Praise and Gratitude

In the Name of God, the Most High! Lauded and glorified art Thou, Lord, God Omnipotent! Thou before Whose wisdom the wise falleth short and faileth, before Whose knowledge the learned confesseth his ignorance, before Whose might the strong waxeth weak, before Whose wealth the rich testifieth to his poverty, before Whose light the enlightened is lost in darkness, toward the shrine of Whose knowledge turneth the essence of all understanding and around the sanctuary of Whose presence circle the souls of all mankind.
How then can I sing and tell of Thine Essence, which the wisdom of the wise and the learning of the learned have failed to comprehend, inasmuch as no man can sing that which he understandeth not, nor recount that unto which he cannot attain, whilst thou hast been from everlasting the Inaccessible, the Unsearchable. Powerless though I be to rise to the heavens of Thy glory and soar in the realms of Thy knowledge, I can but recount Thy tokens that tell of Thy glorious handiwork.
By Thy Glory! O Beloved of all hearts, Thou that alone canst still the pangs of yearning for Thee! Though all the dwellers of heaven and earth unite to glorify the least of Thy signs, wherein and whereby Thou hast revealed Thyself, yet would they fail, how much more to praise Thy holy Word, the creator of all Thy tokens.
All praise and glory be to Thee, Thou of Whom all things have testified that Thou art one and there is none other God but thee, Who hast been from everlasting exalted above all peer or likeness and to everlasting shalt remain the same. All kings are but Thy servants and all beings, visible and invisible, as naught before Thee. There is none other God but Thee, the Gracious, the Powerful, the Most High.


 Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Protection

Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! Thou seest and knowest that I have called upon Thy servants to turn nowhere except in the direction of Thy bestowals, and have bidden them observe naught save the things Thou didst prescribe in Thy Perspicuous Book, the Book which hath been sent down according to Thine inscrutable decree and irrevocable purpose.
I can utter no word, O my God, unless I be permitted by Thee, and can move in no direction until I obtain Thy sanction. It is Thou, O my God, Who hast called me into being through the power of Thy might, and hast endued me with Thy grace to manifest Thy Cause. Wherefore I have been subjected to such adversities that my tongue hath been hindered from extolling Thee and from magnifying Thy glory.
All praise be to Thee, O my God, for the things Thou didst ordain for me through Thy decree and by the power of Thy sovereignty. I beseech Thee that thou wilt fortify both myself and them that love me in our love for Thee, and wilt keep us firm in Thy Cause. I swear by Thy might! O my God! Thy servant's shame is to be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and his glory is to know Thee. Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me.
Send down, therefore, O my Lord, upon me and upon my loved ones that which will protect us from the mischief of those that have repudiated Thy truth and disbelieved in Thy signs.
Thou art, verily, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Unity Prayer

O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Spiritual qualities

From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire! From the fragrant breezes of Thy joy let a breath pass over me, O my Goal, and into the heights of the paradise of Thy reality let me gain admission, O my Adored One! To the melodies of the dove of Thy oneness suffer me to hearken, O Resplendent One, and through the spirit of Thy power and Thy might quicken me, O my Provider! In the spirit of Thy love keep me steadfast, O my Succorer, and in the path of Thy good pleasure set firm my steps, O my Maker! Within the garden of Thine immortality, before Thy countenance, let me abide for ever, O Thou Who art merciful unto me, and upon the seat of Thy glory stablish me, O Thou Who art my Possessor! To the heaven of Thy loving-kindness lift me up, O my Quickener, and unto the Daystar of Thy guidance lead me, O Thou my Attractor! Before the revelations of Thine invisible spirit summon me to be present, O Thou Who art my Origin and my Highest Wish, and unto the essence of the fragrance of Thy beauty, which Thou wilt manifest, cause me to return, O Thou Who art my God!
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the All-Highest.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Morning prayer

