May 15-17
Baha’i Participation on the Internet
With Greg Fullmer, National Office of Communications, and staff from the Baha’i Internet Agency
A weekend for webmasters, bloggers, Public Information Officers, or just individuals interested in Communications and the Internet. Led by the staff of the Baha’i National Center’s Office of Communications, this session will review recent guidance from the Bahá’í World Center pertaining to Bahá’í activity on the Internet and examine case studies and best practices for local community websites; teaching online; and blogs, social networking and other forms of individual initiative online.

Catch Glen Fullmer at Bosch in a little over a month.  BTW, this image looks like a blogger mandala, don’t ya think?  Below is another mandala worthy of meditation, evocative of microbial life, surely as mysterious as the Internet. And please note that it is 9-sided. -gw 

This mandala was generated from my anthropomorphic colored-ink drawing “vase”. The decorative squiggles in the lower part of that drawing have here morphed into what looks like an overhead view of a petri dish where various opague and transparent microbes are replicating. (In the center circle one can see mitosis taking place — single cells splitting into two. It occurs here because splitting one element into two is a normal part of the process I use to generate these kaleidoscopes.) … Mandalas imply meditation and microbes may, on first thought, seem an inappropriate subject for meditation. On further thought, however, meditating on microbial life has much to be said for it.

Image: Uploaded on October 7, 2006 by omnos on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Bahá’ís Group Pool Discussion 355 Members

The photo below is newly added to the Baha’is Group Pool on flickr. Click on it to see it full size. -gw

Thumbnail: Uploaded on April 6, 2009 by simultaneous contrast on flickr

We found 46 results in simultaneous contrast’s photostream matching baha’i

See the photographer’s photos of the Northwest Regional Baha’i Conference in Portland here. -gw

Tonight our Thursday devotional meeting turned into a Baha’i fireside. A dearly loved chronically mentally ill member of our community brought a friend tonight whom she first met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. A fascinating woman, this friend works as a caregiver in a dementia facility now, but worked as a deck hand on fishing vessels in Alaska for 18 years. During those long Alaskan winters she read a lot, especially history. She was fascinated to hear a  bit of the history of the Faith, and immediately recognized the historical context, Baha’u'llah living during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Although she had never heard any details about the Faith before, she has loved the Baha’i prayers that have been shared with her and especially loved the fact that Baha’is recognize the truth in all world religions.  

With the help of the handy Anna’s Presentation, we gave this friend the message AND said a round of prayers, interspersed with music selections from the iPod. After telling a little bit about the story of the Bab and Anis who was martyred along with Him in Tabriz, I played this song. -gw

Tara Ellis – Anis from The Long Pilgrimage on Vimeo.

I just listened to Baha’i Benny Cassette’s “The Only Way Is Up” on his MySpace site. 34,049 plays so far of the song,  so I guess I am not the first person to listen to it. But I gotta get it.

Now I’m listening to his ”Constant Sorrow.” Just 131 plays so far on this one, so at least I’m ahead of the curve. It’s based on “Man of Constant Sorrow” from O Brother Where Art Thou, a song which already is on my iPod. Gotta get Benny’s version. I’ve been following his tweets for some time now. -gw

http://www.myspace.com/bennycassette

http://twitter.com/bennycassette

findingbibi Bita  What ‘girl empowering’ music or videos would you put on the Queen’s new iPod if you were royal DJ for a day?http://tinyurl.com/bibiqueenabout 4 hours ago from web

See: http://findingbibi.com/

Here are mine, for starters. Some are by Baha’is.  -gw

African Woman, Burning Spear, Chant Down Babylon

Average Woman, Heidi Muller, Cassiopeia

Daughters of the Kingdom, Eric Dozier and Friends, To the Glory of God 

Diamond Girl, Seals and Crofts, Greatest Hits

I’m Sensitive, Jewel, Pieces of You

Inion/Daughter, Afro Celt Sound System, Sound Magic, Vol. 1

Isn’t She Lovely, Keb ‘Mo, Big Wide Grin

Little Bird, Annie Lennox, Diva

Mangbetu Girl, Pangea, Pangea

Perfect Mother, Basia, The Sweetest Illusion

Project Princess, Tracie Morris, The United States of Poetry

Que Sera, Sera, Doris Day, Pop Music: The Golden Years

Ruby Jean and Billie Lee, Seals & Crofts, Greatest Hits

This Woman’s Work, Kate Bush, Felicity

Where Is It Written? Barbra Streisand, Yentl

Woman’s Work, Tracy Chapman, Matters of the Heart

Woman Awake, The Pearl Divers, Destiny

Woman in Chains, Tears for Fears, The Seeds of Love

Two beloved icons for Baha’is get parodied in one artistic endeavor here, The Office and the Ruhi Institute Study Circle. -gw

Hey, so I’m a huge Office fan, and I’m also a Baha’i, and if you also happen to be both of those things, then this parody of The Office, called The Study Circle, is brilliant! Even if you’re not a Baha’i, you have to appreciate the great efforts these guys went to to mimic The Office’s shooting style and feel.

