Space is … a deep, even for cats. -gw

Each month, a long-time member of the Milwaukie Baha’i community hosts Star Trek Night at her house. The premise is this:

In the Star Trek Universe, every episode contains a discussion or treatment of a theme or principle central to the Baha’i Faith. Star Trek night is a raucous family-oriented evening in which Baha’is and non-Baha’is gather to socialize, and deepen on the faith by way of Star Trek episodes.

Original series, Next Generation, and even some Deep Space Nine episodes will make appearances. During any given Star Trek evening, there is usually time for two episodes. It’s not uncommon for upwards of thirty people to be present in this typical Portland bungalow — family members stack themselves like cordwood on the sofas; others watch from the adjoining dining room. Buster, the Beagle, sneaks off with stuffed animals and hides them in the bedroom.

http://typhoonjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/03/star-trek-nights.html

Photo: Uploaded on September 2, 2006 by Kevin Steele on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en.

Mammacomic loves kids. -gw

I am thinking about combining my love of design, art and architecture, with my love of kids and education. I am taking Ruhi book 5 this month, which is a training course in working with “junior youth” or kids in that sticky age just before becoming teenagers. I am stoked about it and think that this age group would be perfect for my idea. I want to develop an after school program for this age group in design, sustainable living and art. (some urban agriculture would be good too…) Somewhat like the mad science program…only design and living…and probably much smaller scale (at least to start…)

Anyways, the idea is to run after-school programs, and workshops for kids, and to be able to promote the stuff I love. I’m pretty stoked about it right now…and I’m writing about it because its on my mind, and because I am open to ideas, suggestions, references, networking…and all that jazz…I mean maybe it already exists and I just dont know about it…

http://mammacomic.blogspot.com/2009/03/art-design-education-and-dreams.html

This is what Baha’is are about. -gw

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• Children’s Class Teacher Gathering with Addis Fryback
• Ruhi Book 2 at Midway Point
• Ruhi Book 4 Study Circle Underway
• New Monthly Devotional Meeting
• New Activities at Magic Years Complete their First Month

http://nonthaburi.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/childrens-class-teacher-gathering-with-addis-fryback/

An old man, his iPod & dock.

Songs are succinct .Songs are basic. A song is over in just a couple of minutes, but it can be heard again and again. Songs have text. Songs tell a story, describe a problem, convey a message, and have a point of view. Songs constitute culture — larger culture. Songs are shared. A song is an artifact of the era in which it is composed. A song is a sign of the times. Songs are art, and art moves the emotions. Songs can be like medicine for the soul. A good song at just the right time can have a healing effect. But most importantly, songs tell stories.– and we move in a sea of stories. Day in and day out we align our personal stories with larger stories. Songs are breathed in, like air. As we incorporate songs into our lives, our personal story changes and our worldview evolves.

Above: I wrote this back in 1998 for a handout distributed at a presentation I did at the Reach Out Conference on Youth and Youth at Risk. It was entitled “Deep Listening: Songs for Self-Care.” If songs have power, Baha’i-inspired songs have a special power.

Below: God bless these Baha’i music people. This is a random list I did in a few minutes. There is not room on this page or time in the day to list the names of ALL the Baha’i music people out there who deserve recognition in one post, so I’m going to do it in increments. So help me God. -gw

Randy ARMSTONG * Jeff BOHNHOFF * Maya BOHNHOFF * Gustaff BESUNGU * Dario CARDOSA * Lin CHENG * Henri CROSS * Leonor DELY * Istvan DELY * Eric DOZIER * Tara ELLIS * FARZAD * Shirley FLYNN * Dizzy GILLESPIE * Andy GRAMER * Red GRAMMER * Devon GUNDRY * Laura HARLEY * David HUNT * Matthew LEVINE * Susan LEWIS-WRIGHT * Ferraby LIONHEART * Kevin LOCKE * Elika MAHONY * Adriana MEZZADRI * James MOODY * Mulopo MULOMEDE * Flora PURIM * KC  PORTER * Julie ROSSER * Phil SISSON * Tierney SUTTON * Ludwig TUMAN * Brain WAYY * Charles WOLCOTT

The drum beat, slow and fast at times like a West African tempo from the Gold Coast, sad or joyful from tango to meringue, remains consistent in its universal appeal. Indeed, drums continue to carry to men and women of all color and creed a message that all understand: it is the soothing or haunting sound of freedom, even when journeys are harsh or long. Everywhere, drums give birth to a simple truth: every time you beat the drum, you break the silence.

