Archive for May, 2018

Holy Day: The Ascension Of Baha’u’llah: Azamat 13, 175 B.E. (5/29/2018)

Monday, May 28th, 2018

O KINGS of Christendom! Heard ye not the saying of Jesus, the Spirit of God, “I go away, and come again unto you”? Wherefore, then, did ye fail, when He did come again unto you in the clouds of heaven, to draw nigh unto Him, that ye might behold His face, and be of them that attained His Presence? In another passage He saith: “When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” And yet, behold how, when He did bring the truth, ye refused to turn your faces towards Him, and persisted in disporting yourselves with your pastimes and fancies. Ye welcomed Him not, neither did ye seek His Presence, that ye might hear the verses of God from His own mouth, and partake of the manifold wisdom of the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. Ye have, by reason of your failure, hindered the breath of God from being wafted over you, and have withheld from your souls the sweetness of its fragrance. Ye continue roving with delight in the valley of your corrupt desires. Ye, and all ye possess, shall pass away. Ye shall, most certainly, return to God, and shall be called to account for your doings in the presence of Him Who shall gather together the entire creation.…

Twenty years have passed, O kings, during which We have, each day, tasted the agony of a fresh tribulation. No one of them that were before Us hath endured the things We have endured. Would that ye could perceive it! They that rose up against Us have put us to death, have shed our blood, have plundered our property, and violated our honor. Though aware of most of our afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the aggressor. For is it not your clear duty to restrain the tyranny of the oppressor, and to deal equitably with your subjects, that your high sense of justice may be fully demonstrated to all mankind?

God hath committed into your hands the reins of the government of the people, that ye may rule with justice over them, safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, and punish the wrongdoers. If ye neglect the duty prescribed unto you by God in His Book, your names shall be numbered with those of the unjust in His sight. Grievous, indeed, will be your error. Cleave ye to that which your imaginations have devised, and cast behind your backs the commandments of God, the Most Exalted, the Inaccessible, the All-Compelling, the Almighty? Cast away the things ye possess, and cling to that which God hath bidden you observe. Seek ye His grace, for he that seeketh it treadeth His straight Path.

Consider the state in which We are, and behold ye the ills and troubles that have tried Us. Neglect Us not, though it be for a moment, and judge ye between Us and Our enemies with equity. This will, surely, be a manifest advantage unto you. Thus do We relate to you Our tale, and recount the things that have befallen Us, that ye might take off Our ills and ease Our burden. Let him who will, relieve Us from Our trouble; and as to him that willeth not, My Lord is assuredly the best of helpers.

Warn and acquaint the people, O Servant, with the things We have sent down unto Thee, and let the fear of no one dismay Thee, and be Thou not of them that waver. The day is approaching when God will have exalted His Cause and magnified His testimony in the eyes of all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Place, in all circumstances, Thy whole trust in Thy Lord, and fix Thy gaze upon Him, and turn away from all them that repudiate His truth. Let God, Thy Lord, be Thy sufficing succorer and helper. We have pledged Ourselves to secure Thy triumph upon earth and to exalt Our Cause above all men, though no king be found who would turn his face towards Thee.1

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THE Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation. We fain would hope that the kings and rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny.… The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will have adopted one universal language and one common script. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home. These things are obligatory and absolutely essential. It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action.… That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.2

  1. Baha’u’llah, Gleanings CXVI
  2. Baha’u’llah, Gleanings CXVII

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The Golden Rule

The 12 Fruits Of God’s Covenant – God’s 12-Point Moral Compass For Humanity – Directing All To The Axis Of LOVE

Baha’i Sabbath: Azamat 9, 175 B.E. (5/25/2018)

Friday, May 25th, 2018

THE All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.

Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise, and lift up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: O ye who are as dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whoso hath been reborn in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live.1

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WE have a fixed time for you, O people. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!2

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1&2: Baha’u’llah, Gleanings CVI & CVIII

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The Golden Rule

The 12 Fruits Of God’s Covenant – God’s 12-Point Moral Compass For Humanity – Directing All To The Axis Of LOVE

 

Holy Day: Declaration Of The Bab-Azamat 7, 175 B.E. (5/23/2018)

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018

23 May 1912
TALK BY ABDU’L-BAHA’ AT HOME OF MR. AND MRS. FRANCIS W. BREED
367 HARVARD STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

 

Scientific knowledge is the highest attainment upon the human plane, for science is the discoverer of realities. It is of two kinds: material and spiritual. Material science is the investigation of natural phenomena; divine science is the discovery and realization of spiritual verities. The world of humanity must acquire both. A bird has two wings; it cannot fly with one. Material and spiritual science are the two wings of human uplift and attainment. Both are necessary—one the natural, the other supernatural; one material, the other divine. By the divine we mean the discovery of the mysteries of God, the comprehension of spiritual realities, the wisdom of God, inner significances of the heavenly religions and foundation of the law.

This is 23 May, the anniversary of the message and Declaration of the Báb. It is a blessed day and the dawn of manifestation, for the appearance of the Báb was the early light of the true morn, whereas the manifestation of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh, was the shining forth of the sun. Therefore, it is a blessed day, the inception of the heavenly bounty, the beginning of the divine effulgence. On this day in 1844 the Báb was sent forth heralding and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, announcing the glad tidings of the coming of Bahá’u’lláh and withstanding the opposition of the whole Persian nation. Some of the Persians followed Him. For this they suffered the most grievous difficulties and severe ordeals. They withstood the tests with wonderful power and sublime heroism. Thousands were cast into prison, punished, persecuted and martyred. Their homes were pillaged and destroyed, their possessions confiscated. They sacrificed their lives most willingly and remained unshaken in their faith to the very end. Those wonderful souls are the lamps of God, the stars of sanctity shining gloriously from the eternal horizon of the will of God.

The Báb was subjected to bitter persecution in Shíráz, where He first proclaimed His mission and message. A period of famine afflicted that region, and the Báb journeyed to Iṣfahán. There the learned men rose against Him in great hostility. He was arrested and sent to Tabríz. From thence He was transferred to Mákú and finally imprisoned in the strong castle of Chihríq. Afterward He was martyred in Tabríz.

This is merely an outline of the history of the Báb. He withstood all persecutions and bore every suffering and ordeal with unflinching strength. The more His enemies endeavored to extinguish that flame, the brighter it became. Day by day His Cause spread and strengthened. During the time when He was among the people He was constantly heralding the coming of Bahá’u’lláh. In all His Books and Tablets He mentioned Bahá’u’lláh and announced the glad tidings of His manifestation, prophesying that He would reveal Himself in the ninth year. He said that in the ninth year “you will attain to all happiness”; in the ninth year “you will be blessed with the meeting of the Promised One of Whom I have spoken.” He mentioned the Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’lláh, by the title “Him Whom God shall make manifest.” In brief, that blessed Soul offered His very life in the pathway of Bahá’u’lláh, even as it is recorded in historical writings and records. In His first Book, the Best of Stories, He says, “O Remnant of God! I am wholly sacrificed to Thee; I am content with curses in Thy path; I crave nought but to be slain in Thy love; and God, the Supreme, sufficeth as an eternal protection.”

Consider how the Báb endured difficulties and tribulations; how He gave His life in the Cause of God; how He was attracted to the love of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh; and how He announced the glad tidings of His manifestation. We must follow His heavenly example; we must be self-sacrificing and aglow with the fire of the love of God. We must partake of the bounty and grace of the Lord, for the Báb has admonished us to arise in service to the Cause of God, to be absolutely severed from all else save God during the day of the Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’lláh, to be completely attracted by the love of Bahá’u’lláh, to love all humanity for His sake, to be lenient and merciful to all for Him and to upbuild the oneness of the world of humanity. Therefore, this day, 23 May, is the anniversary of a blessed event.

Abdu’l-Baha’, The Promulgation Of Universal Peace

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On this date in 1844 AD The Bab (in English “Door” or “Gate”) made His proclamation. The Bab was the biblically prophesied return of John the Baptist who was to come as the Herald of the advent of the second Christ, and both the Qa’im (Ariser) and Mahdi (Rightly Guided One) of Islam. The Bab was also prophesied in both the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran by His Name, His Address (from where He would come forth), and His Mission. To learn all of these Proofs go to www.bahaifireside.org.

