Friday, February 20, 2015

" ... I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. ...



"O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Prayers: A Selection of Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p.152

Thursday, February 19, 2015

"Truth can in no wise be confounded with aught else except itself ..."



"Truth can in no wise be confounded with aught else except itself; would that ye might ponder His proof. Nor can error be confused with Truth, if ye do but reflect upon the testimony of God, the True One."

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, Excerpts from the Kitáb-i-Asmá’ (The Book of Names)

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

“I am all the Prophets ...”



"In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God; the day of the “Point of the Bayán”; the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God shall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered by the Apostle of God, “I am all the Prophets,” inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of Them hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun."

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, Excerpts from the Dalá’il-i-Sab‘ih (The Seven Proofs)

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

"As the body of man needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom."



"And now concerning thy question regarding the nature of religion. Know thou that they who are truly wise have likened the world unto the human temple. As the body of man needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God. Whenever this robe hath fulfilled its purpose, the Almighty will assuredly renew it. For every age requireth a fresh measure of the light of God. Every Divine Revelation hath been sent down in a manner that befitted the circumstances of the age in which it hath appeared."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 81


Robes of Bahá'u'lláh

Monday, February 16, 2015

..."Turn thy face unto Mine and renounce all save Me." ...




"O SON OF UTTERANCE! Turn thy face unto Mine and renounce all save Me; for My sovereignty endureth and My dominion perisheth not. If thou seekest another than Me, yea, if thou searchest the universe forevermore, thy quest will be in vain."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Hidden Words, Arabic No. 15


DaVinci

Sunday, February 15, 2015

... "These two groups sail upon two seas: the sea of affirmation and the sea of negation."



"SAY, verily God hath caused all created things to enter beneath the shade of the tree of affirmation, except those who are endowed with the faculty of understanding. Theirs is the choice either to believe in God their Lord, and put their whole trust in Him, or to shut themselves out from Him and refuse to believe with certitude in His signs. These two groups sail upon two seas: the sea of affirmation and the sea of negation."

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, Excerpts from the Kitáb-i-Asmá’ (The Book of Names), XVIII, 13.







Turner

Saturday, February 14, 2015

"HOW great the number of people who deck themselves with robes of silk all their lives ..."



"HOW great the number of people who deck themselves with robes of silk all their lives, while clad in the garb of fire, inasmuch as they have divested themselves of the raiment of divine guidance and righteousness; and how numerous are those who wear clothes made of cotton or coarse wool throughout their lives, and yet by reason of their being endowed with the vesture of divine guidance and righteousness, are truly attired with the raiment of Paradise and take delight in the good-pleasure of God. Indeed it would be better in the sight of God were ye to combine the two, adorning yourselves with the raiment of divine guidance and righteousness and wearing exquisite silk, if ye can afford to do so. If not, at least act ye not unrighteously, but rather observe piety and virtue.…"

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, Excerpts from the Kitáb-i-Asmá’(The Book of Names)




Andrew Wyeth