THE MYSTERY OF PRAYER

A quotation from the sacred writings of the Baha'i Writings of the Baha'i Faith

Intone, O my servent, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of they melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.

Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb.

Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner of later exercise its influence upon his soul.

Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom.

-Baha'u'llah- 


GOD BLESS!!  HAVE A MYSTIC DAY!! 

WHAT IS PATIENCE?

Patience is quiet hope and expectation based on trust that, in the end, everything will be all right. Patience means waiting.  It is enduring a delay or troublesome situation without complaining.

It means having self-control because you can't control the way someone else is acting or when things don't go as you'd like.  Patience is being calm and tolerant when difficult thngs happen.

Patience is persevering...sticking with something for as long as it takes to finish it. when you are patient, you know that things take time, just like a seed you plant will someday grow into a flower of a fruit bearing tree. 

Patience is a commitment to the future.  It is doing something now so that later something good will happen.  It is also putting up with all of the things necessary to make it happen. 

Patience is seeing the end in the beginning,
doing what you can and then calmly waiting, with trust that the results will come.

You practice patience by accepting things you cannot control.  Even if you feel impatient, you act calm and accepting while waiting for someone who is delayed.  You have faith that things will turn out all right in the end.  A sense of humor helps! :):)

When you practice patience, you surrender to something that you have to endure, like an illness that will last a certain time, or a handicap you may always have, instead of fighting it and getting mad about it.  You are gentle with others when they make mistakes and you are gentle with yourself too.

Patience helps you to stick to something you are trying to do, even when it gets difficult or tiresome. You persevere until it is finished, even if you won't receive the reward for all your work until the very end.  You are willing to set goals for your future, knowing that it is really worth all your efforts.

Trust in God can give you patience...a quiet hope that will get you through the hard times.


(I did not write this. I think it came from a Baha'i children's book.)


GOD BLESS!!  HAVE A MYSTIC DAY!!

PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS PT.2

Glorified, immeasurably glorified be Thy name, O my god!  How can I ever befittingly mention Thee or sufficiently praise thee, that Thou hast manifested Him by the power of Thy might, and caused Him to shine above the horizon of Thy will, and made Him the Day-Spring of Thy signs, and the Dawning Place of the revelation of Thy names and Thine attributes?  How bewilderingly mysterious, moreover, O my God, is His nature and all that Thou hast infused into Him, through Thy strength and by the power of Thy might!  At one time He appeareth as the water which is Life indeed, sent down out of the heaven of Thy grace, and poured forth from the clouds of Thy mercy, that Thy creatures may be endued with new life, and live as long as Thine own Kingdom endureth. Every drop of that water would suffice to quicken the dead, and to set their faces in the direction of Thy favours and Thy gifts, and to rid them of all attachment to aught else except Thee.  At another time He revealeth Himself as the Fire which Thou didst kindle in the tree of Thy unity, whose heat melted the hearts of Thine ardent lovers when he Who is the Day-Star of the world shone forth above the horizon of 'Iraq.  I testify, O my God, that through Him the veils of human fancy were burnt up, and the hearts of men were set towards the scene of Thy most resplendent glory.

I implore Thee , O Thou Who art the Supreme Ordainer, not to suffer me to be deprived of the breezes which are wafted in Thy days, the days whereon the sweet smell of the raiment of Thy mercy hath been shed abroad.  Neither do Thou keep me back from Thy most great Ocean, every drop of which crieth out and saith: "Great is the blessedness that awaiteth him who hath awakened from his sleep by the breath of God which from the source of His mercy, hath blown over all such of His creatures as have set themselves towards Him!" 

Thou seest, O my Lord, how Thy servants are held captive by their own selves and desires.  Redeem them from their bondage,O my God, by the power of Thy sovereignty and might, that they may turn towards Thee when He Who is the Revealer of Thy names and attributes is manifeSted unto men.

