Two worlds, two books: reading creation and the life of the spirit

"But," continued Abdu'l-Baha, "you do not lose it when you attain the spiritual. When you go upstairs in a house you do not leave the house. The lower floor is under you."

Man has two powers; and his development, two aspects. One power is connected with the material world, and by it he is capable of material advancement. The other power is spiritual, and through its development his inner, potential nature is awakened. These powers are like two wings. Both must be developed, for flight is impossible with one wing.

Yes, these stations are true, but they are the portion of the heart, not the share of water and clay. Though the spirit may rejoice in spiritual sustenance, yet the body requires physical nourishment. The outward ear needs an outer melody, while the inner ear yearns for divine harmonies. The eye of mystery beholds eternal beauty, while the physical eye witnesses horizonal majesty.

The verse concerns this: there are two unfurled books - one the Book of Creation and the other the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation comprises the heavenly scriptures revealed unto the divine Prophets and issued from the pure mouth of Truth. The Book of Creation is this preserved tablet of contingent being and the unfurled scroll of existence, and Creation follows Revelation. … When thou readest Revelation, thou becomest aware of divine mysteries, and when thou gazest upon the Book of Creation, thou beholdest the signs, symbols, realities, conditions and manifestations of the hidden mystery and the outpourings of the Incomparable Lord.

For the Book there are meanings beyond counting, and likewise volumes beyond number. One volume thereof is the world itself, and the world itself is reckoned as a Book. It is that Book which encompasses all things and all regions of the world. One Book is inscribed by the Pen of Power and Creation, and one Book is written by the pen of the servants.

… And one Book is [mentioned] in the Crimson Scroll, and it is specifically concerned with the mention of the gems of existence - they who regard the world as one country and who move amongst all with spirit and fragrance.

O gracious Isma'il! There are two kinds of scriptures and books existent in the world. One consists of the tablets of hearts, which are inscribed by the sanctified Pen - "Nun. By the Pen and that which they write." The other consists of outward books and writings, which are traced by the known pen.

These outward scriptures are a reflection of those divine tablets and tablets of hearts.

You have asked how we can harmonize scientific theories ["philosophical ideas"; afkar-i-faylasufi] with the ideas of religion [afkar-i-diyanati]. Know that this material world is the mirror of the Kingdom, and each of these worlds is in complete correspondence with the other. The correct theories of this world which are the result of sound scientific thinking are in agreement with the divine verses without the slightest divergence between them, for the truth of all things is laid away in the treasuries of the Kingdom.

This material world has an outward appearance, as it has also an inner reality.

Know that created things are of two kinds: material and spiritual, sensible and intelligible. That is, some are perceptible to the senses while others are only perceived by the mind.

There are two kinds of understandings: subjective and objective. To illustrate: thou seest this glass or this water and thou dost comprehend in a subjective manner their constituent parts. On the other hand thou cans't not see Love, Intellect, hate, Anger, Sorrow but thou dost recognize them in a subjective way through their signs and manifestations. The first is material, the second is spiritual. The first is outward, the second is intuitive. I hope that thou may'st make great advancement in the second kind of understanding.

That state of matter which is the cause of the equilibrium and perfection of the body is that perfect and balanced nature obtainable through the composition and mixture of the elements. It is physical and not spiritual. But the intellect, which discovereth the realities of things, is a spiritual nature and is not physical. Therefore, the animal is deprived of it, for it is specialized to man. The animal is able to perceive sensible realities, but man is able to perceive intelligible realities. It is evident then that the intellect is a spiritual faculty and not a physical one.

When God created Adam he made for him a physical body, which is the material aspect of man, but he also conferred upon Adam his own image and likeness, for it is recorded in the Bible that man was made in the image and likeness of God. This signifies the divine attributes, not the outward form or figure. The divine image and likeness signifies the attributes and names of God, the virtues of God. Hence it becomes evident that in man there are two realities: one is the physical reality, or the body; the other is the spiritual reality, or the image and likeness of God.

Man possesses two types of virtues: One is material, and the other ideal in character. For example, the body of man expresses certain material virtues, but the spirit of man manifests virtues that are ideal. The sense of sight in man is a physical virtue; but insight, the power of inner perception, is ideal in its nature. The sense of hearing is a physical endowment, whereas memory in man is ideal.

For example happiness and misery are super-sensuous phenomena. One cannot see happiness with his own eyes. It is not a tangible thing. One cannot hear it or touch it with his ears and hands. Happiness is a spiritual state.

They say that had there been a spiritual world they would have sensed it. But, as a matter of fact, inability to sense a thing is not a proof of the nonexistence of that thing.

These professors labor for many years to acquire scholastic virtues. They go through colleges and universities, try to inform themselves of sciences and arts, master minutely the various theories of life, and when they leave college they say: "We deny God. We have become free from all superstitions. We do not have any spiritual susceptibilities. Where is God? What are ideal realities? We believe in the evidence of the senses and we do not believe in the ideal verities. Spiritual susceptibilities are superstitions.

And yet, since their sight and vision were confined to material things, they remained unaware of the world of the soul and bereft of signs from the Kingdom of the Beloved. They dwelt in the mineral world yet sought to discover the power of growth and plants. They lived in the vegetable realm yet craved the qualities of sensing bodies. They pitched their tent in the animal sphere yet yearned to discover human reality.

Know that in language, 'Kingdom' (Malakut) is an intensification of 'dominion' (Mulk), meaning sovereignty. In the terminology of the people of truth, it refers to the divine realm which encompasses the earthly realm and is sanctified from the conditions, characteristics, limitations and imperfections of the material world - pure, perfect, ancient, luminous, spiritual; neither within contingent existence nor outside it; neither confined to space nor perceivable by physical senses.

Thou hast stated regarding the mixture of refined fluid substances that when impediments are removed these refined substances will merge and mix together. Thou wishest to know if souls have a quality similar to this.

Although this is a serious topic and worthy of investigation, thou art of course aware that mixing and commingling, entering and exiting, ascending and descending, and penetration are among the properties of bodies, not souls.

That world is sanctified from the characteristics, conditions, and inherent requirements of this contingent existence....

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O thou who speakest forth the praise of the Ancient Beauty in the assemblage of the world!

The divine worlds, even as the invisible and unknowable Essence, are hidden and concealed from physical eyes and earthly vision, and their number is beyond the power of mortal minds to reckon. When the veil is withdrawn, however, and the eyes of insight become open, and the nostrils are relieved of their congestion, those limitless worlds will reveal themselves and their holy fragrances will be perceived.

If such is what will take place in this visible world, then imagine what it will be in the spiritual realms of God, so exalted above the comprehension of all beings.

