Monologue: "A Woman who 'met' Baha'u'llah"

For one event in honor of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah, we made a tent and I portrayed a woman who had met Baha'u'llah. One child asked me, "How OLD are you?"!!!! I'll include the monologue below. 

A Woman who “met” Baha’u’llah  (monologue)  by Anne Perry, with stories (*Between*) from The Story of Baha'u'llah by Druzelle Cederquist--see http://bit.ly/XxNohE

Our Beloved Bahá’u’lláh: Remembrances of the Leaves of the Holy Family

Our Beloved Bahá’u’lláh:  Remembrances of the Leaves of the Holy Family
Part I – The Early Years (1817–1853)

Monologues in Commemoration of His 200th Birthday by Marlene Macke

Monologue about Baha'u'llah: Memories of Bahiyyih Khanum

Here's a shortened form of Memories of Bahiyyih Khanum, Adapted From The Chosen Highway
 

Adapted From The Chosen Highway:    Memories of Bahiyyih Khanum

Special Days . . . and "I Knew the Bab" script

The sublime days of celebrating the bicentenary of Baha'u'llah's Birth are upon us! All over the world there will be celebrations and special proclamations!!!  Can we understand what it means?

I've been remiss in posting a few other scripts that have been developed. Below is one put together by Marlene Macke, in the voices of Fátimih Bagum,The mother of the Báb; Khadíjih Bagum. The wife of the Báb; Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, known as Khál-i-A‘zam, The uncle of the Báb; Shaykh ‘Abid, The teacher of the Báb.

I Knew the Báb

His Early Life through the Remembrances of Those Who Knew Him

A Dramatic Reading in Commemoration of His Birthday

Compiled by Marlene Macke

St. Marys, Ontario, Canada

 

Another reading contributed by Tom Lysaght

"Rejoice with exceeding gladness in your hearts and souls, for the night hath come for the harvesting of the ages and the gathering up of past cycles,

the night wherein all days and nights were called into being and the time preordained for this Revelation was fulfilled...                                                                                                            

This is the night wherein the doors of Paradise were flung open... the night wherein the paradise of the All-Merciful was unveiled in the midmost heart of creation...

  All joy to this night through which all days have been suffused with light...           

...for the Morn of divine Revelation hath dawned... All glory, then, to this Dawn which hath broken above the dayspring of effulgent glory!...                                    

This is the Dawn whereat was born He Who begetteth not and Who is not begotten...                                                                                                                                    

This is the Dawn whereat the cohorts of the concourse of Paradise and the hosts of the angels of holiness descended from heaven...

This is the Dawn whereat the Most Great Tree was planted and bore its exalted and peerless fruits...                                               

One fruit of that Tree hath proclaimed what the Burning Bush had proclaimed aforetime in that hallowed and snow-white Spot,

words to which Moses gave ear and which caused Him to forsake all created things and to direct His steps towards the retreats of holiness and grandeur...         

Another fruit thereof hath uttered that which enraptured Jesus and raised Him up to the heaven of manifest splendour...                                                                                   

Yet another fruit thereof hath disclosed that which captivated the heart of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, Who,

carried away by the sweet accents of the Voice from on high, ascended unto the Divine Lote-Tree and heard...

the Voice of God speaking forth the mystery of My hallowed, My exalted and mighty Name.

All glory, then, to this Tree which hath been raised up through the power of truth, that all the peoples of the world may seek the shelter of its shade!"

                                         

                                                        — Bahá’u’lláh, Days of Remembrance #42

New MUSIC for Bicentenary!

Ramine Yazhari: "Rejoice: Songs in Honor of the Birth of Baha'u'llah" and other great music!

https://9starmedia.com/bicentennial-of-the-birth-of-bahaullah

A reading!

Posted by Tom Lysaght: 

   "O concourse of ardent lovers!

    By the righteousness of God, this is a night the like of which hath never been witnessed in the world of creation...

   

This is the night wherein the Spirit intoned such a melody as to throw into commotion the inner realities of all men...   

This, indeed, is the night wherein He Who is the reality of the All-Merciful hath been born,

the night wherein every eternal command hath been expounded by the Pen of the All-Glorious...

This is the night wherein God shed abroad the splendour of all His most excellent names

and established Himself  upon the throne of every pure and radiant heart...

This is the night wherein the oceans of forgiveness surged...

This is the night wherein the trespasses of all that dwell on earth were forgiven...

...that every trace of sorrow might thereby be banished forever from all things.

Rejoice, then, O ye that have stepped forth into the realm of being!...

The musk-scented wine hath been unsealed by the mighty hand of Him Who is the source of sovereignty and power...

And cups of crimson-coloured wine are being borne round by the hand of the divine Joseph...

