The Spot

Sydney.

Welcome back to the world. Fresh, cold air, and a gorgeous two and a half year old neice Lucy. The perfect thing to come from Haifa to. I am so happy to be aunty chanty again! She is adorable, and so is the new born Sam, who we all keep calling ben (thats the name of Lucy's baby doll, its quite hilarious!).

It's all happening as we shifed house to ‘the big old castle’ as lucy calls it, in the Spot, Randwick.

Speaking of the Spot, each night I sing to her 'Blessed is the spot' with the book mum got for her from the Sydney Temple a year or so ago. As its just me and ma that are Baha'i's in my family I am cranking all I can of spiritual goodness on my 5 days with her!
she says after I close the book, ‘the spot the spot, again again’ she looks at me with these innocent, angel like eyes, so pure , so happy so excited. I can't get over how receptive she is, she quietens down, looks at me so attentively, 2 and a half years old, and asks pretty big questions afterwards. I read to her 'O God Educate these children..' At the end she asks 'What's Reality?' 'ummmm well it has several layers of meaning..' I begin to say thinking about the phrase 'let the sun of Reality shine upon us'...she looks at me confused....' I think it refers to Baha'u'llah and our spiritual reality. Lucy, Can you say Baha'u'llah?'
'No'

so straight up. oh well. at least i tried!

I had my first real ohhh moment with her when she said, totally of her own accord ‘aunty chanty is my friend…and I love her’ whilst playing with her and her dolls house, reminding me of myself at her age, its so funny, here we are packing our stuff into this new house, and there she is with her new dolls house, putting the furniture inside too. She has a baby doll too that she prefers more than Sam, she even tries to breast feed him, it was the funniest moment. She had one hand trying to pull down her top, and the other trying to stuff the plastic baby ben to 'get his milk'. haha

It is kinda funny to come from all things Bahai to my own family where religion doesn’t really come up in conversation, unless it’s a joke or side comment 'sure you don't want a glass of wine?' my brother teases me.

I have this battle inside that is like ‘ah cant I just whack out ana’s presentation, cant we talk about spiritual things, why is it so difficult? My own family yet I feel like we hardly know each other deeply.’ Maybe I just have to accept that it is what it is, and there is a time and place for listening and receiving. Perhaps I just have to let go of what I want, and realise that God has a different plan. Cant help but feel responsible at times, especially for the spiritual development of children. There is a part of me that wants to live in Sydney, to make sure I take her to childrens classes, to help her go to BESS at school, to take her to the temple but China is calling...

Still hasn’t hit me... I have left the World Centre. The only reminder is when I pray I physically struggle to find the right direction to face. Where is north west? Before I could just stare out my window and it was straight ahead, past the grain factory overlooking the bay of Haifa. Now I have to really think and focus. It kinda sums it up really!

I was thinking last time I said my long obligatory was in the Shrine of Baha’u’llah, the room with the windows, with the big pink carpet, so direct, so ‘there’ in the presence, and here I am doing it on the kitchen floor downstairs of the big ol castle in randwick, Australia, searching for the direction, for the connection, for that place that was so present in my physical and spiritual life for the last 18 months. But the feeling doesn’t change. I still feel like I have the shrines etched in my heart. Nothing will ever take that away. Time place distance. Its like this throbbing, this warmth, this longing, this calmness, this rose smell, this peace, this assurance, reminds me of the lines to a prayer I love

‘that my heart my be assured, my feet set firm, and my soul enlightened’

That is something I will continue to work on for the rest of my life

Setting my feet firm

Being as unwavering as I can

I do feel made a new.

I don’t have any regrets

Perhaps not reading and studying enough

But I can always, and will do that

I am excited about China

Nervous

It feels ages away and that I have much to go through before that point

It’s a good thing coming to sydeny before home. It's like little steps of adjustment. even in the weather...

And having new born baby in my arms...makes me remember the precious things of being a
human, it's sorta like a hint that yes, the Shrines and the Holy Land are extremely special and important , but Chantelle, you have other gifts in store. And how family is just the most precious thing to have.

