Yahyay 19

2026-10-26T23:44:21.371+00:00

Month, Day: 183 Knowledge, Knowledge (Grace)

I entreat Thee by Thy footsteps in this wilderness, and by the words “Here am I. Here am I” which Thy chosen Ones have uttered in this immensity, and by the breaths of Thy Revelation, and the gentle winds of the Dawn of Thy Manifestation, to ordain that I may gaze on Thy beauty and observe whatsoever is in Thy Book.

Remarks: 10/26/2026

10/26/2026 --

LOP 1

2026-08-31T21:02:13.584+01:00

Month, Day: 183 Names, Knowledge (Perfection)

Long Obligatory Prayer:

Thou seest, O my Lord,

this stranger hastening to his most exalted home beneath the canopy of Thy majesty and within the precincts of Thy mercy;
and this transgressor seeking the ocean of Thy forgiveness;
and this lowly one the court of Thy glory;
and this poor creature the orient of Thy wealth.

Remarks: 08/31/2026

08/31/2026 --

Philosophers did not deny

2026-07-12T20:51:31.992+01:00

Month, Day: 183 Mercy, Loftiness (Beauty)

Lawḥ-i-Ḥikmat: Verily, the philosophers have not denied the Ancient of Days. Most of them passed away deploring their failure to fathom His mystery, even as some of them have testified. Verily, thy Lord is the Adviser, the All-Informed.

Remarks: 07/12/2026

07/12/2026 --

Matter of Questions

2026-05-31T20:46:00.167+01:00

Month, Day: 183 Grandeur, Questions (Beauty)

We are in the fourth month and the day of Questions for which we have a Category: Questions. In Science, there more Questions and Answers.

A few sample posts.

Remarks: 05/31/2026

05/31/2026 --

True Seeker

2026-04-30T18:43:00.007+01:00

Month, Day: 183 Beauty, Beauty (Majesty)

Theme for the day (True Seeker).

He will contemplate he manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul.
Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude.

Remarks: 04/30/2026

04/30/2026 --

Contentment

2026-04-10T20:13:00.002+01:00

Month, Day: 183 Glory, Glory (Independence)

Theme for the day.

The Seven Valleys: From sorrow he turneth to bliss, and from grief to joy, and from anguish and dejection to delight and rapture.

Although, to outward seeming, the wayfarers in this valley may dwell upon the dust, yet inwardly they are throned in the heights of mystic meaning; they partake of the eternal bounties of heaven and drink of the delicate wines of the spirit.

Remarks: 04/10/2026

04/10/2026 --

Sun cycles

2026-03-06T21:29:00.001+00:00

Month, Day: 182, Loftiness, Light (Independence)

There are many motivations for our thinking of the Attributes that roll through our lives every day of the month and the month of the year. Over the years since 2009, we have had many variants and permutations on the theme.

This is a major one.

Aqdas #142: Verily, He revealed certain laws so that, in this Dispensation, the Pen of the Most High might have no need to move in aught but the glorification of His own transcendent Station and His most effulgent Beauty.

Today, we want to switch from the 5 groups of 4 to one of 4 groups of 5. That would allow a map to the seasons.

Spring (Mar) -- Splendour, Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light -- Transcendent
Summer (Jun) -- Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might -- Teleological
Fall (Sep) -- Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions -- Operational/Motivational
Winter (Dec) -- Honour, Sovereignty, Dominion, ..., Loftiness -- Ascendant

Several things come to mind, Light (Teleological) lines up with Might (Operational) as both representing power and energy. Questions (Motivational) is stressed; one might say, as opposed to Answers. Loftiness (Ascendant to Transcendent) ends and starts the Baha'i year.

These four are the months in which the Group changes occur.

Finally, with respect to the Months of the Year, the "..." represents the Intercalary Days that are between the months of Dominion and Loftiness.

Remarks: 03/06/2026

03/06/2026 --

Stages of development

2026-01-25T16:35:00.006+00:00

Month, Day: 182, Sovereignty, Perfection (Beauty)

Gleanings 82,3:

Much hath been written in the books of old concerning the various stages in the development of the soul, such as concupiscence, irascibility, inspiration, benevolence, contentment, Divine good-pleasure, and the like; the Pen of the Most High, however, is disinclined to dwell upon them. Every soul that walketh humbly with its God, in this Day, and cleaveth unto Him, shall find itself invested with the honor and glory of all goodly names and stations.