While the slave trade may be a thing of the past, there continue to be unwon freedoms in the world. Baha’is are beating a drum, albeit a metaphorical one, with each blog post, article, and comment in defense of religious freedom today. From Anne, via comment to the previous post. -gw

The United Nations is using a drumbeat to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade March 25: http://www.un.org/en/slavery/index.shtml

This Baha’i from Poland writes: “Not every song has to be happy and full of beautiful melodic lines as long as it stimulates the desire to better słuchaczu behavior, being a better person and a better serve” (Google Language Tools translation).  No truer words in any language were ever spoken. -gw

Jako muzyk, mogę jedynie powiedzieć jaki jest lepszy zawód od tego, który daje ludziom dużo radości i życiowej energii. Jest to zajęcie pomagające ludziom zastanowić się nad tym kim są, gdzie byli i czego dokonali. Nie każdy utwór musi być szczęśliwy lub pełen pięknych linii melodycznych o ile pobudza w słuchaczu chęć do lepszego zachowania, bycia lepszą osobą i lepszego służenia. Gdy śpiewam utwory kompozytora bluesowego Williego Dixona, lub kompozytorów jazzowych, jak Jobim czy Ellington, a nawet śpiewając utwory soulowe lub wspaniałe karaibskie piosenki Arrow, Crazy czy Mighty Sparrow pamiętam jak ważna dla naszych żyć jest historia (w piosence) i jak te historie odzwierciedlają historie z naszego życia podczas naszej podróży do lepszego życia i kochania.

http://kushtar.blogspot.com/2009/03/siona-majewska.html

The testimonial  of  Istvan Dely from his book is so moving. Listen to free music samples here. And see slideshows here. Website home: http://www.istvandely.com/index.htm. -gw

The other great gift from God that I received in Colombia is having come across the
Bahá’í Faith, which “hath lent a fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men’s
hearts”, to mine, too, and finally reconciled my thirst for mysticism and community, on the
one hand, and the quest for social transformation, on the other, as motivating forces and
final purpose of the arts, of music, of drumming.

This is how, slowly by slowly, out of the growing convergence in my heart and
mind, of the African traditions that I had learned in Cuba, on the one hand, and of the
Bahá´í teachings on the vital importance of cultural diversity for an organically united
humankind in our shrinking global village, on the other, I started promoting what I coined
Cultural Ecology as part of my work as an active Bahá’í, a musician, a drumming teacher, a
researcher of the African heritage in the Circum-Caribbean.

http://www.divinenotes.com/books/wildfire/wildfire_1.0.pdf

A kind person offered me the following, which I have taken immediate advantage of. -gw

It just occurred to me that other people may wish to make use of the feed aggregator that we set up for use in Baha’i Explorer. It uses Yahoo Pipes so anyone can take the same feed and edit it for their own use. Currently it has nearly 30 different blogs and truncates the list at the 30 most recent entries:

http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.run?_id=HpukIklh3RGP3xxurLQIDg&_render=rss

The respect the Baha’i Faith engenders for the indigenous peoples of the world and their culture is enormous. -gw

Wildfire: Reflections on Music, Drama & Dance

An e-book by Istvan Dely

Istvan Dely, born in Hungary, is a percussionist, writer, linguist, and one-time pop music star who hails from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. …

About the Book

Wildfire is the product of the author’s experiences and reflections in the field with a great number of national communities and institutes, raising sensitive issues of the arts and artists in the present stage of our collective learning process and trying to find answers in the Writings and the authoritative Guidance of the Bahá’í Faith.

http://www.divinenotes.com/books/wildfire/

WILDFIRE AUDIO SONGLIST CREDITS

1. Opening prayer. Instrumental prayer by Istvan, Leonor, David and Shangó Dely
Live recording at the Embrace the World Spring Tour concert in Denver, 2004
Music genre: AfriCaribbean and Native American sacred music

2. Tabla de Ahmad. Music: Leonor Dely; Words: Bahá’u'lláh
From the album Leonor Dely: Ámame, Insignia Records 2001
Music genre: Afro Colombian Porro

3. O que o Senhor ordenou. Music: Collective composition by a group of Institute trainees at the ALBASE
Regional Institute in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil; Words: Bahá’u'lláh
Field recording, 2003
Music genre: Rap Bahiano

4. Adunde Hebana Bungiu. Music: Brenda Colon; Words: Bahá’u'lláh
From the album Buiti Iarugadun, Uyanu Garifunoutiñ Bahai, 2002
Music genre: Garifuna Punta

5. Gaan Gadu tyami (seketi)
Music: collective composition by Saamaka Bush Negro cluster youth, Wagi Pasi,
Western French Guyana; Words: Children’s prayer by Abdu’l-Bahá
Field recording, 2002
Music genre: Saamaka Seketi

6. Escribe con la tinta. Music: Leonor Dely; Words: Bahá’u'lláh
From the album Leonor Dely: Ámame, Insignia Records 2001
Music genre: Afro Cuban Santeria

7. Kisa Senyè a te komande. Music: Sanba Zao; Words: Bahá’u'lláh
Field recording in Titanyen, Haiti, 2003
Music genre: Haitian Petro Rara

8. Alláh’u-Abhá. Music and lyrics: Anis Santiago
Field recording in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 2003
Music genre: Brazilian Capoeira

9. Ki lòt moun. Music: Tony Philippe; Words: the Bab’s prayer in difficulties
From the album Leonor Dely & Millero Congo: Talisman, Insignia Records, 2004
Music genre: Haitian Nago

10. Gaan Gadu. Music: collective composition by Saamaka Bush Negro cluster women, Wagi Pasi,
Western French Guyana; Words: Abdu’l-Bahá
Field recording, 2002

http://www.divinenotes.com/books/wildfire/wildfire_audio.pdf