April 3, 2014

Baha’i jewellery exhibition and sale in SYDNEY, Australia.

By 95 Gems

Yes folks! We are having an exhibition where we will showcase all our items which include Baha’i pendants, Baha’i rings and necklaces plus a few exclusive Baha’i necklaces that cannot be found on the site!
All the items will be up for sale on a first come, first served basis. So, if you are in Sydney on May the 3rd (Saturday) join us from 6:30pm. There will be giveaways, tea and coffee, as well as pastries and dessert for sale.

We also teamed up with our friends at Papa Fish Toys and will have some baby and toddler toys there too!

Don’t miss out. Check out our Facebook page for more details and information.


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April 24, 2013

The celebration of Ridván – and a recipe!

By 95 Gems

For the Baha’is all over the world, the Ridván Festival is the biggest one all year. Why? Because the Messenger of God for today – Bahá’u’lláh declared during those days that He was the Promised one of all ages. So there, enough reason to celebrate!

It is called the Ridván festival because these events took place at a garden called “Ridván”. This festival lasts from the 21st of April until the 2nd of May. Roses were Bahá’u’lláh’s favourite flower and this garden had an abundance of them.

“Every day,… ere the hour of dawn, the gardeners would pick the roses which lined the four avenues of the garden, and would pile them in the center of the floor of His blessed tent. So great would be the heap that when His companions gathered to drink their morning tea in His presence, they would be unable to see each other across it. All these roses Bahá’u’lláh would, with His own hands, entrust to those whom He dismissed from His presence every morning to be delivered, on His behalf, to His Arab and Persian friends in the city.”

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 153)

So, remembering those days and the smell and taste of the beautiful fragrance of those roses, we are making this rose water and cardamon cheesecake. This is part of a collaboration for the “walking through the garden of Ridván” series.

INGREDIENTS:

– For the crust:

1 pack of Marie cookies

100 gr melted butter

Milk

1/2 tsp cardamon

1. Powderize the cookies and mix with the melted butter.

2. Add the cardamon to the milk and then pour slowly and knead until you reach the desired consistency (if too dry add more milk but be careful not to add too much since you will have to find where to get more cookies from)

3. Once the crust is ready, spread on a pie tray and bake at 180ºC for 5-10 minutes until less wet. Remove from oven.

– For the filling:

1 can of condensed milk

1 pack of cream cheese (250 grams)

2 eggs

2 tbsp of rose water

A splash of lemon juice

1. Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until well combined.

2. Pour onto the baked crust. Burst all bubbles (if possible).

3. Bake for about 30 minutes at 180ºC. The time will vary so you have to check it and make sure it is not under cooked. To do this you have to shake the pan and if the center wiggles, it needs to bake longer.

Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate.

Please note that cheesecake tastes better when it has set so if making for a party or function, you can bake it the night before or early in the morning to allow enough hours for it to set.

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April 9, 2013

The 19 Nineteen Day Feast. Baha’i meeting. What is it?

By 95 Gems

Many of us have heard of or attended what Baha’is call the “nineteen day feast”. While to some of us it isn’t only food for our spirit but also for our hearts when sharing with our fellow friends, it would be helpful to see what this meeting is all about as well as to read some paragraphs from the Holy Writings.

The Nineteen Day Feast consists of various parts: devotional, administrative, consultation/suggestions and social. Let’s explore each one:

1. The devotional part is where readings and prayers from the baha’i Writings written by Bahá’u’lláh, The Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are shared. Some music and other forms of adoration may be incorporated into the program as well.

2. Administrative. It is here where the Local Spiritual Assembly gives the community a run down of events from the past Baha’i month, they also provide responses to previous suggestions given at Feast, announce upcoming events and bring the treasurer’s report to share and consult.

3. Consultation is as its name suggests, a time where the whole community can discuss pending subjects and suggestions. Everyone is entitled to share their opinion and it is a space where people share their thoughts. After this, some suggestions are given for the Local Assembly to consult at their own meetings.

4. The social part is where we all gather together and mingle and when possible, share refreshments (nothing fancy, something simple is sufficient). A spirit of unity and love should fill the atmosphere not only amongst long time friends but also welcoming the new faces into our communities.

So, what do the Writings say about Feast. What is it and why is it so important? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:

“It is my hope that this feast will be given on one day out of every nineteen, for it bringeth you closer together; it is the very well-spring of unity and loving-kindness.”  “As to the Nineteen Day Feast, it rejoiceth mind and heart. If this feast be held in the proper fashion, the friends will, once in nineteen days, find themselves spiritually restored, and endued with a power that is not of this world.” Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 89, 91.

