the second day of pilgrimage started with a visit to the Holiest of places, the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. as the Guardian wrote: "Public access to the heart of the Qiblih of the Bahá'í World is now made possible through traversing the sacred precincts leading successively to the Holy Court, the outer and inner sanctuaries, the Blessed Threshold and the Holy of Holies."
two pictures, first of the surrounding gardens, and then of the Shrine:
(the entire album is here)
entering the Shrine is an indescribable feeling, the sense of calmness and serenity is overwhelming. being so close to the Holiest place on earth just gives a very special feeling in the body. it's as if time completely stops, and there is nothing else that matters the least. and the rose scent in there is also very soothing.
after having the time and opportunity to say prayers in the Shrine, we had a lunch at the pilgrim's center, and then went by bus back to haifa. it was time to meet the members of the Universal House of Justice.
the reception took place in the seat, with all the pilgrims gathered, sitting and waiting. once the members arrived, a prayer was said, and one of the members held a welcoming speech for us all. after that we all stood up as they went around and greeted everyone. we got to talk with mr dunbar (who is half-swedish), got a standing ovation from mr barnes (since we were from sweden), and a short chat as well with mr grossman (from finland).
to give a bit of perspective, these are members of the supreme body of the Faith, they are the ones with the "power". and here they are, walking around among 400 people, without any security, lifeguards, etc. and they are joyously greeting everyone, talking to all the pilgrims and personally welcoming each and every one of us. I don't see that happening anywhere else...
after the welcoming we had some time off, as in the evening/night it was the commemoration of the ascension of Baha'u'llah. it started at around 22, so in the meantime I went to the library and read a bit, took a stroll up the terraces and got ready for the evening. we had a good dinner, where we met up with naysan and nahid. I had a lovely fresh mint drink. then we got a ride back down to the pilgrim center, where the buses were waiting for us.
we got there at around 23, and started by visiting the mansion where Baha'u'llah stayed the last days of His life, and also made a visit to the room where He passed away. a very personal, solemn moment.
the program was scheduled for 3 am, so we had some time to walk around in the gardens, socialize with each other and take pictures. here's one that I took:
in the visitors' center there were both pilgrims and staff members, and some tea and cookies to eat. it was a nice mixture of people from all backgrounds mingling in joyful harmony. and even though it was the night of ascension, there was much laughter to be heard.
at 2.45 we went out, as everyone was asked to be seated no later than 2.55. the program started at 3 am sharp, with hundreds of chairs being put in rows, all facing the Shrine. prayers were read in english, persian and arabic, and it created a very spiritual atmosphere, which only the mosquitoes tried to interfere with.
when the program was done, we got up to circumambulate the Shrine. I tried to take my time and really walk slowly around, meditating upon this very special moment. it felt really wonderful to be able to be out there at 4 am, with no sound being heard, nothing but your own thoughts and footsteps...
the buses were waiting to take us back, and at 5 am I finally crashed in bed, after a long but very special day.
two pictures, first of the surrounding gardens, and then of the Shrine:
(the entire album is here)
entering the Shrine is an indescribable feeling, the sense of calmness and serenity is overwhelming. being so close to the Holiest place on earth just gives a very special feeling in the body. it's as if time completely stops, and there is nothing else that matters the least. and the rose scent in there is also very soothing.
after having the time and opportunity to say prayers in the Shrine, we had a lunch at the pilgrim's center, and then went by bus back to haifa. it was time to meet the members of the Universal House of Justice.
the reception took place in the seat, with all the pilgrims gathered, sitting and waiting. once the members arrived, a prayer was said, and one of the members held a welcoming speech for us all. after that we all stood up as they went around and greeted everyone. we got to talk with mr dunbar (who is half-swedish), got a standing ovation from mr barnes (since we were from sweden), and a short chat as well with mr grossman (from finland).
to give a bit of perspective, these are members of the supreme body of the Faith, they are the ones with the "power". and here they are, walking around among 400 people, without any security, lifeguards, etc. and they are joyously greeting everyone, talking to all the pilgrims and personally welcoming each and every one of us. I don't see that happening anywhere else...
after the welcoming we had some time off, as in the evening/night it was the commemoration of the ascension of Baha'u'llah. it started at around 22, so in the meantime I went to the library and read a bit, took a stroll up the terraces and got ready for the evening. we had a good dinner, where we met up with naysan and nahid. I had a lovely fresh mint drink. then we got a ride back down to the pilgrim center, where the buses were waiting for us.
we got there at around 23, and started by visiting the mansion where Baha'u'llah stayed the last days of His life, and also made a visit to the room where He passed away. a very personal, solemn moment.
the program was scheduled for 3 am, so we had some time to walk around in the gardens, socialize with each other and take pictures. here's one that I took:
in the visitors' center there were both pilgrims and staff members, and some tea and cookies to eat. it was a nice mixture of people from all backgrounds mingling in joyful harmony. and even though it was the night of ascension, there was much laughter to be heard.
at 2.45 we went out, as everyone was asked to be seated no later than 2.55. the program started at 3 am sharp, with hundreds of chairs being put in rows, all facing the Shrine. prayers were read in english, persian and arabic, and it created a very spiritual atmosphere, which only the mosquitoes tried to interfere with.
when the program was done, we got up to circumambulate the Shrine. I tried to take my time and really walk slowly around, meditating upon this very special moment. it felt really wonderful to be able to be out there at 4 am, with no sound being heard, nothing but your own thoughts and footsteps...
the buses were waiting to take us back, and at 5 am I finally crashed in bed, after a long but very special day.
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