Cast upon this poor and desolate creature, O my Lord, the glance of Thy wealth, and flood his heart with the beams of Thy knowledge, that he may apprehend the verities of the unseen world, and discover the mysteries of Thy heavenly realm, and perceive the signs and tokens of Thy kingdom, and behold the manifold revelations of this earthly life all set forth before the face of Him Who is the Revealer of Thine own self.  Direct , then, his eyes, O my God, towards the horizon of Thy loving-kindness, and make steadfast his heart in its attachment to Thee, and unloose his tongue to praise Thee, and make him able to hold fast the cord of Thy love, and to cling to the hem of Thy bounteousness, and to proclaim Thy name amidst Thy creatures, and to recount Thy virtues throughout Thy realm, in such wise that no obstacle will deter him from turning to Thy name, the All-Bountiful, and no veil shut him out from Thee, in Whose hand is the dominion of utterance and the kingdom of all names and attributes! 

Hold Thou the hand of this seeker who hath set his face towards Thee, O my Lord, and draw him out of the depths of his vain imaginations, that the light of certainty may shine brightly above the horizon of his heart in the days whereon the sun of the knowledge of Thy creatures hath been darkened through the shining of the Day-Star of Thy glory; the days whereon the moon of the world's wisdom hath been eclipsed through the appearance of Thy hidden knowledge, and the manifestations of Thy well-guarded   secret, and the revelation  of Thine enshrined mystery; the days whereon the stars of men's doings have fallen through the rising of the orb of of Thy unity and the shedding of the radiance of Thy transcendent oneness. 

I beg of Thee O my God, by thy most exalted Word which Thou has ordained as the Divine Elixer unto all who are in Thy realm, the Elixer through whose potency the crude metal of human life hath been transmuted into purest gold,O Thou in Whose hands are both the visible and invisible kingdoms, to ordain that my choice be conformed to Thy choice and my wish to Thy wish, that I may be entirely content with that which Thou didst desire, and be wholly satisfied with what Thou didst destine for me by Thy bounteousness and favor. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. Thou, in very truth, art th All-Glorious, the All-Wise. 

Happy is the man who has recognized Thee, and discovered the sweetness of Thy fragrance, and set himself towards Thy kingdom, and tasted of the things that have been perfected therein by Thy grace and favour.  Great is the blessedness of him who hath acknowledged Thy most excellent majesty, and whom the veils that have shut out the nations from Thee have not hindered from directing his eyes towards Thee, O Thou who art the King of eternity and the Quickener  of every mouldering bone!  Blessed, slso, is he that hath turned unto Thee, and woe betide him that hath turned his back upon Thee. 

Praise be Thou, the Lordof the worlds.! 

This is part 2, pgs. 38,39,40 & 41 of Prayer # 38 in the book of "Prayers and Meditations" by Baha'u'llah, compiled by his grandson, Shogi Effendi.  A good prayer to pray for seekers.




GOD BLESS!!  HAVE A MYSTICAL DAY!! 





                                         

PRAYERS & MEDITATIONS...PT. ONE

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!  I testify that Thou wast a hidden Treasure wrapped within Thine immemorial Being and an impenetrable Mystery enshrined in Thine own Essence. Wishing to reveal Thyself, Thou didst call into being the Greater and the Lesser Worlds, and didst choose Man above thy creatures, and didst make Him a sign of both of these worlds, O Thou Who art our Lord, the Most Compassionate!

Thou didst raise Him up to occupy Thy throne before all the people of Thy creation. Thou didst enable Him to unravel Thy mysteries, and to shine with the lights of Thine inspiration and Thy Revelation, and to manifest Thy names and Thine attributes. Through Him Thou didst adorn the preamble of the book of Thy creation, O Thou Who art the Ruler of the universe Thou has fashioned! 

I bear witness that in His person solidity and fluidity have been joined and combined.  Through His immovable constancy in Thy Cause, and His unwavering adherence to whatsoever Thou, in the plenitude of the light of Thy glory, didst unveil to His eyes, throughout the domains of Thy Revelation and creation, the souls of Thy servants were stirred up in their longing for Thy Kingdom, and the dwellers of Thy realms rushed forth to enter into Thy heavenly dominion. Through the restlessness He evinced in Thy path, the feet of all them that are devoted to Thee were steeled and confirmed  to manifest Thy cause amidst Thy creatures, and to demonstrate Thy sovereignty throughout Thy realm. 