From Entry By Troops:

The Advent Date of The Bab as witnessed to in the Great Pyramid of Giza and prophesied of in the Holy Bible:

Measuring 1843.217891867748 P” up the Ascending Passageway from the Zero Point, you come to the upper end of the Grand Gallery of Religions at the Altar Stone. (see Figure 19) This junction is at the East – West Center Line, marking the end of the Christian Era and calendar on March 21st, 1844 AD and bringing us into the New Age. The Baha’i Era and calendar were inaugurated by the Bab who made his Proclamation on May 23rd, 1844 AD. This date corresponds exactly with the date given by Daniel in the Bible of 2300 days/years from 457 BC to March 21st, 1844 (Daniel 8:13, 14) for the return of Jesus as the Bab (Door or Gate in John 10:7, 9), for the cleansing of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is symbolized by the Ante-chamber in the Great Pyramid and the Altar by the Great Step. The Sanctuary was cleansed by the blood of the Bab on the Altar just inside the Door of the Sanctuary and by the blood of ten thousand of his followers in Glorious martyrdom, during the years represented by the length of the Altar Stone (the Great Step) in the Pyramid.

The Bab, meaning Door or Gate, closed the door to the Prophetic Age and opened the door to the Age of Fulfillment. His Revelation was of the potency of the Sanctuary and he is therefore the return of Jesus to earth in the Sanctuary which he had entered in heaven (Hebrews 9:24). Like John the Baptist, he prepared the way for the Advent of the Glory of the Lord—Baha’u’llah (see the 43rd chapter of Ezekiel).

The calendar instituted by the Bab for the New Age has 19 days to the month and 19 months to the year, plus four and one-quarter intercalary days, with leap years having five (one year = 19 months of 19 days plus four and one-quarter intercalary days). Therefore there are 19.22328763 Baha’i months in one solar year.

From UHJ.net:

The Bab was the Holy Soul promised to come from the line and issue of Muhammad, the son of Ishmael the son of Abraham.

This line of Ishmael was the Holy line of sacrifice, set up and established to protect the line of David throughout all the independent and warring dynasties; if ONLY all Jews, Christians, and Muslims knew this, peace, union and harmony would capture all the hearts of mankind and knit them as one–all would be united as one being upon this divided earth and wars and hatred, poverty, ignorance and prejudice would vanish like the night shade of dusk upon the morning suns brilliantly gleaming rays of light, hope, trust and salvation.

 

In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering majesty, the All-Compelling.

Hallowed be the Lord in Whose hand is the source of dominion. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His Word of command “Be,” and it is. His hath been the power of authority heretofore, and it shall remain His hereafter. He maketh victorious whomsoever He pleaseth, through the potency of His behest. He is in truth the Powerful, the Almighty. Unto Him pertaineth all glory and majesty in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and whatever lieth between them. Verily, He is the Potent, the All-Glorious. From everlasting He hath been the Source of indomitable strength and shall remain so unto everlasting. He is indeed the Lord of might and power. All the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is between them are God’s, and His power is supreme over all things. All the treasures of earth and heaven and everything between them are His, and His protection extendeth over all things. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them, and He truly is a witness over all things. He is the Lord of Reckoning for all that dwell in the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. Verily, He is the Supreme Protector. He holdeth in His grasp the keys of heaven and earth and of everything between them. At His Own pleasure doth He bestow gifts, through the power of His command. Indeed His grace encompasseth all, and He is the All-Knowing.

Say: God sufficeth unto me; He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of all things. Through the power of His hosts of heaven and earth and whatever lieth between them, He protecteth whomsoever among His servants He willeth. God, in truth, keepeth watch over all things.

