Tutor Tuesday – Crisis and Victory

In order to do my part for the development of the arts at the grassroots of the Baha’i community, I will be posting a weekly idea for tutors who hope to integrate poetry into their study circles.

Tutor Tuesday #2: crisis and victory
Suggested for: Book 4

In a letter dated August 31, 1987, the Universal House of Justice wrote, “The Faith advances, not at a uniform rate of growth, but in vast surges, precipitated by the alternation of crisis and victory.” This pattern is addressed in Ruhi Book 4, The Twin Manifestations, in which we are urged to think about the early history of Faith in these terms. The power inherent in the Cause of Bahá’u'lláh comes into sharp focus when we remember, for example, that it was in the Black Pit that received His Revelation, or that it was through His exiles that the Faith was spread internationally.

In addition to the clarity it brings to historical events, contrasts also make up an important part of the poet’s toolbox. Each opposing image serves to throw the other into sharp relief, in ways that simple description is unable.

Exercise: Choose a crisis and victory pair, either from the stories in The Twin Manifestations, or from your knowledge of the history of the Faith. Starting with either the victory or the crisis (depending on individual preference), write a short piece, maybe four to ten lines, about it. Then write the same number of lines about its partner. Finally, interlace the two, line by line, so that crisis and victory are interwoven in a single poem. Don’t forget to read them out loud when you’ve done!

Variations: Alternatively, the entire study circle can agree on one instance of crisis and victory, and then compare what they’ve written with other participants. This can also be a collaborative exercise in pairs. Each pair agrees on a subject and number of lines, one writing about victory, the other about crisis, and combining their pieces so that in addition to there being a contrast of subject matter, there is also a contrast of voice.

Finally, I cannot take any credit for this exercise, which was adapted from a prompt over at Read Write Poem, a weekly poetry blogging group. If you are interested in reading others’ takes on interwoven contrasts, check out the posts under the prompt Oil and Vinegar.

Tutor Tuesday is posted every Tuesday that the electricity is on, the network up, and an intensive teaching project not in progress. Comments are always welcome.

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I’m a Poetry-Writing Bahá’í, Ask Me Why! (part 2)

Top 9 reasons to be happy about being a Baha’i poet.

Reason #2: Poetry Helps Us See The World

If these schools of progress lead to the university of heaven, then branches of knowledge will be developed whereby humanity will look upon the tablet of existence as a scroll endlessly unfolding; and all created things will be seen upon that scroll as letters and words. Then will the different planes of meaning be learned, and then within every atom of the universe will be witnessed the signs of the oneness of God.

(Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 58)

At every moment he beholdeth a wondrous world, a new creation, and goeth from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost in awe at the works of the Lord of Oneness.

(The Seven Valleys, p. 31)

Some time ago, I was tutoring a group in Book 1, which consisted of one new Baha’i and two very deepened and active Baha’is who were just beginning the institute process, but determined to catch up. At one point, we were having a consultation (okay, let’s be honest, it was turning into more of a debate) on whether material things could each show only one of the attributes of God, or if they could each show many attributes, but not all. “Take a tree,” I pointed out, “It has both the qualities of existence and beauty.”

“Sure,” said one of the experienced participants, “but the beauty you’re describing isn’t real. It’s simply symbolic of spiritual beauty, which the tree doesn’t show.” I was floored by this. It just wasn’t a way I was used to viewing beauty.

The next morning, I left my apartment. Sunshine, I thought. Trees. Sky. Sidewalk. Parking lot. I wonder what a parking lot symbolizes in the world of the spirit?

I couldn’t help laughing at the strange metaphors all around me. “I’m walking in a poem!” I said to nobody in particular.

That’s when I realized I’d done this before; it wasn’t in a religious context, but the feeling was the same. This was just how I went about discovering images to develop into poems. The intense focus on physical details, connecting them with an abstract, emotional, or spiritual reality, this was the same. The only difference was that, in poetry, I then spent a great deal of time on developing the exact language needed to communicate my thoughts, whereas in faith, the words were already written, as in the Valley of Wonderment: “Indeed, O Brother, if we ponder each created thing, we shall witness a myriad perfect wisdoms and learn a myriad new and wondrous truths.” There is a reason why “poets” always seem to get mentioned in the Writings alongside “seers” and “mystics.”