How great, O my God, is this Thy most excellent handiwork, and how consummate Thy creation, which hath caused every understanding heart and mind to marvel!  And when the set time was fulfilled, and what had been preordained came to pass, Thou didst unloose His tongue to praise Thee, and to lay bare Thy mysteries before all Thy creation, O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names, and the fashioner of earth and heaven!  Through Him all things were made to glorify Thee, and to celebrate Thy praise, and every soul was directed towards the kingdom of Thy Revelation and Thy sovereignty.

At one time, Thou didst raise Him up, O my God, and didst attire Him with the ornament of the name of Him Who conversed with Thee (Moses), and didst through Him uncover all that Thy will had decreed and Thine irrevocable purpose ordained.  At another time, Thou didst adorn Him with the name of Him who was Thy Spirit (Jesus), and didst send Him down out of the heaven of Thy will, for the edification of Thy people, infusing thereby the spirit of life into the hearts of the sincere among Thy servants and the faithful among Thy creatures.  Again, Thy didst reveal Him, decked forth by the name of Him Who was Thy friend (Muhammad), and caused Him to shine brightly above the horizon of Hajiz, as a token of Thy power and an evidence  of Thy might. Through Him Thou didst send unto Thy servants what enabled them to scale the heights of Thy unity, and to yearn over the wonders of Thy manifold knowledge and wisdom. 

I testify, O Thou Who art the Lord of the whole creation, and the Desire of whosoever hath sought Thee, that, amidst Thy creatures, They resemble the sun which no matter how often riseth and setteth is still the one and the same sun.  Whoso maketh any distinction between any of Them hath truly failed to attain the ultimate purpose, and to reach the highest goal, and hath been deprived of the mysteries of unity and of the lights of sanctity and oneness. I testify, moreover, that Thou hast decreed that none on the face of the earth should equal Them, and none of Thy creatures be able to be compared with any of Them, in order that Thine own singleness and peerlessness might be recognized and established.  

Prayer # 38 (ppgs. 36-37-38) This is part 1 of 2 parts.

From "Prayers & Meditations" of Baha'u'llah, compiled by his grandson, Shoghi Effendi.


GOD BLESS!!  HAVE A MYSTICAL DAY!! 

MENTAL RAMBLINGS

I'm sitting here in my favorite rocking chair where I usually watch my favorite T.V. shows.  I don't have a big TIVO, but I do have a small flat screen, that one of my sweet grandchildren gave me.

There is a bookcase to my right under a window, with a lamp on it. On the table by my chair I keep a pad of paper and a pen handy to write down ideas that come to me. I write...therefore I need the tools of my trade always handy.

Sometimes in the middle of the night I might be awakened from a dream and write down words that later turn out to be a story or a bit of poetry. I actually had poetry published that came from a dream. I have been working on an historical novel that was given me in a dream many years ago. At the end of this post I will give you the words to, "The Color of my Dreams." 

If I didn't keep that pad of paper by my bedside table, or wherever I'm sitting or in my purse at all times, my creative ideas would sadly disappear down the "brain drain." 

 I had written this in Honolulu HI. August 1995.

THE COLOR OF MY WORLD  

RED HOT searing flashes of pain, 
BLACK shards of humiliating indignities, 
PURPLE veils of hidden excruciating fear,
BROWN muddy fingers of chilling suffocation,
GREEN salivating tongues of envy.

This was the color of my world 
that tragically filled the compartments 
of my brain with mementos of heartbreak.

Then YELLOW rays of mournful searching, 
ORANGE flickering lights of guidance.  
PINK streams of tender, unconditional love,
LAVENDER hills of soothing, calming, heartsongs
replaced the dysfuntional cells. 

Soon WHITE angels breath lifted me to the highest 
realm, where the GOD person said, 
"Welcome to the Color of My World!" 

