Bahai Blog
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Check-out this amazing Chewstick music/open-mike-poetry-reading happenening. More will be posted shortly.
This is the amazing Dob-City Variety store with everything one would regularly need in one small space at reasonable prices along with very helpful and friendly service. This is an inside look at about 40% of Dob-City Variety.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
The room I am staying in is called the Map Room and sure enough, as you can see, this is a wall map of the world almost from floor to ceiling.
The Bahá’ís of Bermuda have an hour-long Bahá’í Live radio station each Monday night from 8 pm to 9 pm on KJAZ, 98.1 FM. Their web site is http://www.bdaradio.com/. The show is hosted by Derick Symonds who has his own Jazz show each weekday from 3 pm to 7 pm playing Straight Ahead and Contemporary Jazz. Last Monday I had the opportunity to talk about Bahá’í Education.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Here is a picture of the Ruhi Book 7 study circle that I have started tutoring. It was a little intimidating at first because the participants include the Institute Coordinator, an Auxiliary Board Member and several members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bermuda. This is their first home-grown Book 7 to train Ruhi Tutors. Collectively they have an amazing amount and depth of Bahá’í experience and insights. As a result, my role as tutor is largely to keep things moving and on-track and they runs the study circle pretty much themselves. I am also learning a lot myself. On Saturday 13 May 2006, they helped understand an idea that we can have spiritual emotions related to our souls, in addition to regular emotions.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
After a week’s stay at Larry’s place, I moved to the home of some Baha'i friends, high on a hill over looking the north side of the island and a beautiful expansive panorama of the Atlantic.
Since then I have taken many photos and posted them to Flickr. Go to http://www.flickr.com/ and enter jdesson9 where the white box says “ Find a photo of…” or just click on this link. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/jdesson9/. Many of the photos were scenic pictures along the old railroad bed that runs along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. I was so captivated by the beauty of the landscape.
Friday, April 14, 2006
14 April 2006 Good Friday Kite Flying at Horseshoe Bay
Today's Good Friday at a national holiday in Bermuda. The biggest event of the day is a gathering at Horseshoe Bay for sunbathing, lively music from a group called Chewstick and, most important of all, Kite flying. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. At one time, they were nearly a dozen kites in the sky. The temperature was about 20°C, the sun was shining, the ocean was at low tide, and hundreds and hundreds of people were scattered across the horseshoe shaped beach. There were people of all ages, culture, colours and personalities. At one end of each, that that looks northto the Atlantic Ocean, is a large mound of coral rock about 10 metres high. I climbed up to the top and joined other people there where I sat for some time taking in the view and taking panoramic pictures which I hope to put up onto this blog.
While I was there I also ran into my friend Larry. Well I've only been here a few weeks; but Bermuda is one beautiful place to live.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Week 2 in Bermuda- Part 1
While staying at Larry’s place for the first week of my stay in Bermuda, I went jogging with him in the early morning between 6 and 7 am. to view the north end of the Island out over the Atlantic Ocean. It is very invigorating and inspiring- a great way to start one’s day. Other times, instead of a morning jog, we would jog up a hill to a point that looks at the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean and at an awe inspiring sunset.
We talked of many things well into the evening each night, mostly about the Bahá’í Faith, comunity development and the Ruhi Study Circles (an adult [age 15 & up] training program for anyone interested in spiritual matters. We also eat out at two local restaurants. The food was expensive compared to prices in Canada, but the meals were excellent. While wondering around St. George’s with Larry, I met many of his friends. The people of Bermuda are very warmth and hospitable.
Monday, April 10, 2006
The pistures will soon be re-loaded as smaller files for convience of viewing.
Here are some pictures that I took while in Bermuda.
29 March 2005: As my arrival plane descended through the clouds, a beautiful vista of blue-green ocean spread out before me. It was awe inspiring. Other people around me seemed nonchalant about it but I was so excited, the adrenaline wiped any fatigue from an hour and a half of sleep. I was excited about flying over the ocean (‘been there, done that’) but to embark on this marvellous adventure to visit the Bahá’ís and other citizens of Bermuda.
The plane settled down on this paradise isle bordered by palm trees and spring weather.
After going through customs, I was greeted by Larry, this warm, jocular Bahá’í with a relaxed persona whose camouflage and style is ‘a regular guy’ that covers a very socially perception intelligence and one very smart person. I stayed with Larry for a week. While there I visited the old historic site of St. George Village and met many people. Bermudians are very courteous and polite. One is expected to greet most people with a polite “Good morning” etc., which I keenly reciprocated. The houses are all, and I really mean ‘all, built of cement and painted in beautiful pastel colours outlined in brilliant white. I easily spoke to people in the parks, at bus stops and on the bus.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Well, our Ottawa Baha'i cluster meeting yesterday was very exciting, very productive and a heck of a lot of fun. Members of the teaching committee had organized some amazing and exciting video presentations. There were also amazing and energizing presenters. Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada (the annually democratically elected governing body of the Baha'is of Canada, consisting of nine men and women) were also at the reflection meeting. A spokesperson for the NSA spoke for very briefly to encourage the Baha'i; but largely they were there to observe and learn, they said.