Immeasurably exalted art Thou, O Lord! Protect us from what lieth in front of us and behind us, above our heads, on our right, on our left, below our feet and every other side to which we are exposed. Verily, Thy protection over all things is unfailing.–The Bab

The sacrifice of the Bab and 10,000 Babi’s, an act of unbridled love for God, illuminates all mankind even up unto this very day. Hagar the Handmaiden and her son Ishmael were chosen by God and sacrificed by Abraham into the wilderness of Arabia. Hagar was an Egyptian princess and Ishmael thereby inherited the rights of a spiritual pharaoh of the line of the great pre-Mosaic dynasties of Egypt united with the seed of Abraham and promised to be a Great Nation with 12 princes, who are the 12 Imams descended in succession from Ali and the daughter of Muhammad the Holy Fatimah. All 12 of these and Muhammad Himself sacrificed and gave their lives as a SHIELD and a TARGET for the arrows of men in protection of the line of King David that continued in their dispensation in the Middle Kingdom of Islam that was ordained by God to come between the dispensation of David of that of Moses and Christ and that of David of the line of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha that continues today.

The first Imam, Ali, protected the line of David by insuring the marriage of the Exilarch, (exiled monarch of David), Bostanai to the Sassanian princess Dara, thus uniting the line of David with the greatest of the pre Muslim dynasties descended from Cyrus the Great and Sassan. In the Book of Isaiah it is prophesied that the Messiah would be of the line of Cyrus, as well as that of David, when Cyrus is mentioned as the “anointed” messiah of the Lord. This is accomplished through the FEMALE line of Cyrus and the MALE Line of David–that all prophecy in the Bible that God has spoken is TRUE! Baha’u’llah descends from this union of David and the Persian princess.

The Bab is descended on the other Hand from the Imam Husayn who wed Dara’s sister Shar-banu who is known as the mother of nine Imams, as the rest of the 12 are directly descended from her and Husayn.

When the corrupt killers of God’s Holy Family and the ill-wishers and destroyers of His Cause came to Kill the Davidic King Bostanai, Imam Husayn and about 70 of his followers sacrificed their lives on the plain of Karbila so the line of David should continue, prosper, and live. When asked by what authority the Imams ruled, Husayn replied, shortly before he gave his life in holy sacrifice and martyrdom, following in the footsteps of Jesus and bearing the same cross all were commanded to bear, that “We Imams rule by the authority of the throne of David, and if we lack anything the Holy Spirit sends it to us!”

Thus Muhammad Himself revealed in the Koran that “God exalted some of the prophets above that of the others and to David He gave the Psalms”, showing the exaltation of Christ and the lineage of Baha’u’llah that Muhammad, Ishmael, and the Imams gave and sacrificed their lives for, the line of King David of God’s Justice that all Muslims were to lovingly submit to as Islam means “submission”, and thus these true ones willingly gave their lives for God that His Covenant to David should last for ever.

At the time of the appointed hour in 1844 after the prescribed time allotted of the 2300 evenings and mornings (years) had passed away, the Bab arose from this same Holy Lineage with 10,000 saints (see Jude) and became the shield for the Jewish Kingship Christ had promised and prophesied. The Bab made his death the life for all the world by sacrificing his all, and that of the best that Persia had to offer, so that those Christian brothers of the West should know the Hidden Treasure of Persia, where Daniel and the Davidic King went into captivity, that the throne and lineage of Christ were held safe in the high mountains of that country until today, so all men could be saved from self destruction at this appointed hour!

No pen can adequately write, nor can any tongue recount the greatness of the love, devotion and sacrifice of the true Cause of Islam, Ishmael, Muhammad, the Imams, and the Bab to preserving the line of David to save the Christian West unto this day today. All the people of the world owe a debt of thanks to God and praise and gratitude to those holy souls, the Dawn-breakers, that willingly and knowingly gave their lives; and Shoghi Effendi as well, who was martyred in London on November 4 of 1957, from this same line of sacrifice of the Bab, so that the great grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Baha could be here alive in the world today, so all mankind could elect the Supreme Tribunal, or House of the Lord, and bring peace, as the promised olive BRANCH, to a beleaguered and war weary world.

NOW the light has shined through the HOLY GATE OF GOD–Bahá’u’lláh has COME! BAB means door or Gate and none enter this Kingdom but through the narrow one. Herein follows the precious word of the Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha concerning this Holy Bab (Gate), and how in his sacrifice alone, and his undying, unending servitude and never-ending love, the very breaths and musk-scented breezes and very blood united the East and the West in the eternal and everlasting bonds of affection and cooperation, mutual trust and firmness in the One, the True, the Everlasting Covenant of God. For Paul has written: “That God shall be all and all to everyone!”

