Sunday, June 30, 2013

“Verily, there is none other God but Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”



"We, verily, see amongst you him who taketh hold of the Book of God and citeth from it proofs and arguments wherewith to repudiate his Lord, even as the followers of every other Faith sought reasons in their Holy Books for refuting Him Who is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Say: God, the True One, is My witness that neither the Scriptures of the world, nor all the books and writings in existence, shall, in this Day, avail you aught without this, the Living Book, Who proclaimeth in the midmost heart of creation: “Verily, there is none other God but Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”"

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 168, pp. 80-81

Saturday, June 29, 2013

"We have assigned to every end a means for its accomplishment ..."



"We have assigned to every end a means for its accomplishment; avail yourselves thereof, and place your trust and confidence in God, the Omniscient, the All-Wise."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 160, p. 77

Friday, June 28, 2013

"With shattered hearts, we have received news of the destruction of the Most Great House--the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad."

TO: All National Spiritual Assemblies 
DATE: 27 June 2013 

" With shattered hearts, we have received news of the destruction of the Most Great House--the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. While the precise circumstances attending this outrageous violation are as yet unclear, its immediate consequence is without doubt, and must be emphatically stated: 
 The peoples of the world have been robbed of a sanctuary of incalculable sacredness. 

 So deplorable an act, coming on the eve of the unprecedented worldwide convocation of Bahá’u’lláh's young followers and their friends, calls to mind that mysterious interplay of crisis and victory through which His indestructible, irrepressible, inexorable purpose will finally be consummated. 

We supplicate the Blessed Beauty to confer upon His faithful followers throughout the world 
fortitude and resolve in the face of this grievous blow. 
 More information will be provided as it becomes available."

    The Universal House of Justice 


 "Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art He the excellence of Whose glory hath exalted them who are the sources of authority and honor, the potency of Whose might hath empowered them who are the fountain-heads of energy and strength, the dominion of Whose will hath elevated the Exponents of Thy Cause above all that are in heaven and on earth, and the life-giving effusions of Whose Pen have quickened the souls of the denizens of the kingdom of creation.

I am he, O my Lord, who, wholly for Thy sake, hath turned his face unto Thee, and who, while acknowledging Thy power and Thy sovereignty, hath directed his steps towards Thy dearly-loved Sanctuary, and Thine adored and hallowed Court. In this state I have reached the City (Baghdád) wherein, in the full glory of Thy names, Thou didst reveal Thy Self unto all created things. In it I have communed with Thy loved ones, and from the House within its walls I have inhaled the breaths of Thy holiness and perceived the fragrances of Thy fellowship.

Cast me not from Thy presence, O my Lord, neither do Thou drive me away from the shores of Thy love and Thy good-pleasure. For the poor can find no refuge unless he knocketh at the door of Thy wealth, and the outcast can find no peace until he be admitted to the court of Thy favor.

 Magnified be Thy name, O my Lord, for Thou hast enabled me to recognize the Manifestation of Thine own Self, and hast caused me to be assured of the truth of the verses which have descended upon Thee. Empower me, I implore Thee, to cling steadfastly unto whatsoever Thou hast bidden me observe. Help me to guard the pearls of Thy love which, by Thy decree, Thou hast enshrined within my heart. Send down, moreover, every moment of my life, O my God, that which will preserve me from any one but Thee, and will set my feet firm in Thy Cause.

Thou art, verily, the God of glory, the God of power, the God of knowledge and wisdom. No God is there beside Thee, the Great Giver, the All-Bountiful, the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving.

 Praised be God, the All-Glorious, the All-Compelling."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CV, pp. 175-177

Thursday, June 27, 2013

"Should anyone wax angry with you, respond to him with gentleness ..."







"Should anyone wax angry with you, respond to him with gentleness; and should anyone upbraid you, forbear to upbraid him in return, but leave him to himself and put your trust in God, the omnipotent Avenger, the Lord of might and justice."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 153, p. 75

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

"Say: The liberty that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude unto God, the Eternal Truth."




"Consider the pettiness of men’s minds. They ask for that which injureth them, and cast away the thing that profiteth them. They are, indeed, of those that are far astray. We find some men desiring liberty, and priding themselves therein. Such men are in the depths of ignorance.

Liberty must, in the end, lead to sedition, whose flames none can quench. Thus warneth you He Who is the Reckoner, the All-Knowing. Know ye that the embodiment of liberty and its symbol is the animal. That which beseemeth man is submission unto such restraints as will protect him from his own ignorance, and guard him against the harm of the mischief-maker. Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It debaseth him to the level of extreme depravity and wickedness.