I am so thankful for this.
Thankful to have such a wonderful, healthy, happy family...and I hope by living at 'the Spot' Lucy will remember that prayer. hehe

airports and aeroplanes

A really beautiful thing happend as I was waiting for my 5 hour connection flight at Bangkok Airport on Friday. Strolling around this gigantic airport, under the heat of the white sails enclosing it, getting totally disorientated trying to find the qantas international transfer desk, when i suddenly see a blonde pony-tail, a blue backback and a walk that seemed very familiar.
I walk up to her from behind, thinking 'this better be who i think it is otherwise its gonna be one of those awkward situations!' I tap her on the shoulder 'Hello stranger!'
and yes, it was her. Zarin Salter, a friend from Sydney I hadn't seen for 5 years, carrying the Priceless Pearl in her hand.
'Oh my god, Chantelle. What are you doing here? I was thinking about you recently, wondering how you've been? How are you?'
'I'm great! I just came from Haifa, finished my 18 months on my way home, and then to China! What are you doing here? This is crazy!'
'I know! I can't believe it. I have been thinking about you a lot! I just finished a two week travel teaching trip around Cambodia. I am supposed to fly out tomorrow but I came to the airport a day earlier in the hope of catching an earlier flight. They just told me now that I missed out on the last one, so I am on the waiting list for the next flight, just reading the Priceless Pearl. And then I see you.'

Uncanny. One of those moments where you realise that Baha'u'llah is with you everywhere in the world. Watching, guiding, giving us gifts and reminders that you are never left alone.
I may have left the World Centre but this Faith is everywhere, in the most unexpected of places. A priceless moment.

Victory & Crisis

We hear the term 'crisis and victory' a lot. But this time, it's the other way around. I can't help but try to connect the dots...

After just witnessing one of the most powerful, important and influential events in world history, the 10th International Convention, it seems as though that collective energy, the coming together of 1000 Baha'is from 153 different countries all with the same common goal, that collective power injected back into the world after their consultations, that spiritual victory so recently won, has been so strikingly counter-balanced with a such sudden, unexpected and shocking crisises. Not only the natural disasters that are hitting the most impovished areas of the world, then comes the arrest of all seven leaders of the Iranian Baha'i Community.

I was reading 'Prayers and Meditations' as I was walking around Bahji today, reflecting on all the suffering inflicted on various peoples of the world, when this line jumped out and spoke right to my heart:

"...every ordeal suffered in Thy path is but a gift from Thee bestowed on Thy chosen ones." - Baha'u'llah

These seven chosen ones, and the Beichuan & Burmese victims, and their families, I keep in my prayers while I step on this sacred ground, that their sacrifice draws them nearer to God, that their hearts may be made as strong as brass in the face of tribulations.

All seven Bahá'ís who form a group that sees to the needs of the Bahá'í community of Iran have been arrested, six of them in early-morning raids on 14 May 2008 at their homes in Tehran. They are, seated from left, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Saeid Rezaie, and, standing, Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, and Mahvash Sabet.

Six Bahá'í leaders arrested in Iran; pattern matches deadly sweeps of early 1980s

15 May 2008

NEW YORK — Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison yesterday in a sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Bahá’í leaders were summarily rounded up and killed.

The six men and women, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís in Iran, were in their homes Wednesday morning when government intelligence agents entered and spent up to five hours searching each home, before taking them away.

The seventh member of the national coordinating group was arrested in early March in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there on an ostensibly trivial matter.

“We protest in the strongest terms the arrests of our fellow Bahá'ís in Iran,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations. “Their only crime is their practice of the Bahá’í Faith.”

“Especially disturbing is how this latest sweep recalls the wholesale arrest or abduction of the members of two national Iranian Bahá’í governing councils in the early 1980s -- which led to the disappearance or execution of 17 individuals,” she said.

• 

“The early morning raids on the homes of these prominent Bahá’ís were well coordinated, and it is clear they represent a high-level effort to strike again at the Bahá’ís and to intimidate the Iranian Bahá’í community at large,” said Ms. Dugal.

