Humidity on Spiritual Sunday

 Jamál (Beauty), 1 Kamál (Perfection), 173 BE - Sunday, July 31, 2016 AD about 10:52 AM Pacific Daylight Time

It's a beautiful and humid Sunday here in Las Vegas. The temperature is approximately 93 degrees with 27% humidity. I took a walk earlier when the temperature wasn't so high. There was a little wind so it felt good walking in the cool wind. I've decided to change my morning walk into a walking meditation starting in August.  I haven't been doing a walking meditation, however, I think it would help me refocus when I come back in the house. I've got so much  to do it August that I can't afford to let my mind winder the way it's been doing. 

Beautiful Sunday 

Temperature and humidity rising 

Sometimes the sun cast shadows across 

Sunrise Avenue 

I just turned the air conditioner on, so it feels a little better in the house. Going outside after 7:00 AM is difficult because of the heat and the humidity. This means I'll have to get up early so that I can walk with the temper isn't so sweltering. Wishing everyone a Happy and Spiritual Sunday.

Soul Sunday: Easter Sunday March 2016

Jamal (Beauty), 8 Bahá (Splendour), 173 BE - Sunday, March 27, 2016 about 8:21 AM Pacific Daylight Time

I've decided to change the Sunday theme from Spiritual Sunday to Soul Sunday. I'm not sure whether it will help or hinder me in making every-other-day post to this blog. However, I will give it until the end of 2016 to see. Changing the theme of the post has nothing to do with today being Easter Sunday. I've been thinking about this for sometime, but hadn't decided on the theme until today.

Another Sunday
memories of my childhood
carrying Easter baskets

It's interesting that the fondest memories of my childhood are concerned with chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, Easter egg hunts, and Easter baskets. I know that my grandparents took us to Easter Sunday services every year, but those memories don't return easily. If I sit and quietly meditate then I can remember snatches of songs that the choir sing, but I don't remember anything else about the services. Perhaps I need to do a free write that begins with a verse from a song I remember and see what comes back as I write.

Spiritual Sunday: My Mother's Favorite Scriptures

Jamal (Beauty), 6 Alá’ (Lofitines), 172 BE - Sunday, March 6, 2016 about 7:54 AM Pacific Standard Time

I was looking through my Mother's poetry journal yesterday. There were several poems in it that I haven't copied into the book of her poems I'm compiling. I also found some of my mother's favorite scripture verses. She had copied the verse from the Baha'i writing, but I'm not sure of the source because she just copied the verse and didn't put where they were located or who revealed them.

I know some of the verse were revealed by Baha'u'llah, so all I have to do is figure out the source. The other verses (those I'm not sure about) I think are from 'Abdu'l-Baha's writings. I'll have to set aside a couple of hours to do look at online sources with the writings to find out more about them.

Spiritual Sunday: When is the Sabbath?

Jamal (Beauty), 4 Sharaf (Honor), 172 BE - Sunday, January 3, 2016 about 10:02 AM Pacific Standard Time

This morning my friend ask me "When is the sabbath?" I answered her by saying "The sabbath is supposed to be the seventh day which is Saturday. However, some people consider it to be Sunday." I based my answer on the fact that the sabbath is supposed to be the day set aside for the observance of worship of God rather then earning a living. After answering my friend's question, I got to thinking about the Sabbath and wondering when it ought to be observed.

Dictionary.com gives three basic definitions of the sabbath. The first concerns Saturday, the seventh day of the week, when God rested from his work of creation. The second definition concerns Sunday, which is the day my family observed as a day of worship. When I was growing up, my grandparents would take us to church and Sunday school every Sunday. The third definition makes the Sabbath any day set aside for prayer. Today, I like this last definition best because it does not confine prayer and worship to a specific day of the week. I like the idea of being able to pray and worship God any day of the week.

Spiritual Sunday: Getting Back to the Spiritual Basics of Transformation

Jamal (Beauty), 9 Masá’il (Questions), 172 BE - Sunday, December 20, 2015 about 7:39 AM Pacific Standard Time

Several years ago, when I started this blog the theme was spiritual transformation. My expertise in this area comes from my own personal struggle to walk my chosen spiritual path. I did all right keeping to this theme in the early years, but then I got away from it. I got distracted because of difficulties or by difficulties I encountered in the quests for spiritual transformation and walking my spiritual path. As a result the entries to this blog suffered through lack of focus on the main topic.

