Tonight’s Prayer Station brought together four men from four different countries — Ethiopia, Turkmenistan, USA and Bulgaria. Hillary brought his guitar so the recorded music was replaced by live songs. The readings on the topic of the Advent stayed, and so did the prayers: from the promised prayer for Mr. Ian Semple, to the healing prayers requested for the daughter of a Kenyan friend, to prayers for the infant grandson of an Israeli friend who contacted me through this blog, to prayers for my loved ones. the banana bread was a hit and thankfully I baked two loaves, so one will be for my colleagues tomorrow.

May peace be with you all! And may your soul rejoices as you meet the Blessed Beauty, dear Mr. Semple!

The boys enthusiasm for the piano was so endearing as they played Mozart and Bach, and their mom’s elegant performance of Mozart’s Variations was mesmerizing. We did have of course freshly baked banana bread with ice cream but we also shared some sweet prayers and meditations.

Sadly, nobody from the invited neighbors joined us, though someone made an anonymous call at around 7 pm and I suspect it was to check whether I am a male or a female. We live in peculiar, insulated, isolated times. In my apartment building there are many young ladies so I fully understand their apprehension to an unknown male inviting them for a house concert, yet I wish they were able to join us for we all had a wonderful time.

Oh, well, there is always next time. And indeed, the next Musical Prayer Station is coming up on December 9th, when the Canadian singer-songwriter Munirih Sparrow is coming to perform. Until then, let’s be grateful for live music and spiritual food!

Put into practice the Teaching of Bahá’u'lláh, that of kindness to all nations. Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.

(Baha’i Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 15)

Tonight’s gathering was a lovely reminder of how uplifting can be the winning combination of spiritual food, supporting friends and banana bread. The Prayer Station was attended by a very diverse group of friends — from Iran, Israel, Ethiopia, Mali, Louisiana, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, and a newly wedded couple formerly from the state of Washington. The selection of writings was on the theme of friendship, drawn from the Bible, the Quran and the Baha’i Holy Writings.

The musical selections were equally diverse. Just before the readings we started with Parrish and Topano’s “That’s The Way of Friends“:

Next came Grant Hindin Miller’s “I Charge You All”:

I charge you all that each one of you concentrate
all the thoughts of his heart on love and unity.
When a thought of war comes,
oppose it by a stronger thought of peace.
A thought of hatred must be destroyed
by a more powerful thought of love.
When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill,
soldiers of God clasp each other’s hands.
So may all the savagery of men disappear
by the mercy of God, working through
the pure in heart and the sincere of soul.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá

And after the prayers, and just before the banana bread came the timeless classic of my favorite Freddie Mercury and his band Queen, “Dear Friends”:

Just like last week, we started with SKY — this time with their gorgeous “Rose of Love“:

Then we shared selections from holy writings of several world religions — Judaism and Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism, Islam and the Baha’i Faith:

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
(Judaism / Christianity, King James Bible, Habakkuk, 3:17 – 19)

The Blessed Beauty saith: ‘Ye are all the fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch.’ Thus hath He likened this world of being to a single tree, and all its peoples to the leaves thereof, and the blossoms and fruits. It is needful for the bough to blossom, and leaf and fruit to flourish, and upon the interconnection of all parts of the world-tree, dependeth the flourishing of leaf and blossom, and the sweetness of the fruit.

For this reason must all human beings powerfully sustain one another and seek for everlasting life; and for this reason must the lovers of God in this contingent world become the mercies and the blessings sent forth by that clement King of the seen and unseen realms. Let them purify their sight and behold all humankind as leaves and blossoms and fruits of the tree of being. Let them at all times concern themselves with doing a kindly thing for one of their fellows, offering to someone love, consideration, thoughtful help. Let them see no one as their enemy, or as wishing them ill, but think of all humankind as their friends; regarding the alien as an intimate, the stranger as a companion, staying free of prejudice, drawing no lines.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 1)

When the mind maintains awareness, yet does not mingle with the senses, nor the senses with sense impressions, then self-awareness blossoms.
(Hinduism, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2.54)

He is always near at hand; He is never far away.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, realize that He is very near.
Your heart-lotus shall blossom forth, and the ray of God’s Divine Light shall illuminate your heart; He shall be revealed to You. The True Lord is Himself the Creator.
(Sikhism, Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Section 25 – Raag Maaroo)