 

As for the Bab–may my soul be His sacrifice!–at a youthful age, that is to say, when He had reached the twenty-fifth year of His blessed life, He stood forth to proclaim His Cause. It was universally admitted by the Shi’is that He had never studied in any school and had not acquired knowledge from any teacher; all the people of Shiraz bear witness to this. Nevertheless, He suddenly appeared before the people, endowed with the most complete erudition. Although He was but a merchant, He confounded all the ulama of Persia. All alone, in a way which is beyond imagination, He upheld the Cause among the Persians [Iranians], who are renowned for their religious fanaticism. This illustrious Soul arose with such power that He shook the supports of the religion, of the morals, the conditions, the habits and the customs of Persia, and instituted new rules, new laws and a new religion. Though the great personages of the State, nearly all the clergy, and the public men arose to destroy and annihilate Him, He alone withstood them and moved the whole of Persia.

Many ulama and public men, as well as other people, joyfully sacrificed their lives in His Cause, and hastened to the plain of martyrdom.

The government, the nation, the doctors of divinity and the great personages desired to extinguish His light, but they could not do so. At last His moon arose, His star shone forth, His foundations became firmly established, and His dawning-place became brilliant. He imparted divine education to an unenlightened multitude and produced marvelous results on the thoughts, morals, customs and conditions of the Persians. He announced the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Sun of Baha [Baha’u’llah, Christ returned in the potency of the Everlasting Father seated upon the Throne of David] to His followers and prepared them to believe [like John the Baptist, who was the forerunner for Jesus Christ that prepared the way for him as well].

The appearance of such wonderful signs and great results; the effects produced upon the minds of the people, and upon the prevailing ideas; the establishment of the foundations of progress; and the organization of the principles of success and prosperity by a young merchant, constitute the greatest proof that He was a perfect Educator. A just person will never hesitate to believe this.

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The Golden Rule

The 12 Fruits Of God’s Covenant – God’s 12-Point Moral Compass For Humanity – Directing All To The Axis Of LOVE

Baha’i Month: Azamat/Grandeur 1, 175 B.E. (5/17/2018)

Friday, May 18th, 2018

The American nation, of which the community of the Most Great Name forms as yet a negligible and infinitesimal part, stands, indeed, from whichever angle one observes its immediate fortunes, in grave peril. The woes and tribulations which threaten it are partly avoidable, but mostly inevitable and God-sent, for by reason of them a government and people clinging tenaciously to the obsolescent doctrine of absolute sovereignty and upholding a political system, manifestly at variance with the needs of a world already contracted into a neighborhood and crying out for unity, will find itself purged of its anachronistic conceptions, and prepared to play a preponderating role, as foretold by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in the hoisting of the standard of the Lesser Peace, in the unification of mankind, and in the establishment of a world federal government on this planet. These same fiery tribulations will not only firmly weld the American nation to its sister nations in both hemispheres, but will through their cleansing effect, purge it thoroughly of the accumulated dross which ingrained racial prejudice, rampant materialism, widespread ungodliness and moral laxity have combined, in the course of successive generations, to produce, and which have prevented her thus far from assuming the role of world spiritual leadership forecast by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s unerring pen—a role which she is bound to fulfill through travail and sorrow.

Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith

The Golden Rule

The 12 Fruits Of God’s Covenant – God’s 12-Point Moral Compass For Humanity – Directing All To The Axis Of LOVE

Baha’i Sabbath: Jamal 14, 175 B.E. (5/11/2018)

Friday, May 11th, 2018

The mystery of our personality and the spiritual awakening of our character is one of the most profound themes in the teachings of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. The foundation for entry into this citadel is upheld by the pillars of the first four Holy Books of Baha’u’llah: The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan), The Hidden Words (Kalimat-i-Maknunih) and The Seven Valleys (Haft-Vadi) and The Four Valleys (Chihar-Vadi). These four Holy Books stand out as the first four supports in the Outer Sanctuary of this knowledge of experiencing God directly and personally for our very own selves–that is real justice–not through the eyes of another:

O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.