In the time since then, I’ve grown to be so grateful for the discipline of observation and connection that I first developed in the context of poetry. It can be so difficult for many people to wrap their heads around the idea of metaphorical reality when the world is so real, so constant, so familiar in its solidity. Sure, I’ve never gotten to the point where I say to myself, “Wow, I’ve got the stomach flu for the second time this month. How spiritual!” but poetry keeps me focused when the material world threatens to overwhelm me. When I look at a tree, I wonder what words, what thoughts, what actions it is meant to inspire in me. The practice of poetry draws the power of wonderment. “O Lord, increase my astonishment at Thee!”

Next week: Poetry helps our communities open their hearts

Tutor Tuesday – metaphor hunt

In order to do my part for the development of the arts at the grassroots of the Baha’i community, I will be posting a weekly idea for tutors who hope to integrate poetry into their study circles.

Tutor Tuesday #1: metaphor hunt

Suggested for: any book, but especially Book 1

As Baha’is, we are constantly surrounded by metaphor. Metaphor is when we state that one thing is another, symbolically speaking. Here are a few examples:

• the Divine Springtime (the coming of the Manifestation of God)
• the Nightingale of Paradise (Baha’u'llah)
• the Maid of Heaven (the Holy Spirit)
• the city of the heart
• the letters B and E joined and knit together (the act of creation)
• the stream of utterance

We know that Baha’u'llah was not a nightingale, which is a simple bird, incapable of perceiving even the most basic of spiritual truths. Nevertheless, this metaphor helps us to understand an aspect of the reality of Baha’u'llah, which is so far above our comprehension.

Exercise 1: Go on a metaphor hunt through the Writings that your group is studying. Make a collaborative list of them. Choose a few favorites, and discuss what they stand for and what they teach us about spiritual reality. Select one and use it as the basis for a poem, talking about a spiritual subject in metaphorical terms.

Exercise 2: Make up new metaphors for spiritual conditions. Maybe you feel less like a broken-winged bird today, and more like a worm drowning on the sidewalk on an April morning. Perhaps the Writings seem like a perfectly ripe mango to you, begging you to taste of its sweetness and make each bite a part of your self.

Don’t worry if the made-up metaphors are less elegant than those of Baha’u'llah or ‘Abdu’l-Baha. If participants are unbearably embarrassed about their inadequacy, they can even write poetry about the feeling! Invent the clumsiest metaphors your group can think of, and write poems making fun of how awful they are compared to those in the Writings. Remember, in showing the reality of our own weakness, we also glorify God’s strength.

Tutor Tuesday is posted every Tuesday that the electricity is on, the network up, and an intensive teaching project not in progress. Comments are always welcome.

I’m a Poetry-Writing Bahá’í, Ask Me Why!

Top 9 reasons to be happy about being a Baha’i poet.

Reason #1: Poetry Helps Us Read The Writings

Read ye the sacred verses in such measure that ye be not overcome by languor and despondency. Lay not upon your souls that which will weary them and weigh them down, but rather what will lighten and uplift them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses towards the Dawning-place of His manifest signs; this will draw you nearer to God, did ye but comprehend.

(The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 149)

Poets have a habit of reading poetry that is different from that of casual readers. A poet, on discovering that she likes a poem on first reading, immediately reads it again. She reads it out loud. On reading out loud, she discovers several new things that help her appreciate it even more. She reads it again, pausing more deliberately at the line breaks. She reads it again, rushing through the line breaks to the noted punctuation. She reads it again, and discovers several references to culture or history or mythology, deepening her understanding of the symbolism involved. She reads it again, savoring particular phrases that speak to her in new ways. The poem stays in her mind. Lines come to her at unexpected times during the day, fitting the moment and directing her thoughts. The poem becomes internalized, and this inner inspiration comes out in her own writing, transformed into something new.

All of us have been guilty, at some point, of fulfilling our duty to read the Holy Writings to the letter—and no further. But as poets, we have this wonderful discipline already ingrained in ourselves of reading deeply, of unlocking metaphors and allusions, of wondering about the implications of one word chosen over another. Even above this, we have a habit of reading with relish, enjoying language for its own sake, as well as for the sake of its author. Or, in this case, Author.

The very first unit of Reflections on the Life of the Spirit tries to teach this habit in a systematic way. How we fight it! But poets and thoughtful readers of poetry have so much experience in the area of deepening. If we bring this experience to the table and share our passion for the power and beauty of language, our study circles, our home visits, and our everyday lives can be be transformed. What a gift we have to share!

Next week: Poetry helps us see the world.

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New Blog

I’ve started this blog to be a central location for my writing-related posts. Your regular dose of eccentric personal material will still be over at LiveJournal, never fear.