CLII. Thine eye is My trust, suffer not the dust of vain desires to becloud its luster. Thine ear is a sign of My bounty, let not the tumult of unseemly motives turn it away from My Word that encompasseth all creation. Thine heart is My treasury, allow not the treacherous hand of self to rob thee of the pearls which I have treasured therein. Thine hand is a symbol of My loving-kindness, hinder it not from holding fast unto My guarded and hidden Tablets…. Unasked, I have showered upon thee My grace. Unpetitioned, I have fulfilled thy wish. In spite of thy undeserving, I have singled thee out for My richest, My incalculable favors…. O My servants! Be as resigned and submissive as the earth, that from the soil of your being there may blossom the fragrant, the holy and multicolored hyacinths of My knowledge. Be ablaze as the fire, that ye may burn away the veils of heedlessness and set aglow, through the quickening energies of the love of God, the chilled and wayward heart. Be light and untrammeled as the breeze, that ye may obtain admittance into the precincts of My court, My inviolable Sanctuary.
(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 322)

We beseech God to extend wide His shadow, that the true believers may hasten thereunto and that His sincere lovers may seek shelter therein. May He bestow upon men blossoms from the bowers of His grace and stars from the horizon of His providence. We pray God, moreover, to graciously aid the King to do His will and pleasure, and to confirm him in that which shall draw him nigh unto the Dayspring of God’s most excellent names, so that he may not give countenance to the injustice he witnesseth, may look upon his subjects with the eye of loving-kindness, and shield them from oppression. We further beseech God, exalted be He, to gather all mankind around the Gulf of the Most Great Ocean, an ocean every drop of which proclaimeth that He is the Harbinger of joy unto the world and the Quickener of all its peoples. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Day of Reckoning!
(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 141)

O my brother! A divine Mine only can yield the gems of divine knowledge, and the fragrance of the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the ideal Garden, and the lilies of ancient wisdom can blossom nowhere except in the city of a stainless heart. “In a rich soil, its plants spring forth abundantly by permission of its Lord, and in that soil which is bad, they spring forth but scantily.”[3]
[3 Qur'án 7:57.]
(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 191)

The universe is pregnant with these manifold bounties, awaiting the hour when the effects of Its unseen gifts will be made manifest in this world, when the languishing and sore athirst will attain the living Kawthar of their Well-Beloved, and the erring wanderer, lost in the wilds of remoteness and nothingness, will enter the tabernacle of life, and attain reunion with his heart’s desire. In the soil of whose heart will these holy seeds germinate? From the garden of whose soul will the blossoms of the invisible realities spring forth? Verily, I say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love, burning in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming waters of holy utterance can never quench its flame. Oceans can never allay this Leviathan’s burning thirst, and this Phoenix of the undying fire can abide nowhere save in the glow of the countenance of the Well-Beloved. Therefore, O brother! kindle with the oil of wisdom the lamp of the spirit within the innermost chamber of thy heart, and guard it with the globe of understanding, that the breath of the infidel may extinguish not its flame nor dim its brightness. Thus have We illuminated the heavens of utterance with the splendours of the Sun of divine wisdom and understanding, that thy heart may find peace, that thou mayest be of those who, on the wings of certitude, have soared unto the heaven of the love of their Lord, the All-Merciful.
(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 60)

May you be given life! May the rain of the Divine Mercy and the warmth of the Sun of Truth make your gardens fruitful, so that many beautiful flowers of exquisite fragrance and love may blossom in abundance. Turn your faces away from the contemplation of your own finite selves and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting Radiance; then will your souls receive in full measure the Divine Power of the Spirit and the Blessings of the Infinite Bounty.

If you thus keep yourselves in readiness, you will become to the world of humanity a burning flame, a star of guidance, and a fruitful tree, changing all its darkness and woe into light and joy by the shining of the Sun of Mercy and the infinite blessings of the Glad Tidings.

This is the meaning of the power of the Holy Spirit, which I pray may be bountifully showered upon you.
(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 166)

Happy the soul that shall forget his own good, and like the chosen ones of God, vie with his fellows in service to the good of all; until, strengthened by the blessings and perpetual confirmations of God, he shall be empowered to raise this mighty nation up to its ancient pinnacles of glory, and restore this withered land to sweet new life, and as a spiritual springtime, array those trees which are the lives of men with the fresh leaves, the blossoms and fruits of consecrated joy.
(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 113)

Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Well-Beloved of all that have known Thee, and the Desire of the hearts of such as are devoted to Thee, inasmuch as Thou hast made me a target for the ills that I suffer in my love for Thee, and the object of the assaults launched against me in Thy path. Thy glory beareth me witness! I can, on no account, feel impatient of the adversities that I have borne in my love for Thee. From the very day Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me, I have accepted for myself every manner of tribulation. Every moment of my life my head crieth out to Thee and saith: “Would, O my Lord, that I could be raised on the spear-point in Thy path!” while my blood entreateth Thee saying: “Dye the earth with me, O my God, for the sake of Thy love and Thy pleasure!” Thou knowest that I have, at no time, sought to guard my body against any affliction, nay rather I have continually anticipated the things Thou didst ordain for me in the Tablet of Thy decree.