In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (the Most Holy Book), it says:

In the Arabic Bayan the Báb called upon His followers to gather together once every nineteen days to show hospitality and fellowship. Bahá’u’lláh here confirms this and notes the unifying role of such occasions.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi after Him have gradually unfolded the institutional significance of this injunction. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá emphasized the importance of the spiritual and devotional character of these gatherings. Shoghi Effendi, besides further elaborating the devotional and social aspects of the Feast, has developed the administrative element of such gatherings and, in systematically instituting the Feast, has provided for a period of consultation on the affairs of the Bahá’í community, including the sharing of news and messages.

…Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf further comments: Attendance at Nineteen Day Feasts is not obligatory but very important, and every believer should consider it a duty and privilege to be present on such occasions.

(Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 202)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centaurea_cyanus_MichaD_light_blue.jpg

 

NOTES:

There is  a letter written by the House of Justice to the Hands of the Cause of God (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 244) where it says “that the Feast is opened with devotional readings, that is to say prayers and meditations, from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and the Master…” This does make us think the devotional should be the first part.
We have found this Statement of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, in Bahá’í Meetings/The Nineteen Day Feast, p. 23: “In a general letter issued to Local Spiritual Assemblies several years ago, it was pointed out that the Guardian instructs that the Nineteen Day Feast be held according to the following program: the first part, entirely spiritual in character, is devoted to readings from Bahá’í Sacred Writings; the second part consists of general consultation on the affairs of the Cause, at which time the Local Spiritual Assembly reports its activities to the community, asks for suggestions and consultation, and also delivers messages received from the Guardian and the National Assembly. The third part is the material feast and social meeting of all the friends.” (Compilations, NSA USA – Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities).

Also, there is this Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, dated January 23, 1985, to an individual believer, in an unpublished compilation, “The Nineteen Day Feast”: “Regarding changing the order of the Feast, it is clear from Shoghi Effendi’s instructions that the Nineteen Day Feast program should start with the spiritual part, and not with the social part, which includes refreshments, or breaking bread together. . . . However, if it is found that some sort of association among the friends or the serving of food and refreshments will be helpful, if this takes place at the outset, there is no objection to this practice, provided it is clear that it is not part of the Feast.” (Compilations, NSA USA – Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities).

So, our understanding is that this can be done but NOT replacing the social part of the feast at the end.

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February 24, 2013

Ayyám-i-Há! What does it mean to Bahá’ís?

By 95 Gems

The Bahá’í calendar has 19 months of 19 days each. Let’s do the math… that equals to 361 days. So, what happens to the other 4-5 days (if leap year) remaining? Bahá’u’lláh has given those days the name of The Days of Ayyám-i-Há (intercalary days) which precede the Baha’i month of ‘Ala which is the very last month of the year in which Baha’is also observe the fast for 19 days.

Ayyam-i-Ha is a celebration in which Baha’is all over the world to charitable acts, rejoicing, visiting friends and the giving of gifts. It is an even happier time for children to whom gifts are mostly given to.

We want to share this beautiful prayer specially dedicated to the Intercalary days:

My God, my Fire and my Light! The days which Thou hast named the Ayyam-i-Ha [1] in Thy Book have begun, O Thou Who art the King of names, and the fast which Thy most exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe is approaching. I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as have during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance.

These, O my Lord, are Thy servants whom no corrupt inclination hath kept back from what Thou didst send down in Thy Book. They have bowed themselves before Thy Cause, and received Thy Book with such resolve as is born of Thee, and observed what Thou hadst prescribed unto them, and chosen to follow that which had been sent down by Thee.

Thou seest, O my Lord, how they have recognized and confessed whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures. Give them to drink, O my Lord, from the hands of Thy graciousness the waters of Thine eternity. Write down, then, for them the recompense ordained for him that hath immersed himself in the ocean of Thy presence, and attained unto the choice wine of Thy meeting.

I implore Thee, O Thou the King of kings and the Pitier of the downtrodden, to ordain for them the good of this world and of the world to come. Write down for them, moreover, what none of Thy creatures hath discovered, and number them with those who have circled round Thee, and who move about Thy throne in every world of Thy worlds.

Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

– Bahá’u’lláh

[1 The Days of Ha, Intercalary Days.]. (Compilations, Baha’i Prayers, p. 236)

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November 7, 2012

Now you can purchase chains for your Baha’i pendants on our website!

