Light

Light is one of the most universal and fundamental symbols. It is about the spiritual and the divine. It is illumination and intelligence. Light overpowers darkness in the physical realm. The photons in light can dispel darkness, but darkness cannot dispel light. This same principle applies spiritually, as the light of hope is always stronger than the darkness of discouragement and despair. All major religious holidays use light to celebrate the power of spiritual hope: Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, Nawruz... In today’s world, we have much to despair about but we also have much to hope for! Let’s light a candle and dedicate it to what we want to see or commit to in our lives!

“So powerful is the light of unity, that it can illuminate the whole earth.” – Baha’u’llah  “Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”-L.R. Knost  “Love is light in whatsoever house it may shine.” -Abdu’l-Baha  “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is the light in the heart.” – K. Gibran “O Son of Being! With the hands of power, I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light.” - Bahá'u'lláh  “All the teaching of the Prophets is one; one faith; one Divine light shining throughout the world. Now, under the banner of the oneness of humanity, all people of all creeds should turn away from prejudice and become friends and believers in all the Prophets.” -Abdu’l-Baha“In every case, the army of light vanquished the powers of darkness on the battlefield of the world, and the radiance of the Divine Teaching illumined the earth. Those who accepted the Teaching and worked for the Cause of God became luminous stars in the sky of humanity.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá   “Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space.  It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe.  It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished.” -Author Unknown   “Light is good from whatever lamp it shines.” -Abdu'l-Baha  “The sun, a radiant orb, emanating light and warmth. A luminous king who rules the day, shining a blinding light at noon, and a soft glow at sunset, blistering heat in July and a welcome, comforting warmth in January. It is the most consistent element in the world, appearing each day in the east, where it begins its daily march across the sky to set in the west - a symbol of God's benevolence.”  - Author Unknown   “God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, "The Kingdom is God's", may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.” -Bahá'u'lláh “…. just as the solar cycle has its four seasons, the cycle of the Sun of Reality has its distinct and successive periods. Each brings its vernal season or springtime. When the Sun of Reality returns to quicken the world of mankind a divine bounty descends from the heaven of generosity. The realm of thoughts and ideals is set in motion and blessed with new life. Minds are developed, hopes brighten, aspirations become spiritual, the virtues of the human world appear with freshened power of growth and the image and likeness of God become visible in man. It is the springtime of the inner world. After the spring, summer comes with its fullness and fruitage spiritual!” -Abdu'l-Baha  “A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home.”   - Author Unknown  “The sun is the life-giver to the physical bodies of all creatures upon the earth; without its warmth, their growth would be stunted, their development would be arrested, they would decay and die. Even so, do the souls of men need the Sun of Truth to shed its rays upon their souls, to develop them, to educate and encourage them. As the sun is to the body of a man so is the Sun of Truth to his soul.” -Abdu'l-Baha  “A man may have attained to a high degree of material progress, but without the light of truth, his soul is stunted and starved. Another man may have no material gifts, may be at the bottom of the social ladder, but, having received the warmth of the Sun of Truth his soul is great and his spiritual understanding is enlightened.” -Abdu'l-Baha  “He that has light within his own clear breast
May sit in the centre, and enjoy bright day:
But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts
Benighted walks under the mid-day sun;
Himself his own dungeon.
John Milton  “Man must be a lover of the light no matter from what day-spring it may appear. He must be a lover of the rose no matter in what soil it may be growing. He must be a seeker of the truth no matter from what source it come. “‘Abdu'l-Baha  “Shed the light of a boundless love on every human being whom you meet, whether of your country, your race, your political party, or of any other nation, color or shade of political opinion.” – Abdu’l-Baha  “God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, “the Kingdom is God’s”, may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.” - Bahá’u’lláh “Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful. In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love” - Abdu'l-Bahá   

Reflections

1. What can stop you from living a life filled with light & warmth?
2. How do you know when a moment is sacred?
3. What does bringing light to the world look like for you?
4. How might you see world events with the eye of the spirit?
5. In what small ways can one introduce light into a darkened world?
6. How do you pursue your inner light?
7. What is the most soulful gift you have given someone?
8. Would cultivating love & light in the heart be a painful process?
9. When do we know we are living a life that brings light & warmth to the world?

Peace

“If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men.”

— ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

O Son of being! Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.  -Hidden Word.  When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed. Without equality this will be impossible because all differences and distinction are conducive to discord and strife. Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it.-The Promulgation of Universal Peace   But war is made for the satisfaction of men's ambition; for the sake of worldly gain to the few, terrible misery is brought to numberless homes, breaking the hearts of hundreds of men and women! How many widows mourn their husbands, how many stories of savage cruelty do we hear! How many little orphaned children are crying for their dead fathers, how many women are weeping for their slain sons! There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an outburst of human savagery!-‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 29   Religion must be the cause of affection. It must be a joy-bringer. If it become the cause of difference, it were better to banish it. Should it become the source of hatred, or warfare, it were better that it should not exist. -Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 82.
  “Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.”-Rumi   “O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other.”– Baha’u’llah   “So powerful is the light of unity, that it can illuminate the whole earth.”-Baha’u’llah  “Like a sculptor, if necessary, carve a friend out of stone. Realize that your inner sight is blind and try to see a treasure in everyone.”-Rumi    “The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.”-Abdu’l-Baha   “He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.”-Buddha   “There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.”-Gandhi   “The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”-Gandhi
  ‘’If we are lovers of the light we adore it in whatever lamp it may become manifest, but if we love the lamp itself and the light is transferred to another lamp we will neither accept nor sanction it.  Therefore we must follow and adore the virtues revealed in the messengers of God whether in Abraham, Moses, Jesus or other prophets but we must not adhere to and adore the lamp.”-Abdu’l-Baha    “The peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly source and are the subjects of one God.”-Baha’u’llah    “Religion must be conducive to love and unity among mankind; for if it be the cause of enmity and strife, the absence of religion is preferable.”-Abdu’l-Baha   “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”-Baha’u’llah  “Speak not of peoples and laws and kingdoms, for the whole earth is My birthplace and all humans are my brothers.”-Gibran    “Religions are different roads converging upon the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads, so long as we reach the same goal?”-Gandhi    “The believers, in their mutual love, mercy and compassion, are like one body: if one organ complained, the rest of the body develops a fever.”- Muhammad   “Be the change you want to see in the world.”-Gandhi   “Let them look not upon a man’s colour but upon his heart.”-Abdu’l-Baha 
“So it will come to pass that when women participate fully and equally in the affairs of the world, when they enter confidently and capably the great arena of laws and politics, war will cease; for woman will be the obstacle and hindrance to it.”-Abdu’l-Baha    “Peace between countries must rest on the solid foundation of love between individuals.”-Gandhi   “O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all love together in perfect harmony.”-Baha’u’llah    “Close your eyes to racial differences, and welcome all with the light of oneness.”-Baha’u’llah    “Outward peace is useless without inner peace.”-Gandhi “O Thou kind Lord!  Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock.  Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household.  In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.”-Baha’u’llah   “May you become as the waves of one sea, stars of the same heaven, fruits adorning the same tree, roses of one garden in order that through you the oneness of humanity may establish its temple in the world of mankind."-Abdu'l-Baha   “If we want to reach real peace in this world, we should start educating children.”-Gandhi   “O Thou kind Lord! Unite all.  Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home.  May they all live together in perfect harmony.”-Abdu’l-Baha    “Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self.”-Baha’ullah    “Blessed is he who preferreth his brother to himself.”-Baha’u’llah    “Shed the light of boundless love on every human being whom you meet.”–Abdu’l-Baha   
  

The Power of Music

The universality of music is astounding. Songwriters link hundreds of individual tones into a pattern and pair that with pictures crafted from words to both express themselves and to draw an emotional response from their listeners. Sometimes the notes alone convey so much emotion that words are unnecessary.

Music can be joyful and spirited, a celebration of life. It can be sad or angry, a rage against the hurt or injustice we’ve suffered. It can express a political stand to inspire us to action. And it can simply tell a story that speaks to the human condition—no right or wrong; simply what is. 
Consider what role music plays for you. Are you a listener, a musician, a composer? How does music affect you? Is it a means of expressing your spirituality? Do you use it to enhance your mood? Is it background noise? 

“The art of music is divine and effective.  It is the food of the soul and spirit.  Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man is uplifted. . . . Thank God that thou art instructed in music and melody, singing with pleasant voice the glorification and praise of the Eternal, the Living.  I pray God that thou mayest employ this talent in prayer and supplication, in order that the souls may become quickened, the hearts become attracted and all may become inflamed with the fire of the love of God!” 

-Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.” 

