Baha'i culture...art, film, literature

[arthra]

If you ever wondered what pilgrimage to the Baha'i World Center was like you can take an eight minute diversion to:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kz0wGX1DZ_M

I met Hand of the Cause of God Ali Akhbar Furutan on my pilgrimage many years ago and as I was with him admiring the Shrine of the Bab, I commented that it was "beautiful". He replied: "It is more than beautiful".

Enjoy the peace and elegance...

- Art

[arthra]

Some may not have seen this video of the Temple of Light being built near Santiago, Chile...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=w5EYAzlGxKA

It's a simulated look at what the Temple will look like and has an interesting three dimensional quality to it ...also the sound blends nicely in.

There is definitely an etherial quality to the Temple and purposefully and tastefully takes cues from nature..

- Art

[arthra]

Yes there is even a small but growing collection of stamps commemorating Baha'is and their contributions as well as stamps that are signicant to us at

http://www.bahai-library.org/stamps/index.html

[arthra]

O.K....smarty pants! Here's an exercise for you...

Without looking up the country on the inter-net or an Atlas...tell me where you think Tartarstan is?

There are believe it or not some Baha'is there...

Here's a clue:

The Republic of Tatarstan is a democratic constitutional state associated with the Russian Federation by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

See

http://www.kommersant.com/t-108/r_5/..._of_Tatarstan/

[arthra]

Just went to Baha'i school today with my two grandsons... One read a prayer flawlessly and it had some pretty advanced vocabulary in it...He's ten years old... The other recited a short verse from prayer in the Prayer Book and he's six years old. I was the proud grandfather I was!

"O Thou kind Lord! These lovely children are the handiwork of the fingers of Thy might and the wondrous signs of Thy greatness. O God! Protect these children, graciously assist them to be educated and enable them to render service to the world of humanity. O God! These children are pearls, cause them to be nurtured within the shell of Thy loving-kindness.

Thou art the Bountiful, the All-Loving."

~ 'Abdu'l-Bahá,

[arthra]

Fiona Daniel, Baha'i artist and dancer, was born in the South of England and has been living in North Wales since 1989.

A great painting inspired by the Hidden Words:

"O Friend!
In the garden of thy heart
plant naught but the rose of love,
and from the nightingale of affection and desire
loosen not thy hold.
Treasure the companionship of the righteous
and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly."

See her work at:

http://www.warble.com/BahaiArtGaller...el/Garden.html

[Popeyesays]

Hello, Everyone!

I see I am at least provisionally back in the fold. I hope all have been well.

I finished my novel late this last spring and it is scheduled to come out February 12th from Capri Publishing.

The title is Sword of the Dajjal. It looks at the headlines of today from a perspective set six hundred years in the future. If you botch dealing with a problem one day and the next a technological means becomes available for the discontented to go elsewhere, will the problem just be differed to another time and place or will time wash it away?

"The Sword of the Dajjalby C. S. Saylors (Due out 12 February 2007) $15.00, Paperback, English, Sci-fi/political, fiction, 5x7, 16 and older, ISBN Conspiracy makes uneasy bedfellows. A religious zealot plans to remake a planet in his personal vision of Islamic purity. The world is a backwater, but it is unbelievably rich in some of the most rare strategic materials in known space. To do this, he plays off the powerful Terran Alliance and the fascist Pan Human Hegemony against one another. A war comes to a head, which threatens not only the politcal and diplomatic plans of the major powers, but also the very existence of a new and very reclusive sapient species. The battles on the world and in space are bitter and costly and ended by the threat of an alien invasion that both the Alliance and the Hegemony must meet together rather than "

One can pre-order and get a $2.00 refeund at this time at the publisher's website:
http://www.capripublishing.net/page17.html

The price includes domestic shipping to the United States.

Steve, you've got another one to review for Baha`i content.

Regards,
Scott

[arthra]

Thanks for the news Scott! Congratulations on your book...

I like that painting behind you in your avatar photo...that wouldn't Abdul-Baha would it?

- Art

[Popeyesays]

Originally Posted by arthra

Thanks for the news Scott! Congratulations on your book...

I like that painting behind you in your avatar photo...that wouldn't Abdul-Baha would it?

- Art

It just might be. It's a portrait using Abdu'l Baha's trip to America as it's theme. He is pictured standing at the railing of the RMS Cedric. I believe the artist has rendered the RMS Titanic in the background. The Titanic was lost at the same time Abdu'l Baha's voyage was underway. In fact he had been given tickets for a first class voyage on the Titanic, but returned them to the White Star Lines saying it was too luxurious for his tastes, and the money could be used better. He took tickets on the same company's Cedric in exchange.