O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes. (Baha’u’llah, HW # 1, 2)

The experienced reality of “a unity that transcends the unity” is the prerequisite condition for ultimate approach into Divine Presence. Baha’u’llah states: “In this Valley, the wayfarer leaveth behind him the stages of the ‘Oneness of Being and Perception’ (wahdat-i wajud va shuhud)  and reacheth a Oneness that is Sanctified above these two stations. Ecstasy alone can encompass this theme, not utterance nor argument; and whosoever hath dwelt at this stage of the journey, or caught a breath from this garden land, knoweth whereof We speak” (Baha’u’llah, 7th Valley).

Here Baha’u’llah Sanctifies a Oneness (unity) that is above the two stations of either the Oneness or Unity of Being (wahdat-i wujud) and the Oneness of Unity of Consciousness, Perception, Manifestation, Appearances or Witnessing (wahdat-i shuhud). These two experiential phenomena were hotly debated amongst the Hebrew and Islamic mystics of their respective days. This generated quite a bit of metaphysical speculation as well as divers systems of approach engendered to induce these types of experiential dimensions. The Christian mystics were not freed from this experimentation either and delved deep into the unfathomable roots of true Christian Cabala, divine alchemy, and the gnostic well-springs of the Western Esoteric Traditions. While Baha’u’llah speaks this language and is absolutely fluent in the qabalistic, spiritual, mystical, and sufistic experiences of the people of His day–His first four Holy Books transcend the human ascent that falls short of the glory of God and instead reveals something entirely NEW. For this reason the content of these first four books has been misconstrued by the majority of the scholars and has only been appreciated by the initiates of the Kingdom who have remained firm in the Covenant of God in the real and true reality of their day to day lives. In the Book of Certitude He states that veils of light (knowledge) have kept them out of this station. This is because they attempt to interpret Him in the meager light of their own limited interpretations of the former traditions–as opposed to opening up to the experience of something NEW in reality, and then allowing for His words to be our shared language for what the knowers know and the speakers cannot tell.

These first four books, ‘Abdu’l-Baha states are meant to be lived and not merely read or heard:

Through the power of faith, obey ye the teachings of God, and let all your ACTIONS conform to His laws. Read ye The Hidden Words, ponder the inner meanings thereof, ACT in accord therewith.

The Hidden Words is a treasury of divine mysteries. When thou ponderest its contents, the doors of the mysteries will open.

It behoveth us one and all to recite day and night both the Persian and Arabic Hidden Words, to pray fervently and supplicate tearfully that we may be enabled to conduct ourselves in accordance with these divine counsels. These Holy Words have not been revealed to be heard but to be practiced. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets, Persian)

The ultimate goal is a sense of knowing without any doubt. This is an existential knowing of the Divine Reality from personal immediate experience in day to day life. This Certainty of knowing is closer to the real meaning of Iqan. It is also sometimes translated as ‘assurances.’ Thus it reveals the falsity of the acts of the people who have rejected the identity of the promised ones of their day in the previous dispensations. It guides us to walk “the path of positive knowledge” (Iqan, p. 215) and yet refutes what is vain and false. It opens with the falsifiability of religion (thus it is scientific along the lines of, and far preceding, Popper) and exposes the wicked acts of those who in the previous dispensations were shut out as by a veil in order to awaken us to the current clime.

The function of The Hidden Words and The Seven Valleys is a matter of self-purification and deeds, and acts to be put into practice in our lives in real time in order to prepare us for entry into the Presence of the Divine. This entry into the Divine Presence is symbolized by four grades or degrees; and each of these four grades or degrees is symbolized by a different goal or end point of satisfaction of the Divine desire and the unreserved acceptance of the Divine decree. The end goal reflects the ultimate corner or core value of the individual. “Four” is used merely as an outer symbol of balance, equilibrium, and the four inner chambers of the heart. The ultimate point is the experiential awakening of the inner life-world of the spirit and soul of the person into the direct and immediate contacts with the Divine. These are Baha’u’llah’s Four pre-eminent works upon the reality of true spiritual psychology–that is the purification, growth and readiment of the soul (psyche) in relationship to the (logos) the Word of God and the Divine Operating Principles animating the dynamism of itself in union with the cosmic reality.