Hasten then, O concourse of men, and drink your fill from this stream of everlasting life!...

The beauty of the Desired One hath shone forth in its naked glory...

The countenance of the Best-Beloved hath dawned above the horizon of holiness...

The veils have been burned away, the clouds have been rent asunder, the signs have been revealed and the allusions unravelled

by Him Whose might is equal to all things. And this, verily, is from the grace of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Bountiful.

Let your hearts be filled with joy...

God beareth Me witness that His favour is complete, His mercy is perfected, and His countenance is beaming with joy and radiance.

And this, verily, is from the grace of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Bountiful.”

                   — Bahá’u’lláh, Days of Remembrance #44

Stories about Baha'u'llah on Radio!

My friend Dru Cederquist writes:

Dear Friends,

Would you like to LISTEN to brief stories about Baha'u'llah? SHARE them with family and friends as Bicentenary celebrations approach? Go to WLGI Radio Baha'i online streaming. A short story airs each hour. The series continues through October 21-22. Stories will air more often that weekend. Details below in short version of blog post. Click through first link for entire blog post with more links - also sharable with friends.

Warmly,

Druzelle Cederquist

Author-The Story of Baha'u'llah: Promised One of All Religions

 

http://bit.ly/2fkLqou  “The Story of Baha’u’llah” on WLGI Radio Baha'i – a short story every hour!

 

“Baha’u’llah’s life and His impact on the world is one of the most dramatic humanity has ever seen. We’re happy to share with you now another glimpse into this remarkable life.” – WLGI Baha'i Radio http://wlgi.org/  

 

In honor of this 200th Anniversary Year of the Birth of Baha'u'llah (1817-2017) WLGI Radio Baha'i invited me to collaborate in presenting a series of brief stories about the life of Baha’u’llah, adapted from The Story of Baha’u’llah. What a pleasure to join WLGI for this storytelling endeavor!

 

Now you can listen to these brief 2-minute stories Every Day. Tune in to Radio Baha'i WLGI STREAMING Any Hour between x:40 and x:55 (A story will run, for example, sometime between 2:40 and 2:55 – nearly Every Hour!) Refresh Playlist to see when stories occur.

 

For more on WLGI go to link in blog post: "Louis Gregory Institute, Radio Baha'i focus on social justice, joy, happiness"

Banner at shopping mall

New Scripts

See David Hoffman's resources, such as a script for 5 youth:  Bicentenary Ideas, David Hoffman

I have written something similar, for two voices:

Celebrating the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh: A Reading for Two Voices

Script by Anne Perry with sections by David Hoffman

1: Who IS Bahá'u'lláh?

2: Who is Bahá'u'lláh?

Together:  WHO is Baha’u’llah?

2. Mirza Husayn 'Ali Nuri, known as Bahá'u'lláh - the Glory of God - was born at dawn on the 12th of November 1817, in Tihran, the capital of Persia. 

1: His father was a prominent and wealthy man who had been a minister at the court of the Sháh. 

Music . . .

Kim Mennillo writes (Facebook):

If you're looking for music that would be appropriate for the bicentenary event in October, I share with you here those songs (song title first, followed by name of the album). If you have other song suggestions to add to such a compilation, please let us know! 

Nightingale of Paradise - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
Farkhundi Tayiri - Songs of the Ancient Beauty, Vol. 2
His Name - Sunshine Through the Rain
Royal Falcon - Royal Falcon
My Heart Soars - Encore
Proclaim the Greatest Name - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
The First of Love - Rivers of Light
Oh, Bahá'u'lláh - Music of the World Congress
Ya Bahá'u'lláh - Eastwind
Baha'u'llah - Beyond This World
Hummingbird - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
Blessed Beauty - Sunshine Through the Rain
Luizeno - Congo
Lord of the Mountain - Rivers of Light
Would You Give Your Life to Bahá'u'lláh - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
I Have Found Bahá'u'lláh - Beyond This World
The Spirit of the Lord - Baha'i Gospel Singers
Baha'u'llah's Getting Us Ready - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
In This Day, Bahá'u'lláh - Baha'i Gospel Singers
Have You Heard of Bahá'u'lláh - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
Nightingale - Take Me Up
The Prince of Peace - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
We Will Have One World - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
Baha'u'llah - This is Faith
Baha'u'llah - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 3

Art work, designs for programs, ads . . .

So many new resources are emerging! There's a Facebook page one has to join (but that is easy). If you skim down all of the messages on discussion, you'll find MANY things being offered re. design, embellishment, music, posters/ads. . . . Artists are coming to the forefront with offerings to the Blessed Beauty!