O my God and my Master! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I have risen from my couch at this dawntide when the Daystar of Thy oneness hath shone forth from the Dayspring of Thy will, and hath shed its radiance upon the whole world, according to what had been ordained in the Books of Thy Decree.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, that we have wakened to the splendors of the light of Thy knowledge. Send down, then, upon us, O my Lord, what will enable us to dispense with anyone but Thee, and will rid us of all attachment to aught except Thyself. Write down, moreover, for me, and for such as are dear to me, and for my kindred, man and woman alike, the good of this world and the world to come. Keep us safe, then, through Thine unfailing protection, O Thou the Beloved of the entire creation and the Desire of the whole universe, from them whom Thou hast made to be the manifestations of the Evil Whisperer, who whisper in men's breasts. Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Bless Thou, O Lord my God, Him Whom Thou hast set over Thy most excellent Titles, and through Whom Thou hast divided between the godly and the wicked, and graciously aid us to do what Thou lovest and desirest. Bless Thou, moreover, O my God, them Who are Thy Words and Thy Letters, and them who have set their faces towards Thee, and turned unto Thy face, and hearkened to Thy Call.

Thou art, verily, the Lord and King of all men, and art potent over all things.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Occupy What

from Caile

As a natural cynic, I looked at “Occupy Such-and-Such Location” skeptically. I thought that it was, to be brutally honest, stupid. Apathy and disdain seems to be character traits of the times. People just don`t give a sh**. And here I am, writing this, and guilty of it too.

I walked obliviously pass the old shirtless dude playing hacky sack in the square near City Hall; I walked pass some tents, a bunch of lawn chairs, a bunch of dogs and some kids, a makeshift kitchen where people were feeding other people… And then I thought, “What is wrong with this exactly? Who the f*** cares if I think this is stupid?”

What’s more stupid than a small group of peaceful people sitting quietly in tents because they want all humans to be okay? Well, I’ll tell you it’s a small group of malicious, self-serving and non-peaceful people trying to break the spirits of all humans so that they might have more power.

The more I thought about it, the more I thought about it. “A hungry man is an angry man,” says Bob Marley. Well, now we have a planet full of hungry and angry men, and there’s that small forementioned group sitting indifferently on a proverbial money pile chucking us a few pennies now and then to keep us quiet.

Now, here’s the one seed of thought that probably subconsciously contributed to me thinking “Occupy Wherever-the-hell-you-are” movements were futile and stupid: human beings only change when forced into it.

Sitting around in your tents near City Hall is a nice sentiment, it really, really is. I read all of their painted signs propped up next to their tents; their messages were beautiful and very true. Kids were playing and painting, people were cooking food for other people, and people were making music and sitting together peacefully. There was a total vibe of calm community and a quiet strength there.

Now the Occupy movement I’m witnessing and writing about here is the one on Vancouver Island, in the little city of Victoria. It’s surprisingly not that idyllic here. Unemployment is raging all over the place, and the cost of living is absolutely absurd compared to the minimum wage. It’s almost comically illogical but the results aren’t funny at all; a whole small town’s worth of people are sleeping on the streets, giving up on ever having stability, comfort, warmth…these are things human beings deserve, right? Those aren’t frivolous demands. Our leaders and people in power have those things. And they have them with ease, without a fight.

The rest of us however we sacrifice our dreams for our day jobs. We break down our bodies for cheap garbage fast-food to feed our children. I’m not going to go on a rant here about the problems; everybody knows what our problems are. We live with them. We wake up to them and go to sleep to them, and see our problems in the empty cupboards and the miniscule numbers on our little pay-checks. These problems are ingrained into our very health, they follow us in our faces, and they echo through our human interactions with one another.

Now, I guess my point here is this: The Occupy movement is simply ahead of its time. They all have the right idea, that is in fact community and how we should be operating our societies, through the realness of human action, through simplicity, through calm outreach, not through raging steel machines and destructive monsters of corporate takeover. Our lives are not a game of Risk, you know?

But I say the movement is ahead of its time because this kind of movement is going to be needed afterward. Remember, human beings will only change under force.

