True Invisible God as they understand that from their own point of view and from within.
Once an individual has this type of experience, and is able to connect to the reality of the Divine perfection both within their own tradition of origin and within their own personal reality and direct experience, they will have recognized Baha’u’llah through the removal (kashfiyyih: كشف) and uncovering (ἀποκάλυψις: apokálypsis) of the veils and not through any taqlid or outer indoctrination or change. Thus in truth all faiths are “Baha’i” for the perspicacious.
Baha’u’llah states that when the soul truly recognizes any of the divine manifestations of God they have in reality recognized them all–and to reject any one of the divine manifestations of God they have rejected them all. This is true of the successorship to the throne-line of King David in the everlasting covenant of God as well–for to reject the integral position of any one the Davidic Kings in the community of human beings–is to break the covenant, apostatize the faith and cause a breach in the Oneness of Humanity.
Thus the Shi’i enters the Kingdom of God as a True Shi’i. The Sunni as True Sunni. The Alaway as true Alaway. The Christian as true Christian, the Jews as a true Jew, the Hindu, Buddhist, etc. etc. as true to their own faith and persuasion of origin–as well as true to their own self. In all these cases–God has declared–“you will find me standing there within you with laws” (See Haft Vadi). Thus the Kurd, the Iranian, the Palestinian, the American, the Russian, the Sudanese, the African, the European, the Asian, the Turk, the Australian (all people everywhere) are one and all welcome into this Kingdom. It does not replace personal or national or tribal identity–but reinforces these through unity-in-diversity. In this Kingdom all forms of diversity are welcome and encouraged. It strengthens state securities of the nations and towns, re-enforces traditional customs and differences, and is not a homogenization of peoples. No!
Now because the former peoples of former faiths believed that everyone had to convert to their way of thinking, to their religion, or to their tradition or church, or be conquered by their nation (Persia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, UK, Napoleon, France, Nimrod, Alexander the Great, Hitler, Caesar, Pharaoh, Genghis Khan, USA, etc.…–these people lost sight that no one nation nor any one tribal religion was to be meant for all the peoples of the world. No. The local tradition and the local custom are quite different and diverse from the national tradition and the national custom. And therefore the national custom and the national tradition cannot be imposed upon everyone else as the universal custom or the universal international tradition. No. No! NO!!!
This New Religion–so to speak–is the religion of humanism, that is the Oneness of Humanity. It was inaugurated by Baha’u’llah on April 21, 1863. It is He who announced this as the Oneness of Humanity, and upheld this with His 12 principles of the Kitab-i-Aqdas (http://uhj.net/bahaiprinciples/bahai-12-principles.html.) But it is not meant to be another church on the street corner so to speak. We already have enough churches, mosques, and synagogues, stupas, spiritual and religious centers and shrines all around the world. Instead the people who gather at those points of spiritual light will also eventually know and acknowledge the reality of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah in those spots as well. The American will stay American, and the Iranian, Iranian, and the Israeli, Israeli, and the Palestinian, Palestinian, etc, etc, –in as much as all people are also still to remain human as human beings!
Thus the Oneness of Humanity–as we are all human beings–trumps the local, national and individual identity–by at the same time infusing and re-enforcing our unity-in-diversity. Thus the revelation of Baha’u’llah is that we are human beings first and foremost!! That we have a personal individual relationship with God first and foremost. That we are the recipients of the divine economy personally first and foremost. That as human beings we thrive in the divine collective of human beings first and foremost. That nothing should break these organic bonds of affection nor sever our essential connections that proceed from the reality of things. It–the Revelation of Baha’u’llah–is, therefore, a DEEPER and more basic and greater more spiritually foundational revelation direct from God to humanity! It is therefore a message divine in origin and not a secular humanism. But it is for all human beings without prejudice and unalloyed (without coercions). The rights –the BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS OF ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD–must be respected. That includes local and national traditions and differences. In America they have American values, and norms and standards, in Iran, they have theirs, and in Israel theirs, and in Palestine, theirs, Pakistan and India, theirs, China and North Korea, theirs, etc., etc. Each people have every right to have their own local and national and tribal and customary traditions and cultures. How else would we have a universal world culture of diversity? Now some people value ‘we’ over the ‘me.’ They stress the unity in the diversity and not the diversity in the unity. That is approved and acceptable too.