Now it should be kept in mind that these first Four Holy Books precede His own Proclamation in the garden of Ridvan in April of 1863. We can date the Iqan (1862 revealed in two days); The Hidden Words in January of 1858 and others added later as needed; The 7 Valleys circa 1856 and The 4 Valleys circa 1857. As such these Four Holy Books are depicted in the prophesied stone work of the Outer Sanctuary in the Great Pyramid; and technically reflect revealed texts in the Dispensation of the Bab (ostensibly) though Baha’u’llah was already fully cognizant of His own Mission since His awakening in the Siyah Chal (the Black Pit) in 1852.

Thus Baha’u’llah helped to establish three main Baha’i centers in his lifetime that were destroyed or hijacked: the first one during the ministry of the Bab in (a) Persia (1844-1852); a second (b) in the “name” of the Bab in Iraq (1852-1863); and the third (c) in His “own new Name” from Akka and on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land. These events are reflected today in the mirror of al-mustaghath (Baha’u’allah, Gleanings XXX) and parallel the events in Montana during the ministry of Dr. Leland Jensen when the IBC/UHJ was incorporated in 1993; the events in Colorado from 2001 to 2012; and the events that are unfolding in current times.

The height of the Ante-Chamber in the Great Pyramid is 149 inches and represents the 149 years parallel of events between the ministry of Baha’u’llah in 1852 through 1863 with events still unfolding today. There is exactly 149 years from Sept. 21, 1852 when Baha’u’llah was awakened in the Black Pit and Sept. 21, 2001 AD when God brought forth his servant the BRANCH” (Zech. 3:9 KJV). The exact height at the spot of the raised red granite block on the floor of the Ante-Chamber of the Great Pyramid where the red granite floor begins in front of the Boss is 149 pyramid inches. Add these 149 years and we get the 2001 date to the very day. David Davidson also gets the date Sept. 21, 2001 AD (the Autumnal equinox) in the mid-point of the Granite Leaf and the terminal date of the 6000 years cycle of Adam–6000 pyramid inches on, what he calls, “the Chronograph of the Great Pyramid’s passageway system.” The Boss represents both the Primal Point of the Bab and the primal point of Unity (successor in the Covenant) in the Cause of God–the Zeru-BAB-el: living descendant of King David by which we are able to recognize the true UHJ from fakes, frauds, and imitations. The UHJ is symbolized by the chocolate granite Ark in the King’s Chamber that is the Ark of the Covenant from which Joshua the High Priest (Dr. Leland Jensen) takes out the seven sealed scroll and breaks the seven seals (see Rev. 5:1). No one other than the High Priest is allowed into the Holy of Holies. Thus God depicts these future events in the Outer Sanctuary dating as I have explained.

Before we can have the world election of the UHJ it must pass through the 4 Stage Constitution of  Shoghi Effendi (January 9th, 1951). Thus taking into account the 6000 years ceiling dating of the Ante-Chamber–and the 6000 years/inch terminal date of the Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber–the four fold pattern of the Outer Sanctuary also represents the clean-up act of the world and personal affairs that must take place between the years 2001 AD and the growth and development of the faith and the deepening and maturation of its people and the people of the world (in all 12 principles including the Covenant) through Four Stages of purification and growth–for others this will be in the form of “four winds” of destruction.

Thus these Four Books in the different contexts when understood correctly are meant to be experienced by the believers in harmony with the lineage of the throne-line of King David that is a fellow believer of equal status in the faith with them.

He Who is Thy Branch (aghsan) and all Thy company, O my Lord, have broken this day their fast, after having observed it within the precincts of Thy court, and in their eagerness to please Thee. Do Thou ordain for Him, and for them, and for all such as have entered Thy presence in those days all the good Thou didst destine in Thy Book. Supply them, then, with that which will profit them, in both this life and in the life beyond. Thou, in truth, art the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. (Baha’u’llah, Naw Ruz Prayer)

The teachings in these Four Books are meant to transform both perception and being (shuhud va wujud) that is bring the individual and our culture and society to a Oneness that transcends the normal bounds and horizons of the existential (wujud) and phenomenological (shuhud) reality and conceptions.