The first thing Abdu'l Baha did on arrival when he was greeted by the American believers in New York City was to hold prayers for those lost on the Titanic.

Regards,
Scott

[arthra]

A very wonderful presentation by Hand of the Cause of God Colis Featherstone on memorizing prayers can be seen at:

YouTube - GOLDEN MEMORIES N0-4

Colis Featherstone and his wife were at our Baha'i School in Southern California back in the seventies... This film brings back great memories. His first Baha'i book that he read was the Dawn Breakers...

- Art

[arthra]

Correction:

That's Collis Featherstone not "Colis" as printed above...

- Art

[arthra]

A feature film about the martyred Baha'i women will be appearing soon!

index

This site has some beautiful images, photos, music and information about these couragous women!

- Art

[arthra]

HLUBOKA, Czech Republic, 19 January 2007 (BWNS) --

Joseph Fradella is a civil engineer from the United States. Joanna Portillo is a recent college graduate from El Salvador. Ndiitah Nghipondoka is an agricultural development consultant from Namibia.
From 25 to 31 December 2006, these three and 247 other young professionals from 33 countries chose to spend their precious December holiday in a sleepy medieval village in the Czech Republic. Their aim was to explore ways to pursue careers in a world dominated by material concerns and still have spiritual authenticity and balance in their lives.
"I wanted to find a way to be a Baha'i in all that I do," said Ms. Nghipondoka. "There is no time to retreat into a cave to try and be spiritual. And there is no time to neglect my spirituality to find ways to meet the material demands of modern living. I had to find balance -- this is why I came."
The village of Hluboka was the venue for the fifth year running of a conference called Changing Times. The gathering has become a highlight in the year for many young adults who are members of the Baha'i Faith.
Organizers said the idea behind the conference is to provide interaction between up-and-coming professionals and people who are established in careers and still maintaining spiritually rewarding lives.

For complete article and a video of the event, see

Baha'i World News Service - Young adults seek spiritual enlightenment

[arthra]

The game Unreal is familiar to computer games fans worldwide as one of the most prominent games of the 'run and gun' genre - otherwise known as 'first person shooters'. But here at the University of Ballarat the familiar scenery and backgrounds for Unreal have been re-imagined by head lecturer Chris Nelson for an entirely different purpose.

"What I've done is to take a computer game - a first person shooter computer game, where the main idea is to actually run around and kill your opponents, and the person who gets the most kills wins in the end. I've taken it and subverted it, using the game to create an interactive artwork based on the mystical treatise The Seven Valleys," he says.

The Seven Valleys is considered one of the fundamental texts for the Baha'i faith, written in Persian in the 1860s by Baha'ullah, the founder of the faith. Today there are roughly 6 million followers in 200 countries.

While the project forms part of Chris' master's degree, there is more to why he's taken this path in his study.

"I've been a Baha'i since about 1994, and the Seven Valleys is one of my favourite of the Baha'i writings. It just worked out that way, and it's come together quite well," he says.


Source:

Subverting violent computer games with religious poetry :: ABC Ballarat

[arthra]

Native American Baha'i, singer/songwriter/filmmaker,
Phil Lucas is winging his way to the Abha Kingdom
following his passing in Issaquah, Washington, on
Sunday, Feb 4. He had had triple bypass surgery.

Phil was known and loved by Baha'is in the 60s and 70s
for his soul-stirring, heartfelt music, including
"Mount Your Steeds, O Heroes of God". In the 80s, Phil
had the courage to film a ground-breaking documentary
for PBS, "The Honour of All", presenting the difficult
struggles of one native couple whose victory over
alcoholism led to the triumph of the entire Alkali
Lake Indian Band at Shushwap Reserve in British
Columbia, Canada. A review of the film notes: "It
began with their seven-year-old daughter telling them
she didn't want to live with them any more. Using
interviews and dramatic reenactments, this 1986
two-tape documentary tells the story of the how
alcoholics Phyllis Chelsea and her husband Andy
Chelsea stopped drinking and then led the Alkali Lake
Indian Band on a years-long, but ultimately successful
struggle out of alcoholism that had been devastating
the community of the Shuswap Reserve in British
Columbia."

More information about his award-winning career and
service is available at
http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/diversitycaucus/AIFF2006/PhilLucas.htm
and
http://www.nativenetworks.si.edu/eng/rose/lucas_p.htm

The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Issaquah
requests prayers for Phil, his wife Mary Lou and his
children. Condolences may be sent to the Lucas family
c/o the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
Issaquah, PO Box 743, Issaquah, WA 98027.