Behold, then, O my God, my loneliness among Thy servants and my remoteness from Thy friends and Thy chosen ones. I beseech Thee, by the showers of the clouds of Thy mercy, whereby Thou hast caused the blossoms of Thy praise and utterance and the flowers of Thy wisdom and testimony to spring forth in the hearts of all them that have recognized Thy oneness, to supply Thy servants and my kindred with the fruits of the tree of Thy unity, in these days when Thou hast been established upon the throne of Thy mercy. Hinder them not, O my Lord, from attaining unto the things Thou dost possess, and write down for them that which will aid them to scale the heights of Thy grace and favor. Give them, moreover, to drink of the living waters of Thy knowledge, and ordain for them the good of this world and of the world to come.

Thou art, verily, the Lord of Baha, and the Beloved of his heart, and the Object of his desire, and the Inspirer of his tongue, and the Source of his soul. No God is there but Thee, the Inaccessible, the Most High. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 107)

Before concluding with prayers (for friends and strangers, from Maryland through the Middle East, from South America through Central Asia and all the way to the Far East), we listened to an amazing Flamenco-inspired song “Quien Puede Librarnos?” performed beautifully by Giti, with Eric Harper on the guitar. The rousing finale was Eric Dozier’s take on “The Wilderness” from the Holy Bible:

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
(Judaism / Christianity, King James Bible, Isaiah, 35:1 – 10)

Let us cling together as the years go by
Oh my love my love
In the quiet of the night
Let our candle always burn
Let us never lose the lessons we have learned

Teo torriatte konomama iko
Aisuruhito yo
Shizukana yoi ni
Hikario tomoshi
Itoshiki oshieo idaki

These comforting words of Queen’s gorgeous song dedicated to the people of Japan, “Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)” closed a beautiful evening which saw a dozen of befriended strangers from places as diverse as Turkmenistan and San Salvador, Bulgaria and Cameroon, the United States and Japan, get together to say prayers for the relief of the sufferings of our sisters and brothers of Japan, and for their protection. We read Thich Nhat Hanh‘s message to friends in Japan and contemplated that “The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind“. We read a message from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Japan and reflected on the ”humbling experience to see and experience the powerlessness against nature, yet at the same time, a reconfirming experience of the strength of the human soul, when one witnesses people bravely standing up to unite and help each other, and begin the process of putting their lives back together.”

We read from the Holy Writings and shared prayers for protection, healing and detachment, heeding Baha’u'llah’s instructions written in the Kitab-i-Aqdas:

On the appearance of fearful natural events call ye to mind the might and majesty of your Lord, He Who heareth and seeth all, and say “Dominion is God’s, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation”
Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 23

We listened to the angelic voices of ShirinKarenYasmin (SKY), and comforted ourselves with the company of new and old friends, and the flavorful aroma of freshly-baked banana bread… May God protect all!

O SON OF MAN!

Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not; wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the realm of glory.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words, #14)

For thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a saviour of them that are without hope.
(Christianity, Deuterocanonical Apocrypha, Judith)

All that is in Heaven and all that is in Earth is God’s! God is a sufficient protector!
(Islam, The Holy Qur’an, Sura 4 – Women)

We must consider all as the leaves, branches and fruit of one tree, children of one household; for all are the progeny of Adam. We are waves of one sea, grass of the same meadow, stars in the same heaven; and we find shelter in the universal divine Protector.
(Baha’i Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 174)

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, tea poured in peace, homemade banana bread baked with love and shared with a smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator.

This Friday, March 18th, I invite you and your loves ones to an interfaith Prayer Station in Arlington on the theme of “Divine Protector” in honor of the suffering people of Japan. We’ll start at 8 pm with reading of selected Holy Writings and Prayers. I have many books of prayers from different faith traditions but if you wish, feel free to bring your own prayer. We’ll also uplift and refresh our souls with music, and we’ll conclude with tea and homemade banana bread.

We’ll also say prayers for anyone in need, so if you can’t join us and would like to request prayers please contact me!

