It’s a constant challenge to me, to appreciate the merits of this world in its role of hollowing us out and refining us, sharpening our vision and purifying our heart, to such a degree that when the Divine finally appears before us, we respond with the love of our entire being. Darkness makes the eye keener. [...]
In these Seven Valleys Bahá’u’lláh describes the Valleys and Cities in reference to three spiritual stations: the station of limitation (tahdíd), comprising the first three valleys; the station of unity (tawhíd), covering the next three; and then the station of annihilation of self and subsistence in God (faná az nafs va baqá bi-lláh). In the station of limitation the wayfarer [...]
Imagine, using the warden example, that we were given a choice of grilled cheese, chicken, or fish for dinner. Now, say God knows in advance that we’re always going to choose the grilled cheese. So the question is, why doesn’t He just offer us only grilled cheese? What’s the difference? Perhaps part of the purpose of this life is not [...]
Like many things, I think the attitudes of past religions toward certain subjects, such as prayer, fasting and chastity, have given us a framework for understanding these things that is limited by the perspectives of the past. Just as the past religious doctors failed to understand the spiritual meaning of the prophecies of the Holy Books, they also abbreviated many [...]
There is a particular music and rhythm, an entrancing feel of being carried along, swept up in a verbal embrace. It’s a written form of the sun breaking through clouds, a song of power, a revelation of mysteries long hidden yet never kept from view – osbcured by their own transcendent glory. I’ve tried my best to translate it so [...]
A philosopher is technically a lover of wisdom, someone who seeks understanding and a greater comprehension of reality. They revel in shining a light into dark places, and are characterized by curiosity, profundity, and an eager desire to improve their character. A mystic is someone who lives their life according to a greater Reality than can be immediately or physically [...]