Copyright (C) 2002     

GOD BLESS!! HAVE A MYSTICAL DAY!!                                

ANGEL OF MERCY

WHO SAYS MIRACLES DON'T HAPPEN ? 



I have two bank accounts,one sans anything,
but I keep it anyway. 

I received a letter from one of these institutions 
just the other day. 

The contents of the envelope when I opened it,tears 
to my eyes did bring. 

I'm merely an old lady, 
who's on that "fixed income" thing.

"Dear client," the letter said,
you are overdrawn five hundren dollars."  

I turned to God, I stemmed the tears,
I didn't even holler.

I wondered: What happened 
to the money I was about to lose? 

I have another bank account that 
I most often use. 

I never, ever use this one 
how can this possibly be? 

What could I do? Plead with them
to "Please have mercy on me." 

I pled my case, hoping it would fall
on sympathetic ears.

No such luck...my tale of woe 
did not touch her heart I fear. 

Suddenly I realized 
that it was my mistake. 

I had written checks on the wrong book.
Might the bank give me a break? 

I said, "I'll go to the ATM, 
and draw out some of the money, 

but there is no way I can give you
all the money, honey." 

I stood at the ATM machine,
confusion on my face.

"Do I have enough to spare? 
Dear God, please be my saving grace." 

A man came up to me, confessed
that he did overhear, 

my tale of woe, and wanted to know, 
as he told me not to fear. 

"How may I help you dear? 
How much money do you need?" 

I couldn't believe that this young man 
was about to do a good deed.

He handed me two-hundred dollars and said, 
"Please ma'am, have a good day."

God had sent me an "Angel of Mercy",
and then sent him on his way.

GOD BLESS!! HAVE A MYSTICAL DAY!!

LIFE IS WHAT IT IS--ACCEPT IT

Life is what it is
It has a beginning that has no beginning.
An end that has no end, and
Heavenly beings sent continuously to play-act.

An Eternal Writer/ Producer/Director, lovingly
Recruits from His immense Universal Storehouse
Of brilliant players eagerly waiting to perform in His
Most recent spur of the moment blockbuster novel.

To paraphrase the controversial,  but talented,
Mr. William Shakespeare, while writing
Sagacious comedies and tragedies, said,
All the world’s a stage and we ( the people) are actors.

What would it gain this Universal/Director,
The All-Knowing, Omnipotent, Mega Person
To create such a life-like, comedic tragedy,
Only to look upon us and laughingly say, “GOTCHA!...?”

“God Loves Laughter.” Says writer William Sears, but
He’s not a cruel jokester who gets off on abusing
His Creations, or causing them undue discomfort.
We, His recruits, learn and experiment for His benefit.

Don’t even think His recruitments are, for the “fun” of it.
Each of us willingly comes here for a purpose.
We are “born” into this world of myriad scenarios,
Without memories, to learn and...discover our purpose.


GOD BLESS!! HAVE A MYSTICAL DAY!!

MYSTICAL MEDITATIONS

I meditate every day. Sometimes my thoughts are ramblings of a tired mind, or a sleepy one. However there are times when my thoughts or meditations seem to be intermingled with someone or something of a heavenly nature.  For instance:


I'll sense a voice talking to me in my mind. "Dawn, you are not feeling well today. Perhaps you should change the way you are eating." Or, "Don't you think you stayed up a little too late last night? A good nights sleep is important for the body to have enough energy to last through the day."


Okay...so you say that I could have heard this on TV, or read it in a magazine, or any number of other scenarios...and that would be true, because I have. But, this isn't new to me. I have been talking to angels, or mystical beings for many years...off and on.


Many years ago, I remember playing, what I thought was a game with a friend of mine. We were grown women.  We both were married and had children.  She would ask me questions, and I would give her answers that were coming from my mind.  The answers turned out to come true.  I was told that I had the ability of being able to predict the future.  I didn't believe in that sort of thing and tried to forget about it, but my friend kept asking me to tell her things...and I did.  She told me, "Dawn no one knows about that except me and God."  I was astonished to say the least.