And this material universe, no matter how great it becomes, grows and expands, is naught but a ray shining from the spiritual worlds, a drop from oceans, surging within the realities of souls and the spiritual world.

Consider that the manifest signs of God's outward divine favors cannot be confined or counted, and the relationship between the outer and inner, and the physical and spiritual, is like that between a drop and the ocean, or a speck and the desert.

This world is confined, but the invisible realm is vast and expansive. Therefore, one must turn to that realm so that grace may reach from all directions - nay, rather, sanctified from all directions.

Vast and expansive is the realm of the spirit, not of bodies, and spacious and extensive is the field of the heart, not this prison.

In this station the inward is the outward itself, and the outward the very inward.

And in one of the Tablets there hath been revealed something even beyond this station, namely: "The inward of the inward of the inward unto whatsoever God willeth," appearing in the form of a chalice that it may become the bearer of the Pure Wine which in this Revelation floweth from the right hand of the Throne.

But beyond this, I want to use the opportunity presented to us by your question, in order to say something to you about the most profound cause of all dissensions:

Do not all the Prophets teach: there are two worlds, a spiritual one - the Malakut-i-Allah - the realm of God - and a material world, the world of nature in the widest meaning.

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Herein we learn that man is a representative of the physical, intellectual and spiritual world. Just as in his physical environment he is in need of material things; in his spiritual environment he requires celestial things.

… The physical world in comparison to the spiritual world is dark, for the physical world is ruled by the brute, blind forces of nature.

We must care for man's two natures; for as the material man makes certain demands for food and raiment and if not looked after suffers, even so his spiritual reality suffers without care. This is why the divine messengers come to the rescue -- to care for the reality, that man's thoughts may unfold and his aims become realized, that he many inherit a new field of progress, for the spiritual side should be cared for as much as the corporeal; the help that comes is through the resuscitating breath of the Holy Spirit.

O friends! Human perfections are not confined to spiritual conditions; rather, physical perfections are also necessary so that the human world may shine forth in both spiritual beauty and physical perfection in the assemblage of existence. Therefore, the beloved of God must also strive in every way to acquire physical perfections. Divine characteristics are like spirits, and physical perfections are like bodies. Spirits have manifestation and appearance through bodies, and bodies have spirit and triumph through spirits. When both appear in the contingent world with the utmost perfection, abundant grace is achieved and the light upon light shines forth.

Therefore, both of these have their provinces. Hence, both of them should be used -- both the one material and the other the spiritual. Neither of them has to be given up.

Disease is of two kinds: (a) Material (b) Spiritual. For instance, a cut of the hand; if you pray for the cut to be healed, and do not stop it bleeding, you will not do much good, this needs a material remedy.

Sometimes if the nervous system is paralyzed through fear, a spiritual remedy is necessary.

You understand there is spiritual healing and material healing, and unless these two work together, a cure is impossible. The material healing is surgery and medicine, and the spiritual healing is of God.

Nevertheless, both spiritual and physical health and well-being are desirable and commendable because they extend life. Thus, we should endeavor to acquire both a balanced spiritual life and physical health and progress. Both are desirable. But the foundation is the spiritual life. Once one possesseth this, though the body be afflicted with a disability, imperfection is not the result. But if the spiritual life is deficient, no matter how perfect one's physical life, it will yield no result. Nay, in the end it will be evident loss and the source of sorrow and despair during one's final days....

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The importance lies not in the house but in its owner, who is unchanging and immutable. It is the spirit that delivers [man] from all physical worlds.

However, while the spirit is in the body, health must accompany it so that one may accomplish something. While the sun's rays are in this mirror, the mirror must be free from tarnish, pure and clear, but after the sun sets the mirror is useless.

Disease and illness are characteristics of the physical world, while health and well-being are among the subtle gifts of the divine realm. The body is like glass and the spirit like a lamp. If the glass becomes weakened, praise be to God the lamp is in its highest state of burning.

Though thou art physically sick and ill, praise be to God thou art spiritually sound and healthy, nay rather, enjoying perfect health.

… Many of God's loved ones were afflicted with this ailment, but as they were blessed with true spiritual health, they paid no heed to it.

The spirit of man which is the effulgence of God and the eternal Bestowal of the Almighty has importance. We must think of the health of the spirit more than the body.

What importance lies in the glass! We must think of the light which illumines the glass.

The body of man is the result of the composition of the elements and these elements are constantly at war with each other.

O thou who hast drawn nigh unto the spirit of Christ in the Kingdom of God! Verily the body is composed of physical elements, and every composite must needs be decomposed. The spirit, however, is a single essence, fine and delicate, incorporeal, everlasting, and of God.

In any case, the point is that no physician can yet definitively judge that this theriac will certainly benefit this patient.

Therefore, come and be a spiritual physician so that you may observe with certainty that the divine theriac and the greatest heavenly medicine are the cure for spiritual diseases and the means of deliverance from spiritual perils and ills, that you may be freed from doubt and uncertainty and enter the kingdom of certitude.

O accomplished physician! In the early part of your life you strove in physical medicine and discovered the causes and illnesses of this contingent body.

… Now through the grace and generosity of the Intended One and through the abundant bounty of the Beloved Beauty, you have discovered the true divine medicine which is the life of spirits and health of hearts for people of success.

Bodily illness can be cured with a purgative, mixture, paste or tonic, but inner diseases and spiritual illnesses cannot be cured with a hundred thousand treatments, unless you apply the supreme remedy from the dispensary of the Abha Kingdom.

Man alone, by his spiritual power, has been able to free himself, to soar above the world of matter and to make it his servant.

Without the help of God man is even as the beasts that perish, but God has bestowed such wonderful power upon him that he might ever look upward, and receive, among other gifts, healing from His divine Bounty.

The human body is in reality very weak; there is no physical body more delicately constituted. … But in the proportion that the human body is weak, the spirit of man is strong.

And in the schools there must be both physical and spiritual training; for material sciences are as the body, and divine sciences as the spirit. The spirit must be breathed into the body, that the body may attain life. But if there be no spirit, the body is dead, though it be in the utmost beauty; since it is deprived of the bounty of the spirit, it beareth no fruit and yieldeth no result---nay, its nonexistence were better, for it becometh corrupt and fetid; assuredly it were better that it should be no more.

The important factor in human improvement is the mind. In the world of the mind there must needs be development and improvement. There must be reformation in the kingdom of the human spirit; otherwise, no result will be attained from betterment of the mere physical structure.

However, my hope is that you will promote heavenly arts and spread the sciences of the Divine Spirit, and become confirmed with such power that you will excel all the illumined philosophers.

