The everlasting Candle shineth in its naked glory. Behold how it hath consumed every mortal veil. O ye moth-like lovers of His light! Brave every danger, and consecrate your souls to its consuming flame. O  ye that thirst after Him! Strip yourselves of every earthly affection, and hasten to embrace your Beloved. With a zest that none can equal make haste to attain unto Him. The Flower, thus far hidden from the sight of men, is unveiled to your eyes. In the open radiance of His glory He standeth before you. His voice summoneth all the holy and sanctified beings to come and be united with Him. Happy is he that turneth thereunto; well is it with him that hath attained, and gazed on the light of so wondrous a countenance.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 321)

Ye are the lights which shall be diffused; ye are the waves of that sea which shall spread and overflow the world. Each wave is precious to me, and my nostrils shall be gladdened by your remembrance. Another commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another even as I love you. Great mercy and blessings are promised to the people of your land, but on one condition; that their hearts be filled with the fire of love, that they live in perfect harmony and kindness like one soul in different bodies, like one soul in different bodies. Never forget this; look at one another with the eye of perfection; look at me, follow me, be as I am; take no thought for yourselves or your lives, whether ye eat or whether ye sleep, whether ye are comfortable, whether ye are well or ill, whether ye are with friends or foes, whether ye receive praise or blame; for all these things ye must care not at all. Look at me and be as I am; ye must die to yourselves and to the world, so ye shall be born again and enter the kingdom of heaven. Behold the candle, how it gives light. It weeps its life away drop by drop in order to give forth its flame of light. The time has come when we must part, but the separation is only of our bodies; in spirit we are united forever.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i Scriptures, p. 503)

I magnify Thy Name, O my God, and offer thanksgiving unto Thee, O my Desire, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled me to clearly perceive Thy straight Path, hast unveiled Thy Great Announcement before mine eyes and hast aided me to set my face towards the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and the Fountainhead of Thy Cause, whilst Thy servants and Thy people turned away from Thee. I entreat Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of eternity, by the shrill voice of the Pen of Glory, and by the Burning Fire which calleth aloud from the verdant Tree, and by the Ark which Thou hast specially chosen for the people of Baha,  to grant that I may remain steadfast in my love for Thee, be well pleased with whatsoever Thou hast prescribed for me in Thy Book and may stand firm in Thy service and in the service of Thy loved ones. Graciously assist then Thy servants, O my God, to do that which will serve to exalt Thy Cause and will enable them to observe whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Book.
(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 116)

These three questions posed by Leo Tolstoy in a short story published in 1885 — more than a century later adapted into a marvelous children’s book “The Three Questions” by Jon J. Muth — guided me yesterday to a fascinating gift. In case you wonder what the answers to the three questions are, here you go:

Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For these, my dear boy, are the answer to what is most important in the world.

And here is how this all happened… Yesterday afternoon I saw a message on Facebook by a certain rocket scientist and audio magician friend who needed a ride for herself and her husband to the airport. Since I knew I was going to telecommute today and had the flexibility of time, I offered to help and have Kelly and Caeli stay at my apartment before their voyage. I had observed with fascination this remarkable couple whose wedding was certainly the most unique I had ever witnessed.

Refresh and Gladden – Live @ Tiny Planet – June 20th 2009 from Tiny Planet on Vimeo.

Kelly, whose Tiny Planet Studio inspired my Musical Prayer Station, had never been at my place before but Caeli, together with New Creation and TaliaSafa, was the first to perform at it, some 16 months ago.

An adventure ensued, starting with a trip to Goddard Space Flight Center to drop the Red Fire Track — with its precious grand piano cargo — off. On our way back through DC, we talked about music, dream jobs, playing with audio toys, the uncertainty of life, living in an oval house, and the guts to be different. I got asked a question if I am a musician, and as always I said, “No, but I am a singer”, explaining that I could never consider myself a musician since I’d never had a formal musical education. Later,at home, we sat around the dinner table to share prayers (somehow both Kelly and Caeli picked prayers I had never actually heard!) and I sang a prayer song to wish them safe travels. Kelly complimented  me on my singing saying that she had never actually heard my voice before — I answered jokingly that I had been talking the whole evening. But Caeli nailed it down, saying directly: “Mitko, you ARE a musician; stop retelling a false story…”

So, I guess it is time to admit, or rather make a statement: I am a musician!

As I was rushing through traffic this morning to make it on time at the airport for their flight to London, I was reflecting with gratitude on the gift of encouragement these friends gave me: the gift of honoring who I am without a false pretense! Thanks, Kelly and Caeli, and Bon Voyage!

The creative adult is the child who has survived.
— Ursula K. Le Guin

If you want to see the brave, look for those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred.
(Bhagavad Gita – Hindu scripture)

The afflictions which come to humanity sometimes tend to centre the consciousness upon the limitations, and this is a veritable prison. Release comes by making of the will a Door through which the confirmations of the Spirit come… The confirmations of the Spirit are all those powers and gifts which some are born with (and which men sometimes call genius), but for which others have to strive with infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life with radiant acquiescence.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 120)

O true companions! All humankind are as children in a school, and the Dawning-Points of Light, the Sources of divine revelation, are the teachers, wondrous and without peer. In the school of realities they educate these sons and daughters, according to teachings from God, and foster them in the bosom of grace, so that they may develop along every line, show forth the excellent gifts and blessings of the Lord, and combine human perfections; that they may advance in all aspects of human endeavour, whether outward or inward, hidden or visible, material or spiritual, until they make of this mortal world a widespread mirror, to reflect that other world which dieth not.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 127)

On the day of Naw Ruz, I was putting two dishes aside after having washed them, and I dropped them. One got broken, one was left intact. I thought to myself, how appropriate a metaphor — of keeping what is worth and throwing away what is not.