Regard men as a flock of sheep that need a shepherd for their protection. This, verily, is the truth, the certain truth. We approve of liberty in certain circumstances, and refuse to sanction it in others. We, verily, are the All-Knowing.

Say: True liberty consisteth in man’s submission unto My commandments, little as ye know it. Were men to observe that which We have sent down unto them from the Heaven of Revelation, they would, of a certainty, attain unto perfect liberty. Happy is the man that hath apprehended the Purpose of God in whatever He hath revealed from the Heaven of His Will that pervadeth all created things. Say: The liberty that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude unto God, the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will refuse to barter it for all the dominion of earth and heaven."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, pp. 64-65

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

"It is inadmissible that man, who hath been endowed with reason, should consume that which stealeth it away."




"It is inadmissible that man, who hath been endowed with reason, should consume that which stealeth it away. Nay, rather it behoveth him to comport himself in a manner worthy of the human station, and not in accordance with the misdeeds of every heedless and wavering soul."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 119, p. 62

Monday, June 24, 2013

"Say: These verses draw hearts that are pure unto those spiritual worlds that can neither be expressed in words nor intimated by allusion."



"They who recite the verses of the All-Merciful in the most melodious of tones will perceive in them that with which the sovereignty of earth and heaven can never be compared. From them they will inhale the divine fragrance of My worlds—worlds which today none can discern save those who have been endowed with vision through this sublime, this beauteous Revelation. Say: These verses draw hearts that are pure unto those spiritual worlds that can neither be expressed in words nor intimated by allusion. Blessed be those who hearken."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 116, p. 61

Sunday, June 23, 2013

"Beware, lest thou allow anything whatsoever to grieve thee."




"Wherefore, be thankful to God, for having strengthened thee to aid His Cause, for having made the flowers of knowledge and understanding to spring forth in the garden of thine heart. Thus hath His grace encompassed thee, and encompassed the whole of creation. Beware, lest thou allow anything whatsoever to grieve thee. Rid thyself of all attachment to the vain allusions of men, and cast behind thy back the idle and subtle disputations of them that are veiled from God. Proclaim, then, that which the Most Great Spirit will inspire thee to utter in the service of the Cause of thy Lord, that thou mayest stir up the souls of all men and incline their hearts unto this most blessed and all-glorious Court…."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXIX, p. 303

Saturday, June 22, 2013

"Every hidden thing hath been brought to light by virtue of the Will of the Supreme Ordainer ..."






"O kings of the earth! The Most Great Law hath been revealed in this Spot, this scene of transcendent splendour. Every hidden thing hath been brought to light by virtue of the Will of the Supreme Ordainer, He Who hath ushered in the Last Hour, through Whom the Moon hath been cleft, and every irrevocable decree expounded."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 81, p. 49





Super Moon 6/22/13

"Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established amongst men."



"Say: O leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established amongst men. In this most perfect Balance whatsoever the peoples and kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight should be tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 99, p. 56




Bahá'í Temple, Sydney, Australia

Friday, June 21, 2013

“The promise is fulfilled. That which had been announced in the holy Writ of God, the Most Exalted, the Almighty, the Best-Beloved, is made manifest.”



This is the Day in which He Who held converse with God hath attained the light of the Ancient of Days, and quaffed the pure waters of reunion from this Cup that hath caused the seas to swell. Say: By the one true God! Sinai is circling round the Dayspring of Revelation, while from the heights of the Kingdom the Voice of the Spirit of God is heard proclaiming: “Bestir yourselves, ye proud ones of the earth, and hasten ye unto Him.” Carmel hath, in this Day, hastened in longing adoration to attain His court, whilst from the heart of Zion there cometh the cry: “The promise is fulfilled. That which had been announced in the holy Writ of God, the Most Exalted, the Almighty, the Best-Beloved, is made manifest.”"

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 80, pp. 48-49

Thursday, June 20, 2013

"Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond all created things."






"O peoples of the earth! God, the Eternal Truth, is My witness that streams of fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from the rocks through the sweetness of the words uttered by your Lord, the Unconstrained; and still ye slumber. Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond all created things. Thus biddeth you the Lord of creation, the movement of Whose Pen hath revolutionized the soul of mankind."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 54, p. 39

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

"See ye not this Sun that shineth in refulgent splendour above the All-Glorious Horizon?"



"Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud, and who hath been debarred thereby from recognizing My Name, the Self-Subsisting; who, when he heareth the tread of sandals following behind him, waxeth greater in his own esteem than Nimrod. Say: O rejected one! Where now is his abode? By God, it is the nethermost fire. Say: O concourse of divines! Hear ye not the shrill voice of My Most Exalted Pen? See ye not this Sun that shineth in refulgent splendour above the All-Glorious Horizon? For how long will ye worship the idols of your evil passions? Forsake your vain imaginings, and turn yourselves unto God, your Everlasting Lord."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 41, p. 34








Rosemary Pierce-Lackey

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

"Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth, but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others."