The results of material sciences are limited. They train only the physical man.

The results of divine science, the guidance of God, the spiritual Arts are unlimited and train the real man.

Consider how knowledge and understanding are the cause of such glory in this contingent world that a Greek person became praised and accepted by the Roman and Persian nations, indeed by all humanity - and this although his sciences pertained to the contingent world.

Now thou should ask God that thou might receive a mighty portion from the sciences of the Supreme Kingdom and the arts of the Most Glorious Concourse, so that thou might become renowned among the spiritual ones in the realm of the Placeless and become a physician of the All-Merciful ones.

Man in this age has learned the weight of the sun, the path of a star, the movement of an eclipse - the advance step now is to learn the expansion of the inflexible law of matter into the subtler kingdom of spirit, which contains a finer gravitation which holds the balance of power from age to age unbroken.

The spiritual food is the principal food, ... the effect of the spiritual food is eternal. The material food, that is, the food for the body, is simply water and bread, but the food for the intellect is knowledge and the food for the spirit is the significances of the heavenly words and the bounties of the Holy Spirit.

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The body is quickened by this food, but by the spiritual food, the spirit is quickened. The first is for giving power and force to the body, whilst the essential food is for giving power and force to the spirit.

"We do not interfere with their material food, but we shall give them a simple diet of spiritual food. This is our work."

We must each view with respect the customs of the other. There is a kind of food which needs neither knife nor fork and of which every one may partake with perfect ease and benefit. It is the food spiritual. This food brings life and stimulation instead of indolence and apathy. It brings peace and content to the one who partakes of it; the more food, the more joy and peace.

The primary intent is to kindle these stirrings of the spirit, but at the same time it follows quite naturally that those present should partake of food, so that the world of the body may mirror the spirit's world, and flesh take on the qualities of soul; and just as the spiritual delights are here in profusion, so too the material delights.

'Abdu'l-Baha said: This material food was very simple, just enough for life, but that the spiritual food was varied and abundant. This material food would last for about five hours, and tomorrow we should again be hungry, but the spiritual food was eternal and would forever satisfy.

The most important food is the spiritual food. This material food must be eaten three times a day, but whosoever eats of the spiritual food shall never hunger. The spiritual food is the love of God, the Knowledge of God, attraction with the Breathes of the Holy Spirit and abstraction from material desires.

The Spiritual Food is prepared! Blessed are those who eat therefrom.

Material food is not important. Nowadays mankind give more importance to their material sustenance than spiritual Food.

Commenting on the attachment of the people to material food he said:- "To what an astounding degree people are attached to their digestive organ! They are more captivated with appetizing, toothsome dishes than attracted to God, their Creator. They are deprived of all the spiritual nutriments, and strange to state, they do not feel its need.

At this table you will not find material comfort, but you will find spiritual comfort. The spiritual comfort must be of your heart and soul. For a lover in the house of his beloved is so intoxicated with love that he does not care. I invite you to this spiritual table. From the heaven and bounty of the Blessed Perfection I want you to partake of that table. The material table is found everywhere.

The result of such a feast is the spirituality of the souls and the upliftment of the minds, while the outcome of the material feasts are temporal and superficial.

They replied that from these gifts the physical taste is sweetened for a moment and the earthly palate receives a temporary flavor. I need a gift from the divine world and an offering from the jewels of truth and meaning that will delight the taste of the spirit and gratify the palate of the heart and soul.

Their allowance and stipend is from the mineral and vegetable kingdoms which fill the plains and wilderness. But your allowance and stipend consists of hidden pearls and protected gems that have been nurtured in the shell of grace in the depths of the sea of truth.

But as to those who deprive themselves of the Spiritual Table and of the Fragrance of the Spirit of God, they are dead and devoid of life. There is no immortality for them in this world nor in the kingdom of God.

Man erroneously thinks his happiness comes from the world and for that reason he is always unhappy and in difficulty.

For example, a man in poverty thinks if he were rich, he would be happy, but after attaining wealth he still finds himself unhappy and often in the very depths of sadness.

As to material happiness, it never exists; nay, it is but imagination, an image reflected in mirrors, a specter and shadow. Consider the nature of material happiness. It is something. Which but slightly removes one's afflictions; yet the people imagine it to be joy, delight, exultation and blessing. All the material blessings, including food, drink etc. tend only to ally thirst, hunger and fatigue. They bestow no delight on the mind nor pleasure on the soul; nay, they furnish only the bodily wants. So this kind of happiness has no real existence.

There are two kinds of happiness: Animal happiness and human happiness. Animal happiness is satisfied with the sight of green meadows, verdant woods, pure air and salubrious water. Such natural sights excites imagination, stirs the emotions and man becomes a dancing, laughing, care-free creature. But the unfoldment of human happiness depends upon the exercise of the hidden functions of intellect.

Eternal happiness is all-inclusive. In it is embraced material happiness. This world is like unto ant-houses.

Circumstances that benefit the body do not benefit the soul, and the soul of man is his reality, not his body, i.e., there are some men who are perfected in material things and very backward in the spiritual. Likewise many, who are at the bottom of the social and material ladder, are very much advanced spiritually.

A man may have attained to a high degree of material progress, but without the light of truth his soul is stunted and starved. Another man may have no material gifts, may be at the bottom of the social ladder, but, having received the warmth of the Sun of Truth his soul is great and his spiritual understanding is enlightened.

Though the earthly lamp in our nest and shelter is extinguished, we have a heavenly lamp. Though we are deprived of physical pleasures, we have an abundant share of spiritual sweetness and delight.

The hearts of the poor are sensitive; the hearts of the rich are hard. But if a rich man be compassionate, he is very near to God, for he has come out of temptation.

"Whosoever turns to the Kingdom must neither be affected by poverty or wealth, for such a one possesses the treasures of the Kingdom, and whoever possesses this is never poor.

The search for earthly treasures befits the people of the earthly realm, not the sons and daughters of the Kingdom.

… The earthly treasure comes to an end and causes physical life, but the treasure of the Kingdom is endless and causes spiritual life.

If ye had given the treasures of the whole world ye could not obtain this most great bounty. Consider that Mr Morgan, the American Multi-millionaire died and left behind his wealth but ye shall never die, ye are always living in the Kingdom of Abha and the traces of your faith and assurance shall ever live.

If property was plundered it matters not, for it is like waves - naturally one day it scatters and is pillaged, and verily thy Lord is the All-Providing, the All-Knowing.

… In any case, focus all your thoughts on diffusing the fragrant musk, for physical bounties bring hardness while divine breezes cause the attainment of hearing and sight.