My blog entries were not the only thing that suffered. My personal life suffered because of the lack of focus. I stopped attending spiritual services. I used several excuses for not attending the services, but the truth is I simply lost my way. I let the material aspects of life outweigh the spiritual. This has caused no end of problems in my personal life. Therefor I am returning to the basics of prayer, meditation, and scripture reading.

I have wanted to do this for a long time, but I kept putting it off. On December 24, 2015, I will turn 69 years old. I am in poor to fair health, therefore, I cannot procrastinate any longer. I have to make a list of the priorities which I want to accomplish before my soul ascends into the next world. One of those things is improving my writing ability. Writing about spiritual transformation will do that. It will also help me overcome some of the fears that have haunted my thoughts lately. Check back for further discussion on this subject and a list of the daily topic themes on Tuesday, December 22.

Spiritual Sunday: Meditation, Prayer, Writing, Reviewing, and Coffee

Jamal (Beauty), 16 Kamál (Perfection), 172 BE - Sunday, August 16, 2015 about 8:44 am Pacific Daylight Time

This morning, I poured myself a cup of fresh brewed coffee and then I went to the front door. I opened the door, whispered a morning prayer, and then stood there sipping hot coffee while I watched the morning light of God's favor illuminate the street in front of my apartment. I watched a pigeon I watched a pigeon fly to the roof of the apartment building across the street. I took a deep breath of the cool morning air.

My Sunday morning prayer and meditation session over, I went to the computer to do a little writing and reviewing. This morning I responded to a blog prompt sent by one of the blog groups on writing.com. The next thing I did was to review a non-fiction essay and a poem by two new writing.com members. My next writing task was to compose and post this entry.

Before beginning to create this blog entry, I went to the kitchen to pour myself another cup of coffee. While in the kitchen I added some of yesterday's leftover coffee to the carafe containing today's fresh brewed coffee. I don't see any use in pouring yesterday's coffee down the sink when I could warm it over with today's coffee. Normally I don't have coffee left over from the day before, but yesterday was a weird day.

On Saturday, I went to get air put in my tires and then I went to the bank to deposit a check. My cellphone won't allow me to take a picture of a check and deposit it remotely. After depositing the check I went to the supermarket so that I could pay the power bill and purchase some needed items. About halfway through my shopping trip, I began feeling ill. I cut the trip short and came home. The only things I felt like doing when I got home was drink water and doze. I attempted to do a little writing, but I didn't do very much.

This morning, I'm feeling much better. I can finish the coffee today and eat something. I didn't eat much yesterday. I think my problem yesterday was the heat because I left the house a bit later then I normally would on hot days. Today I plan to stay home so that I can get some work accomplished inside my apartment.

Spiritual Sunday: The Sound of Thunder is Angels bowling

Jamal (Beauty), 10 Núr (Light), 172 BE - Sunday, June 14, 2015 3:37 pm Pacific Daylight Time

I hear the sound of thunder
echoing through the street
so I know that somewhere lightning
is streaking through the sky.

It's going to rain here in Las Vegas because I hear the rumble of thunder. Thunder always makes me smile because it brings back memories of my childhood in Oklahoma. My grandparents, my mother's parents, are always featured in my Oklahoma memories. When I hear thunder I remember my Grandfather's words and I smile. Grandpa always said that thunder was the sound of angels bowling. At least I think it was my Grandpa, but it could just as easily have been Grandma who said it.

I like the idea of angels bowling because it makes the thunder less scary. It is not the thunder of a thunderstorm that a person should be afraid of, but the lightning and, in some cases, tornadoes. I just looked outside and saw the rainwater running down the street. I turned off the cool air and then opened my door and windows. I like the scent of rain in the afternoon.

Aroma of rain
the desert soil is thirsty
water floods Las Vegas streets

Spiritual Sunday: A Quiet Sunday Morning in Las Vegas

Jamal (Beauty), 3 Núr (Light), 172 BE - Sunday, June 7, 2015 10:55 am Pacific Daylight Time

The white and gray clouds that decorated the blue sky have departed. The sun is casting dark shadows across the sidewalk and street of Sunrise Avenue. The birds are no longer singing. I just heard a dog barking, but other then that are no other noises. It's a quiet morning in this part of Las Vegas.