You can peacefully protest in your tent all you want, but keep in mind who you’re actually protesting against. Your opposition, they’re not idealistic pacifists willing to talk rationally. They’re not looking at your tents and saying, “Hm, this is a really powerful movement, we’d better watch out!”

KNOW your enemy. They’re actually quite intelligent; they must be. Somehow they managed to dupe ALL of us into a crippled, blinded, mutated economy. They (‘they’ being the societal governments that dole out the rules) are manipulative, elusive, and they have most of the tangible tools, money, access to power, that we do not.

They do however underestimate us.

Mostly because we are already so psychologically dwarfed by their medications and altered foods, chemicals in the water, you know the whole spiel here.

But they’re not cowering at the tents and hippies playing hacky sack, making vegan chilli for a handful of people. They just send down the cops to mace a few people and watch as the bad weather and lack of sanitation and proper resources picks everyone off. They know how reliant we are on them. What, are you going to grow a fully sustainable vegetable garden right there on Wall Street? Unless you’re stealing, you’ll be doing the walk of shame down to their grocery stores and using their government issued money to get their food before returning to your tent to continue “protesting.”

Look into how Paris changed their economy in 1968. Let me put it this way: they weren’t sitting around in tents.

And now the readers of this article are probably going to start thinking, “Well, what are you doing about it then?”

I’ll tell you what I’m doing: Nothing. I’m not doing a god-damned thing. Humans only change when forced to, remember?

I am doing a lot of thinking. I mean, I’m not some rich capitalist sitting back in my condo with my feet up, laughing all the way to the bank. I’m actually, as it happens, unemployed and barely able to afford food, thanks. I’m thinking about all of us struggling under the heavy burden of an inhuman, monetary-based society.

I’m waiting for change. I’m not out on the frontlines. And neither are the people in the tents. The people in the tents are trying to create new forms of society in a society that cannot yet handle something like that.

We will need that soon, but for right now, actions speak louder than words. Mine included.


About the author: Caile is a free-thinking nomad who is hopefully waiting for society to be restructured. She is currently working on her third novel and hopefully can get it published before the economy crashes.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Can we talk about religion

from Jim

"Good God! In what desert land have you lived, where no one was kind
enough to inform you that these fancies which you have so greedily
imbibed are a thousand years old and as musty as they are ancient."
(words spoken to Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's classic tale)

The heckler in the classic film Miracle on 34th Street calls Kris Kringle "a big, fat fake." In court his defence lawyer argues that if the American people can believe in God - for "In God We Trust" figures in its national anthem and coins - without proof, then they can believe in Santa Claus.

Judging by all the white-bearded and red-suited men in shopping malls at Christmas, it appears that Americans now believe in more than one Santa Claus, just as there are those who believe in more than one god, like Hindus and the Shinto. Of course most people hold that there is only one Father Christmas and, from the time of the first Zoroastrians, only one god - if that.

The Zoroastrians are associated with the religious symbol of fire for they have fires burning constantly in their temples. Muhammad talked of the "fire prepared for unbelievers" (Sura 2:24), Jesus pronounced in the Book of Mark (16:16) that "he who does not believe will be condemned [to hellfires]," and the God of Deuteronomy (Yahweh) sends fire to devour the peoples of Gog and Magog after the Millenium. None of this was lost on the medieval Catholic Church which had thousands of heretics burned in its Inquisitions.

In picking up a holy book, one can be surprised by the punishment. In Deuteronomy Moses gives orders for parents to have their children publicly stoned to death (21:18), forgetting this violates his commandment against killing. God is said to support tribal genocide (see Deuteronomy 20:13-17 or Numbers 25:16), rape, slavery, and cannibalism (Deut. 28:53). And for those who do not follow all his commandments, The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with
an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with sword, and with blasting,
and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. (Deut. 28:22)

The message is that it is good to obey God, even if he asks you to kill your child, as Abraham prepares to do after binding his son Isaac to a sacrificial altar. Muhammad calls his religion Islam, meaning submission, and his god means business, too, for there are over a hundred separate calls in the Koran to violence against non-believers.

