doberman pizza. a baha'i (bahai, bahá'í) blog.

hi everybody – greetings from Tel Aviv. It’s currently 7:47 PM. Mom, Catherine and I arrived in Israel this morning at about 4 AM local time. Left from Montreal on the night of the 27th, arriving at Heathrow Airport in London at around 9 AM local time. We visited the Guardian’s resting place and said prayers, and spent a little time in London (visited Piccadilly Circus) before taking the underground back to Heathrow in time for our connection to Tel Aviv. The weather here is OK; it’s overcast and mild. We’ve hardly had any sleep since leaving from Montreal, so we booked a room for the day in a hotel here and just slept straight through. We just had dinner (mexican food… ?!??) and are about to depart for the bus station to catch a ride to Haifa, where our reservation awaits and the pilgrimage program begins tomorrow morning.

We can’t wait to get there, to meet our fellow pilgrims, and to begin the experience of pilgrimage to the Baha’i Shrines and holy places. It is really exciting to be here. We will keep you all in our prayers – no, really, we have lists – and hope that God will accept our devotions and shower confirmations on all your (and our) efforts to love and serve humanity.

Update: Nov 8 2006 – hey everybody. it’s 10 AM Israel time, and we’re getting ready to leave our cozy little hostel in Haifa, the Port Inn. At 11 AM, our bus leaves for Tel Aviv; our flight to London leaves at 4:45 PM. Pilgrimage has been very moving and beautiful – very hard to describe. All of us have been praying in the shrines a great deal, and have been remembering our friends, co-workers, and family – along with those who asked us for prayers for their loved ones, as well as the Baha’is of Iran (read the recent story from the Baha’i World News Service). We’ve met a lot of wonderful Baha’is from all around the world and received a lot of inspiration. I’ve got about 2 gigs of photos to post up; I’ll be adding a whack of them to my flickr site as soon as I can. I also plan to put together a more complete photojournal to tell the story of our pilgrimage to the Baha’i Holy Places. There are so many stories to tell.

Anyway I will be back in action (but jet-lagged) this Friday, the 10th.

so I’ve been real busy lately, right? so busy that I haven’t had time to do the most basic things, like, say, upload photos to flickr. well that was up until yesterday, anyway – cos now there’s a whole bunch of new photos.

the summer vacation set is complete – marvel at this past summer’s infamous train trip to moncton to visit family and eat lobster and quahogs. Also be sure to check out two related videos I uploaded to Youtube: a view of my train pulling into Bathurst, and Catherine showing us the joys of clay beaches.

Next, check out a beautiful set of nature walk photos, capturing the changing colours of the leaves both in Ottawa and at Pink Lake in Gatineau Park.

Finally, revel in the randomness of our random party at East Side Mario’s. See old friends, meet new people, celebrate pejman’s birthday, and discover the new craze that’s sweeping the nation.

Want more? Visit my list of photosets, browse through my flickr photostream, or explore my photos on an interactive map.

I can scarcely believe it, but it’ll be only three days until I’m on my way to Haifa with my mother and sister for Baha’i pilgrimage. It’s a strange, almost unearthly feeling, like I’m half expecting to wake up at any moment from a wonderful dream. I’m really excited – I feel kinda like a little kid who’s going on the biggest adventure of his life. I know in cases like these I have to watch myself lest I get so distracted that I forget to take care of important last-minute arrangements (like filling out the online security precheck so I can get through the airports more quickly). My passport arrived this past Friday; plenty of time to spare. Last night, I read through all the pamphlets sent out by the Office of Pilgrimage to make sure I was familiar with all their guidance on travel; I’ve never travelled abroad, so this is really the new experience of all new experiences for me. I still haven’t packed, despite my sister’s loving reminders. I’m still wondering whether I’m really spiritually prepared for the journey, and going through my mental list of all the people I intend to pray for while I’m there. I have to make sure to persevere in reciting my daily obligatory prayers and reading and striving to understand the Writings of Baha’u'llah every morning and evening – a habit our tutor movement group worked together to establish during this past month.

That’s it for now. I’ll post one last time before we leave on Friday; I may opt to remain in communicado during the time of pilgrimage, or I may opt to make a quick post at some point during the trip to show signs of life. We’ll see how things go.

today is the anniversary of the birth of The Báb, the forerunner to Bahá’u'lláh and herald of His revelation. Check out the Baha’i World News Service for a note about the birth of the Bab; also see beliefnet for a nice article on this occasion.