What is not approved and not acceptable is something that is bad for everyone–such as war, not sharing resources (like fresh air, clean water, green energy, oil, metals, etc) not having proper conservation of our group energies. Take a close look at Sudan. They have discovered oil there. Yet foreign companies and foreign powers have destroyed the people in the south. Whereas these people should have the cleanest water, the best schools, good lives, plenty of food, and good will, and be given their rightful share of the profit of any oil to go back to the people of their country and locality. The government is not supposed to be something alien, foreign, hyper-objective, de-humanized, or different from the people: but is supposed to be composed of some people (filling needed positions) as public servants to help provide for the rest of the same people. In America in Alaska, all the people of Alaska share in the oil revenues and profits. This is called THE DIVIDEND. It is not the nationalization of the resources. No. It is the DIVIDEND of sharing the wealth of the resources with all the people of the state, and province where the natural resources are found. Where is the DIVIDEND to ALL the people of Sudan? Where is the DIVIDEND to all the people of South Sudan? Where is the chocolate dividend to all the people in Africa, such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast? Or South American regions? The diamond dividend for them? The coffee dividend in Ethiopia? Or Bangladesh? The oil dividend to the Chechens? In Alaska they simply look at the total revenues and profits, then allocate a percentage to all the people of Alaska. They then divide this percentage up per person and per household and family. Then everyone gets a check. This is not communism. It is not socialism. It is not the nationalization of the oil. It is the law that no private company can extract the resources without sharing the profits in a DIVIDEND with the people. This is why socialism, communism, and nationalization have failed–but the DIVIDEND works: it amounts to that personal pay check of cash for each person in the region, province or country on every or any natural resources taken out of the earth. No company is allowed to do business unless they make the DIVIDEND agreement that is fair to all the people. In his writings ‘Abdu’l-Baha suggests certain percentages that are fair. It is up to the people of each area to set their percentage based upon each issue case by case. Americans guzzle coffee, chocolate, and oil. The places and people where these items come from should be the richest most happy places in the world. The people of these areas should be recompensed accordingly. Nations and peoples throughout the world should adopt some sort of model similar to Alaska DIVIDEND (or come up with something else that works) for their protection and preservation of the peoples–such as in South Sudan.
Today the American president spoke before the National Rifle Association (NRA). He said that there will be no restrictions on bearing arms in this country and that all people can own and have and carry guns, including high power assault weapons and million rounds per minute (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWEqyrKLz6M). He said there will be no gun control. He then forbid any of the people from carrying guns into the lecture hall in which he spoke. So we see people bought and paid for by special interests. There are no special interests in the Kingdom other than the special interest of protecting, preserving, and guaranteeing the God-given rights and freedoms of the people. Making the ‘me’ copacetic with the ‘we’.
This is why the government of God provided for an irremovable member for life–a human being familiar with human suffering and human to human injustice, oppression and healing–who is a descendant of King David seated upon David’s throne. Thus it is personal–humanized, and subject to human values and basic human rights, and the satisfaction of basic human needs. As the Shi’i literature states of Imam Husayn: “We Imams rule by the authority of the throne of King David and if we lack anything the Holy Spirit sends it to us” therefore the throne of King David and the human being seated upon that throne (at the moment in every generation) is part of the root, origin, truth and foundation of the Shi’i. It is also so stated in the Holy Koran–thus it (David and his sons) is of the root, origin, truth, and foundation of the Sunni and Alaway. It is stated in the Holy Bible, and is of the root, foundation, truth and origin of the Jew, the Israeli (see Is. 9:6-7). It is the meaning of the very world “Christ”–the anointed