My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whosoever enters through the portals of this home, must go out with gladsome heart. This is the home of light; whosoever enters here must become illumined….
(Abdu’l-Baha)

What a joyous weekend I had! My dear parents arrived from Bulgaria on Friday night and on Saturday they reunited for the first time in three years with the granddaughters they helped raise. Seeing the joy on their faces — grandparents and granddaughters alike — as they embraced and hugged and kissed, gave me such a joy! Praised be God!

Then we all welcomed into my home my wonderful friends Roya Bauman and George Branyan who joined us with their lovely girls for a home cooked dinner and later on a beautiful evening of spiritual nourishment, uplifting music and fellowship — the last Musical Prayer Station for 2010.

I first heard Roya’s gorgeous soprano in 1996 in Rochester, NY, when she sang “O Baha’u'llah” at a Baha’i celebration there. That was the first time I ever heard this song and I was just amazed at the beauty of it. Later on, Roya’s husband George helped me fix the little car other generous Baha’i friends had given me so I could go to work. The amount of support I had received in those days, by the Baha’i friends at that community is unbelievable. Among them, a true star of selfless support to me was Akin — another dear friend who joined us last night and then stayed for one of those late night heart-to-heart talks, which solidified my decision to try my best to be a Baha’i — back then, and back now — talks about our lives’ journeys and what our hearts’ true calling is.

It was truly a night of the reunion of hearts!

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, tea poured in peace, cake shared with a smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing songs and prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for days ahead.

I invite you and your loves ones, this Saturday, September 25th, at 7:30 pm, to a very special Musical Prayer Station and house concert with pianist Aphrodite Mitsopoulou, who will perform works by Kalogeras, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and some unexpected Balkan collaborations.

You don’t want to miss this! And you should tell your friends about it too!
Please let me know if you plan on coming so I can plan the size of the cake! And let me know if we should say prayers for you!

The next Musical Prayer Station is scheduled for Saturday, October 30th, at 7:30 pm when Gustaff Besungu will present songs and music with the African Drum (djembe), story telling and traditional dance from Cameroon.

Last’s nights Musical Prayer Station with John Albertson and his talented daughters was truly delightful. Both girls sang sweet prayers and played on the piano, at first solo and then accompanied by their dad. After an intermission for refreshments, John Albertson shared with us a diverse selection of acoustic pieces for classical and jazz guitar. Then he transitioned into his own “Song for peace” which he had expanded earlier the same day with a beautiful meditative bridge serving as background for his lovely wife’s recitation of selected “Hidden Words” by Baha’u'llah, and concluded with an improvised blues collaboration between his guitar’s weeping voice,  Adwoa’s angelic voice and my own rock wailing, with a little percussive and vocal help from the whole group of 18 souls who had joined us for an evening of sweet cake (baked by Rochelle) and sweet music.

It was all truly a humble but true illustration of these holy words:

The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.” (Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 53)

How very encouraging, that as we were making our humble attempt at human and musical harmony, the world welcomes a true anthem of unity in diversity, the inspiring “Citizens of the World” by Pangea:

As Cheng Lin elaborates, Baha’u'llah would be delighted by a song which so beautifully illustrates His message:

The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.
(Baha’u'llah)

He had this idea. It was kind of a virologist idea. He believed that you could cure racism and hate… literally cure it, by injecting music and love into people’s lives. When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, a gunman came to his house and shot him down. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang. When they asked him why – He said, “The people, who were trying to make this world worse… are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness.“

On Saturday, Hillary Chapman came to my apartment for the now monthly Prayer Station and mesmerized 27 of us with stories of Nashville song writing, providing aural illustrations with some classic country songs. In the second half of the evening, he lead all of us into impromptu sing-alongs based mostly (but not only) on the music of Leonor Dely with multiple language improvisations sprinkled for flavor. We sang three versions of “Say God Sufficieth” in at least four languages, and as Hillary promised us, by the end of the evening, we had learned that prayer by heart:

Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.
- The Bab

It was truly an uplifting evening made particularly delightful by the presence of a very diverse group of people hailing from Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Iran, Serbia and of course the U.S., who enjoyed each others’ company until quite late. The next day at the DC Baha’i Center, one of these new friends answered the call of Baha’u'llah and declared his believe in Him, joining the worldwide Baha’i community! Light up the darkness!

For a single purpose were the Prophets, each and all, sent down to earth; for this was Christ made manifest, for this did Bahá’u'lláh raise up the call of the Lord: that the world of man should become the world of God, this nether realm the Kingdom, this darkness light, this satanic wickedness all the virtues of heaven — and unity, fellowship and love be won for the whole human race, that the organic unity should reappear and the bases of discord be destroyed and life everlasting and grace everlasting become the harvest of mankind.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 30)