Spotted something on Barnabas Quotidianus that I just had to share with you all – about some very awesome people in Australia giving out free hugs.

Reminds me of this quote:
Love is, indeed, a most potent elixir that can transform the vilest and meanest of people into heavenly souls. (From a letter written of behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 6, 1935)

Have a very happy Wednesday!

note: looks like the video was taken down due to copyright problems. sad :(

I couldn’t help but share this with you all; it’s heartening to know that members of Parliament actually stand up and take notice of the plight of the Baha’is of Iran. From the Canadian Baha’i News Service (CBNS):

Canadian Bahá’ís acknowledge MPs’ efforts to defend Bahá’ís in Iran

OTTAWA, ON, 11 October 2006 (CBNS) — As Parliament resumes this fall, Bahá’ís around Canada have expressed gratitude for the concern Members of Parliament have shown upon hearing reports of activities that suggest the Iranian government is preparing to intensify its persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.

To date, approximately 120 Members of Parliament have met with representatives of local Bahá’í communities in Canada to discuss the mounting evidence that the government in Iran is intent on suppressing the rights of its country’s Bahá’í community.

By the time the first session of Parliament ended back in June, four Members had individually spoken out in defence of the Bahá’ís in Iran, including one Member who introduced a private motion that explicitly called on the international community to convince the Iranian government to cease its discrimination against the Bahá’ís.

“The Bahá’ís have been oppressed solely because of religious intolerance. The progressive stands of the Bahá’ís on women’s issues [and] education have particularly infuriated Muslim clerics,” said the Honourable Bryon Wilfert to the House of Commons in June.

“The pattern of actions by the Iranian authorities is threatening,” he continued. “It is essential that Canada play a role in promoting human rights for Bahá’ís around the world.”

The Honourable Keith Martin and Louise Thibeault were the other two Members who referred to the human rights violations being carried out against Bahá’ís in Iran. The Honourable Alexa McDonough introduced the private member’s motion urging Canada to take a lead role in convincing the Iranian government to stop discriminating against its country’s religious minorities.

Read the entire article.

staying home tonight, blogging and listening to some friends DJing internet radio. Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful; much thanks and praise was voiced, and much turkey was eaten. Our latest tutor movement session took place on Wednesday—the ‘spiritual preparation’ I mentioned in my last post. It’s been going really well; for my part, I’ve gotten a lot of support and encouragement from going. It’s been friendly, fun, reflective, with a good mix of guidance, discussion and practice. Practice dominates what we do—gaining experience seems to be the key goal, along with gaining confidence. The more you practice a simple act like studying a prayer with someone or elevating conversations with people around you, the more comfortable you become doing it.

Speaking of simple acts, you may be aware that since the turn of the (21st) century, the worldwide Baha’i community has been offering what it calls core activities of personal and community spiritual development—not only to its own members, but to all the world’s inhabitants. These include devotional gatherings (centered around prayers, readings, reflection), children’s classes (centered around the moral and spiritual education of children), study circles (centered around learning through individual and group reflection on divine writings), and junior youth groups (centered around increasing the capacities of youth aged 12-14). The Canadian Baha’i community recently released two videos that offer glimpses into the first two of these; check them out at the above link or download low-bandwidth versions here: (devotional meetings—children’s classes). Right-click either one of these two links and choose “Save Target As…” or “Save Link As…”, and save them to your local computer. Watch both of these videos and you may see people you recognize from the Ottawa and Gatineau Baha’i communities!

It’s autumn again. I went out for a walk this afternoon to gather kindling, and took some photos along the way. Check ‘em out on flickr. It’s still early in the season, and there are quite a few green leaves left, but as the weather gets colder, more and more of them will be reddening, drying up and making their final downward journey, ending up in a pile at the back of the parking lot. Autumn is definitely my favourite season. Maybe it’s the massive flourish of colour that overtakes the city – the country, even – within a few weeks. Maybe it’s the sudden snap of cold air that makes me want to curl up in front of a fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate. Last year, I blogged:

Autumn gives me a feeling of gratitude for the things I have that keep me warm and dry, the friends who bless me with the gift of their presence, and the joy of closeness to the ones I love.

