Progress on my book, Paradise of Presence
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
2M ago
I am making good progress on my book, Paradise of Presence: Conversations in the Mindscape of Eternity. In September 2023, I decided to stop writing blog posts in order to focus completely on the book. It was a wise decision, because I have been able to complete all the chapters of the book. I am now doing a final edit and sending them off to my reviewer. Once that is done, I can focus on writing the Introduction. The book is turning out to be much better than I imagined it would be when I started writing in 2015. It just kept developing as I kept working on it. I’d write a draft, leave it for ..read more
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In support of Ukraine
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
7M ago
I am a big supporter of Ukraine. As a follower of Baha’u’llah, I consider it my religious duty to support Ukraine. But having said that, my support isn’t out of duty; on the contrary, I am passionate about it. In this blog post, I explain why. The fundamental reason I support Ukraine is because, as I understand it, this position is in keeping with Baha’u’llah’s principles. Writing in the mid-19th century – in other words, years prior to the situation we face today – Baha’u’llah said that if one country takes up arms against another, then everyone must rise up to prevent the aggressor country f ..read more
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Baha’u’llah is a cure for conspiracy theories
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
8M ago
Baha’u’llah is a cure for conspiracy theories. He regularly tells his followers to eliminate their idle fancies and vain imaginings. Those two terms serve as umbrella concepts that incorporate an awful lot of mental baggage. Conspiracy theories, which are theories based in fear and on disinformation, are a good example of modern-day vain imaginings. These theories have reality only in the minds of their believers.  The other day, during a conversation with a relative, I discovered that this person believes in conspiracy theories – that democracy is discredited due to a deep state conspira ..read more
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Commentary: Tablet of the Howdah
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
8M ago
Tablet of the Howdah is a largely unknown work of Baha’u’llah. The translation by Stephen Lambden appears in volume 3 of Eric Michot’s four-volume pdf series of provisional translations of Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah wrote the tablet during his journey from Baghdad to Istanbul, which took him across Turkey and up to the northern coast, where he saw the Black Sea for the first time at the port of Samsun. Apparently, Mirza Aqa Jan asked Baha’u’llah to reveal a tablet for the occasion. Referring to the revelation that descended on him, Baha’u’llah commented that this tablet was linked to the Tablet ..read more
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The kingdom of God is within
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
9M ago
Where is the kingdom of God? Where is the entrance that goes through from this physical world into the kingdom of God?  The kingdom of God is found in a mysterious and unexpected place. Just as the entrance to Narnia was unexpectedly discovered at the back of a wardrobe, the entrance to the kingdom of God is also located in a mysterious and unexpected place. It is in the heart of each person.  Does the entrance have a door? Yes. How do you open the door? Is it locked? Yes, you need a key to unlock the door.  Where is the key? Is it hidden too? Yes, it’s hidden in a place most pe ..read more
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Love is what unites us
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
10M ago
I believe love is what unites us. The theme of unity pervades the Baha’i writings, and believers talk about it constantly, and pray for a world filled with united people. But what exactly is it that unites humanity? I say it is love. What is love? I say it is Baha’u’llah, his Word, and his light. I say that it is this that unites all human beings and, indeed, all in creation. This is what I believe, this is what I am all about, this is what I teach, and this is what my book is about. Despite this testimony, I am not a member of the Baha’i community because the Universal House of Justice has de ..read more
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Baha’u’llah on martyrdom
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
10M ago
Thanks to Adib Masumian, we have more information on Baha’u’llah’s attitude to martyrdom. In a previous post, I shared my translations of Arabic hidden words 44-46, and showed that there is a conceptual link between them. The link is between the idea of testifying to one’s truth and the idea martyrdom. That is, a person can testify to their truth at three levels of reality: within themselves, with speech in society, and with their bodies in martyrdom. I based this on the following analysis of Arabic hidden words 44-46: ——————— What is interesting is that Baha’u’llah uses the same [Arabic] root ..read more
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Soul Boom is brilliant!
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
11M ago
Rainn Wilson’s latest book, Soul Boom: why we need a spiritual revolution, is out. I didn’t think I’d read it. I have never related to Rainn’s public persona, and assumed his book would not interest me. But in the end, I was intrigued to know how he’d put the book together; after all, I’m writing a book about Baha’u’llah’s teachings and wanted to see how Rainn approached the task of writing about Baha’i spirituality. In the introduction, Rainn claims it isn’t about the Faith; nevertheless, it was clearly an effort to ‘teach’. “After all, this is not a book about the Baha’i Faith or for Baha’is ..read more
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The Tablets of Holiness
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
11M ago
Throughout April, our intrepid translator Adib Masumian has been uploading to his website a series of tablets all with the title Lawh-i-quds (Tablet of Holiness). There are seven Tablets of Holiness. Adib seems to like this approach of translating in batches according to the title, for he has also covered the Tablets of the Hair, of which there are 12, and Tablets to Karim (Lawh-i-Karim), of which there are four. It certainly is a good way to clear the translation field, so to speak. It also sorts the problem of readers not knowing which tablet is being referred to when one is quoted.  Al ..read more
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GPT-4 translates Baha’u’llah
Cosmic Conversations Blog
by Alison Marshall
1y ago
I am now converted to the idea that artificial intelligence can translate Baha’u’llah’s writings. My conversion was brought on by the release of GPT-4, which has amazed the world. It has amazed me too. I would never have believed what GPT-4 can do, but you can’t deny the truth when it stands before you. Of course, the translation isn’t perfect, but the program is still in its infancy and is ever being developed. Also, the accuracy of the translation is affected by the amount of information the program is given, so results can be improved on that level as well. Back in 2016, I initiated a proje ..read more
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