Even though my husband was aware of my ability (he believed in ESP and the like...I did too, up to a point). I felt like I was getting into unknown territory that I knew nothing about.  My friend called her minister and he told her to have me read certain scriptures from the bible and of course...pray.  


We started reading.  However, she had to leave for work, but I kept on reading.  I felt like I understood everything in the Bible at that moment.  


I became sleepy, so I laid down on the sofa, and fell asleep.  I found myself waking up, and there was this Golden Light, it was like a heavenly being was in the room with me...like Jesus.   I felt love and warmth, and that everything was all right, except that the knowledge that I had felt before...left me.  All I could remember of the reading was that God had revealed everything to me for just those few moments.


From time to time my friend would ask me to tell her things, and I would, but she moved away and so did I. I stopped delving into that sort of thing for a long time. 


I have always believed in a higher power since I was a child.  My parents were not religious people, but for some reason I knew that God existed. 


I remember being about five years old and learning the song, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."  It seems that a neighbor had taken me to Sunday School one day. 


As far as I know I never attended any church services after that until I was about thirteen years old.  We had moved to a new area and I found a new friend. Her father was the neighborhood minister.


I started going to Sunday Services with them, but the only reason that my friend and I really went was because we were interested in the boys. :):)  I remember having a crush on a great looking guy named Wayne.  However, we moved again and nothing ever came of my crush...or religion, at least then.


There was one other time when I was twelve that I had a very spiritual experience that I feel is the reason that I came to know that God exists.  I was on my way home from being with my friends.  Our guy friends were going on a weeks trip with the Sea Scouts, and we all met at the local hamburger place to celebrate, and to wish them "bon voyage".  

Three of my girlfriends and I all went the same way to get home.  It was about nine at night, but we were used to being out late. Our parents weren't what you would call "homebodies".  For the most part we felt pretty safe "back in the day"...at night.  I used to go to the movies alone.  


Anyway...my friends and I walked home that night arm in arm, while laughing and joking.  We all lived on different blocks.  When we came to Dolly's street, she turned off.  Next it was Betty M's street and she left me. Finally Betty R left me too.   

I was on my own now, but I felt happy, and looking forward to seeing my friends the next day...we had made plans to meet at the park.  It was not unusual to hear people walking on the street, or laughing, etc.. However, I heard footsteps behind me, and I felt something telling me that this was not a good thing.  I started to walk faster...so did the footsteps.  I accelerated my speed as did whoever was behind me.  I turned left and began to run up my street.  I was being followed.  At that moment I prayed, "PLEASE DEAR GOD HELP ME." I immediately turned right...into a very dark alley.  


You say, "Why did you do a dumb thing like that?"  


That would have been a good question seeing that it was a very dark alley, and I was only a little girl who was being chased by a man "hell bent" on catching me. 


However, the question was unnecessary, because when I got to the end of that very dark alley and turned around to see a man about ten feet away from me with a menacing look on his face, I also turned back around to see a very brightly lit up gas station.


Panting heavily, and scared out of my wits, I ran into the "Ladies Restroom" locked the door behind me and sat on the bathroom floor for at least an hour while I got my breath, and wondered what I was going to do next. I slowly opened the door of the restroom and peeked outside.  There was no one around including the service station attendant...I hadn't seen him when I ran in the restroom either.  I took a chance and ran the three blocks to my apartment house like a  "fire-breathing dragon"  was on my tail.

I hoped that my mother would be home so that I could tell her what had just happened to me...worse yet, what might have happened to me if God had not intervened.  What if I had not prayed and asked for help?  I probably would have kept running...up hill, and undoubtedly he would have caught me.  Who knows what might have happened then.  You probably wouldn't be reading this right now.

 Unfortunately, my mother was not home, which was no surprise to me, I was only hoping that she would be.  So, my story went untold for many years because I stuffed it where I stuffed all of the unhappy things that ever happened to me...into my safe place. Nowadays they call it the "sub-conscious".


Well anyway...that's how I learned to believe that God really does exist.

GOD BLESS!! HAVE A MYSTICAL DAY!!