male-sperm descendant of King David–and thus it is of the root, truth and foundation and origin of all true Christianity. This “rod of wood” the Davidic King who is a human being–a real living person–in each generation, day and age–and who is alive in the world today–is mentioned and spoken of in all the native faiths and indigenous teachings by various names, attributes and titles, as well as that which is known to the Asian faiths of India, China the far East, Tibet under names given by Buddha, Krishna, and Zoroaster of Persia. All peoples know of the PROPHECY! All traditions tell of this TALE! And NOW it is HERE! The descendant of King David is not the point of infallibility, nor the source of all knowledge: the UHJ is. The reason the UHJ fulfills this function is because the people who are the sources of knowledge, genius, and authority in their own spheres and domains cannot assemble together in such a venue without the point of unity. In fact different faith, disciplines, arts and sciences segregate from one another. Therefore the prophecy states that when they recognize the point of unity–they will set aside their differences and function in dialogue in that assembly. A single national assembly or a single religious body, which represents only a partial segment of the human population, is naturally delimited to only partial access. But the full world assembly of all the genius of all peoples, faiths, and traditions, fills the need of universal representation and therefore it alone has access to universal knowledge of all human learning, culture, arts, music, dance and all things both scientific and divine. As long as humanity is unable to assemble the full remedy cannot be found and applied for each problem and for every day and age. Thus we as a world people remain stuck in suspended animation, so to speak, as PKD noted, in a time just after the crucifixion of Christ in the early Acts of the Apostles. The time-loop, so to speak, replays itself over and over again like a broken record with a skip in the vinyl that keeps bumping back to track 1. The recognition of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the divine covenant for today, which fulfills prophecy, allows for the people to leap over the abyss of the skip in the record and advance into the next stage of human evolution which is prophesied to be the golden age of humanity–a world progressive civilization, that none of us today, as the creatures of the half-light we all are (you and I included) can understand, comprehend or fathom. It remains for us to make the leap over the gap, skip or abyss, and then the future generation will be the children of the full-light. These geniuses of the future will do and accomplish what we cannot, as long as we are able to cease killing these children in these bloody nonsensical wars. These children need to be alleviated from poverty, broken homes, drugs, wars, violence, lack of education. Access to the best education, and the cutting edge is key.
Consider Ramjun of India. He self-taught himself thousands of years of ancient and advanced mathematics and sciences. Had he ACCESS to the fullest human knowledge of the knowledge banks (like that we have today of the internet) or of the best schools, and those in the cutting edge–instead he would have advanced us from where we are at now forward into thousands of years of advanced knowledge. Instead he spent his time re-discovering and mastering thousands of years of what was already known, and then–when he was discovered by those who were stuck at the cutting edge–he was only able to advance us a few centuries more before he died. The children of humanity are the treasure trove, but because of the lack-of-being-able-to-assemble-problem–they are deprived access. The fallible person who fulfills the criteria in the Covenant of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha (the living descendant of King David) for the point of unity resolves the lack-of-being-able-to-assemble-problem because it is already given by God in the root, original, base, and foundation of all traditional and indigenous faiths, cultures and peoples. Thus all people can assemble, and the children, the poor, the sick, and the elderly shall have unlimited access. This is access to the source of the ultimately real, which also appears inside the soul of everyone. Here the soul realizes it can never be cut off or deprived by others. While this awakening has been happening to particular souls all along, the Covenant of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha provides a functional means by which this awakened emergence can be the rule and not the exception that proves the rule.