-Baha’i Prayers

“And those that chant the verses of the Merciful in most melodious tones will attain thereby unto that with which the kingdoms of earth and heaven can never compare. And they will inhale therefrom the fragrance of My realms which none discerneth in this day save those who have been granted vision by this sublime Beauty.  Say, verily, the verses of the Merciful uplift the stainless hearts unto those realms of spirit which cannot be described in words or expressed in symbols. Blessed are they that hearken!”  

-Bahá’u’lláh

“The highest goal of music is to connect one’s soul to their Divine Nature, not entertainment.”   

-Pythagoras (569-475 BC)

“Music... will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.” 

-Dietrich Bonheoffer

“The musician’s art is among those arts worthy of the highest praise, and it moveth the hearts of all who grieve.  Wherefore, O thou Shahnaz, play and sing out the holy words of God with wondrous tones in the gatherings of the friends, that the listener may be freed from chains of care and sorrow, and his soul may leap for joy and humble itself in prayer to the realm of Glory.”  

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha

“It is the music which assists us to affect the human spirit; it is an important means which helps us to communicate with the soul.” 

-Baha’I Writings

“Sound or vibration is the most powerful force in the universe.  Music is a divine art, to be used not only for pleasure, but as a path to God-realization. Vibrations resulting from devotional singing lead to attunement with the Cosmic Vibration … Words that are saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are like highly explosive vibration bombs that have power to remove the rock of difficulties and to create the change desired.”  

Paramahansa Yogananda, Cosmic Chants

“The power of music to integrate and cure is quite fundamental”, Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist and author of Awakenings wrote.  “It is the profoundest non-chemical medication.” 

Dr. Oliver Sacks,  Musicophilia 

“Get yourself a drum.  When you sing a song and play the drum, you’ll be surprised how your mind, body, and spirit will react.  Everything becomes calm and joyful.  Our bodies love the songs.  The songs allow us to touch the hand of the Creator.  When we sing and touch the Great Spirit’s hand, He gives us power. Songs are another way to pray.  My Grandfather, teach me a song today”. 

 –Ethel Wilson, Cowichan Tribe 

“Chant is a devotional practice, a form of heartfelt prayer.  We call out to God, we honour God, we thank, we beseech, we invoke, we bow, we bless, and we celebrate. . Whether you are an experienced singer or the person who was asked not to sing in the class play, you can share in the wonder of chant. Chanting is not “singing”—it’s about breath, about heart, and about Spirit, and we all come fully equipped to participate. In chanting with groups . . . disparate voices begin to touch each other, their multitude of tones searching for a common vibration.  We breathe together and the silence in between the musical phrases grows quiet and crystalline.  Securely held in the repeating forms of the chant, we become free to let the Spirit of the chant take us where it may. As we give ourselves to the chant, we let go into an ever-changing river of melody and movement, patterns weaving and disappearing, feeling and emptiness, sound and silence.  And if we are so graced, there are moments seemingly out of time when something happens—when the boundaries that separate “me” from “you” disappear.” 

-Robert Gass, Chanting: Discovering Spirit in Sound 

“The finest emotion of which we are capable is the mystic emotion.  Herein lies the gems of all art and all true science. Anyone to whom this feeling is alien, who is no longer capable of wonderment and lives in a state of fear is a dead man.  To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists and manifest itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties – this knowledge, this feeling . . . that is the core of the true religious sentiment.  In this sense, and in this sense alone, I rank myself among profoundly religious men.” 

-Albert Einstein

“Through art, mysterious bonds of understanding and of knowledge are established among men. They are the bonds of a great Brotherhood. Those who are of the Brotherhood know each other, and time and space cannot separate them.”  

-Robert Henri

“Let us investigate a song which is above all songs: one which will develop the spirit and produce harmony and exhilaration, unfolding the inner potentialities of life. “ 

-Abdu’l-Bahá  

“Music sets up a certain vibration, which unquestionably results in a physical reaction.  Eventually the proper vibration for every person will be found and utilized.”  

-George Gershwin

“To chant but one verse with joy and gladness is better for you than reading all the Revelations of the Omnipotent God with carelessness.” 

-Baha’I Writings

“. . . singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls.  In this dispensation, music is one of the arts that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of exaltation of sad and desponding hearts.” -Bahá’u’lláh

“Chanting can awaken and guide humanity now”. We are “sounding a new world into being.” 

