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.

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 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

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

Doing a Year of Service at Louhelen Baha’i School brings out the creativity in many a radiant youth. -gw

When You Gonna Wake Up?”Ringtone to your Cell

* * *

God don’t make promises that He don’t keep
You got some big dreams baby, but in order to dream you gotta still be asleep.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain ? …

You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled
You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs that’ll never cure your ills. …

You got men who can’t hold their peace and woman who can’t control their tongues
The rich seduce the poor and the old are seduced by the young. …

Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools
You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules. …

Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move
Instant inner peace and every step you take has got to be approved. …

Do you ever wonder just what God requires ?
You think He’s just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires. …

You can’t take it with you and you know that it’s too worthless to be sold
They tell you, ‘Time is money’ as if your life was worth its weight in gold. …

There is nothing subtle about this Dylan song from the  Slow Train Coming album. I am forever in pursuit of the Baha’i in songs. You, too? -gw

Michael is onto some great Persian music. I have one of the CDs by Parisa & Rahmatollah Badiyi. But there are so many more albums by Baha’i artists to put in my collection as well. Amie St is a great place to get them. -gw

Don’t know if you have these, but came across them today over at amiestreet & thought about your tastes. Farzad lives in this area & I’ve heard him numerous times.

http://amiestreet.com/music/parisa-and-rahmatollah-badiyi/sham-i-vafa-candle-of-faith/

+

http://amiestreet.com/music/farzad/

+

http://amiestreet.com/music/farzad/from-my-heart/

+

 michael

 From Hamed Saber  From t3knomanser  From TheTrident  From my mailo  From TheTrident  From Reza Vaziri  From Mohammadhoss…  From my mailo  From HORIZON  From rangorang

The table of the seven “sin”s in memory of the seven dear friends in the Evin Prison.

For centuries Iranians in accordance with an ancient tradition celebrating the festival of Nawruz prepare a table with the famous seven objects starting with the letter ‘s’ each one of which is a symbol for the start of a prosperous and blessed New Year. A year filled with health and success, joy and radiance, happiness and prosperity. The people of Iran, in accord with their ancient culture and practice make all effort that the dust and dross of hatreds and enmities may be washed from their hearts and instead they would aim to plant the seed of love and kindliness of compassion and humanity in the soil of their heart. It is in these days of Nawruz that the aspiration is about that the plant of friendship and amity may take upon itself new life. Truly it is rather beautiful that after the lapse of centuries and innumerable vicissitudes of fortune that have transpired in this ancient land of Iran that the cause of love and friendship should not be forgotten and with the start of the new solar year and the resurrection of all nature that all men and women should focus on what renewal and renovation really mean. In this year the Bahá’ís of Iran also look forward to its new inception and these friends in addition to the classical table of the seven ‘S’ remember the seven friends of Iran and indeed all other innocent prisoners all of whom look forward to the start of a New Year, all of whom wish for the good, the happiness, the upliftment of all humanity. The Bahá’ís pray fervently that the clouds of prejudice, misconception, hatred, animosity may be dispelled and instead the orb of peacefulness, reconciliation and love may shine. The Bahá’ís of Iran altogether in the silence of their heart despite innumerable pressures and threats murmur these words of his Holiness Abdu’l-Bahá:

‘He is God, O thou who art attracted to the divine fragrances it is the day of Nawruz and all Iranians are engaged in joy and festivity, but for these exiles and imprisoned ones every moment a fresh news arrives from the arena of tests and tribulations. Some say that that whole land will be disturbed; others believe that these exiles will be sent to the limitless and arid desert. Yet others say that they will obliterate these lowly ones and remove all traces of our existence and yet others say that these storms will settle and this dust cloud will end and peace and tranquility will be achieved but as for us we are not engaged in any of these thoughts, Praise be to God that we know of none of these suggestions save closeness to the present of the Countenance of the Well Beloved. We have no hope but to get close to that musk laden lock of hair of the Beloved. In fact we have forgotten totally time and space and at all time wish to hear the call of the Heavenly Spirit and of Gabriel. That which God has ordained will come to pass and that which is other than the wish of the one true God will come to naught and upon thee be all greetings and salutations.”

translated by Dr. Khazeh Fananapazir

We are all Tongans, no matter where we live in the world. -gw

Tongan and Tongan-at-heart at the Neah Bay Baha’i Council Fire 2008, on the Northwest tip of Washington State. -gw 

Everyday there is an artist who is new to me to get to know.  Here a singer that was up for a Grammy a few years ago who is a long-time Baha’i with a new album, Desire. -gw

The disc open up with Tierney reciting the Baha’i Arabic Hidden Words:

“O SON OF BEING! Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants”.

She follows this up with a mellow and arresting rendition of “Its Only A Paper Moon”. The quest for materialism is exposed as hollow, set against more lasting and substantial ideals. All of the eleven tracks capture the allure of the material in their own poignant unique ways, including lesser-performed gems such as “Long Daddy Green” and “Whatever Lola Wants”.

It should also be pointed out that Sutton follows in the tradition of Baha’i jazz musicians such as pianist Mike Longo, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and French horn player, John Clarke. …

“For me and for the band, juxtaposing the secular and sacred is simply
what we do. For us playing and creating music is essentially a spiritual
enterprise but, of course, we live in a secular world and I’ve never
had any desire to ram my personal spirituality down anyone’s throat. The
decision to use some Baha’i texts on Desire was an organic band
decision that was made over time and felt right and unforced.”

See also: http://www.leithjb.net/blog/2007/07/22/the-tierney-sutton-band-played-for-my-37th-wedding-anniversary/

http://news.bahai.org/story/427

GRAMMY-NOMINATED TIERNEY SUTTON BAND SEEKS THE PATH TO THE TRUE SELF IN NEW TELARC RECORDING