People are walking up and down the street without shouting or arguing. It feels like Sunday morning. The neighborhood is tranquil and the neighbors are silent. There is a spiritual feeling about the day that doesn't occur very often in this neighborhood or in Las Vegas.

I intone God's Most Great Name,
I inhale the tranquility of Sunday morning,
A good beginning to the second week of June.

I just checked the temperature. According to a local news website it's 87 degrees. It doesn't feel like it's that warm. I'll have to close my front door because I'll have to turn the cool air on this afternoon. It's supposed to get up to 96 degrees today. I'm going to post this and then get off line because I have some housework to do today.

A spiritual Sunday
A feeling of tranquility
A good start to a new week.

 

Spiritual Sunday: Healing Prayers on Sunday Morning

Jamal (Beauty), 15 ‘Aẓamat (Grandeur), 172 BE - Sunday, May 31, 2015 about 8:09 am Pacific Daylight Time

Sunday morning
I woke up in pain
because I lay down to sleep
last night.

I know better then to lay down to sleep because everything I lay on causes my back to hurt. I doesn't seem to matter whether it is a mattress, a couch, or a love-seat about halfway through the night I wake up with excruciating lower back pain. Last night or rather early this morning (about 12:30 or 1:00 am) the pain woke me up and I could hardly pull myself off of my love-seat because of it. I finally managed to sit up and then put my feet up on a large plastic storage container I keep in front of the love-seat. Because of the pain it took me a while to go back to sleep.

As I recite
the short healing prayer
revealed by Baha'u'llah
the pain subsides
in incremental amounts.

The last time I saw my doctor, I didn't have her renew the prescription for the pain medication. It's not that I don't need it, it's just that I don't like the idea of becoming addicted and the side-effects of the medication. I will see my doctor sometime in June so I'll ask her about over-the-counter meds. Then I'll discuss the pros and cons to see which is best for me. She may want me to go to a specialist before she prescribes or suggests any type of pain relievers.

Spiritual Sunday: Sunday Morning in Las Vegas

Jamal (Beauty), 8 ‘Aẓamat (Grandeur), 172 BE - Sunday, May 24, 2015 about 10:50 am Pacific Daylight Time

White clouds and blue sky
Gentle breeze dancing through trees
Morning prayers said.

It's a beautiful and spiritual morning in my Las Vegas neighborhood. The neighbors are at peace with each other this morning. A dog barks a greeting to someone while birds fly or sing in the limbs of pine, olive, and oak trees. The palm frowns sway whispering their prayers to the wind.

Prayer book open
To praise and gratitude
Intone Baha'u'llah's words.

A new week begins. The last week in May 2015 begins with prayer and meditation. There are no worries about this week because everything is placed in God's hand. There are no worries because God's plan moves forward at a steady pace as the minutes and hours flow forward into the future.

Spiritual Sunday: Sunday Prayers

Jamal (Beauty), 1 ‘Aẓamat (Grandeur), 172 BE - Sunday, May 17, 2015 about 1:02 pm Pacific Daylight Time

Sunday prayers said
White clouds sail across blue sky
Sun casting shadows.

Morning's slow passage
A breeze blew through the pine tree
Sparrows songs echo.

Ate watermelon
With my coffee for breakfast
Time for noon prayers.

What do angels eat?
A cold sweet watermelon
Afternoon wind whispering.

Memories return
Church service and Sunday school
Grandpa and Grandma.

Sunday prayers said
Dish washing meditation
Afternoon's passage.

Spiritual Sunday: Mama taught me how to pray - A Mother's Day Poem

Jamal (Beauty), 13 Jamál (Beauty), 172 BE - Sunday, May 10, 2015 7:20 an Pacific Daylight Time

Mama taught me how to pray,
"Now I lay me down to sleep,"
I said this prayer every night,
I knew my soul the Lord would keep.

Today she walks in paradise,
With my grandmother by her side,
They were always the best of friends
In God's garden they now abide.