This reflection meeting was the launch of the third cycle of our intensive program for growth, which will last for three months. There was a review of the last cycle which showed that the Baha'is of Ottawa and the various Baha'i institutions have achieved remarkable growth and development. What's very exciting about reflection meetings is that the community as a whole is learning and adapting their approaches and methods based upon the experiences and lessons learned from the previous cycle. This is so amazing, a community, under the guidance and leadership of the Baha'i institutions, collectively determines and implements its own growth. I don't know of any other group on the plant that can combine this combination of institutional guidance and grassroots people empowerment.
During the second half of the meeting, we divided up into groups based on our particular sector. We were provided with some quotations from the Baha'i Writings and some questions about how the previous cycle was organized and how successful the various activities so that we can improve things for this next cycle. In each group, the Baha'i participants offered suggestions, insights, constructive criticism and their various experiences with the previous cycle of intensive program of growth, as well as outlining their individual and group activities for this next cycle.
It is difficult to describe in words, how exciting it is the part of this collective community development; that is evolving and growing, based not upon authoritarian directives, but upon the initiative of individuals and small groups under the guidance of the Baha'i institutions. This is not a top down approach. This is the consultation with and collaboration between individuals and small groups who themselves freely organize and implement their own chosen activities.
For those of you who don't know what a cluster is, I'll explain. Baha'i communities are divided up into clusters and sectors. A cluster, in most cases, consists of several communities which are organized for the purposes of community development activities and the development of services to the larger non-Baha'i community. At this time, the services consist of children's classes, usually once a week, adult training programs, using the Ruhi program, and devotional gatherings which are open to all. In the case of large cities, like Ottawa, the entire city is a cluster itself. A cluster is then divided into subgroups called sectors, such that some community events and organization will take place within the sector. This way, the community participates as a whole within a more manageable small-group, the sector. On other occasions, it is appropriate for the Baha'is of the cluster to meet as a whole.
A reflection meeting is an opportunity for the community to consult and work together on a set of goals within a relatively short period of time, from three to six months. The community, that is a cluster, also may receive reports from other Baha'i institutions. In our case, in Ottawa, this cluster reflection meeting was organized by the teaching committee of the local spiritual assembly of the Baha'is of Ottawa in collaboration with the coordinators of the Institute board. Not every cluster can be organized in different ways, and I'm not aware of the different ways that clusters organize reflection meetings in different parts of the world. I can only comment on how they organized in my own area. In Ottawa, the teaching committee organized the event, but there was ample opportunity for the Baha'is themselves to consult, to offer comments and suggestions and to offer constructive criticism.
As an aside, the leadership is provided in the Baha'i Faith by the institutions; on the other hand, the ability to implement, to bring plans to fruition, relies on the initiative the Baha'is as individuals and small groups. For example, the teaching committee may have organized the Ottawa reflection meeting yesterday and outlined the goals for the next three months, but it is up to the Baha'i is themselves, as individuals and small groups, to consult together and decide the time, place and what specific activities they will perform. The Baha'is themselves, of course, are free to decide whether they wish to participate in the meeting at all or to participate in the implementation of these goals. In many cases, an individual is simply not able to attend a reflection meeting but may participate later, after consulting those who did attend. And many other cases, it was not possible for the Baha'i to attend or participate in these activities, simply because of family restraints, for example sample work or family related activities.
An essential ingredient, much like the cement that holds the bricks together of a building, is consultation in collaboration. Consultation and cooperation are very large subjects, and so it is not appropriate at this time to provide an adequate explanation. For now, consultation is a group decision-making process in which all are focused on a resolution of a problem or the manner in which activities will proceed. Collaboration is much like the word is normally used. In the case of the Baha'i community, various Baha'i institutions and individuals and groups individuals collaborate together so that their energies, their time in their activities are used most effectively, most productively, in harmony together and focused on common goals, though the implementation of those goals will vary with the groups and individuals.
I apologize for this long post. My concern was for those who were not Baha'is, or have had very little experience with Baha'i communities. I hope this provides some helpful information on these terms are used in future postings.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
I thoroughly enjoy being a Bahá’í. I am a Ruhi tutor and assist in the health and well being of the Bahá’í Community.
My main interests are the Covenant of God, Bahá’í governance and the subjects of mind, heart, soul and spirit. Right now I am reading a long letter from the Universal House of Justice (29 December 1988) titled Rights and Responsibilities in the Canadian edition and Individual rights and Freedoms in the version in Ocean which may be the US edition.
Ocean is a FREE text retrieval software of many many Bahá’í books. This FREE software can be downloaded at .
This letter from the universal House of Justice is a brilliant exposition on the Bahá’í community and it’s democratically elected institutions.
I live in a city of about one million people and there are just under 1000 Bahá’ís.