"O people of Bahá! It is incumbent upon each one of you to engage in some occupation—such as a craft, a trade or the like. We have exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one true God. Reflect, O people, on the grace and blessings of your Lord, and yield Him thanks at eventide and dawn. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth, but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon hath shone the day-star of wisdom and utterance. The most despised of men in the sight of God are they who sit and beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of means and place your trust in God, the Provider of all means."

 -Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 33, p. 30

Monday, June 17, 2013

"This is that hidden knowledge which shall never change, since its beginning is with nine ..."



"Say: This is that hidden knowledge which shall never change, since its beginning is with nine, the symbol that betokeneth the concealed and manifest, the inviolable and unapproachably exalted Name." ...

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 29, p. 28

Sunday, June 16, 2013

"Your spirits would be so transported by His Word as to throw into commotion the Greater World—how much more this small and petty one!"



"Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious, is calling? Think ye that ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your Lord, the Lord of all names, commandeth you? Nay, by My life! Did ye but know it, ye would renounce the world, and would hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of the Well-Beloved. Your spirits would be so transported by His Word as to throw into commotion the Greater World—how much more this small and petty one! Thus have the showers of My bounty been poured down from the heaven of My loving-kindness, as a token of My grace, that ye may be of the thankful."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 55, p.39





Khaled al Saai



Saturday, June 15, 2013

"O people of the world! Follow not the promptings of the self ..."



"O people of the world! Follow not the promptings of the self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness and lust; follow, rather, Him Who is the Possessor of all created things, Who biddeth you to show forth piety, and manifest the fear of God. He, verily, is independent of all His creatures. Take heed not to stir up mischief in the land after it hath been set in order. Whoso acteth in this way is not of Us, and We are quit of him. Such is the command which hath, through the power of truth, been made manifest from the heaven of Revelation."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 64, pp. 41-42






Alberto Giaometti

Friday, June 14, 2013

"Seize ye the chalice of salvation at this dawntide in the name of Him Who causeth the day to break ..."



"Beware lest ye be hindered by the veils of glory from partaking of the crystal waters of this living Fountain. Seize ye the chalice of salvation at this dawntide in the name of Him Who causeth the day to break, and drink your fill in praise of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Incomparable."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 50, p. 38

Thursday, June 13, 2013

"But for the key, the Treasure would to all eternity have remained concealed ..."



"Say: God hath made My hidden love the key to the Treasure; would that ye might perceive it! But for the key, the Treasure would to all eternity have remained concealed; would that ye might believe it! Say: This is the Source of Revelation, the Dawning-place of Splendour, Whose brightness hath illumined the horizons of the world. Would that ye might understand! This is, verily, that fixed Decree through which every irrevocable decree hath been established."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 15 p.24





Mondrian

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

"Praised be Thou, O Lord of all things, visible and invisible."



"Blessed is the wayfarer who hath recognized the Desired One, and the seeker who hath heeded the Call of Him Who is the intended Aim of all mankind, and the learned one who hath believed in God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

How vast the number of the learned who have turned aside from the way of God and how numerous the men devoid of learning who have apprehended the truth and hastened unto Him, saying, ‘Praised be Thou, O Lord of all things, visible and invisible.’"

-Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, pp. 235-236


Khaled al Saai

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

"All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee, except the human heart ..."






"O SON OF DUST! All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee, except the human heart, which I have made the habitation of My beauty and glory; yet thou didst give My home and dwelling to another than Me; and whenever the manifestation of My holiness sought His own abode, a stranger found He there, and, homeless, hastened unto the sanctuary of the Beloved. Notwithstanding I have concealed thy secret and desired not thy shame."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, No. 27 Persian






Japer Johns

Monday, June 10, 2013

"Grant, then, that they may go straight on in the path of Thy Cause ..."







... "Send down, therefore, O my God, upon all that seek Thee that which will entirely strip them of all that pertaineth not unto Thee, and will draw them nigh unto Thy Self. Assist them, by Thy grace, to love Thee and to conform unto that which shall please Thee. Grant, then, that they may go straight on in the path of Thy Cause, the path wherein have slipped the footsteps of the doubters among Thy people and the froward among Thy servants. Thou art, verily, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Most Great."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CLXI, p. 254






Plumb

Sunday, June 9, 2013

"Let thy soul glow with the flame of this undying Fire ..."