Speaking of warmth, joy, and closeness—and above all, gratitude—it’s Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. We celebrate it in October up here because it’s too cold in November (maybe that’s not the real reason). My family’s having a little dinner tomorrow (Sunday) night, with promise of good food and sharing some good times. some of the conversation will probably have to do with pilgrimage; my mom, sister and I will be going to Haifa in about two and a half weeks. I can still barely believe that this is IT, we’re actually going on pilgrimage, we’re actually going to be right there at the Baha’i Holy Places, walking, talking, breathing where Baha’u'llah was just a little over a century ago.

I mentioned spiritual preparation the last time I blogged about our upcoming pilgrimage, and I left the definition rather vague. Recently, I was invited to be part of a group that offers a unique sort of spiritual preparation—based on the courses of the Ruhi Institute…what else? What a blessing! Some of us were describing it as a “Baha’i Support Group”: we meet weekly to share our trials and pitfalls in teaching, and communicate by email and phone regularly during the week to 1) share insights about a set of readings from the Hidden Words that we’re all doing in parallel, and 2) share elements of our daily and weekly plans and encourage each other to take action on them.

The focus on action and support has been encouraging; we’ll focus on a small set of actions each week, mostly based on practice components of the Ruhi books. For example: reading and understanding the Hidden Words, or studying a prayer with someone. The goal is to make habits out of these actions: the more comfortable we are reading and understanding the Baha’i Writings, the easier it is for us to remember to turn to them at all times. The more comfortable we are visiting people to study prayers with them, the easier it is for us to get up and pay someone a visit at their home when they need our fellowship, and to share prayers and Writings with them that can provide the solace, comfort, and inspiration they may need. We’re creating life habits—that’s what you call a culture of learning. And once we’ve experienced the process of creating these habits, we can help others create those same habits in study circles.

More later; for now, roam around on flickr and enjoy the sights. I posted a bunch of photos from Ilya’s going-away party on the 10th of September; see how many people you recognize! And OMG how could I forget this link: Ilya is blogging his day-to-day experience in Haifa, so if you’re wondering what he’s up to, you should definitely visit his blog.

While waiting for the bus on my way to work last Tuesday, a headline in one of the local free news dailies (that is, reuters/cp/torstar repeaters) caught my eye. “All they need is love”. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the following Canadian Press story about the rise of interreligious marriages. Hmm. That’s a pretty cheesy title. Maybe “Interreligious marriages on the rise” was too bland. Anyway, the story’s based on a study published by Statistics Canada. Check it out.

Interreligious marriages on the rise: study
By LORRAYNE ANTHONY

TORONTO (CP) – Tina Verma wore a traditional red sari when her bridegroom placed a wedding band on her henna tattooed hand. It was the picture perfect Hindu wedding for a girl born in New Delhi – unless the guests took into account the man beside her.

The groom, a Canadian Christian, wore a black western suit. A few minutes after the Hindu ceremony, the two were married by a United Church minister. Then they walked down the aisle as guests threw flower petals on the newly married couple for good luck – a Hindu tradition.

As Canada becomes more culturally diverse, nuptials involving individuals from different denominations and faiths are also becoming more common, a new study finds.

While only 15 per cent of married or common-law couples were interreligious in 1981, by 2001 such unions had grown to 19 per cent, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.

Of the 14.1 million Canadians in couples, nearly 2.7 million had a partner from a different religious group, the study based on census data finds.

Read the whole article.

Bonus Question: Would you marry someone who practices a religion other than your own? Why or why not?

hey peeps. just a quick note for the heck of it. the weekend was pretty phat. Pejman hosted an amazing housewarming party at his new place on Sunday, with an “African Flavour” theme. ZOMG awesome food. I died. And there were a lot of really interesting people there too, all of whom had some sort of connection to Africa – born there, lived there, visited, or (like me) have vague longings to go there some day.

hmm what else. ohhh children’s classes are really strongly on my mind right now. Julie and I are gearing up for the new year of Étoiles Brillantes (our francophone children’s class, based in Julie and Fanfan’s Manor Park home). The curriculum is set, parents are called, and so on; we’re meeting tonight to make plans of action to further develop the class organizationally and human resources-wise; spare a prayer or two, or three, for us – we’ll be needing all the prayers we can get.

That’s all for now, folks!