Have you ever fallen in love? When I met my wife Teresa, I sure did. We met at a Baha’i conference, and only had the chance to talk for a short while... Read more »
In order to understand the substantive content of The Secret of Divine Civilization, we should explicate four different layers of discourse in Abdu’l-Baha’s fascinating work. In the book, these four levels are... Read more »
Man must attach himself to an infinite reality, so that his glory, his joy, and his progress may be infinite. – Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 136. Do you pray only when you... Read more »
O SON OF BEING! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account... Read more »
To say our human spirit is in tune with this wide, never-ending universe is a statement that may cause derision—or acknowledgment. The derision may come when someone asks: “How can a person... Read more »
If you read, listen to or watch any media to get your news, you’ve probably noticed more coverage lately about a concept called “the rule of law,” and how it’s diametrically opposed... Read more »
Where do we look for God? At some level the answer is: anywhere. In his Of True Religion, Saint Augustine clearly recognized that there are vestiges of God in everything. How could... Read more »
We’ve come to the final essay in this series, which recounts my search for God after losing my belief in a Creator. I discovered my answers in the teachings of the Baha’i... Read more »
Baha’is believe that the unprecedented energies of our time are spiritual in nature, and that they result from the coming of God’s most recent representative to humankind, the Manifestation of His own... Read more »
Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them. – Ralph Waldo Emerson Life is real! Life is earnest!And the grave is not its goal;Dust thou are, to... Read more »
When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of distress and anxiety; if I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to... Read more »
After playing and performing Baha’i-inspired music around the world for more than a decade, I’ve heard my fair share of “when are you going to start making music for children?” I quickly... Read more »
The Baha’i writings say: This is the hour when ye must associate with all the earth’s peoples in extreme kindliness and love, and be to them the signs and tokens of God’s... Read more »
When you pray, are you distracted, doubtful, or dispirited? If you answered yes, then you are likely not receiving the results that you desire. Of course, only God knows what is best... Read more »
In this series of nine essays on Abdu’l-Baha’s seminal 1913 Paris speech, hopefully you’ve gotten a sense of why the Baha’i revelation not only renews but revolutionizes religion. When that American clergyman... Read more »
Today, we cling more tightly to our doubts than to our certainties. To develop a positive, enthusiastic vision for the future, we must do more than cynically puncture the false… The post... Read more »
When the prophets of God appear upon this earth, their validity is established by means of certain proofs. One of the proofs is through the fulfillment of former prophecies, the second proofs... Read more »
As we explore spiritual concepts with children, youth and adults, we don’t only develop more spiritual habits—we also begin to find our own self-worth. Society often gives material qualities excessive value, measuring an... Read more »
Humans love the idea of exploring the vastness of the universe and finding evidence of life on other planets. So how much do we really know about it? To date, NASA has... Read more »
Dear God, I know I said those prayers asking to have a pure heart and to be a happy and joyful being and told you that I would no longer be full... Read more »
This is the second segment of my answer to my atheist comrade “Maynard’s” question as to the existence of the spiritual which, I believe, is quite literally supernatural. Religion has given us... Read more »
The symbolism and mysticism of a prayer from the Baha’i writings about marriage has forever intrigued me: Wherefore, wed Thou in the heaven of Thy mercy these two birds of… The post... Read more »
O ye loving mothers, know ye that in God’s sight, the best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and train them in all the perfections of humankind;... Read more »
The pressure of the working world can feel immense—but how can I make my work meaningful, whether employed, between jobs, or unsure of what to do next? Work gives us… The post... Read more »
Before we can study the central issues of life today, we must destroy the prejudices and fallacies born of previous centuries. – Leo Tolstoy The individual has always had to struggle to... Read more »
A rather dramatic storm occurred in the early afternoon of July 9th, 1850, in the land of the Lion and the Sun. Although there are no meteorological records to confirm the fact,... Read more »
When Mahvash flies from Tehran to the provincial city of Mashhad, one chilly morning in March, 2008, she fully expects to be home by evening. But she never returns. For she is... Read more »
Baha’u’llah began his mystical treatise called The Hidden Words with this powerful passage: O Son of Spirit! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may... Read more »
Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope! Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my... Read more »
Throughout our lives, we go through seasons of crisis and victory, of progress and failure, and of happiness and heartache. We also mark the passage of time by the changes we see... Read more »
I remember hanging out with a friend in Oregon that I had recently met who was about 10 years older than me. We’d hung out several times at community events with entire... Read more »
In many ways, a falcon’s physical senses and abilities are much more impressive than ours. This two-pound bird can reach speeds higher than most small airplanes and is the fastest animal ever... Read more »
Have you ever fallen in love—and then, a while later, fallen right out again? If so, you may have started to question your initial feelings, or even the idea of love itself. ... Read more »
We see and live based on our physical eyes. But what do we mean by seeing with “spiritual eyes”? What do our spiritual eyes see, and how can we improve our spiritual... Read more »
There are moments in art when a work does more than tell a story. It invites reflection. It opens space for dialogue. At times, it can even help us see the world,... Read more »
Know then that the Lord God possesseth invisible realms which the human intellect can never hope to fathom nor the mind of man conceive. When once thou hast cleansed the channel of... Read more »
(This conversation took place on an American Airlines flight on Memorial Day.) I get on the plane and find my aisle seat. A GI in digital desert combat fatigues sits at the... Read more »
Religions begin when a prophet first announces a new revelation, just as Christ did to John the Baptist or the Buddha did to his first two disciples, Trapusa and Bahalika. That’s how... Read more »
We all have moments of joy in life – but how would you like to live in a lasting state of joy, rather than just experiencing those quickly passing moments of transitory... Read more »
I was struck with a severe mental illness—rapid cycling bipolar disorder, Type I—at the age of 51. Most people who get bipolar—which used to be called manic depression—have their first… The post... Read more »
Modern society puts an inordinate amount of pressure on mothers, expecting them to ensure that their children are “successful” — that they have every advantage, that they have money, status,… The post... Read more »
O SON OF MAN! Divest not thyself of My beauteous robe, and forfeit not thy portion from My wondrous fountain, lest thou shouldst thirst for evermore. O SON OF BEING!… The post... Read more »
Do you ever think “I really need more spirituality in my life?” You’re not alone—just about everyone feels that way, at some point in their development. But how, and where,… The post... Read more »
Some BahaiTeachings.org readers, after reading my recent essay called Dreams and Visions of the Soul, wondered about human dreams and how they compare to animal dreams. They left these comments… The post... Read more »
…in the search for truth man must weigh religious questions in the balance of science and reason. God has given us rational minds for this purpose, to penetrate all things,… The post... Read more »
Have you ever done something you deeply regretted? We all have. Afterwards you probably asked yourself: how can I avoid doing that again? We can scarcely get through life without… The post... Read more »
Today, more and more people recognize that we are spiritual beings, that we can only obtain the ultimate happiness if we learn how to live an inner life. How can… The post... Read more »
We’ve all been through this: you go somewhere, and even though you’ve never been there before, you know you’ve been there before. Or you have a new experience, meet a… The post... Read more »
The Baha’i teachings advise everyone to seek competent physicians when they’re ill — yet another reflection of the primary Baha’i principle of the agreement of science and religion. Seeking the… The post... Read more »
Every religion asks us an important question: what’s our spiritual responsibility? In other words, does each person have a personal duty to God? In our modern, individualistic, materialistic, largely ego-centered… The post... Read more »