The truth I verily say unto thee, this divine grace cannot be exchanged for the sovereignty of the earth, the east or the west. For that (the worldly kingdom) is naught but dreams, torture to the spirit, trouble for the hearts; its mortality is certain and its destruction a well known fact--while this spiritual kingdom and divine grace will shine, and it is an ABHA (Glorious) jewel which will glisten on the diadems of great glory in the course of centuries and cycles.

The adorning of the earthly crown is mineral gems and stones. The embellishment of this other crown are the spiritual jewels of the Kingdom of God. That earthly reign is the cause of pain and afflictions. But this other sovereignty is all happiness, joy and glad tidings.

Yes, name and fame are blessed, but only in the divine world; reputation and renown are acceptable, but only in the Kingdom of God. For in that realm the name is identical with the named, and the attribute is the very reality of that which is described.

O servant of God! Physical height and loftiness is an imaginary and relative matter - indeed it is comparative and contingent. True elevation is in the realm of the spirit, and real loftiness is in the world of consciousness.

These physical conditions endure at most only as long as the body remains, then they perish and are forgotten. But spiritual perfections and virtues remain forever - therein lies the importance.

Only the spirit is real; everything else is as shadow. All bodies are disintegrated in the end; only reality subsists. All physical perfections come to an end; but the divine virtues are infinite.

O faithful leaf! Divine bounties are of two kinds - physical and spiritual. The physical have no permanence, but the spiritual endure. Now observe what divine bounties and heavenly favors have been bestowed upon thee. The greatest of bounties is the recognition of God, love for the Blessed Beauty, and association with one who is a burning brazier of the fire of the love of God. This is a mighty favor and an evident grace.

Man is created in the Image of the Lord of Mercy, that is, Divine Character. Physical likeness is mortal; merciful characteristics are immortal. Spirit is the Grace of God. Body is an earthly compound. Therefore strive ye to adorn yourselves with the Image of the Lord of Mercy.

No matter how much the world of humanity advances in material civilization, it is nevertheless in need of the spiritual development mentioned in the Gospel. The virtues of the material world are limited, whereas divine virtues are unlimited.

The material world is subject to change and transformation. The Cause of the Kingdom is eternal; therefore, it is the most important. But, alas, day by day the power of the Kingdom in human hearts is weakened, and material forces gain the ascendancy. The divine signs are becoming less and less, and human evidences grow stronger.

The All Glorious God has vouchsafed infinite bounty to the world of man and he has made man to be the descending place of heavenly grace. So in spite of all this bounty why does he attach his heart to this ephemeral world and close his eyes to the spiritual world?

They are like that donkey at the mill that toils around the millstone. It rotates around its pivot, unable to make any progress. From morning to evening that beast of burden does not progress by a single step though it is moving all the time, for its path is the track of the mill. Humankind too is in continuous motion, yet does not move away or upward from the centre of dust but simply circles around this contingent world instead.

At this stage all things appear in their utmost degree of beauty and refinement, which is the result and perfection of their creation, except these human forms that are far removed from the perfection and result of their life, and like cattle they gather together, and they appear as though they were created to serve the material world, rather than the material world being created for their service and the manifestation of human perfections.

Man must fly from the cage of the body and become pure spirit, for the body is a cage that casts man into great difficulties, makes him captive to nature, and afflicts him with every ailment.

They seek deliverance from the cage of this mortal realm and search for life in the expansive atmosphere of the heavenly Kingdom.

O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your letter was received. From its contents it was known that, praise be to God, your hearts are in the utmost purity and your souls rejoice in the glad tidings of God.

The mass of the people are occupied with self and worldly desire, are immersed in the ocean of the nether world and are captives of the world of nature, save those souls who have been freed from the chains and fetters of the material world and, like unto swift-flying birds, are soaring in this unbounded realm. They are awake and vigilant, they shun the obscurity of the world of nature, their highest wish centereth on the eradication from among men of the struggle for existence, the shining forth of the spirituality and the love of the realm on high, the exercise of utmost kindness among peoples, the realization of an intimate and close connection between religions and the practice of the ideal of self-sacrifice. Then will the world of humanity be transformed into the Kingdom of God.

O ye friends, exert ye an effort! Every expenditure is in need of an income. This day, in the world of humanity, men are all the time expending, for war is nothing but the consumption of men and of wealth. At least engage ye in a deed of profit to the world of humanity that ye may partially compensate for that loss. Perchance, through the divine confirmations, ye may be assisted in promulgating amity and concord among men, in substituting love for enmity, in causing universal peace to result from universal war and in converting loss and rancour into profit and love. This wish will be realized through the power of the Kingdom.

Just as in the natural world there is the struggle for existence, and this is the means of progress and growth and development of things, in the world of the spirit it is the acquisition of human perfections, and this law is the cause of the progress of spirits and the attainment of spiritual bounties.

The natural world in relation to that is a prison, preventing the comfort of thought and freedom of human conscience.

O soul that yearneth for the Beloved! The worldly soul is closely bound to the world of dust and is far removed from the beauty of the celestial world. The divine soul is an intimate of the self-subsistent Lord and is privy to the world of mystery. The earthly soul returneth to the earth, whilst the divine soul returneth unto the Lord of lords.

O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Thankful, the birds of the spirit seek only to fly in the high heavens and to sing out their songs with wondrous art. But the pitiable earthworms love only to tunnel into the ground, and what a mighty struggle they make to get themselves down into its depths! Even so are the sons of earth.

Even as the life giving fragrances of the new garden revives the hearts of the birds of the Kingdom and leaves the earthworms and dung beetles unaffected, so too those rays that beam forth from the Sun of Truth illumine the eyes of the light-loving salamander and blind the weak-eyed bats.

O daughter of the Kingdom! When the Sun of Truth dawned from the horizon of Iran, every soul that belonged to the world of nature - that is, whose element of existence was purely earthly - remained completely veiled and deprived. Every soul that belonged to the divine realm and whose existence partook of the element of the Kingdom turned towards it and beheld its lights.

Now that this Most Great Luminary hath adorned the horizon of the Kingdom, they that dwell in the realm of limitations have become despondent and dejected, deprived and non-existent. But they that dwell in the Kingdom receive that bounty today from the realm of the invisible, and obtain that bestowal from the Concourse on High.

The more the person advances in Divine things, the more will he receive the Attributes of Light; and the more he retrogrades, the more will he receive the attributes of darkness. This world is dark and in darkness, but the Spiritual World is Light. This is the Heavenly Kingdom.

O thou who art longing for the Face of the All-Glorious!

In the realm of material existence, the sovereign of passion holds sway, and in the diseased clime of the carnal self, the evil king of pride wears the crown. But in the world of spirit, the Lord God is the Ruler.

