Archive for November, 2008

 Mt Vernon

My wife, my daughter, and I spent the day at Mt Vernon in Virginia, the estate of George Washington, “father of our country.” Surely it was one of the busiest days for this heritage site with several thousand people in attendance. 

Washingtonian aphorisms were posted in abundance today as part of various displays in the high-tech museum devoted to Washington on the grounds. “We fight to be free,” was the title of one of the movies shown as introductory to the Mt Vernon visiting experience. Yet the time for the fighting of wars of independence is over. Assertions of separateness aren’t cutting-edge today. Assertions of our interdependence on a global level are.

The experience of being there reminded me of the fact that nation-building is no longer the task at hand for humanity, as it was in George Washington’s time.  I recalled passages I read (and re-read) while flying across the country yesterday, the book my current favorite, Saiedi’s Gate of the Heart, about which I have posted on before.

The writings of the Bab and Baha’u'llah hold the key for resolving the fundamental dilemma facing the West today. I wondered today how many, among the thousands visiting Mt Vernon, were aware of this. -gw

…the challenge of postmodernity is to locate some ground for values and ethics in order to safeguard the positive aspects of modernity — its egalitarian and democratic principles — without returning to repressive religious traditionalism. The forces of globalization have … thrust upon the world the imperative of finding an ethical framework to regulate relations between actors — whether nations, peoples, cultures, or corporations — in an interdependent global society. …

The positive egalitarian and democratic principles of Western modernity can be safeguarded with integrity only if he spiritual foundations of those principles are rediscovered — but not by a return to traditionalism. What is called for, instead, is a re-examination of Western instrumental rationality’s approach to religion and spiritual principles, and the application of the spirit of systematic search for the spiritual as well as material dimensions of life. Reason need not be alienated from the spiritual dimension of human reality. A dyamic understanding of human civilization and culture can be harmonized with a dynamic approach to the mystical and spiritual dimension of reality. Such an approach to truth is at the heart of the message of the Bab.

Nader Saiedi, Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Bab, 2008, pp. 13-14.

Photos: “Mt Vernon, April 2006,” ”Re-enactment at Mt. Vernon,” and “Mt. Vernon Garden Days”  all uploaded by ruhiyyihrose on flickr and reposted with her permission.

“Behold the candle, how it weeps it life away” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Behold a candle
how it gives its light.
it weeps it’s life away
drop by drop to give it’s flame.

You must die to the world
and so be born again
and enter to the kingdom of heaven. 

Uploaded on March 20, 2008 by Man United on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Thanksgiving is my favorite National Holiday, truly a spiritual day. We were traveling instead on Thanksgiving this year. Today is the day after, the 28th, still a spiritual day, when the Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha is commemorated, two days after the Day of the Covenant, November 26th. Here are two community blog mentions of these special days for Baha’is. -gw

Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - A blog entry from the local communtity where I am now.

The Day of the Covenant - From the community blog where I live.

Some inspiring links for the Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha:

http://info.bahai.org/abdulbaha-center-of-covenant.html and http://info.bahai.org/article-1-3-4-4.html

Just posted to flickr by Paul Ancheta  6 sets of photos from Kolkata, India. -gw

 Hans Ilunga Mangenda, age 15: “I don’t know how to explain my joy, but I must say that I have a lot of work ahead of me as a Baha’i. I want to go now and help consolidate all the new Baha’is.”

Mary Majumdar, Delhi, India: “I have only one word to say:  great!  Just great! … We have over 2,500 people here. When I think of entry by troops, I see this, and I think this is what entry by troops is all about. I can see it; I can feel it.”

Jaime Til, 30, Otavalo, Ecuador: “When I get home, my personal plan is to start with one of the core activities to work toward the goal in our cluster, which is to launch an intensive program of growth. All the friends are going to help out in one way or another. My own plan is to start a study circle.”

Available as the current featured content on Baha’i Explorer are the conference reports from the regional Baha’i conferences from this past weekend. You won’t believe your eyes and ears. -gw

22–23 November 2008

http://news.bahai.org/community-news/regional-conferences/

I’ve never been a member of any religion and just can’t believe I may have found one that feels so right.

So writes Laura in her email to  me today. -gw

Several months ago, I found myself yearning for more than a solo spiritual practice or an open religion. I also felt lonely for some sort of spiritual community. In many of the gatherings I’ve attended, we’ve all been openminded and while a Buddhist might share of her faith or a Christian might share of his, we’ve all accepted that that God/Goddesses/The Universe can be worshiped and interpreted in many ways. I’ve liked the openness and the respect, but inside of me something has emerged that wants more. I want community and a path of study.