Facebook page: Preparing for the Bicentenaries Of the Twin Birthdays

https://www.facebook.com/groups/218654355212048/

Stories about Baha'u'llah

Lots of people are compiling various things in preparation for the Bicentennial! Here's one great source for stories:
http://bahaullah-gloryofgod.blogspot.com/p/stories-about-bahaullah.html

And here's an idea for a program--probably a more "caaual" program than a larger one. Choose and print out some stories. Have them on individual pieces of paper. Let guests select one randomly or consciously and read/listen to the stories, in a circle.

Even at Feasts as we prepare for the Oct. weekend, this might be effective. Children or youth could also prepare the stories to present. . . .

New Resource!

Tom Lysaght writes:  I’m happy to announce that in response to the Universal House of Justice’s call this bicentennial year for “publications and books” in order “to convey a sense of what it means for humanity that these two Luminaries rose successively above the horizon of the world,” One Voice Press will release in June, Twin Witnesses, my narrative tribute to Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb.

In 44 pages of dramatic action Twin Witnesses portrays the events of July 1848, when the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, on two separate fronts, jointly brought the new Revelation to a climactic point of no return.

Connecting two landmark events in Bahá’í history with the repercussions felt throughout the rest of the world during its historic “Year of Revolution,” Twin Witnesses might assist the friends as they “find creative ways to... reach out to the widest possible cross-section of society... so that all may rejoice in the appearance... of a new Message for humankind.”

Twin Witnesses is available both as a booklet and as an Ebook from One Voice Press.

You can click on the following link for more information:

https://www.onevoicepress.com/content/twin-witnesses.

In His service,  Tom     http://www.yourcreativestage.com/

More than stand-alone events . . .

From the recent message for the Feast of Azamat, from the NSA:

•  How can we engage in “meaningful conversations” with the greatest possible number of our fellow citizens, representing the rich diversity of our nation?

•  What is the nature of these “meaningful conversations”? For example, are we inviting people simply to attend an event or to take part in a process of spiritual and social transformation?

•  How might the coming bicentenaries of the Twin Holy Birthdays complement the overall aims and processes of the Plan?

•  What plans have we made for the participation of children and youth in these events? Have they been invited to join in the planning process? What about friends of the Faith whose hearts are attracted to Bahá’u’lláh, even if they have not yet formally enrolled?

•  How can we ensure that the bicentenary observances are more than just standalone events? What are our plans for following up with those who attend? How will our relationships with them be further developed?

. . .  the bicentenaries call for universal participation in the celebration of these sacred anniversaries―expressed in a variety of settings, including homes, neighborhoods, Bahá’í Centers, and other venues, and expressive of the wide range of creativity possessed by the diverse populace of America. As the Supreme Body put the matter:

“In this worthy occupation all find a calling, and of the joy that comes from being engaged in this work none should deprive themselves. We entreat the one Beloved that the whole of this bicentennial year may be filled with this joy that is purest and sweetest: telling another soul of the dawning of the Day of God.”

The single greatest opportunity!

“The first of the two bicentenaries to be celebrated by the Bahá’í world is thus an occasion with prospects most thrilling. …this year presents the single greatest worldwide opportunity there has ever been for connecting hearts to Bahá’u’lláh. In the months ahead, let all be mindful of this precious chance and alert to the possibilities that exist in every space for acquainting others with His life and sublime mission” (Ridvan message 2017, Universal House of Justice)

Setting personal goals

Only six months before the staggeringly significant event--the Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh! As we grapple with what our communities might with to plan and do, it's wise to set some personal goals related to the commemoration.

My friend Bret Breneman writes this:  "Next October, Baha'is and friends around the world--in cities and villages, jungles and deserts, mountains and islands--will observe with exultant dignity the Bicentenary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah. He will be honored for what He endured and achieved, for His edifying and inspiring vision, for His utterly incomparable Writings, and for His transformative influence evident already in the world. I--this insignificant little devotee--have set myself the goal of engaging in 500 conversations about the Bicentenary between February and late October. I'm glad to report I've done 90 now, am closing in on the first one hundred!"

Isn't this a marvelous personal goal? Hope you are inspired by this example! 

Dramatic Reading for Birth of Baha'u'llah

A Bahá'í friend in Irving, Texas sent this idea: to use the text from the Phillip Hinton reading from the 1992 World Congress (available on CD, with the music as his beautiful voice) as a LIVE dramatic reading, with various parts. So, I offer the keyboarded version, below. You can copy and paste it into a document to use it. (I am not sure if any permissions might be needed.)

O Bahá’u’lláh

Dramatic reading from the 2^nd Bahá’i World Congress

O Bahá’u’lláh, what hast Thou done?

New Resource Website

I am very excited that this blog is listed as a resource on the new website from the Baha'i National Center!  Conversely, I am pleased to offer that site as an over-arching resource re. the Twin Holy Days:
www.bahai.us/bicentenary-resources