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The spirit of the world is that of avarice, selfishness and envy, while that of the Kingdom is mercy, unselfishness and love.

A material man lets himself be worried and harassed by little things but a spiritual man is always calm and serene under all circumstances.

The will-power exists both in animal and man. The animals enjoy only a physical will-power which is limited in the sphere of its activity while man holds in his grasp two kinds of will-power; the physical will-power which is circumscribed by certain limitations, the spiritual will-power which transcends all human obstacles.

What is needed is to rise above the material to the realms of the purely Spiritual. Table-turning and such like were material, a natural result, and not spiritual.

When man is in the world of the womb, God showers upon him all blessings. He gives him all the organs, eyes, ears, etc. But man cannot put this favour into use there; it is not manifest there. When the child is born from the world of the womb into this world, then all those blessings and gifts which God showered upon him in the world of the womb become manifest and useful.

The child in the womb may be imperfect -it may lack eyes, or ears, or limbs; yet it does not realise its blindness, its deafness, or its other imperfections. Neither its perfections nor its imperfections can be appreciated there. But when it comes to the world of men, its perfections and imperfections both become apparent.

This is the matrix world for the soul, even as the womb was the matrix world for the body or vehicle. - Birth into consciousness of another world begins here, a world for which this physical and material one is but the preparation and foundation."

When a man is born into the world of phenomena he finds the universe; when he is born from this world to the world of the spirit, he finds the Kingdom.'

In answer to the first question, the souls, when rescued from the ephemeral world, find another reality. They become heavenly realities, sanctified and purged from worldly limitations.

This is a world of blindness, deafness, nothingness; the other world is a world of seeing, hearing, reality. This is a world of death, that of life. Man knows nothing in this world; the spiritual world is a world of revelation.

But praise be to God, the world of existence does not culminate here. If this were so, existence itself would be sterile. There are many worlds of light.

The material kingdom is of time; affliction and calamity attend it. It is the womb of pain. But the spiritual kingdom is unpassing, it has no end, it is beyond danger and fear, it is exalted day by day, its sun is shining ever more, the voice of its grandeur arises higher and higher. All that belongs to this visible world is corruptible, mortal; all that belongs to the divine world is incorruptible, eternal.

Thus the life and existence of earthly persons compared to heavenly life and existence cannot be called life. If this physical life had any importance, Christ would not have accepted crucifixion.

Likewise, material life, compared to eternal existence and the life of the Kingdom, is regarded as death. Thus Christ referred to this material life as death and said, "Let the dead bury their dead." Although those souls enjoyed material life, yet in His eyes that life was even as death.

O Mirza Yuhanna! This name is derived from "life", but life is of two kinds: physical and spiritual. The first belongs to the realm of vain imaginings and is like the waves of a mirage, while the second is the outpouring of the clouds and is like a sweet and flowing sea. That one is a passing shadow, and this one a shining star.

His Holiness, the Christ, the Holy Manifestations and the apostles possessed no nest whatsoever in this mortal world but in the universe of God, a glorious palace.

Thou art a bird of the shelter of divine unity, and thy true nest is on the branches of the Tree beyond which there is no passing. Even though thou are utterly bereft of hearth and home in the path of God, thy true habitation is beneath His divine sanctuary.

The divine friends are the crowned rulers of the realm of inner meanings, and when they conceal their faces from the earthly kingdom, they shall adorn themselves with crown and diadem in the radiant world.

This is a great gift from God and hath no equal; although in this physical world its greatness is not perceivable, nor its nature clearly known, yet in the spiritual world it shineth like the sun.

And now that radiant star shines so bright and luminous that its rays extend from the unseen realm to the visible plane and become a bounty of existence. Soon you will observe even in this material world how brilliant and effulgent are the rays of that star.

This outward eye shall turn to dust, but the inner vision shall remain eternal and steadfast in the pure world.

The sight of the physical and ordinary eye will some day pass away. Only for a short time does the eye exercise its function; then it becomes shut. But the power of insight is eternal; it is a heavenly gift, and through it man discovers the Kingdom. Through it he can see aright the beauty of God and the holy verities, and can discern the very mysteries of God.

Just now, this heaven, above there, when we are on the other side of the globe in the East, then heaven is below us. You are standing on the heaven of the Orient. Then, when we want to look at heaven we have to look down. Then Christ ought to come out of the earth. You see this earth is surrounded by air, this interminable space. The heaven of Christ was the heaven of reality, or truth.

Although in the divine scriptures mention is made of a heaven and an earth other than the physical heaven and earth, yet they have interpreted these signs literally and have deprived themselves of spiritual worlds and divine knowledge.

The real Christ came from the city of light in the eternal realms Christ is a king. … Christ conquered the east and the west. This means a spiritual victory, not a material one.

… Physically, he was born of a woman, but the Christ's reality is from the city of eternity, for the heaven is not a place but a state of consciousness.

Jesus Christ had two bodies---one spiritual and one material. The material body is of no importance. It changes and changes always. An old personis body is not the same as that of the same individual when young.

The difference between Christ and others is this: Christ was the Spirit, others are bodies. Christ was the Sun, others are mirrors. Christ was the Truth and was bestowing Eternal Life; others are dead and are imparting deadness and negligence.

Although thou hast given oath to attend the church, yet thy spirit is under the Covenant and Testament of the Spiritual Divine Church. Thou shouldst protect this. Although they consider the wine and the bread in the church as the blood and body of Christ, yet this is but the appearance and not the reality. But the reality of Christ is the words of the Holy Spirit.

The people did not know of the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ, but they were waiting for a man to come who had a material kingdom.

There were many Doctors amongst the Jews, but they were all earthly, but St. Paul became heavenly because he could fly upwards. In his own time no one duly recognized him; nay, rather, he spent his days amidst difficulties and contempt. Afterwards it became known that he was not an earthly bird, he was a celestial one; he was not a natural philosopher, but a divine philosopher.

You do not travel on earth but take flight.

There were many Jewish scholars, but they were earthbound, while Saint Paul was heavenly - this is why he could fly.

Although I am far away from thee in body, still I am near unto thee in spirit. But I ask God that the body will follow the spirit and our meeting will be facilitated. The most essential thing is the spiritual relation, the hearty friendship and the heavenly attraction.

O blessed leaf of the divine tree! Though you are three hundred leagues distant, you are in the sacred soil of Shiraz, the homeland of His Holiness the Self-Sufficient One, and in truth you are an intimate companion and confidant in the blessed spot, a close associate and friend.

The nearness and remoteness of the physical world has no importance, for true affection and connection is of the heart and soul.