Seven Valleys and Four Valleys, category.

Remarks: 01/25/2026

01/25/2026 --

Words - Maqsud

2025-12-26T02:37:00.006+00:00

Month, Day: 182, Questions, Honour (Independence)

Tablet of Maqṣúd:

No man of wisdom can demonstrate his knowledge save by means of words. This showeth the significance of the Word as is affirmed in all the Scriptures, whether of former times or more recently. For it is through its potency and animating spirit that the people of the world have attained so eminent a position. Moreover words and utterances should be both impressive and penetrating. However, no word will be infused with these two qualities unless it be uttered wholly for the sake of God and with due regard unto the exigencies of the occasion and the people.

Remarks: 12/26/2025

12/26/2025 --

Have faith

2025-11-30T16:45:00.005+00:00

Month, Day: 182, Speech, Names (Beauty)

Bahá’í Readings, page 313

"And now I give you a commandment that shall be for a covenant between you and me - that ye have faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock that no earthly storms can move, that nothing can disturb, and that it endure through all things even to the end …
As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be.
This is the balance - this is the balance - this is the balance."
~'Abdu’l-Bahá,

See, Crush the mind, from January of 2020. That was over two years before the buckets'o'bits got so much attention as if humanity did not matter. Now, the stakes are heavier with some bright lights to discuss. The DOE in charge of the wannabe (AI) brings hundreds of thousands of scientists into the fray whereas before marketing and hopes related to that energy ran the show.

Relates to dynamics beyond the mathematical approximations which are associated with the endless potention of people and their talented efforts.

Remarks: 11/30/2025

11/30/2025 --

Animal condition

2025-11-09T21:46:00.010+00:00

Month, Day: 182, Power, Words (Beauty)

The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, Wonderment:

Likewise, reflect upon the perfection of man’s creation, and that all these planes and states are folded up and hidden away within him.
Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form
When within thee the universe is folded?
Then we must labor to destroy the animal condition, till the meaning of humanity shall come to light.

Remarks: 11/09/2025

11/09/2025 --

Prophets instructing sages

2025-10-15T00:11:00.004+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Will, Loftiness (Grace)

Lawḥ-i-Ḥikmat, Tablet of Wisdom:

Although it is recognized that the contemporary men of learning are highly qualified in philosophy, arts and crafts, yet were anyone to observe with a discriminating eye he would readily comprehend that most of this knowledge hath been acquired from the sages of the past, for it is they who have laid the foundation of philosophy, reared its structure and reinforced its pillars. Thus doth thy Lord, the Ancient of Days, inform thee. The sages aforetime acquired their knowledge from the Prophets, inasmuch as the latter were the Exponents of divine philosophy and the Revealers of heavenly mysteries. Men quaffed the crystal, living waters of Their utterance, while others satisfied themselves with the dregs.

Remarks: 10/14/2025

10/14/2025 --

Aqdas, by sentence

2025-09-11T00:38:00.005+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Might, Grandeur (Grace)

This quote comes from an unofficial site which has interesting content labelled as "Provisional translations" and caught my eye with sentences from the Book numbered.

Aqdas #83:

By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men.

Remarks: 09/10/2025

09/10/2025 -- Abdu'l-Baha Writes to Wichita which is in Kansas.

Angels, fore and aft

2025-08-27T01:08:00.004+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Names, Names (Justice)

Koran, Kaf:

We created man: and we know what his soul whispereth to him, and we are closer to him than his neck-vein.
When the two angels charged with taking account shall take it, one sitting on the right hand, the other on the left:
Not a word doth he utter, but there is a watcher with him ready to note it down:
And the stupor of certain death cometh upon him: "This is what thou wouldst have shunned"--
And there shall be a blast on the trumpet,--it is the threatened day!
And every soul shall come,--an angel with it urging it along, and an angel to witness against it 5--

Remarks: 08/26/2025

08/26/2025 --

Archetypal 2

2025-08-09T19:43:00.006+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Perfection, Might (Glory)

Further on an archetypal notion:

These journeys have no visible ending in the world of time, but the severed wayfarer—if invisible confirmation descend upon him and the Guardian of the Cause assist him—may cross these seven stages in seven steps, nay rather in seven breaths, nay rather in a single breath, if God will and desire it. And this is of “His grace on such of His servants as He pleaseth.” 12

Remarks: 08/26/2025

08/08/2025 --

the Fashioner

2025-07-10T02:07:00.007+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Mercy, Honour (Grace)

Lawḥ-i-Ḥikmat (Tablet of Wisdom):

Beware, O My loved ones, lest ye despise the merits of My learned servants whom God hath graciously chosen to be the exponents of His Name “the Fashioner” amidst mankind. Exert your utmost endeavor that ye may develop such crafts and undertakings that everyone, whether young or old, may benefit therefrom. We are quit of those ignorant ones who fondly imagine that Wisdom is to give vent to one’s idle imaginings and to repudiate God, the Lord of all men; even as We hear some of the heedless voicing such assertions today.

Remarks: 08/26/2025

07/10/2025 --

Eyes of the East

2025-07-06T18:58:00.005+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Mercy, Speech (Beauty)

Lawḥ-i-Ḥikmat (Tablet of Wisdom):

When the eyes of the people of the East were captivated by the arts and wonders of the West, they roved distraught in the wilderness of material causes, oblivious of the One Who is the Causer of Causes, and the Sustainer thereof, while such men as were the source and the wellspring of Wisdom never denied the moving Impulse behind these causes, nor the Creator or the Origin thereof. Thy Lord knoweth, yet most of the people know not.

Remarks: 08/26/2025

07/06/2025 --

Light, repeat

2025-06-02T00:16:00.002+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Grandeur, Sovereignty (Beauty)

This is a repeat from 3 May 2022 because the Month of Light is right around the corner.

The World Order of Baha'u'llah:

... when .., the light of religion is quenched in men’s hearts, and the divinely appointed Robe, designed to adorn the human temple, is deliberately discarded, a deplorable decline in the fortunes of humanity immediately sets in, bringing in its wake all the evils which a wayward soul is capable of revealing. The perversion of human nature, the degradation of human conduct, the corruption and dissolution of human institutions, reveal themselves, under such circumstances, in their worst and most revolting aspects.

Human character is debased,
confidence is shaken,
the nerves of discipline are relaxed,
the voice of human conscience is stilled,
the sense of decency and shame is obscured,
conceptions of duty, of solidarity, of reciprocity and loyalty are distorted, and
the very feeling of peacefulness, of joy and of hope is gradually extinguished.

Quoting from WOofB by the Guardian, like before. So, truth engineering is a subject to consider.

Remarks: 08/26/2025

06/01/2025 --

Five kinds

2025-05-07T00:13:00.007+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Beauty, Might (Grace)

SAQ (The Five Kinds of Spirit)

– 36 – The Five Kinds of Spirit
First is the vegetable spirit… the composition and combination of the elements according to the wisdom and decree of the Most High, and from their mutual arrangement as well as their influence upon, and their interconnection with, other created things. … So, to give an analogy, electricity results from the composition of certain constituent parts, and as soon as these parts are separated, the electrical force is immediately dissipated and lost. Such is the vegetable spirit.
After this is the animal spirit … when by the decree of the almighty Lord it reaches a fuller degree of combination, the animal spirit, which consists in the power of the senses, comes to exist. This power perceives sensible realities—that which can be seen, heard, tasted, smelled, or touched. … It is like this lamp before you: When oil, wick, and flame are brought together, light is produced; but when the oil is exhausted, the wick consumed, and the constituent parts separated, the light will also be extinguished and lost.
As to the human spirit, its likeness is that of a glass and the bounty of the sun … body of man, which is composed of the elements, is the most perfect form of composition and combination, the soundest arrangement, the noblest composition, and the most perfect of all existing things. It grows and develops through the animal spirit. This perfect body can be compared to a mirror, and the human spirit to the sun: If the glass is shattered or the mirror destroyed, no harm befalls the outpouring grace of the sun, which continues unabated.
This spirit is the discovering power that encompasses all things. …
But this human spirit has two aspects: one divine and one satanic—that is, it is capable of both the greatest perfection and the greatest deficiency. Should it acquire virtues, it is the noblest of all things; and should it acquire vices, it becomes the most vile.
As to the fourth degree of spirit, it is the heavenly spirit, which is the spirit of faith and the outpouring grace of the All-Merciful. This spirit proceeds from the breath of the Holy Spirit,
The fifth degree of spirit is the Holy Spirit, which is the mediator between God and His creation. It is like a mirror facing the sun: Just as a spotless mirror receives the rays of the sun and reflects its bounty to others, so too is the Holy Spirit the mediator of the light of holiness, which it conveys from the Sun of Truth to sanctified souls.