By 95 Gems

We have just added chains to our inventory. There are three styles of chains in different lengths. You can view them below and buy them HERE:

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October 26, 2012

Mírzá Mihdí – The most Pure Branch

By 95 Gems

Mirza Mehdi Mírzá Mihdí (Mehdí) was Bahá’u’lláh’s youngest son. Born in Iran in 1848, he was a gentle child that loved his Father very much. From a young age, he accompanied his Father on His exile without complaints or requests.

His life was the perfect example of complete detachment and unconditional love.

“To the galling weight of these tribulations was now added the bitter grief of a sudden tragedy — the premature loss of the noble, the piousMírzá Mihdí, the Purest Branch, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s twenty-two year old brother, an amanuensis of Bahá’u’lláh and a companion of His exile from the days when, as a child, he was brought from Tihran to Baghdad to join his Father after His return from Sulaymaniyyíh. He was pacing the roof of the barracks in the twilight, one evening, wrapped in his customary devotions, when he fell through the unguarded skylight onto a wooden crate, standing on the floor beneath, which pierced his ribs, and caused, twenty-two hours later, his death, on the 23rd of Rabi’u’l-Avval 1287 A.H. (June 23, 1870). His dying supplication to a grieving Father was that his life might be accepted as a ransom for those who were prevented from attaining the presence of their Beloved.

In a highly significant prayer, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in memory of His son — a prayer that exalts his death to the rank of those great acts of atonement associated with Abraham’s intended sacrifice of His son, with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the martyrdom of the Imam Husayn — we read the following: “I have, O my Lord, offered up that which Thou hast given Me, that Thy servants may be quickened, and all that dwell on earth be united.” And, likewise, these prophetic words, addressed to His martyred son: “Thou art the Trust of God and His Treasure in this Land. Erelong will God reveal through thee that which He hath desired.”

After he had been washed in the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, he “that was created of the light of Bahá,” to whose “meekness” the Supreme Pen had testified, and of the “mysteries” of whose ascension that same Pen had made mention, was borne forth, escorted by the fortress guards, and laid to rest, beyond the city walls, in a spot adjacent to the shrine of Nabi Salih, from whence, seventy years later, his remains, simultaneously with those of his illustrious mother, were to be translated to the slopes of Mt. Carmel, in the precincts of the grave of his sister, and under the shadow of the Báb’s holy sepulcher.”

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 188)

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October 13, 2012

Bahá’í Symbols “the Greatest Name”, the “ring symbol” and the 9 Pointed star – what do they mean?

By 95 Gems

In the Bahá’í Faith there are some symbols that are used in what we call “Bahá’í jewelry”. These symbols are:

1. In the words of Shoghi Effendi (Directives from the Guardian, p.87) “the symbol of the Greatest Name represents an invocation which can be translated either as ‘O Glory of Glories’ or ‘O Glory of the All-Glorious’. The word Glory used in this connection is a translation of the Arabic term ‘Bahá, the name of Bahá’u’lláh.”

2. The ring symbol is a version of the Greatest Name and its design is divided like this: The three horizontal lines symbolize (from top to bottom) the world of God, the world of His Manifestation and the world of humanity. The line that crosses them all vertically symbolizes the Holy Spirit which binds all three worlds. The two stars on either side represents the Twin Manifestations of the Baha’i Faith: The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.

3. The Nine Pointed Star is a Baha’is symbol that represents the number ‘9’. Why the number nine is relevant to Baha’is can be read below*.

 

*”Concerning the number nine; the Bahá’ís reverence this for two reasons, first because it is considered by those who are interested in numbers as a sign of perfection. The second consideration which is the more important one is that it is the numerical value for the word “Baha”. (B = 2, h = 5, a = 1, and there is an accent at the end of the word which is also = 1; the ‘a’ after the ‘B’ is not written in Persian so it does not count.) In the Semitic languages — both Arabic and Hebrew — every letter of the alphabet had a numerical value, so instead of using figures to denote numbers they used letters and compounds of letters. Thus every word had both a literal meaning and also a numerical value. This practice is no more in use but during the time of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb it was quite in vogue among the educated classes, and we find it very much used in the Bayan. As the word Baha also stood for the number nine it could be used interchangeably with it. (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 413) You can see how these symbols are being integrated into our jewellery designs:

Let us finally consider these words:

“Someone wished to know if it were a good custom to wear a symbol, as, for instance, a cross. He said: “You wear the cross for remembrance, it concentrates your thoughts; it has no magical power. Bahá’ís often wear a stone with the greatest name engraved on it: there is no magical influence in the stone; it is a reminder, and companion. If you are about to do some selfish or hasty action, and your glance falls on the ring on your hand, you will remember and change your intention.”

– Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 93

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