O servant of God! Although physical realities exist in distant regions, yet pure essences are free from the limitations of nearness and remoteness.

If a physical journey does not occur, be assured that a spiritual journey will take place. I will meet you there with heart and soul, for I too long to meet you and behold you with my physical eyes.

For nearness in the mortal realm is often followed by remoteness in the Kingdom, and physical union is pursued by spiritual separation. But this spiritual union's attribute is eternity and its characteristic is everlastingness.

This earthly body has no significance; what matters is the reality and heart of the human being which must maintain spiritual connection.

You are the child of God and of the Kingdom, and the ties of the flesh are nothing, but the ties of the Spirit are all. We are your brothers and your sisters, and yo umust be glad and rejoice for I love you exceedingly.

Because you are not her physical children. You are the children of her heart and her spirit and undoubtedly spiritual children are of greater importance than physical children. There is no doubt that such children are of greater importance, especially a child that is born of pure spirit.

The real intention in this teaching is that it refers to spiritual children, and the real relationship between the prodigal son and the elder brother is spiritual and not physical. For example, the real brothers of Jesus Christ were His spiritual brothers, Canaan was one of the children of Noah, but only physically, not spiritually. All of you are the spiritual descendants of the Blessed Perfection because He is the Father of all.

There are two kinds of Love - the material and the spiritual. Material love means the attachment of men to each other, whether it be friendship or any other relation and it always ends in grief, for the spiritual love is the only enduring love.

Sex, in its relation to the exigencies of the physical plane, has no connection with the Spirit.

In this age of spiritual awakening, the world has entered upon the path of progress into the arena of development, where the power of the spirit surpasses that of the body.

However, with a spiritual pen, at every moment he writes a divine letter, and this is accomplished with the utmost speed, for the physical world is a strange confinement - all its affairs are slow, and at most only a few steps can be taken in each breath. But the spirit traverses East and West in an instant. Consider how different these are!

Though the physical eye was prevented from beholding His enchanting countenance, the eye of the spirit is illumined by the lights of His divine Beauty. And though the outward ear was deprived of hearing His blessed words, the ear of the soul is delighting in the call to awareness from His most glorious Kingdom.

O thou who art bound to the supernal world and the Concourse on high! Whatever is experienced by the outward body deriveth from this lower and inferior world, and whatever is perceived and witnessed by the eye of the soul and inward vision deriveth from the supernal world.

Such souls though apparently earthy yet in reality they are heavenly; their body is of the phenomenal world and yet their spirit (emanated) from the world of God.

"That is not what I said," the Master replied. "I said that the spiritual man and the materialist were two different beings. The spirit is in the flesh."

Although music or an ordinary pleasing voice is of the physical realm, yet it has an effect upon the spirit. In the same manner, freshness and purity of the air, the atmosphere, the scenery and sweet fragrances impart joy, spirituality and comfort to the heart. Even though these are physical phenomena they have a great spiritual influence.

Tell them what you feel are spiritual sensations. The world of man has no communication with the vegetable or animal world. But there are sensations or spiritual emotions between the two. When man looks to the plain, meadow or mountain he does not speak with them, but there is a wave of spiritual communication between the two. The lower worlds are not able to communicate with man, but they have a sensibility."

Another who looks at trees. He thinks of the effect and energy of the sun the effect of the breeze that blows; the influence and effect of rain' who has educated these trees. Viewpoints are different.

It as though the trees, the rocks, the sea, the grass, the stars hold communion with man and whisper into his ears the secrets of nature.

And beyond this, at all times the realities of all things are present before the Divine Throne and recount what has befallen them, but people are unaware and do not comprehend.

This pertains to the world of physical existence, but even more magnificent than this, in the realm of realities and meanings, the divine handiwork hath a wondrous radiance - such perfection that the wise are left bewildered.

O thou who hath approached and gained acceptance at the divine Threshold!

Order and harmony are of two kinds, the one which is in accord with the world of nature, and the other which conforms to the image of reality and truth. The former beautous arrangment may cause the arousal of worldly desires, whereas the latter stirreth the conscience of man. Through the first kind of synthesis the physical senses are excited, whereas by the second kind the divine spirit is stirred up and released. The one provideth for material comfort, the other ensureth the well-being of the soul and the tranquillity of the conscience.

Divine music exhilarates the Spirit while earthly music has an effect over the body. Divine music belong to the Kingdom of God; earthly music is of this mundane world.

The song of that one is but sound and cry, while the strain of this one embodies realities and meanings. Consider how great is the difference! "Are those who know equal with those who know not?"

The conditions of the world are physical and their importance are according to the importance of the physical life.

Therefore I hope you will find spiritual success whose importance is eternal.

The body of man is created for this world, but his heart is made for the habitation of the Holy Spirit… When you are plowing the ground or sowing the seeds or reaping the harvest let all your thoughts and sub-conscious thinking be of God. Your hands and feet will be working but your heart must be attached to the Almighty.

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Man can paint those ideal pictures upon the Tablet of existence with the brush of deeds.

There are many physical painters who draw with utmost skill, but you are both a physical painter and a spiritual painter. You paint spiritual images with utmost skill and love, and those spiritual images are faith, assurance, and firmness in the Covenant and Testament.

Say, 'I have two arts, one physical the other spiritual. The physical one is that I draw the images of men; my spiritual art is that I draw the images of the angels, and I hope that at last I shall be able to draw pictures of the perfections of God. My physical art will at last end, but my spiritual art is everlasting.

'Again,' He continued, 'look at the spider. What artist could create anything better made than a spider's web? Even so those artists whose creations are perfect, and who themselves are ignorant of the life of the spirit, are like the mole and the spider, far below the level of the man of faith.'

These things about here that you have pictured will all pass away, but the true picture is the one you take on the mirror of the heart.

There are many authors and their written works are circulated in all parts of the world but this article of thine is the crown of all the works, because the works of others deal with the material world while this composition belongs to the world of the Kingdom. They are earthly melodies but this is a heavenly harmony.

The thoughts of this newspaper is material but the conceptions of that newspaper are spiritual. The Editor of this newspaper is a man but the Editor of that newspaper is His Holiness Baha'u'llah. The subscribers to this newspaper are frail humanity but the subscribers to that newspaper are the angels of the supreme Concourse. The policies of this newspaper are earthly but the policies of that newspaper are heavenly. The pages of this newspaper are made of perishable materials but the pages of that newspaper are made with the celestial texture.

The light is divided into two kinds, material and spiritual. The material light is a vanishing matter and is known by etheric vibrations. But the spiritual light is the divine, eternal and never-ending quality and is a truth of the Kingdom.