The Baha’i faith is not a patriarchy. The Supreme Institution is the Universal House of Justice (UHJ)–the Council–eventually to be elected as the world parliament and world supreme court of all human beings. Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha have expressly stated that both men and women will sit on this fully elected UHJ together. It will have both men and women upon it in all its phases and levels of development and maturation. It is alive in the world today–the true IBC/UHJ of Baha’u’llah–it is symbolized as the “the little child” that shall lead them (Is. ch. 11). This is the mystery of the Kingdom. That the “promised one” the “little child” is not one person, but the council of many persons (“many nations shall flow to the house of the Lord”) who function as the UHJ. The president of this UHJ is of the throne-line of King David. It is not a patriarchy either–it is patrilineal. The president has no veto power, and only a vote of one in legislative and judicial matters. What this means is that as the executive branch of the legislative and judicial body, the father to son lineage, is subjected to the laws, ordinances and regulations of the UHJ (and the explicit holy texts as is everyone else) as a single vulnerable human being. The POWER of the executive branch is in being deprived of all personal powers. In this way the executive branch is not a threat to others. The others are the learned (the Alim). They hold all the power. Majority vote carries as rule by law. But this “little child” the IBC/UHJ (the non-biological son of Shoghi Effendi) is the public servant of the people, by the people, and for the people, as provided by God in the Constitution of the Covenant. It has no rights to deprive individuals of their God-given rights and freedoms. It must uphold these. The violation of the rights and freedoms of the executive branch is the “sign of God” for what the UHJ needs to work on and fix in our world. For the violation of the human rights and dignity of the executive branch is the same violation of the rights of other human beings that are suffering in the current war. This institution preserves the fatherly inner spirit of the human family of human beings that are of scientific mammalian (warm-blooded) origins–even as the legislative and judicial branches preserve the matrilineal nurturing of the instinctoid human motherly spirit. Together the patrilineal “rod of wood” and the matrilineal “rod of iron” form the Supreme Institution of the UHJ symbolized by the infallible “rod of gold.” The Kingdom of God is neither a matriarchy nor a patriarchy–but is the perfect blend of the matrilineal and patrilineal–the spiritual and the material–and thus represents the guiding light of the family of all human kind. It symbolizes both parental nurture and guidance of both sexes, as well as the spiritualized alchemical wedding of the mature human adult. Its main tasks are for the betterment of new born human beings upon this planet so that they will arise, thrive, and function in advancement and diversity of each previous generation. Through the removal of obstacles and aberrations the community of world human beings shall ever advance in both this life and the next. The divine economy shall be established–and the souls of everyone so invigorated with life and life abundantly. The purpose of the descendent of King David is so that we can recognize the true Universal House of Justice of Baha’u’llah from fakes, frauds, and imitations. The covenant of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha thus provides for system in which we can all get along, and govern ourselves. ‘Abdu’l-Baha stated, that if the people are spiritual then any system will work. But if they are not spiritual than no system will work. That includes the Baha’i system.
Yet the greatest opposers of this matralineal+patrilineal UHJ that has the throne-line of King David and the person of the living Davidic king (whosoever that may be at any given generation) as president of the UHJ and irremovable member for life are the “Baha’i” (so-called) who have–KNOWING THE WHOLE TRUTH FIRST–violated their own covenant and knowingly tried to exterminate this existence.
Had the Shi’i realized that Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha, during their lifetimes, were seated upon the throne of King David (as did Omar and Ali, the second and fourth Caliphs, recognize the living Davidic King exilarch Bostanai in their day) Persia would be the world leader now instead of America. But the throne of David came into exile here in America. And no matter how inept, foolish or adept American policy may or may not be it is UNDER THE PROTECTION OF GOD. Had the Israelis protected ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son (an aghsan) Mason Remey from the “Hands”–instead of exiling him from the Holy Land–Israel would be the world leader, instead of the world loser it is today. When Israel under King Saul rejected King David (and exiled him) it was Palestine that took him in, and became the world leader in that time. Whatever people recognizes and protects the throne of King David and the basic human rights of the living one seated upon that throne in that day and age will be exalted, and its nation preserved and its peoples protected both materially and spiritually. Should they violate basic human rights, become an arrogant abomination of worthless consumption, or be hijacked by corrupt leadership God Himself shall depose them–through unforeseen world events–and those who oppose this mighty Covenant of God will be dispersed and degraded–like the Ottoman and Persian Empires that are no more who failed to recognize Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha in their own lifetimes. Like that of Rome which opposed Christ and is gone. Like that of Hitler who sought to kill off all the Jewish people including the heir to the throne of David by exterminating an entire people–and now that empire is nothing.
But these worldly affairs mean nothing in the sight of those whose hearts are pure, whose minds are elevated upon the love of God, and whose souls are set free!
And that is the whole point!
The prophet Muhammad never set out to conquer the material world for material gain–personal or otherwise. No. Like Jesus, Moses, the Bab and Baha’u’llah, these ones sent forth by God have gone out to conquer the hearts of human beings for the love of the One True Invisible God. And thus WE HAVE ALREADY our personal reward in both this life and the next. And more than that–God has already promised to oversee this rotten war so that it will turn out alright in the end for everyone. He does this through his holy angels: His arch angles, and the seraphim and cherubim that have been appointed to the tasks and work in both this world and the next–the agency of the Holy Spirit (spentamainush). Thus is it written in the Holy Book:
“On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued,
“Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (Daniel 10: 4-12 NIV)
CONSIDER THESE WORDS of the angel: “Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.” Thus does an almighty and all-powerful God use and direct the forces of the unseen world–through angels and intermediaries–to make sure these wars come out the right way. The Baha’i faith is a faith. But it is not a blind faith. And “faith is the assurance of things hoped for” the evidence and “proof of the unseen” (see Hebrews).