Contemporary life presents many examples of religion-inspired cruelty and absurdity. Jehovah Witnesses not allowing blood transfusions, Mormons marrying young girls and having multiple wives, African girls (mostly Muslim) subjected to circumcision and "infibulations" - the stitching of the vulva leaving a small opening for urine and menstrual blood, Afghan women stoned to death for extramarital relations, Shiite girls of nine legally judged as women and married (like A'isha in the Koran), Hindu brides burned flogged or burned alive for improper dowry, Catholics protecting pederasts, sadists, and Nazis.

Yet contemporary life also presents us with many more examples of religious generosity, from the Christian organizations that cloak and feed the poor wherever they are found, the Muslims who - as an article of faith called Zakat - give 2.5% of their wealth for the benefit of the needy, the Hindus giving alms at the temple, the Sikhs feeding hungry people of any faith in their Gurdwaras, and the Buddhists' age-old practice of almsgiving.

Criticism of religion remains taboo in many parts of the world - as in Pakistan where the violation of the blasphemy law against criticism of the Koran is still punishable by death. Any expression of religion at all has become taboo in some places, such as in the United States where religious prayer is strictly banned from schools, or in France where wearing the veil is illegal in public.

What our society (and every other) needs is an open discussion of religion. For many people religion-inspired spirituality is the most important part of their lives, or their church or temple is vital to their introduction into Canada and their sense of place in a new world. To other people religion is a problem, as for the young people who cannot date someone outside their faith. Religion to them is about outdated customs and unwarranted punishments.

Can an open discussion about religion begin here?


About Jim: a teacher with a Ph.D. (Toronto) and a long record of community activism.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Futureshop or Consumerism Shop

from Destinee

Working in a technology store has its pros and cons, just like any other form of retail. The only difference between this and other stores, is how constantly aware of new advanced electronics you are, which are consistently bombarded onto our society. Working in a technological savvy environment means you receive information, almost from the moment it's announced, on that new revolutionary upgrade or invention that has become the new 'addiction' or 'necessity' in our public's eye. When the time finally comes for its launch, people can't seem to wait that extra day. It's almost viewed as the fear of becoming the straggler, the last of the flock who is not connected to the electronic network. It's incredible how overwhelming the consumer need can dominant people's sub conscious. The consumer doesn't know why they 'need' this product or even what is so revolutionary about it, its just been so commercialized and imprinted onto their thoughts that they feel like their life will be that much more entertaining, or convenient, or exciting, etc. with it.

Apple is the most successful at this form of brain washing, not only do they release products under their own 'secret' terms, the changes or upgrades in the product are so mediocre and insignificant they could easily have incorporated them in to the previous version. The secrecy is the oldest marketing trick down in history, just another example of how simple minded human beings can be reduced too. When an object is announced, but with only small details and no release date, people become not only curious but anxious about whether they will fall behind in the ever changing electronic market. This paranoia is a sure sign that the company has another follower, somebody forever willing to stand in lines in the early hours of the morning, in the pouring rain, ignorantly smiling to themselves about how much happier this materialistic object will make them. It's always baffled me how determined people are to be the first to experience a new electronic, whether it be peer pressure, the mystery of the unknown or just an excessive lifestyle. If, after a month, the electronic is out dated and unnecessary, why is it viewed as such a rare commodity when it is released?

Becoming connected with social networking is convenient in almost all cases, but it's the latest example of the follower mentality we as consumers all have. Despite you being an individual with your own decisions and perspectives, you still rely on the internet or phone to get your message across, just like the majority of the world now does. Simply by buying this product you have become just like the rest of the herd, and submitted to the sub conscious voice telling us we will never be content without always being up to date with the new electronic convenience. Compared to the rate of how quickly new electronics are being released these days compared to say 50 years ago, its frightening how adapted to these changes this generation has become. It's a constant case of ADD and eventually these changes will become necessary in our society to not only fill our consumer needs but our overall happiness and expectations of life.