I recently discovered the Baha’i Faith and am intrigued enough to want to learn more. I’ve explored other faiths, but have never considered joining one. Something about the Baha’i faith feels right, but I’m cautious, having never been a member of any religion. This is as close to home as I have ever felt, but I want to know more.

 http://tobahaiornottobahai.blogspot.com/

Photo: “Colorful Universe ,” Uploaded on January 2, 2007 by tomt6788 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

The youth responded with heart-felt affection and respect. What else could cause a room of 1,000 youth to spontaneously stand and applaud Counsellor Rebequa Murphy, come all the way from the Baha’i World Centre to speak to them, and who has “presented at NEBY Fest more than any other presenter in its history.” Counsellor Murphy and the other featured presenters … shared humorous and inspiring stories, discerning sketches of the times in which we live, and insights from Baha’i Writings. Every point returned to the youth themselves, to their strengths, their challenges, their importance in living in the world at this time as Baha’is.

http://luminousrealities.blogspot.com/2008/03/neby-fest-stage-is-set.html

In the spirit of Mona, Baha’is around the world continue to work for the spiritual and moral development of children as emphasized in remarks made by Ms. Rebecca Murphy at the recent Social and Economic Development Conference in December 2006:

“Providing spiritual education for children is a fundamental part of social development,” said Rebequa Murphy, a Baha’i Counsellor. Her comments came in a talk titled “The Preservation of Human Honor,” explaining how human progress will organically spring from core activities.

http://www.bahaithought.com/2007/01/what-true-martyr-looks-like.html

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
On Faith Beyond Walls: Rebequa left a wonderful feeling in the room

Rebecca was the speaker? No wonder there was a wonderful feeling in the room. -gw

I went to the interfaith partnership / Faith Beyond Walls Banquet dinner last night. It was GREAT! Rebequa Murphy was the speaker, as the host group this year were the Baha’i's of the greater Saint Louis area. She was great and left a wonderful feeling in the room. I think that it was one of the more impressive dinners they have had in the last few years.

Genevieve, “This could be the beginning…,” ownlife: individualism and eccentricity

Posted by George Wesley Dannells at 7:37 AM

http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/10/on-faith-beyond-walls-rebequa-left.html

Photo: BWNS, http://news.bahai.org/multimedia/slideshow.php?storyid=267

•  heddahfeddah: Devastating news: Baha’i Counsellor Rebecqua Murphy passed away this morning in NYC. I worked with her at the UN, looked up to her so much. about 7 hours ago · Reply · View Tweet

Heather notes Becky Murphy’s association with the UN. What was it exactly? Here is this part of her story as gleaned from a professional biography about her. -gw

From 1993 until 1996, Becky served as the United Nations Representative of a major international non-governmental organization. Her responsibilities included educating grass-roots institutions and individuals in over thirteen hundred localities throughout the United States on the work of the United Nations. She helped individuals to understand issues of global governance; helped with the ratification of UN Conventions by the United States; addressed gender issues and the creation of violence free families; combated anti-UN sentiments; assisted local communities to support worldwide efforts of UN specialized agencies such as UNICEF and UNESCO; assisted local communities in organizing celebrations for United Nations events (United Nations Day, Human Rights Day, International Year of the Family); and developed guidelines for coordinating local participation in United Nations conferences including the Earth Summit in 1992 and United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China in 1995.

Born in Ethiopia, her primary and secondary education was completed in Ethiopia, Russia and India. Becky has traveled to 68 countries on four continents and speaks fluent English and Amharic. She has been married since 1973 and is the mother of three sons and the grandmother of two girls.

http://www.innovating.com/com_who_bm.html

Beloved Baha’i Continental Board of Counselor member Rebequa Murphy, who died today in New York, will be remembered through pithy stories, like this one.

Rebequa Murphy, a member of the Continental Board, used an urban analogy to illustrate her point that the institute process (which includes study circles, children’s classes and other community activities) was aimed at raising a community of teachers of the Faith.

“In New York City you learn [to] only hail cabs that have their light on, because if their light’s not on they’re not open for business,” Ms. Murphy said.

http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story/267?storyid=267

Photo: Uploaded on June 16, 2008 by Iceman75 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

It seems like just yesterday Counselor Rebequa Murphy was in Seattle to support the intensive door-to-door teaching in the vicinity of the Seattle Baha’i Center. It was, in fact, ten months ago. How the Baha’i world has changed since then thanks to the efforts of souls like Rebequa. May we continue to have her assistance. -gw

With the Baha’i friends.

Rebequa Murphy is third from the left in this picture taken in Guyana, by Faran Vafaie, uploaded to flickr on January 23, 2007.

 Radiant soul. -gw