O luminous lamp! The greatest of lamps, the electric light, nevertheless illumines only a limited distance nearby for several hours and miles. But the celestial lamp shines like the brilliant morning light unto the horizons, its light spreading from the earthly kingdom to the heavenly kingdom, and its radiance extending from the Supreme Concourse to the human realm.

O handmaid of God! The world of dust becomes illumined by the stars of heaven, but the soul and heart of man become luminous through the rays of the Most Great Luminary.

As the material life is conditional upon the Sun (the material sun) so the spiritual growth is conditional upon the Light of the Sun of Truth.

As the material things are made manifest through the splendor of the material sun, so the things in the spiritual world are made manifest and discovered through the Light of the Sun of Truth, i.e. if Prophets were not sent and apostles not raised to show the Path of God, and if books were not written to portray the laws of God, no one could understand or know God.

In the material world there is nothing but lethargy, rigidity and coldness, but the heat of the Sun of Truth rising from the horizon of the Kingdom will dispel this coldness and perfect the warmth of the love of God.

Though the body of the world is pleasant, charming and attractive, it is a body without soul and dark lowly dust. The soul of the world and motion of the universe is essentially fire, and this is an attractive force, but this fire is the fire of the burning flame of heart and soul, not the essence of the world of water and clay.

The world of existence is like the human body - material forces are like its organs and parts. But this body needs a spirit to animate it, to give it life and vitality, to endow it with sight, hearing, memory and perception, so that the light of intellect may shine within it.

O thou revered sincere one!

Know thou, verily, the brilliant realities and sanctified spirits are likened to a shining crescent. It has one face turned toward the Sun of Truth, and another face opposite to the contingent world. The journey of this crescent in the heaven of the universe ends in (becoming) a full moon. That is, that face of it which is turned toward the divine world becomes also opposite to the contingent world, and by this, both its merciful and spiritual, as well as contingent, perfections become complete.

But, take heed, lest in thinking too earnestly of the things of the body you forget the things of the soul: for material advantages do not elevate the spirit of a man.

… It is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress materially, but in so doing, let us not neglect the more important spiritual progress, and close our eyes to the Divine light shining in our midst.

Only by improving spiritually as well as materially can we make any real progress, and become perfect beings.

Civilization is very good and perfection in every matter is praiseworthy, but material civilization must not become a barrier to divine civilization and spiritual education, rather it must be supportive and reinforcing.

Civilization is like unto the body. Spirituality is like the soul. A body without spirit is unprofitable, though it should be of the utmost beauty, while without spirit, it is as nothing.

Now Europe in reality is in the utmost beauty and adornment. Material civilization has advanced greatly. It is a body in the utmost of comeliness, but regrettable it is that it is not animated by the spirit.

Paris is like a very large, clean stable where many millions of horses are well-fed, well-kept and well-trained; but you do not expect to find spirituality, the Knowledge of God, the Love of God in a stable. Do you? If you do find it, then God has worked a miracle.

San Francisco has capacity -- capacity for many things. It has both material and spiritual capacity, and is progressive. Just as this city is achieving material progress I am hopeful that it may also achieve ideal progress, and that through the divine illumination heavenly civilization may be established here.

Material civilization advances through the physical association of mankind. The progress you observe in the outer world is founded mainly upon the fraternity of material interests. Were it not for this physical and mental association, civilization would not have progressed. Now -- praise be to God! -- the indissoluble spiritual association is evident; therefore, it is certain that divine civilization has been founded, and the world will progress and advance spiritually.

However, if material affairs are supported by spiritual matters--that is, if they are under the rule of spirituality--then they are like a seed that takes root. From this, mighty results are produced in both the earthly and heavenly kingdoms.

How many souls have appeared on this path who were of the highest rank in material affairs, what edifices they built, what labors they undertook, yet absolutely no result, no fruit, no trace remained--nothing at all.

The other kind are those affairs which contribute toward the maintenance of livelihood, adding to the comfort, happiness and progress of the human family. Spiritual powers always come to the assistance of such affairs, they increase the moral insight and responsibility of man and add to his awareness and mindfulness."

But humans, through their rational faculties and conscientious feelings, have been distinguished from other creatures so they may delve into spiritual matters, discover the realities of things, be attracted to the Supreme Kingdom, strive for human welfare and the comfort of humanity, and promote the means of justice and fairness.

Assistance is of two kinds:- Material assistance and spiritual assistance. Material assistance is limited to one locality and place but spiritual assistance is measureless.

There is no way for the world to be cured of its ills except through the divine physician, because it is likened into a sick body, while the spiritual teachings are likened into the remedy, it being evident that without the spirit the body will not revive.

During the last two years the world has gone through a terrific earthquake. Bloodthirstiness and ferocity has become widespread. Mercy and compassion have flown away from amongst the nations and governments. The world of humanity has become like unto a primeval forest wherein lurks beasts of prey, lions, leopards, hyenas, bears, wolves and venomous serpents.

Now if they could employ this pugnacity, this hammer and tongs, this fists and heels spirit, this feverish haste in the accumulation of war materials, this waste of great thoughts over the perfection of military science,--I say if they could expend this exertion and effort, this endeavor and high-mindedness, in bringing about Love among mankind, in strengthening the ties of interdependence between nations and governments and in establishing fellowship and affinity between the races;--how much more efficacious it would have been!

The sword has been working over six thousand years and has become dull. We must look about us for another sword to take its place.

When you observe with precise vision and keen sight, you will see that victories are of two kinds: One is spiritual victories that occur in the realm of hearts and attack with the army of salvation. When the forces of inner truths and meanings advance and the army of self and passion and the devils of heedlessness and blindness are cast out and stoned, the cities of hearts are conquered and the fortresses of hearts are captured. The other is physical victories where regions and countries are obliterated and destroyed, human populations are eliminated and lost, prosperity is ruined, the living become dead, justice and fairness turn to oppression and enmity, comfort and ease vanish, and the world of creation becomes shaken and disappointed.

But the conquests of the Baha'is are spiritual conquests, and these are a thousand times greater than outward conquests. For this conquest is through love, through knowledge, and pure grace, while that conquest is through arrows, through swords, through schemes and humiliation. This conquest bestows spirit and brings to life, while that conquest destroys foundations and casts souls into the pit of destruction. This conquest is eternal while that conquest is temporary, for in the Qur'an it states "Such days We alternate among the people."

Victory is of two kinds: material and spiritual. Material victory is not so important but spiritual victory is conducive to the life of the world of humanity.

Physical conquests have no permanence; it is divine conquests that endure. For example, the conquests of Moses still remain, the conquests of Abraham still remain, the conquests of Christ still remain, the conquests of Muhammad still remain, they have no end. I hope that you will achieve these conquests which are eternal, without end.

