" ... empty thyself of all learning, that thou mayest partake of My knowledge ..."

 

© Chuck egerton 2025

O SON OF DUST!

Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold My beauty; stop thine ears, that thou mayest hearken unto the sweet melody of My voice; empty thyself of all learning, that thou mayest partake of My knowledge; and sanctify thyself from riches, that thou mayest obtain a lasting share from the ocean of My eternal wealth. Blind thine eyes, that is, to all save My beauty; stop thine ears to all save My word; empty thyself of all learning save the knowledge of Me; that with a clear vision, a pure heart and an attentive ear thou mayest enter the court of My holiness.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #11 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/756281961

"Close one eye and open the other."

 

photo by Cayetana Saiz

O MAN OF TWO VISIONS!

Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #12 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/775762706

"I fear lest, bereft of the melody of the dove of heaven, ye will sink back ..."

 

photo by Margarete P.

O MY CHILDREN!

I fear lest, bereft of the melody of the dove of heaven, ye will sink back to the shades of utter loss, and, never having gazed upon the beauty of the rose, return to water and clay.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #13 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/944463388

"Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2025

O FRIENDS!

Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #14 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/909085672

"By God! The Beloved of the worlds is come! Blessed be the one who attaineth His presence, and beholdeth His face, and giveth ear to His most holy, His most glorious and beloved utterance ..."

“By God! I am the Maid of Heaven, abiding in the midmost heart of Paradise, hidden behind the veil of the All-Merciful and concealed from the eyes of men. From time immemorial I remained shrouded in the veil of sanctity beneath the Tabernacle of Grandeur. I heard a most sweet call from the right hand of the throne of my Lord, the Most Exalted, and I saw Paradise itself set in motion and all its inhabitants stirred up in their longing to attain the presence of God, the All-Glorious. Whereupon another call was raised: ‘By God! The Beloved of the worlds is come! Blessed be the one who attaineth His presence, and beholdeth His face, and giveth ear to His most holy, His most glorious and beloved utterance. The Voice of God hath enraptured the souls of the Concourse on high and the hearts of the dwellers of the everlasting realm, and the all-consuming ecstasies of love have caused them to tremble with yearning and to fix their gaze upon the court of sanctity, the station of unapproachable glory.’

 
(Bahá'u'lláh, Days of Remembrance)
www.bahai.org/r/633117476

Happy Riḍván!

"The time cometh, when the nightingale of holiness will no longer unfold the inner mysteries ..."

 

photo by Margarete P.

O SON OF SPIRIT!

The time cometh, when the nightingale of holiness will no longer unfold the inner mysteries and ye will all be bereft of the celestial melody and of the voice from on high.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #15 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/411149860

" ... myriads of hidden mysteries are revealed in a single melody ..."

 

O ESSENCE OF NEGLIGENCE!

Myriads of mystic tongues find utterance in one speech, and myriads of hidden mysteries are revealed in a single melody; yet, alas, there is no ear to hear, nor heart to understand.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #16 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/748143718