Jamál, 17 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 178 B.E.

Seen

Happy Halloween!

Done

Apple introduced Shortcuts with iOS 12 in September 2018. I have paid no attention to the app on my iPhone or iPad. Now, it is available with macOS Monterey released last week. Enough testimonials speak to how much improvement Shortcuts can make in workflow productivity that the old dog spent a couple of hours today trying to learn new tricks following suggestions such as those in the article “How to run Shortcuts on macOS Monterey.” I did open Ulysses to write this post using Shortcuts so, hey, it’s a start!

Noted

Happy Birthday, Daughter!

Marc Bosserman on Instagram and YouTube—All Blues

Astral Prospecting on Instagram:

Surely this one will fit into the frying pan?!

Quoted

It is a challenge to be a Bahá’í in a world that is in critical transition, where men and women are frantically groping for new directions in life. At times the challenge seems insurmountable. When that dark feeling invades our heart, we grow spiritually weary. Strange, that we should experience such low moments when we know what can happen to us if we do what the Divine Physician urges us to do.

But we don’t always do what we know is right. Sometimes we hesitate, being pulled by two opposing forces—the Divine Teachings and the way of the “Old World Order.” In that state of mine we berate ourselves, are drawn into the pit of guilt and our faith seems to diminish, we don’t like that feeling. In Fact, we dread it and hope that we never experience it again. Perhaps fleeing to some isolated spot, we think will keep us from such a condition., But developing spiritual strength has nothing to do with geography (t is a matter of putting the Cause of God ahead of everything else in our lives. When we do that regularly we develop an inner strength that helps us to appreciate and apply the Divine Remedy:

Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world’s afflictions can in no wised alarm me.” 1 2

My sister and brother-in-law recently relocated and chose to donate several books in their library rather than move them. Many of these volumes are not well-known, but due to the topics they cover and the manner in which their authors explore them, they warrant a nod of recognition before being sent on their way. Accordingly, most quotes referenced in the “Quoted” section come from these books. Maybe they will stir (or renew) your interest, too.

  1. Baháʼuʼlláh. Prayers and Meditations by Baháʼuʼlláh. Translated by Shoghi Effendi. 1938. Reprint, Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1974, 208. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/prayers-meditations/5#417066504 [return]
  2. Rutstein, Nathan. Winning Spiritual Battles. 1996. 2nd Reprint, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 2000, preface. [return]