Then on the 9th day of Ridvan, I had brought two vases for the roses I used to decorate and then give away to the friends. The wind was strong and while I was away it knocked the vases — one broke, the other survived. Another reminder that some things survive and some don’t, but we move on.

Time to unclutter and cleanse:

59. O SON OF BEING!
Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

My steps today are simple:

• I biked to work
• I planted a garden on my balcony
• I am teaching my daughters to appreciate nature

When you make such first steps, as small as they are, it is good to know what the vision is. Here it goes:

The earth is but one county, and mankind its citizens.
Bahá’u'lláh

For every part of the universe is connected with every other part by ties that are very powerful and admit of no imbalance, nor any slackening whatever…
Abdu’l Bahá

Wert thou to consider this world, and realize how fleeting are the things that pertain unto it, thou wouldst choose to tread no path except the path of service to the Cause of thy Lord. None would have the power to deter thee from celebrating His praise, though all men should arise to oppose thee.

Go thou straight on and persevere in His service. Say: O people! The Day, promised unto you in all the Scriptures, is now come. Fear ye God, and withhold not yourselves from recognizing the One Who is the Object of your creation. Hasten ye unto Him. Better is this for you than the world and all that is therein. Would that ye could perceive it!
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 313)

‘Abdu’l-Baha, Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha  Pp. 11-12.

These days the world seems stuck. And badly needs unstucking…

In Iran, the 7 Baha’i leaders are stuck in a jail, falsely accused of crimes they never committed and we all fear for their lives. Please pray for them!

I will not even comment on the insanity of the battle in which I am stuck in my attempts to be a father…

All of this while Washington, DC, is stuck under record amounts of snow.

This morning on my way to pick my baby sitter, my car got stuck on her street as I was driving back towards the cleared road. It took me an hour and a half trying so many different ways to get unstuck. I pushed, I pulled, I tried forward, I tried backward. A nice lady let me borrow her shovel on three occasions, each attempt getting me closer to the goal but never actually enabling me to be free. What a metaphor for my life these past years! The harder I was trying, the deeper I was getting into the snow. At some point I asked for help from some Pakistani men. They came and tried to help to no avail. Then I decided to walk to the store to buy some sand (the idea of buying sand sounds insane to me but on a snowy day you do not have much choice). They did not carry sand but they had cat litter crystals so I tried that — again, to no avail. Finally I asked a group of young men from Nicaragua to help me and after a good wait during which they uncovered somebody else’s car, they came to my rescue and off I went…

So, I’ve been thinking to myself about the connection between stuckness and unstuckness, freedom and detachment.

Like water on a lotus leaf, like a mustard seed on the point of a pin, he who is not stuck to the senses – that is what I
call a brahmin.
(Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha)

The Virtues cards I peruse each day give good insights and suggestions. The one on peacefulness suggests giving up the love of power for the power of love. A beautiful friend send me today this quote to reflect on as I was sharing about my difficulties:

The more difficulties one sees in the world the more perfect one becomes. The more you plough and dig the ground the more fertile it becomes. The more you cut the branches of a tree the higher and stronger it grows. The more you put the gold in the fire, the purer it becomes. The more you sharpen the steel by grinding …the better it cuts. Therefore, the more sorrows one sees the more perfect one becomes. That is why, in all times, the Prophets of God have had tribulations and difficulties to withstand. The more often the captain of a ship is in the tempest and difficult sailing the more greater his knowledge becomes. Therefore I am happy that you have had great tribulations and difficulties . . .

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

So, all these tests and tribulations are a good sign that God indeed loves me! Much to be grateful for! So, I decided to be grateful and I baked two banana breads this afternoon to take to the people who helped me in my attempts to unstuck my car from the snow. The Pakistani men were not at home but two shy yet kind ladies opened the door and while giving them the freshly baked banana bread, I told them of my gratitude for the help I received from strangers. The American lady who gave me a shovel was very kind as well and I gave her also a Baha’i prayer for peace — we both agreed that the world needs more helping strangers, shovels, banana bread and prayers

So, for every one who is stuck in this world, let’s give them a spiritual push. And a prayer:

Thou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations have showered upon me from all directions and that no one can dispel or transmute them except Thee.  I know of a certainty, by virtue of my love for Thee, that Thou wilt never cause tribulations to befall any soul unless Thou desirest to exalt his station in Thy celestial Paradise and to buttress his heart in this earthly life with the bulwark of Thine all-compelling power, that it may not become inclined toward the vanities of this world.  Indeed Thou art well aware that under all conditions I would cherish the remembrance of Thee far more than the ownership of all that is in the heavens and on the earth.

Strengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience and in Thy love, and grant that I may be clear of the entire company of Thine adversaries.  Verily, I swear by Thy glory that I yearn for naught besides Thyself, nor do I desire anything except Thy mercy, nor am I apprehensive of aught save Thy justice.  I beg Thee to forgive me as well as those whom Thou lovest, howsoever Thou pleasest.  Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Bountiful.

Immensely exalted art Thou, O Lord of the heavens and earth, above the praise of all men, and may peace be upon Thy faithful servants and glory be unto God, the Lord of all the worlds.

The Báb

Make no search for water. But find thirst,
And water from the very ground will burst.
(Rumi, a Persian mystic poet, quoted in Delight of Hearts, p. 77)