-Chloe Goodchild, The Naked Voice, p. 146 & 257 

“Give the world music that comes directly from the soul.  Soulful music is the music that immediately elevates our consciousness to the Absolute, to the Highest. Soulful music is next to meditation, and it carries the beauty and fragrance of silence, the message of the inner and higher worlds.” 

-Sri Chinmoy, The Source of Music

Who has guided you on your spiritual journey?

 

Who has encouraged you towards greater mystical heights? 

 

 

 

 

What master, teacher or Divine being has been the source of your understanding, your compassion, your peace, your want for the exploration of truth?

 

 

 

 

 

Who has been a source of illumination promoting divine love in your life?  

 

 

 

Who has shown you hope in times of defeat? 

 

 

 

Who is it that has guided you on your spiritual journey? How has your guide radiated compassion and humility in order to show you the way? 

 

 

 

 

Who is it that has guided you on your spiritual journey? In what way has your teacher helped you to 'come home'?

 

 

 

 

Who is it that has guided you on your spiritual journey? How has this being/Being shown purity in their own thoughts, words and action? 

 

 

 

 

Who is it that has guided you on your spiritual journey? In what way has this teacher been mirrors of your own true Self? 

 

Spiritual Response to Change

Whether it's an unwanted circumstance or something that we choose, we're often introduced to some kind of change in our lives.  Change is usually an invitation.  It can invite us to mine the gems of compassion that lie within or build barriers against it.  It can invite us to opt for becoming a fuller human or a lesser one.  It can invite us to show a greater measure of the divine (inwardly and outwardly) or not. The invitation is always there and the choices are always ours. Will your change invitation be an initiation into the journey of your soul? If so, how?

How do you know when something has changed inside of you? How does it manifest itself outwardly?

What is the change you wish to see in the world?

How are you the change you wish to see in the world?

What change has brought most meaning into your life?

How has a particular change in your life triggered new aspirations or inspired you?

What do you feel needs to change for our society to become more awakened, more caring, more peaceful and just?

How can we be happy in times of difficult transition?

How can the agonizing actions and horrific events in the world help us in any way to bring about more spirit, soul and life-enhancing changes? 

What needs to change for people to become more mindful of others and let go of selfishness?

How are the spiritual senses (intuition, emotion, imagination, inspiration) impacted in times of change? 

How can change help enhance creativity in the world?

What in your life has triggered greater levels of authenticity?

What changes have helped you reconnect with your true self, your higher self?

How have your personal life choices changed due to achieving higher understanding of yourself and the world?

How can we call on the assistance of divine power to help us change ourselves and the world for the better?

Could religious and spiritual teachings affect a change in human character? If so, how?

Unity in Diversity

“There is perfect brotherhood underlying humanity, for all are servants of one God and belong to one family under the protection of divine providence.”

— ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

-Psalm 133:1

“If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men.”

— ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.”

-Rumi

“O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.”

-Baha’u’llah

“So powerful is the light of unity, that it can illuminate the whole earth.” 

-Baha’u’llah

“Like a sculptor, if necessary, carve a friend out of stone. Realize that your inner sight is blind and try to see a treasure in everyone.”

-Rumi

“The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.”

-Abdu’l-Baha

“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.”

-Buddha

‘’If we are lovers of the light we adore it in whatever lamp it may become manifest, but if we love the lamp itself and the light is transferred to another lamp we will neither accept nor sanction it. Therefore we must follow and adore the virtues revealed in the messengers of God whether in Abraham, Moses, Jesus or other prophets but we must not adhere to and adore the lamp.”

-Abdu’l-Baha

“The peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly source and are the subjects of one God.”

-Baha’u’llah

“Religion must be conducive to love and unity among mankind; for if it be the cause of enmity and strife, the absence of religion is preferable.”

-Abdu’l-Baha

“The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”

-Baha’u’llah

“Speak not of peoples and laws and kingdoms, for the whole earth is My birthplace and all humans are my brothers.”

-Gibran

“Religions are different roads converging upon the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads, so long as we reach the same goal?”

-Gandhi

“The believers, in their mutual love, mercy and compassion, are like one body: if one organ complained, the rest of the body develops a fever.”

-Prophet Muhammad

“Let them look not upon a man’s colour but upon his heart.”

-Abdu’l-Baha

“O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all love together in perfect harmony.”

-Baha’u’llah

“Close your eyes to racial differences, and welcome all with the light of oneness.”

-Baha’u’llah

“O Thou kind Lord!  Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock.  Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household.  In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.” 

-Baha’u’llah