Here Baha’u’llah speaks of: “a Oneness that is Sanctified above these two stations.”

This is all preparatory for our own entrance into “the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10) and the real Presence of Divine communion: the deep things of the inner most recesses of the heart. This takes place both here in this life and as well in the afterlife as we prepare ourselves for our meeting with God, before the real throne on high, so to speak.

O Thou bird of the Garden of God!

Why art Thou sad and sorrowful, disappointed and grieved! Praise be to God! The eternal bounty is in succession, the Divine Glory is apparent and manifest, the display of Providence and light of guidance is glistening and shining from the Kingdom of ABHA and the appearance of the Greatest Sun is clear and evident. If Thou art outwardly far, then Thou art near in spirit, and if Thou art absent in body, Thou art present in heart and spirit.

Arise and wash thy body, wear a pure gown, and directing Thyself to the Kingdom of God, supplicate and pray to Him. Sleep in a clean, well prepared and ventilated place, and ask for appearance (or display) in the World of Vision. Thou wilt have visions which will cause the doors of doubts to be closed, which will give you new joy, wonderful dilation, brilliant glory. Thou wilt comprehend realities and meanings.

Verily, the bounty of the Kingdom is unlimited and the favors of the Lord of Majesty are like unto the rains of springtime. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets)

*****

The 12 Fruits Of God’s Covenant – God’s 12-Point Moral Compass For Humanity – Directing All To The Axis Of LOVE

Holy Day: Ridvan 12/Jamal 5, 175 B.E. (5/2/2018)

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018

O MY servants! It behooveth you to refresh and revive your souls through the gracious favors which, in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime, are being showered upon you. The Daystar of His great glory hath shed its radiance upon you, and the clouds of His limitless grace have overshadowed you. How high the reward of him that hath not deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in this, His new attire.

Say: O people! The Lamp of God is burning; take heed, lest the fierce winds of your disobedience extinguish its light. Now is the time to arise and magnify the Lord, your God. Strive not after bodily comforts, and keep your heart pure and stainless. The Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the one true God, deliver yourselves from the darkness that surroundeth you. Center your thoughts in the Well-Beloved, rather than in your own selves.

Say: O ye that have strayed and lost your way! The Divine Messenger, Who speaketh naught but the truth, hath announced unto you the coming of the Best-Beloved. Behold, He is now come. Wherefore are ye downcast and dejected? Why remain despondent when the Pure and Hidden One hath appeared unveiled amongst you? He Who is both the Beginning and the End, He Who is both Stillness and Motion, is now manifest before your eyes. Behold how, in this Day, the Beginning is reflected in the End, how out of Stillness Motion hath been engendered. This motion hath been generated by the potent energies which the words of the Almighty have released throughout the entire creation. Whoso hath been quickened by its vitalizing power, will find himself impelled to attain the court of the Beloved; and whoso hath deprived himself therefrom, will sink into irretrievable despondency. He is truly wise whom the world and all that is therein have not deterred from recognizing the light of this Day, who will not allow men’s idle talk to cause him to swerve from the way of righteousness. He is indeed as one dead who, at the wondrous dawn of this Revelation, hath failed to be quickened by its soul-stirring breeze. He is indeed a captive who hath not recognized the Supreme Redeemer, but hath suffered his soul to be bound, distressed and helpless, in the fetters of his desires.

O My servants! Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath attained unto everlasting Life, and whoso hath refused to drink therefrom is even as the dead. Say: O ye workers of iniquity! Covetousness hath hindered you from giving a hearing ear unto the sweet voice of Him Who is the All-Sufficing. Wash it away from your hearts, that His Divine secret may be made known unto you. Behold Him manifest and resplendent as the sun in all its glory.

Say: O ye that are bereft of understanding! A severe trial pursueth you, and will suddenly overtake you. Bestir yourselves, that haply it may pass and inflict no harm upon you. Acknowledge the exalted character of the name of the Lord, your God, Who hath come unto you in the greatness of His glory. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Possessing, the Supreme Protector.

Baha’u’llah, Gleanings LXXXV

The 12 Fruits Of God’s Covenant – God’s 12-Point Moral Compass For Humanity – Directing All To The Axis Of LOVE