The Bahá’í Faith, its followers believe, is “divine in origin, all-embracing in scope, broad in its outlook, scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles and dynamic in the influence it exerts on the hearts and minds of men.” The mission of the Bahá’í Faith is “to proclaim that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is continuous and progressive, that the Founders of all past religions, though different in the non-essential aspects of their teachings, “abide in the same Tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are seated upon the same throne, utter the same speech and proclaim the same Faith” (Shoghi Effendi).
Kindly, find below an excerpt of my spiritual reflections featured in their latest issue:
A poem arrives like a hand in the dark.
A poem should be flesh-warm, scented Spirit.
All languages are rough translations of our native tongue: the Spirit.
As we make peace with ourselves, we become more tolerant of our faults — in others.
The only real borders are those of our compassion.
Wars are only possible when people are united by what they hate rather than what they love: Peace.
Between comedy and tragedy, a hairline — the depth of an abyss.
True artists disturb the false peace, also known as complacency.
The path to Peace is littered with dead selves.
Self-peace: our first step towards world peace.
The divided self is spiritually immature. Divine union begins with self unity.
The inspiration for all our art? Mortality.
A cluttered mind makes for a poor mirror.
40's: when our bodies begin to prepare us for dying.
Turning 40: When the fruit that is our body starts to spoil, and the rose tree of our soul begins to bloom.
Turning 40: When we begin to repeat ourselves and, hopefully, to hear ourselves, as well.
Getting older is realizing that we've been repeating ourselves all along.
Certain silences are more damning than words; they are actions.
Certain silences are hard to take back.
Spiritual fast food leads to spiritual indigestion.
Aphorisms respect the wisdom of silence by disturbing it, briefly.
Talk is cheap, because it is the language of the body; silence golden, since it's the native tongue of the spirit.
As protection from your lower soul, surround yourself with reminders of your higher soul.
Said a poem to a poet: can I trust you? Is your heart pure to carry me; are your hands clean to pass can lessen suffering and also save lives.
Numbness is a spiritual malady, true detachment its opposite.
The pursuit of Art and Spirituality is not a refuge from the world. We return from such exalted regions of the soul revitalized, with renewed care for one another.
When we behave unbeautifully, we give others permission to do so.
Unlike prose, poetry can keep its secrets.
Aphorisms are the marriage of heaven and hell: poetry and philosophy.
While the number of celebrities mounts, that of saints remains constant throughout the ages.
Know your Muse, and its diet.
Attention: a tension.
The highest function of literature is transformational.
One never becomes a poet, except when they are writing a poem.
What we love in the next world, we begin by loving here, first.
If religions are understood as organized Love then, by definition, hate is heresy.
An angry prayer is a contradiction in terms.
First, seek to become a luminous example — lastly, you may speak of religion and G_d.
Before you blaspheme, declaring yourself an agent of light acting in His Name, make sure that you stand clear of your own shadow.
Contradiction: the cloak preferred by profound truths.
Paradox: where truth hides in plain view. The paradox of enlightenment: to see our reflection in everything, and not to see our reflection in everything.
© Yahia Lababidi
The current issue of the Journal of Baha'i Studies containing these aphorisms has just gone live at this website where you can order a print copy or download it as a pdf.
Congratulations on getting some of your work published. I think the Baha'i Faith, from what I understand of it, is reflective of the sense of peace and understanding inherent in your aphorisms.
I found your sayings to be quite
thought provokingsoul inspiring. A reminder call of the value of silence and contemplation.Bless your heart, Scott. I aspire to the gentle spirit of Baha’is I’ve met. Silence and contemplation are certainly a source of inspiration for my aphorisms. Thank you, for reading them with this understanding.
I still have some ways to align myself with the serenity and wisdom to be found in the great faith traditions I revere and even what my aphorisms already know... Sweet dreams, my friend 🙏🏼
Congratulations on getting published. I think this one is my favorite
Such a reminder of why I write and read poetry.
Many thanks, my friend. After years of knocking on doors & countless rejections, it’s nice when journals (such as one above) reach out & request a submission. Also, in our age of religious intolerance, they seek to promote peace ✌🏼
Always, interesting to know which aphorisms speak to whom — one you picked is one of my favorites, too, for its sense of mystery & all possibilities 🤓
Congrats on the publication! From what you’ve said, the Baha’i faith sounds similar to my beliefs. I’m technically Christian, but I’m smart enough to know that not everything we believe is THE truth and that other folk’ s interpretations linger near the truth as well.
Thanks, my friend 🙏🏼 While I’m a (cultural) Muslim I, too, recognize that no one has a monolopy on Truth, and value the Baha’is for their open-mindedness and open-heartedness.
Here’s a Sufi (Muslim mystic, a la Rumi) poem I admire:
“My heart can take on
Any form:
A meadow for gazelles,
A cloister for monks,
For the idols, sacred ground,
Kaaba for the circling pilgrim,
The tables of the Torah,
The scrolls of the Quran.
—Ibn Arabi ( the translator of desires)
Translated by Sells
I love it! A musician I admire came from a Sufi background so I’m vaguely familiar with the culture, but only vaguely.
It makes me happy to hear that. Music is an important part of Sufi practice. Would that there were more of these gentle souls in the media/public consciousness vs the hateful terrorists we are inundated with. Peace 🕊
Wow, what an honour to be published in that journal. Congrats.
Aphorism as a meeting ground, I like that. But which is heaven and which is hell... poetry or philosophy? Thankfully ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains this should only be understood symbolically...
Thank you, for reading and for your kind encouragement. I, especially, appreciate the journals inclusive approach to faith.
Aphorisms, as I understand them, are what is worth quoting from the soul’s dialogue with itself. Stripped as they are, down to essences, I like to think they are capable of reaching another soul, directly, intravenously :)
All art is surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their own peril warns Oscar Wilde. Which is to suggest that there’s heaven and hell in both poetry and philosophy...
Big congrats to u for this achievement..!!! 🤗
another feather in the crown..!😇
this quote is what our life is all about..!!
when we seek love for the next life we should spread the love now..! 😊
~Greetings from Tennis Girl 🎾🎾
Thanks, for reading and your good cheer 🤗
As a dear friend of mine used to say: conscious effort is never wasted 🙏🏼
he said it right..! 😊
nice post you like me
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