Australian Intercontinental Conference, with Baha’is from 19 countries in attendance, March 1958. Photo courtesy of the Baha’i International Community. Shoghi Effendi, in his 2 October 1957 cable, announced a series of five Intercontinental Conferences, one of which was to be held March 21- 24 in Sydney, the oldest Baha’i community in the Antipodes. His cable also announced the appointment of an additional eight Hands of the Cause, one of whom was Mr. Collis Featherstone, the chairperson of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia. Imagine the excitement of the Australian Baha’i community ..read more

The following is our monthly newsletter. You can get a copy sent directly to your inbox! As we near the Feast of Light, I was thinking that Light is such a beautiful name for a month. There are so many different kinds of light in the world: of course, we have the sun. Personally, I think I take the sun for granted along with the beautiful light it provides–though I am always grateful for its heat. I just can’t imagine living in cities in the Northern Hemisphere where the light never rises for a few months in the freezing cold of winter. Similarly, there are some areas where the sun n ..read more

Have you ever come across an idea so simple as to seem obvious, but so profound it seemed to bend your brain in new directions? I had that experience in 2016 at a seminar with the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (ISGP). On the very first day, we discussed a foundational principle of our study: the importance of holding a concept in our brain with the intention to understand it, without accepting or rejecting it. It seems like a no-brainer, but as I tried to practice this skill over the course of the seminar, I realized it’s way harder than it sounds. Our brains like simplicity: yes ..read more

Stories about Abdu’l-Baha for children are light upon light and I am delighted to know about a new publication called Loving All the World that was put together by Barbara Johnson. It contains stories by a score of talented writer and work by a plethora of skillful artists. It was a joy to hear from Barbara about this new book. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I had the privilege of learning about Baha’u’llah when I was a youth deeply committed to the principles of justice, equality, and the supreme need for world peace. One summer when I was working at a children’s camp, I started t ..read more

The following is our monthly newsletter. You can get a copy sent directly to your inbox! The last month has been overflowing with excitement and joy as this Ridvan the 13th International Baha’i Convention was held in Haifa in order to elect the Universal House of Justice. Delegates from all over the planet gathered together and, by following along with the Baha’i World News Service, the jubilation and thrill of the gathering was palpable all over the globe. You know that sentence where Abdu’l-Baha says, “When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine everywhere”? I feel ..read more

Last year we laid out a new direction for Baha’i Blog to inspire people in Australia to participate in the transformation of society. A key pillar of how we’re trying to achieve that is by gathering and sharing perspectives and stories of people around Australia striving to put spiritual principles into action to transform their communities in ways both big and small. Many of those stories are best told through interviews, and for that we’re seeking someone to join our team on a freelance or casual basis to help us develop a series of video and audio interviews to be delivered via YouTube and ..read more

The following is our monthly newsletter. You can get a copy sent directly to your inbox! I am writing this late evening. The cloud-marbled sunset is gone, but I can’t yet make out the stars. The sky is a deep, luminous, inky blue. Two red candles sit on my writing desk, their twin flames dance side-by-side. Warm shimmering waves of golden light flicker across my steaming cup of wild sweet orange tea and illuminate the ruffled magenta petals of three ranunculus arranged in a yellow vase. The exuberance of the blooms announces the imminence of spring in the northern hemisphere just as the f ..read more

I had the pleasure of attending the US premiere of the film Tehranto, a debut work by Canadian-Iranian Baha’i filmmaker Faran Moradi. It’s a love story that takes place in the vibrant city of Toronto where Badi and Sharon, two young students with very different upbringings from a divided Persian community, accidentally fall in love. While Faran is clear that the film is not Baha’i-inspired, the Baha’i Faith is a thread woven into the fabric of the story. Here’s what Faran shared with me: Can you tell us a little bit about the film and what it’s about? Tehranto is a rom-com about diasporic Ir ..read more

Conversations on the purpose of life from a Baha’i perspective will touch on the belief that all human beings have been created to know and worship God, and to promote an ever-advancing civilization. Each and every one of us has the capacity to do this. Frances Mezei is the creator and compiler of A Journey of Courage which explores how the journey of life provides the opportunity to unleash the full potential inherent in each of us regardless of ability or disability. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I became a Baha’i in 1989 and became passionate about developing accessible communi ..read more

Photo courtesy of the Baha’i International Community I recently had a conversation where a friend expressed concern for the future of humanity. ‘Even great statesmen,’ he said, ‘do not appear to have created a lasting social change.’ Gandhi, Mandela, Martin Luther King, Helen Keller and even Emmeline Pankhurst came to mind. We sat back for a minute to ponder their achievements and reflect on the change, or lack thereof, that may be associated with their lives. This conundrum, did they initiate lasting change or not, can certainly lead to a loss of hope by some. However, as Baha ..read more