"Let thy soul glow with the flame of this undying Fire that burneth in the midmost heart of the world, in such wise that the waters of the universe shall be powerless to cool down its ardor. Make, then, mention of thy Lord, that haply the heedless among Our servants may be admonished through thy words, and the hearts of the righteous be gladdened."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XV, p. 38








Rothko

Saturday, June 8, 2013

"In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love ..."





"O FRIEND! , In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, No. 3 Persian










Matisse

Friday, June 7, 2013

" ... the fragrance of the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the ideal Garden ..."



"O my brother! A divine Mine only can yield the gems of divine knowledge, and the fragrance of the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the ideal Garden, and the lilies of ancient wisdom can blossom nowhere except in the city of a stainless heart. “In a rich soil, its plants spring forth abundantly by permission of its Lord, and in that soil which is bad, they spring forth but scantily.” 31"

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p, 191 

31. Qur’án 7:57.









Julius Shaier

Thursday, June 6, 2013

"How can the shadow endure when once the sun hath shone forth?"



"How can a true lover continue to exist when once the effulgent glories of the Beloved are revealed? How can the shadow endure when once the sun hath shone forth? How can a devoted heart have any being before the existence of the Object of its devotion? Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul! In this station, the seeker’s complete surrender and utter effacement before his Creator will be such that, were he to search the East and the West, and traverse land, sea, mountain and plain, he would find no trace of his own self or of any other soul."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Javáhiru’l-Asrár), pp. 70-71

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

" ... that thy soul may be delivered in this day from the bondage of misbelief ..."



"O My brother! If thou be a champion of this arena, speed within the lands of certitude,  that thy soul may be delivered in this day from the bondage of misbelief, and that thou mayest perceive the sweet savours that waft from this garden. Verily, the perfume-laden breezes that carry the fragrance of this city blow over all regions. Forfeit not thy portion thereof and be not of the heedless. How well hath it been said:

His fragrant breaths diffused in Eastern lands could well
To sick ones in the West restore their sense of smell! 5"

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Javáhiru’l-Asrár), pp. 66-67


5. From the Díván of Ibn-i-Fárid.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

"O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction."



"O My brother! At every juncture We have restated Our theme, that all that hath been recorded in these verses may, by the leave of God, be made clear unto thee, and that thou mayest become independent of those who are plunged in the darkness of self and who tread the valley of arrogance and pride, and be of them that move within the paradise of everlasting life.


Say: O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction. How can ye fail to perceive and recognize it? It will in truth aid thee to grasp all that this well-assured Soul hath disclosed unto thee of the essence of the divine mysteries. The Dove of holiness warbleth in the heaven of immortality and admonisheth thee to array thyself with a new vesture, wrought of steel to shield thee from the shafts of doubt concealed in the allusions of men, saying: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of  God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.” 21

Wing then thy flight unto this divine Tree and partake of its fruits. Gather up that which hath fallen therefrom and guard it faithfully. ..."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Javáhiru’l-Asrár), pp. 51-52 

21. John 3:5–7.


Sudek

Monday, June 3, 2013

"On that day shall neither man nor spirit be asked of his Sin ..."



"And it came to pass that on a certain day a needy man came to visit this Soul, craving for the ocean of His knowledge. While conversing with him, mention was made concerning the signs of the Day of Judgment, Resurrection, Revival, and Reckoning. He urged Us to explain how, in this wondrous Dispensation, the peoples of the world were brought to a reckoning, when none were made aware of it. Thereupon, We imparted unto him, according to the measure of his capacity and understanding, certain truths of Science and ancient Wisdom. We then asked him saying: “Hast thou not read the Qur’án, and art thou not aware of this blessed verse: ‘On that day shall neither man nor spirit be asked of his Sin?’ 9 Dost thou not realize that by ‘asking’ is not meant asking by tongue or speech, even as the verse itself doth indicate and prove? For afterward it is said: ‘By their countenance shall the sinners be known, and they shall be seized by their forelocks and their feet.’ ” 10

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán , pp. 172-173

 9. Qur’án 55:39. 
10. Qur’án 55:41.



Ellsworth Kelly

Sunday, June 2, 2013

" ... make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of Thy grace ..."






"Make me ready, in all circumstances, O my Lord, to serve Thee and to set myself towards the adored sanctuary of Thy Revelation and of Thy Beauty. If it be Thy pleasure, make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of Thy grace, that the gentle winds of Thy will may stir me up and bend me into conformity with Thy pleasure, in such wise that my movement and my stillness may be wholly directed by Thee."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 240







Ellsworth Kelly

Saturday, June 1, 2013

"In this day the breeze of God is wafted, and His Spirit hath pervaded all things."



"In this day the breeze of God is wafted, and His Spirit hath pervaded all things. Such is the outpouring of His grace that the pen is stilled and the tongue is speechless."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, pp. 180-181