http://www.pardisparker.com/?p=448

Alex is feeling his oats, and to celebrate is sharing a song. “All the world’s religions acclaim the spiritual power of music and our Age has a bounty of musical Power.”  Amen to that, Alex. -gw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs50uz3a_-M

Photo: “Susan at the mic,” Uploaded on February 18, 2009 by The Inadvertent Gardener on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Wood
by Dan Seals
 
His old hands were brown from the varnish and the stain
And I had come to talk in my youth and in my pain
I told him that I was not the man I want to be
Waited to see what he would say
 
But he just kept on working as if I wasn’t there
The sweat on his face and dust in his hair
He paused for a moment when I’d been there for a while
He wiped his brow – I thought I saw him smile
 
(Chorus)
He just said – Wood
From the earth beneath our feet there grows a tree
We can take it, shape it, to what’s it’s meant to be
The stronger the fiber, the better for the good
Son, I believe that men are just like wood

“Wood” by Dan Seals on the “On Arrival” album

My brother-in-law Frank passes on to me an email about a song by Dan Seals and a description by his son Jay as to what the song means. And through researching the son, I discover Everything2, “an extensively hyperlinked collection of facts, ideas, notes and humor to which anyone can add.” Jay Seals, aka NightShadow, was off Everything2 for three years but came on to do four posts in the past 10 days, including one about the passing of his father and another about the funeral. 

 But it was Jay’s posting of Feb 26 2004,”I now understand Wood,” that was at the heart of the email Frank was passing on. “Wood” is the name of a song that appears on Dan’s 1990 “On Arrival” album. The first few verses are above. You can hear the song here:

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/seals_dan/78553/album.jhtml.

And here is how Jay’s piece begins, but you really gotta go over and read it in its entirety to appreciate and man Dan and his son Jay. -gw

There is a song my dad wrote quite a few years ago called “Wood.” It has the sound and feel of a ballad, but not a love song exactly. It’s the kind of legacy ballad, like the kind of thing that a father wants to convey to a son. The basic gist of it is that the father wants to impress upon his son the importance of working with wood, that there is a sort of placid peace that comes from working with the grain, the texture and sawdust. It speaks, also, of how we are all like wood, being shaped and smoothed throughout our lives by our experiences and the other lives that touch us. Listening to the song I could intrinsically rationalize the sincerity of the lyrics and their inner truth, but I couldn’t really connect with it or understand.

I got a taste of that, though, in the most unexpected way. Now I can say with utter certainty that I know what that song meant and how it fits. I’m not so foolish as to believe or think that the song was meant for me specifically, from my dad, but I took it to heart just the same.

http://everything2.com/node/1522423

Jay is a Baha’i. His testimony, also on Everything 2, is below. Paullette Trail’s recollection of Dan at the Tennessee Baha’i School follows. -gw

I have a very strong belief. My belief rests in a particular Individual Whom I never got the chance to meet because He died long, long before I was born. His Cause was the catalyst for my conception and subsequent birth, therefore I owe Him my life. It’s a long story, full of twists and turns, like a warped soap opera, but that’s the bottom line.

His name is Baha’u'llah, and I believe that He is, for lack of a better phrase, the Return of Christ. No, I do not mean Jesus; yes, I do mean Christ- the motivating Spirit of all God’s Messengers. Baha’u'llah is the Messenger for this Day and Age. At least, that’s what I believe. I also believe He brought with Him some new teachings, laws and ideas. I don’t always follow them perfectly, because I’m an imperfect human being, but I believe in them- and Him.

And if you don’t agree with me, it’s all good. We swallow the pill that tastes best.

http://everything2.com/user/NightShadow

Thom and Dan would sit out by the pool watching the “kids” at the Tennessee Bahá’í Institute at Monteagle and talk about “woodworking” – you could see them talking and laughing – what a joy!!  That first year they met, Dan played the song “Wood” for us in the library there during an off moment – it hadn’t come out on an album yet (I believe) – we were crying it was so beautiful!!   Lots of folks don’t know that Dan made bamboo fly fishing rods…..and the time and patience it takes…

Photo, top: “Mission style End Table,” uploaded on April 22, 2007 by jaromad on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Thumbnail, bottom: Hemlock tree taken at the Tenneessee Baha’i school, uploaded on September 4, 2007 by Ezra F on flickr

Picnics and parties aside, yesterday was a special birthday for me. It was not because of my sweet granddaughter or even the benchmark of my own 59 years on the planet but because of Dustin’s spiritual rebirth. … Last night, after our lovely day at the beach, where Dustin had the unique experience of swimming with a sea turtle, I stopped by our friend Joanne’s house at Dustin’s request. There he made his declaration of belief in Baha’u'llah and eagerly enrolled in the Baha’i Faith.

http://lizkauai.blogspot.com/2009/03/happy-birthday.html

The recognition of a soul in the source of his transformation is always cause for celebration. -gw

Whereas formerly they were as moths, they became royal falcons and whereas before they were as bubbles they became seas. Through Thy bestowal, Thy mercy and Thy most great favor, they became stars shining in the horizon of guidance, birds singing in the rose garden of immortality, lions roaring in the forest of knowledge and wisdom, and whales swimming in the oceans of life.