For this reason the following tradition is recorded from the lips of a god-fearing adept: 'From minor Jihad we have turned our attention to the major Jihad;- that is, we have quitted fighting with the outside enemy and are concentrating our forces on the defeat of the inside foe - the foe of the spirit. This is interpreted as the real Jihad.

Wherefore it behoveth the peoples of the East to reflect upon discovering an effectual means whereby they may safeguard their honour, their dignity, their independence and their frontiers from the marauding hands of the West. Undoubtedly all other means are non-existent and all other instruments wanting, save the divine power, the heavenly might, the celestial ascendancy and the spiritual dominion. This is that force alone which can withstand every onslaught, disperse every army, scatter the hosts of every contumacious one, and rout all the serried ranks.

The East has always been able, through the aid of a spiritual power, to withstand the West and ultimately prevail over them. When the companions of Christ were subjected to the torture of the Romans, they saw themselves as powerful and victorious over the world.

However, the oppressed ones of the All-Merciful, through divine power, brought the face of the earth into the curve of their polo stick and occupied themselves with heaven.

The physical or natural leader of the people is selected by the people, but the Heavenly Leader is selected by the Lord. A material leader, if a king, is mighty by the sword, and if a president, is powerful by the consensus of opinion. The Heavenly Ruler is mighty through Divine Bounty, and the election of the Holy Spirit, and through the Power of the Love of God.

Say: O chief of tribes! Although this station among the tribes and clans is lofty and honored, yet the chieftainship of heavenly tribes and the leadership of spiritual clans has another station and a different glory.

This power (or reign) is in the world of hearts and spirits and not in that of matter (or bodies). For the material world is not comparable to a single wing of a fly, or rather less in the sight of thy Lord, wert thou of those who know!

Our work concerns the heart and soul, not water and clay.

And despite a hundred thousand hardships and the onslaught of all tribes - Arab, Turk and Tajik - this is the expansive realm of the Kingdom of the Creator-King, and the vast arena of the world of spirit and dominion, with its bounties, bestowals and insight.

His intention is destruction, and it is divided into two parts, one physical and the other spiritual. The physical abomination of desolation is the razing and destroying of buildings. The spiritual abomination of desolation is the destruction of the teachings of GOD.

In the world of humanity the "Commonwealth of the Kingdom" is being organized and from this "collective Center," merciful emotions and light-beaming rays are being diffused to all directions.

The Glory of the world of humanity is not through the body. This is the honor of the animal world; but the Glory of man comes through the Spirit. Spirit quickens and regenerates humankind and not the body. Spirit draws man near unto God and not the body. Spirit is the discoverer of the realities of phenomena and not the body. Spirit establishes love and amity and not the body. Spirit will usher in the era of Peace and Salvation and not the body. Spirit attracts the hearts together and not the body.

In other words, they must promote the principles of the sublimity of the human world, which is loftier than this fictitious heaven, and spread the light of the Luminary of the Merciful Universe, which is more radiant and luminous than the stars studded in yon blue dome.

It is my hope that you may be the means of changing this wild jungle of materialism into a fruitful orchard, this thorny thicket into a rose garden. May Europe become the divine university wherein heavenly sciences and divine arts are taught and learned!

May this dusty earth become a luminous realm and this world of dust take on the form of the celestial spheres - that is, may it be illumined by a radiant star and a heavenly host.

Convey my respectful greetings to the attracted maidservant of God Mrs. Barby from the city of St. Louis and tell her that I hope you will find heavenly illumination in this material world and save souls from the darkness of nature, which is the animal world, and lead them to the lofty human stations.

It is a good gathering. Thank God that believers are gathered around this table from every part, with utmost sincerity, unity and friendship. I beg of God that as we are gathered in this contingent world round this table, we may also be gathered in the world of the Kingdom and be united. I hope that the gathering together of the believers may be the source of the unity and harmony of the people of the world. That this physical table may be a symbol of the heavenly table. Christ said that he was the heavenly bread which was sent down from heaven, and this bread means the heavenly table. I hope tonight that heavenly blessings may descend upon you. That you may be born again a new spirit, a new power, a new life.

God's abundances and favors are boundless, without end, and the blessings of Baha'u'llah are like a boundless ocean. One wave of the ocean of His blessings will cover (drown) all the mountains of the world. Now these waves are rolling upon your head. I hope you will be drowned in these waves, that you will get endless, boundless, blessings and bounties.

This material world is very dark, and this handful of dust is very narrow. I hope that the doors of divine worlds may be opened before your faces, that you may soar up in a space whose lights are eternal, enter a garden whose fruits are everlasting, become the center of human virtues and the appearances of divine perfections, that your hearts be adorned with the commemoration of God, your faces illumined with the light of the love of God, your ears may hear the melodies of sanctity, your spirits may be gladdened with divine glad tidings, your tongues may move in praising God; in short, that you may attain to such a station as to be called the Children of the Kingdom.

Endeavor as much as possible to liberate thyself wholly from human susceptibilities-so that the powers of the Kingdom may gain control over thy heart and thy spirit-to such a degree that although thou art living on the face of the earth, yet thou mayest truly be in heaven; that although outwardly thou an composed of material elements, yet spiritually thou mayest become composed of heavenly elements.

If thou wouldst hearken to the divine counsel detach thyself from all such thoughts and sanctify thyself utterly from all these contaminations. Seek for the servitude of the Abha Beauty alone so that thou mayest be a prince amongst princes and a ruler in the world above.

Pay not attention to things material but reach after the Spirit. Fix your eyes on the Sun of Truth for his light floods the whole earth. Let the sun give you of his strength then the clouds of prejudice will not hide his light from your eyes, then will the sun be without clouds for you.

I live on this earth; make me heavenly. I am of this world; make me of the world of the realm of might. I exist in this world of darkness; make me illumined. I am material; make me spiritual and suffer me to become the manifestor of infinite bounties.

Then let him stand up, and facing the Qiblih (Point of Adoration, i.e., Bahji, 'Akka), let him say:

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His are the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation.

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Thou didst establish His covenant with every one who hath been created in the kingdoms of earth and heaven and in the realms of revelation and of creation.

Unto Him pertaineth all glory and majesty in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and whatever lieth between them.

According to the Baha'i conception, the soul of man, or in other words his inner spiritual self or reality, is not dualistic. There is no such thing, as the Zoroastrians believe, a double reality in man, a definite higher self and lower self. These two tendencies for good or evil, are but manifestations of a single reality or self. The latter is capable of development in either way.

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