Remarks: 08/26/2025

05/06/2025 --

Renew

2025-04-03T23:56:00.006+01:00

Month, Day: 182, Splendour, Questions (Majesty)

Ah, Questions, again. The basis for science and knowledge rather than knowing, itself.

Let's review a few posts.

Mission and method (3 Jan 2008) -- This started off of a bounce from Wikipedia and its page on Science and Religion. In the first month (January), we had posts on economics, money/wealth, and some seeds. The first two dealt with the reality of retired life. We were three years in. The last one had several topics. These ought to be used to scrutinize these fifteen-plus years of posts to see if we stayed on track given that the world has changed immensely in those years. January of that year had four posts.
Any moment (18 May 2008) -- A little poem from the 1990s was presented. Cycles and their moments are a continuing theme especially as we are now in an age of GenAI and its turmoils. The reference of psychether is apropos to this time. Some say GenAI and its use is disrespectful of life. Others chase the potential of the computer for dominance. Fans of science fiction are having a ball. Can science mature so as to open its framework? Yes. The real question deals with whether mathematics can mature.
...

With regard to Wikipedia, the "Talk" page has some of my comments with regard to science and religion. But, of late, the whole tone and scope of the page has changed. That, to me, was rewarding. As well, there are pages on Baha'i Cosmology as well as we can see Writings on alchemy (and such) via the web.

Remarks: 08/26/2025

04/03/2025 --

Questions, BASIS of Science

2025-03-15T15:40:00.006+00:00

Month, Day: 181, Loftiness, Questions (Glory)

Questions? Yes, more of those than answers.

I mentioned Patricius (March 2008) before Questions (June 2008).That's the Irish half. Too, in that regard, notice the Apple of the Bab's eye. More on St. Patrick.

First post on Questions: Questions. But, there have been lots of posts on Questions: search?q=questions.

Now, BASIS? See this post (BASIS and sufficiency - March 2008, so before Questions, too).

Science? We have written a lot on that in this blog and will be doing more.

Remarks: 03/15/2025

03/15/2025 --

Groups, again, from the beginning

2025-03-14T18:03:00.004+00:00

Month, Day: 181, Loftiness, Power (Majesty)

Let's look a little at motivation for the following by the way of a few of the earlier posts. At the basis, we have moment to moment as a reality which the Fast brings to focus.

1. Some seeds (Jan 2008) - The modern mind runs from chaos and random things through patterns into the certainty of technology. We can trace the development of those views. But, we also know of the stability of orbits as evidenced the calendar which was defined anew by the Bab. Thoughts during the Fast settled on the long trek from the rush of the 1st day and month (Splendour of Loftiness) all the way to the last day of the same month (Loftiness of Loftiness) after which we have Naw Ruz (now set by the moon over Tehran). Thinking about the flow, some Attributes (of God) made more sense from the human view. For instance, Light (5th month) is followed by Mercy and Words. Ah, biblical tunes come to play, such as Genesis. Later, we get to Knowledge (12th month) followed by Power and Speech. Those suggested some type of group arrangement.

This image shows the 19 months, starting with Splendour and ending with Loftiness with every month following the same pattern, separated into groups of three. What pops out is the transition through the month of Might (10th month) as the mid-point which is followed by Will. In terms of that last, independence of thought and perception are primal in the Writings. That order? We will get to Kant who was pre Bab.

Might and focus

2. Another motive comes from last of the 7 Valleys where "chord" is mentioned in terms of possible interpretations meaning personal, purposful usage of the notions. There are many ways to group such as noting that there are 9 evens and 10 odds when considering an index of the ordered list of months. In the above, Might is the (10th month) followed by Will which brings in issues of free will and choice among other things.