About Destinee: Very aware, energetic person that acknowledges the fragilness of life, therefore base all decisions and outlooks on being centered in the present moment. Writing and reading have been passions of mine since a child, to physically see words come to life is the best form of pre meditation, in my perspective.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Meetings

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by the onrushing winds of Thy grace, and by them Who are the Daysprings of Thy purpose and the Dawning-Places of Thine inspiration, to send down upon me and upon all that have sought Thy face that which beseemeth thy generosity and bountiful grace, and is worthy of Thy bestowals and favors. Poor and desolate I am, O my Lord! Immerse me in the ocean of Thy Wealth; athirst, suffer me to drink from the living waters of Thy loving-kindness.
I beseech Thee, by Thine own Self and by Him Whom Thou hast appointed as the Manifestation of Thine own Being and Thy discriminating Word unto all that are in heaven and on earth, to gather together Thy servants beneath the shade of the Tree of Thy gracious providence. Help them, then, to partake of its fruits, to incline their ears to the rustling of its leaves, and to the sweetness of the voice of the Bird that chanteth upon its branches. Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril, the Inaccessible, the Almighty, the Most Bountiful.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Mankind

My God, Whom I worship and adore! I bear witness unto Thy unity and Thy oneness, and acknowledge Thy gifts, both in the past and in the present. Thou art the All-Bountiful, the overflowing showers of Whose mercy have rained down upon high and low alike, and the splendors of Whose grace have been shed over both the obedient and the rebellious.
O God of mercy, before Whose door the quintessence of mercy hath bowed down, and round the sanctuary of Whose Cause loving-kindness, in its inmost spirit, hath circled, we beseech Thee, entreating Thine ancient grace, and seeking Thy present favor, that Thou mayest have mercy upon all who are the manifestations of the world of being, and deny them not the outpourings of Thy grace in Thy days.
All are but poor and needy, and Thou, verily, art the All-Possessing, the All-Subduing, the All-Powerful.


Latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Healing Prayer

O God, my God! I beg of Thee by the ocean of Thy healing, and by the splendors of the Daystar of Thy grace, and by Thy Name through which Thou didst subdue Thy servants, and by the pervasive power of Thy most exalted Word and the potency of Thy most august Pen, and by Thy mercy that hath preceded the creation of all who are in heaven and on earth, to purge me with the waters of Thy bounty from every affliction and disorder, and from all weakness and feebleness.
Thou seest, O my Lord, Thy suppliant waiting at the door of Thy bounty, and him who hath set his hopes on Thee clinging to the cord of Thy generosity. Deny him not, I beseech Thee, the things he seeketh from the ocean of Thy grace and the Daystar of Thy loving-kindness.
Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. There is none other God save Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.


Every day the latest to read, watch, listen on importantnewsforyou.com

Children and Youth Prayer

O Peerless Lord! Be Thou a shelter for this poor child and a kind and forgiving Master unto this erring and unhappy soul. O Lord! Though we are but worthless plants, yet we belong to Thy garden of roses. Though saplings without leaves and blossoms, yet we are a part of Thine orchard. Nurture this plant then through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercy and quicken and refresh this sapling through the reviving breath of Thy spiritual springtime. Suffer him to become heedful, discerning and noble, and grant that he may attain eternal life and abide in Thy Kingdom for evermore.


Every day the latest the watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com

Children and Youth Prayer

O Lord! Make this youth radiant, and confer Thy bounty upon this poor creature. Bestow upon him knowledge, grant him added strength at the break of every morn and guard him within the shelter of Thy protection so that he may be freed from error, may devote himself to the service of Thy Cause, may guide the wayward, lead the hapless, free the captives and awaken the heedless, that all may be blessed with Thy remembrance and praise. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.


the latest to watch, listen, read on importantnewsforyou.com