New video: Transit in a green landscape

"On this plane, the traveler meeteth with many a trial and reverse. Now is he lifted up to heaven, now is he cast into the depths. As it hath been said: "Now Thou drawest me to the summit of glory, again Thou castest me into the lowest abyss."

Baha'u'llah, The Four Valleys



Music: "This Is Not All There Is" by Mark Laurent
http://marklaurent.co.nz

The wonders of technology - a response to the Eyjafjallajökull smoke screen

Around 1906 `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote: "...all the members of the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer possible..."
(Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá
(Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1978), pp. 31-32))

And in 1936, Shoghi Effendi discussed this theme in reference to "A mechanism of world inter-communication..."
(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 203)

Screenshot taken this morning >>
on the website: www.flightradar24.com which shows real-time flights in Europe. The yellow dots are planes flying or landing.
The pink R + E indicate, Reykavik + Eyjafjallajökull

Last Friday morning, messages via my Facebook friends indicated that planes were not running and then I saw the pictures of the cloud and smoke!
Now a few U.K. papers are wondering if the 6 day no-flight ban was over-cautious, but I think, thanks to the wonders of technology a disaster was avoided. Sure people had to stay longer or find trains or buses, or be creative or flexible. It was clear from some of the messages I read, that some travellers had never slept in an airport before. Welcome to my world!
And others complained of having to make train changes, which meant carrying their luggage themselves. Welcome to my world again.
Others complained that information in their non-English speaking country was not in English and I smiled, they could send messages to facebook but didn't know how to use babblefish or communicate by adlibing. We English-speakers are the laziest people :)
Then I thought of these facebook messages that were coming in and how people were using this technology to share their stories. A lot of it seemed to be about uncertainty and frustration and I thought, hang on, a catastrophe has been averted.

Yes, I wasn't travelling and my experiences have taught me to travel light, but still I found it kinda of nice to have a sky free of planes for a few days. To be looking at the sky more often for signs of volcanic ash and glad that the red sunsets were a reminder of the wonder of nature, rather than pollution.

Change is a Law of Nature

Please don't copy this photo © Marco Secchi 2009.

About a month ago similiar photographs to this one featured on the front pages of newspapers in the U.K. of Sarah Brown, wife of the British Prime Minister taking part the London Pride March on July 4th.

And for a blog I wrote, I was generously given permission to use this photograph by London-based photographer Marco Secchi (www.marcosecchi.com)
More of his brilliant images of the march are here.

The blog is an attempt to get Bahais to discuss the implications of equality and justice for the LGBT community. Many Bahais believe gay Bahais can't have partners let alone marry, so that's the background to my blog where I'm looking at what the Bahai Writings say about religious law and communities being adaptable and changeable in response to the conditions of society.
There's also no Bahai Scriptual basis for this homophobic attitude, because Bahai Scripture is only the authenticated writings of Abdul-Baha, Baha'u'llah and the Bab and official interpretations of these by Shoghi Effendi. However the real issue I think is, for Bahais to look at where did these ideas come from and what Bahai principles could possibly support such an attitude if they are serious about the Bahai principles of equality and justice.

It is here, and if you have any responses to the blog, feel free to post these anonymously if you wish. In April 2010 I collected some of my posts together from Bahai Rants and put them in chronological order on my Just a Bahai blog.

ETC conference in Amsterdam + some Leiden uni courses

I was at the Eclectic Tech Carnival for 3 days in Amsterdam last week, which is a gathering of women to learn technical or computer related stuff from each other. I gave a workshop on making websites and in a few weeks will add some images and thoughts on this event.
I met some fantastic women!

It was also lovely to catch up with Claire and we cycled at 2.30 a.m. across a very quite Amsterdam to a Bahai event and then back again at 4.30 to the sound of birdsong and a lightening sky.

Bahai and all that...

I made this image in early April for an exhibition Miyuki Kasahara is organizing here: Shed and a half in London (Shoreditch) gallery in May.

Her project For Whom Do You Speak called for contributions in non-European languages. My Maori is very rusty and so I sent her a couple of Bahai prayers I still remember. This is a children's Prayer:
O God Guide me, Protect me, illumine the lamp of my heart and make of my heart a brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and powerful.


And while on the subject of the Bahai Faith, I'll mention a few blogs by Bahais I look at occasionally.
www.bahairants.com is run by baquia who writes engaged journalist-like stuff where there's usually a lively debate.
The topic at the moment, which I wish I had more time for, is on homosexuality. Some Bahais think homosexuality is a big no, no, and are clear about announcing this. Most think homosexuality is a big no, no, but try to sweep this embarrassment into the closet (pun intended) and others, myself included, think that while there are a lot of homophobic attitudes expressed as if these are Bahai attitudes, there's nothing in Bahai Scripture to support this and if we dig away, discuss away, we create a healthier community based on Baha'u'llah's teachings of equality for all. Anyway read the debate for yourself. Most who post on this take the position that the Bahai Faith cannot offer equality towards homosexuals.
For contrast here's the blog of dear friend, Daniel Orey,
a gay married, out-the-closest Bahai!
Bahai related blog I enjoy is Bahaitheway: witty + sharp observations.
And of course Sen McGlinn's blogs on Bahai theological aspects related to the Bahai Writings.
A lot of Bahais post blogs, but these are the ones I keep returning to because they are engaging or make me think about things.
Alison's blog is a beautiful and clear tribute to Baha'u'llah's Teachings and Writings.

Birthday of the Bab and a walk in a forest

20th October
We drove two and half hours eastward to Ab's family home in a forest, where Toroa, Tama, Tahirih and I created a short mediation of music and slide projections in the living room.

This link has a little information about who the Bab was on a website that I will finish oneday.

And this link: What is a Bahai, is a short intro
(ook in het Nederlands).







Then some of us went for a walk in the forest and we took some photos of Toroa with his namesake, Ab. We used to see Ab a lot in the days we lived in a tiny summer house in rural Limburg.