We mentioned Kant, above, and will be trying to show how his philosophy is central to the transition period of the Manifestations. Kant died in 1804 and represented the culmination of work to that time of bringing to fruit the "2 letters" of which reason was an important factor. Those of science who have looked realize that Kant's thoughts apply in lots of ways. Many of these have been ignored.

Seven Valleys and human ways

3. This image has three circles with the interior one representing the days of the week. The new calendar has the week starting on Saturday with the name of Glory. It ends on Friday with Independence, such as today. That resonates with the modern way and its systems many of which are based upon the clock.

The next two circles are based upon the Attributes of the months and their days. So, we have the start of Splendour and the end of Loftiness. Notice in the middle circle, Might has its place as a fulcrum. We have much to discuss about that.

4/09/2022, Saturday (Glory) Glory, Splendour (09/03)

There are three lines in the image. Their meaning can be seen in the caption of the image. In 2022, the 9th of April was the first day of the week (Glory) and the month (Splenour) of the second month (Glory). This is a "square" day. There are also triple days where we see the same name for each. In 2011, the month of August had a triple day.

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Groups were mentioned above without proper comment. These are in terms of four months: Transcendent; Teleological; Operational; Motivational; Ascendant. But, we have looked at groups of three and even eight.

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Our focus all along has been science and religion as compatible themes with respect to knowledge. Everyone has the right to work that out for themselves, with the proviso, though, that science and its methods be publically verifiable. While, religion deals with the person's own realm of being in so many ways.

Back to Kant, he showed that we can neither prove nor disprove God from the view of science, at least in terms that are prevalent in today's world. Remember, Kants of of the "2 letter" time. Too, the top-of-the-line logical machines tell us this: whether or not one believes in God comes down to choice.

So, free will? Now with respect to the growing complexity that we see with technology, personal choices have to be balanced with public views in so many ways. The Universal House of Justice will be weighing in on that. For instance, there is a lot in the Baha'i Writings that can be shown to subjectively relate to science. Same goes for the Koran which is full of wisdom that has not yet been brought to public view.

Remarks: 03/14/2025

03/14/2025 --

The Four Valleys

2025-02-26T21:34:00.004+00:00

Month, Day: 181, 2nd, Intercalary Days (Justice)

The Call of the Divine Beloved (The Four Valleys):

The Sanctuary of the Desired One - this plane pertaineth to the self—but the self which is intended is “the Self of God that pervadeth all His laws”
The Court of the All-Praised - this is the station of the Intellect, which is known as the messenger of the realm of the body and the most great pillar
The Abode of the Lodestone of Hearts - no soul may dwell on this kingly throne save the countenance of love
The Beauty of the Beloved - this station is the throne of the inmost heart and the secret of divine guidance

Remarks: 03/14/2025

02/26/2025 --

Bastinado

2025-02-06T00:27:00.001+00:00

Month, Day: 181, Sovereignty, Loftiness (Justice)

Baha'i Stories:

When He had been bound in the humiliating bastinado position, His legs in the air, bare feet exposed and lashed to a bar held by assistants, Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin, Baha’u’llah’s paternal uncle and one of the company, threw himself in front of Baha’u’llah, and was thrashed until he fainted from the pain. Baha’u’llah was then beaten with rods until His feet bled. He was then removed, along with his companions, to one of the rooms of the mosque, and held there until the return of the Governor from his visit to Fort Shaykh Tabarsi.
(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi; ‘Baha’u’llah, The King of Glory’, by Balyuzi; and ‘The Robe of Light, vol. 1’, by Ruhe)

Aqdas:

#158 -- Say: Because He bore injustice, justice hath appeared on earth, and because He accepted abasement, the majesty of God hath shone forth amidst mankind.

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For those who want to meditate (many senses): Foot whipping.

Remarks: 02/05/2025

02/05/2025 --

Yahyay 19

LOP 1

Philosophers did not deny

Matter of Questions

True Seeker

Contentment

Sun cycles

Popular posts

Stages of development

Words - Maqsud

Have faith

Animal condition

Prophets instructing sages

Aqdas, by sentence

Angels, fore and aft

Archetypal 2

the Fashioner

Eyes of the East

Light, repeat

Five kinds

Renew

Questions, BASIS of Science

Groups, again, from the beginning

The Four Valleys

Bastinado