Mama taught me how to pray,
So on this Mother's Day I write,
About the prayer she taught me
To say before I slept each night.

Spiritual Sunday: The Second Sunday in April

Jamal (Beauty), 4 Jalál (Glory), 172 BE - Sunday, April 12, 2015 about 12:26 pm Pacific Daylight Time

On the second Sunday in April,
I contemplate
the coming week
and wonder
what blessings are in store for me.

At 11:56 am the temperature in Las Vegas was 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with a predicted high of 88 degrees. Tomorrow's predicted high is supposed to be 87 degrees, but after that the temperature is supposed to go down into the low 80s or high 70s. I will keep a close eye on the temperature today because if it does get up to 88 degree I will have to turn on the cool air. If I turn on the air then I have to close the door and I do not like to have my door closed because I cannot see what is going on in my neighborhood.

On the second Sunday in April,
I listen to the neighborhood children
shouting joyfully
while I nibble on fresh vegetables
for my noonday snack.

It is about 12:41 pm Pacific Daylight Time, the sky is partly covered with thin clouds. The wind is not blowing today so neither the limbs of the trees nor the litter in the street is moving. People walking past my apartment are dressed for a warm spring afternoon. The dogs and the cats are in doors. The birds are silent, but then the birds are always silent in the afternoon. I think that is because they bless the morning with their songs.

On the second Sunday in April,
I intone my noonday prayer
and then listen to a Harley-Davidson echo
through the neighborhood.

Spiritual Sunday: Prayer-Poem at the Beginning of a New Week

Jamal (Beauty), 16 Bahá (Splendour), 172 BE - Sunday, April 5, 2015 about 3:44 pm Pacific Daylight Time

Beloved,

At the beginning of a new week,
I ask your assistance
in finding the light
as I advance through the fog
and darkness
of this time in history.

Help me to
move forward
one step at a time
as I advance
one day at a time
toward the goal
at the end of the week.

Form: Free verse.

Spiritual Sunday: Sunday Morning in Las Vegas

Jamal (Beauty), 2 Bahá (Splendour), 172 BE - Sunday, March 22, 2015 about 10:02 am Pacific Daylight Time

A bird intoning
Gratitude and thanksgiving
For another day of life

It is Sunday morning here in Las Vegas. I have recited my morning prayers. I have finished my breakfast, but have not finished off the carafe of coffee. I also responded to a blog prompt from one of the writing.com blog groups. I plan on attending a spiritual service at the Baha'i Center this afternoon. Right now I am sitting at my computer listening to a bird sing, sipping a cup of hot coffee, and trying to decide if it is worth taking the trash to the alley just to see if the tire on my car is flat. Fortunately, a friend is picking me up and taking me to the spiritual service this afternoon.

Sunday decisions
are easier when sipping
a hot cup of joe.

My sinuses are clogged this morning, but I am not closing the door. It is too nice a day to have the door closed. It is too nice a day to worry about whether of not my tire is flat. It is too nice a day It is too nice a day to do anything except read the scriptures, compose poetry, and socialize. I will deal with the car and the tire on Monday morning when I to focus on mundane things like tires, trash, and going to the grocery store or dealing with other business matters.

On Sunday morning
my neighborhood moves slowly
the birds are singing.

Spiritual Sunday: The Ides of March

Jamal (Beauty), 14 Alá (Loftiness), 171 BE - Sunday, March 15, 2015 about 11:45 am Pacific Daylight Time

The ides of March,
the middle of March,
the days have passed slowly,
but the month passage of the month
was swift.

I listen to the Unity Prayer which was revealed by Baha'u'llah. Then I listen to spiritual music, gospel music, from the Baha'i Faith. I smile as I listen to the music, to the prayers, and the scriptures set to music.

On the Ides of March,
I contemplate the way that music,
especially spiritual
or devotional
music fills the spaces in my life,
my soul,
and my memory.

I listen to people singing, worshiping, and intoning the scriptures. As I listen to music and the scriptures my mood lightens and I realize the reason that angels can fly. It is the music of faith that provide the wind for angels to ascend and fly between heaven and earth.

It is the Ides of March,
the third month of 2015
is half over
I discover that happiness
and tears are companions
in this nether world of matter.