God does not start the wars–the arch-covenant-breakers do–and these effects of violation that ripple out through human-to-human relations and agitate human nervous systems are the causes of the material and outward wars of men. But so there are arch-angels–like Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Raziel, and hosts of heaven and Knights of the Lord who fight on both this side of the veil and from the next–and I swear by the God heaven who lives forever and ever, dearest friend, this will all come out right as rain!
Now the people whose natural religion is Baha’i–really Baha’i–are of the next level of human adaptation and change. These are the people that cannot fit the mold of any one thing. They are divergent in their character, make-up and personality. Their rights and basic human needs are to be respected as well. They are of those of whom Baha’u’llah has spoken of in the Holy Word–“the believer is alive in both worlds.”
Thus the Baha’i faith is not religion, per se, but the coming of the government of the Kingdom of God now upon the earth, that fulfills prophecy and was established in an act of God Himself in the year 2001 AD (and whatever date that is on other indigenous and prophetic calendars). Those who enter herein make swift progress in the Kingdom in both this world and the next. The first of those to accept this today, are the Davidic King himself and his fellow companions established throughout all the world. The forces of the Covenant guard this faith, and protect these souls. They are veiled from the operating reality behind the scenes though they can sometimes feel its effects. This 9th day of Ridvan is especially exhilarating for all the people of the world.
If they were to breathe in the breath of God that has been breathed upon this entire world–and were they to reinvigorate and re-dedicate their hearts, minds and souls, to the truth, origin and foundations of their faiths–they would immediately cast aside all superstition, theologies, mythologies, and falsities of the clergy-class: and they would recognize the divine reality of their central holy books–UNCOVERED–and could not restrain themselves from declaring aloud “THIS IS IT! THIS IS IT!” the reality of Baha’u’llah–the Spirit of the Age–and be raptured into the Kingdom along with the rest of us–as have you and I–while we still have our feet upon the ground and our heads free from the clouds of mythologies that once obscured the sun of reality and our hearts and spirits free to soar in the starry heaven above for ever more. Thus this is of the gloriousest of holy days.
Great Blessings be upon you and your loved ones this Ridvan: Spring-Paradise.
I remain yours,
Your servant,
Neal.
April 29, 2017
“Few will fail to recognize that the Spirit breathed by Baha’u’llah upon the world, and which is manifesting itself with varying degrees of intensity through the efforts consciously displayed by His avowed supporters and indirectly through certain humanitarian organizations, can never permeate and exercise an abiding influence upon mankind unless and until it incarnates itself in a visible Order, which would bear His name, wholly identify itself with His principles, and function in conformity with His laws” (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 19).
“The whole earth,” writes Baha’u’llah, “is now in a state of pregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings. Immeasurably exalted is the breeze that wafteth from the garment of thy Lord, the Glorified! For lo, it hath breathed its fragrance and made all things new! Well is it with them that comprehend.” “The onrushing winds of the grace of God,” He, in the Suratu’l-Haykal, proclaims, “have passed over all things. Every creature hath been endowed with all the potentialities it can carry. And yet the peoples of the world have denied this grace! Every tree hath been endowed with the choicest fruits, every ocean enriched with the most luminous gems. Man, himself hath been invested with the gifts of understanding and knowledge. The whole creation hath been made the recipient of the revelation of the All-Merciful, and the earth the repository of things inscrutable to all except God, the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. The time is approaching when every created thing will have cast its burden. Glorified be God Who hath vouchsafed this grace that encompasseth all things, whether seen or unseen!” “The Call of God,” ‘Abdu’l-Baha has written, “when raised, breathed a new life into the body of mankind, and infused a new spirit into the whole creation. It is for this reason that the world hath been moved to its depths, and the hearts and consciences of men been quickened. Erelong the evidences of this regeneration will be revealed, and the fast asleep will be awakened.”(World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 169).