I cry. I listen. I pray. I reflect. I laugh. I smile. My soul is being washed of the dark dross that hides the reflected light of God's Glory. I have worries, but I have to place those in the hands of God because there are a great many problems in my life that I cannot solve without the help of God and His Glory.

Spiritual Sunday: Daylight Savings Time Meditation

Jamal (Beauty), 7 Alá (Loftiness), 171 BE - Sunday, March 8, 2015 2:10 pm Pacific Daylight Time

I look at the sun,
I look at the clock
and the clock reads
2:00 pm.

My mind tells me
it shouldn't be that late
it feels like only one o'clock.

Then I realize
we sprung forward this morning
my alarm went off
at 3:00 am
instead of four o'clock.

The birds are singing happily
because they aren't
attempting to save daylight time
they enjoy the sun
while its shines.

Spiritual Sunday: A Day of Food, Fun, and Fellowship

Jamal (Beauty), 4 Ayyám-i-Há (The Days of Há), 171 BE - Sunday, March 1, 2015 about 4:03 pm Pacific Standard Time

I spend the morning out talking with friends and eating. I enjoyed the relaxation and the fellowship. We laughed. We ate. We caught up on our life events. I came home, spent some time online, and then I went out with another friend. We laughed. We got food to bring home. I am tired. I have enough food to last me a two or three days. This is good because I am going to attempt to stop snacking.

My goal for the next nineteen days is to cut down on the snacks. This means that instead of spreading my meals over the day I have to sit down, consume the main course, and then have my desert then. I cannot eat between meals. This will be a bit difficult because I am used to snacking whenever I feel that I am hunger. I can have water or coffee between meals, but any other liquids such as juice, hot tea, or soda I have to have with my meal.

I should be able to give up the snacks for nineteen days without any difficulty, but I could be wrong. As I wrote, I am used to snacking. I usually do most of my between meal eating when I am at the computer. When I feel like I want a snack I will have to either ignore the feel or find something to distract me. I know that one thing I can do iw get up from the computer and do housework. I can also take a walk outside or pick up my prayer book and read a prayer.
 

Spiritual Sunday: A Cloudy Sunday

Jamal (Beauty), 16 Mulk (Dominion), 171 BE - Sunday, February 22, 2015 about 11:24 am Pacific Standard Time

Gray-white clouds cover
the beautiful Sunday blue sky
and conceal morning's bright sun.

I give thanks for the cloud cover
and the patches of blue
peeking through.

Breakfast-brunch consumes,
dishes waiting for hot soapy water
and the leftover hotcake batter
waiting for me to decide
if I want an egg
or a spicy chicken patty
to accompany the hotcakes
for an afternoon snack.

I give thanks for the birds
singing in the pine tree
across the street
and for the pigeons
that walk past my front stoop.

A cloudy Sunday morning
is becoming
a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

I give thanks
for a day of rest
and a cup of
hot black coffee.

Spiritual Sunday: Sunday Thoughts about Mood

Jamal (Beauty), 9 Mulk (Dominion), 171 BE - Sunday, February 15, 2015 about 11:55 am Pacific Standard Time

I woke up in a good mood. I recited a prayer and intoned God's Most Great Name. I took my medication, I made a carafe of coffee and then I went to writing.com to do some work before eating breakfast. I have to wait about an hour after taking my medication before I can eat. I did some writing and a review before I started breakfast. Sometime after I took my medication and before I ate breakfast my mood began to change. It began to descend into depression.

I fixed breakfast and then I went to YouTube. I listened to Hank Williams Sr singing "I Saw the Light". Next I listed to a couple of Baha'i videos that had some of the prayer set to music. My mood lightened, but then my mood always gets better when I listen to spiritual music. I am in a better mood now so I heated up the soup I have been eating all weekend. I will finish it off today.

As long as I take some time to meditate and pray then my mood will stay positive. That is good because now I am not feeling very well physically. I am not sure what is causing the problem, so I am going to take a break in a few minutes to say the Long Healing prayer. I will not go to the ER or one of the clinics unless I absolutely have to so. If I am still feeling this way tomorrow then I will call one of my doctors to see if I can get an appointment.