Arrested yesterday were: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All live in Tehran. Mrs. Kamalabadi, Mr. Khanjani, and Mr. Tavakkoli have been previously arrested and then released after periods ranging from five days to four months.

Arrested in Mashhad on 5 March 2008 was Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, who also resides in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of Intelligence, ostensibly on the grounds that she was required to answer questions related to the burial of an individual in the Bahá’í cemetery in that city.

On 21 August 1980, all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran were abducted and disappeared without a trace. It is certain that they were killed.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran was reconstituted soon after that but was again ravaged by the execution of eight of its members on 27 December 1981.

A number of members of local Bahá’í governing councils, known as local Spiritual Assemblies, were also arrested and executed in the early 1980s, before an international outcry forced the government to slow its execution of Bahá’ís. Since 1979, more than 200 Bahá’ís have been killed or executed in Iran, although none have been executed since 1998.

In 1983, the government outlawed all formal Bahá’í administrative institutions and the Iranian Bahá’í community responded by disbanding its National Spiritual Assembly, which is an elected governing council, along with some 400 local level elected governing councils. Bahá'ís throughout Iran also suspended nearly all of their regular organizational activity.

The informal national-level coordinating group, known as the Friends, was established with the knowledge of the government to help cope with the diverse needs of Iran’s 300,000-member Baháí community, which is the country’s largest religious minority.

The Bahá'í Faith - www.bahai.org

© 2008 Bahá’í International Community

there is a new spirit around me
in the stones of the garden paths
in the jasmine filled air
permeating every atom
the newly elected Universal House of Justice has brought with it a new energy
a vibrancy
an aliveness
The World Centre is vibrating on a higher frequency
The marble of the Shrine floor glows brighter



A contrast to the exhaustion felt inside
All the preparation, all the hard work, behind the scenes of convention
now over
our community shines through
a glorious success
where everyone played a major part
a new era

Witnessing History

It's hard to describe what I have just witnessed.

Living, breathing history.

The 10th International Baha'i Convention.



In alphabetical order from Alaska to Zimbabwe each countries delegate(s) would come on stage, dressed in their national costume, and reverently place their vote for the Supreme Body of the Baha'i Faith into the wooden ballot box , standing centre stage.
In front of the box lay a large bouqet of red roses, sent on behalf of the Baha'i's of Iran.
The deep ruby red of the roses reminded me of the intense persecutions the Iranian Baha'i's have and are still facing, hence why they could not be a part of this election.

When countries such as Iraq, or Lebanon, or Jordan were announced, the assistant teller would place the postal ballots in the box on their behalf. A gasp of realisation and sorrow arose from the audience. How lucky WE are to witness this process when other Baha'i's of the world struggle to survive or be granted basic human rights.

I will never forget the moment right before the election, the head teller asking 'Would anyone like to change their vote? Now is the time.'
A large group of hands went into the air. The ushers handed out new ballot forms for them to fill in their vote. I can still remember the sound of rustling paper and pen as they cast their new vote. What an incredible process. So unique, so utterly different to any other election the world so typically runs by. One governed by primarily by spiritual awareness and consciousness. The three days previous to this was yet another time for the delegates to prayer, meditate and reflect at the Shrines and Holy Places on their decision. The room for change is always present with no pressure from anyone. Just you and your conscience.

The humility present when the Universal House of Justice was finally announced blew me away. Each member would be announced one by one and would stand on the stage, head bowed to the ground in absolute reverance, these spiritual giants standing before us, now carrying a heavy heavy load, the weight of the Baha'i World on their shoulders.
Doctor Arbab briefly addressed the audience with speech which highlighted their "absolute unworthiness of this position" and reminded us that this is Baha'u'llah's work, Baha'u'llah's faith and that they are "just servants"of the Blessed Beauty.
It was as if you could feel the Concourse on High circling above us in absolute joy in light of this momentous occasion.

The most beautiful moment occured just before the 9 members left the stage, spontaneously a soft chant of 'Allah'u'abha' arose from the African friends and it spread to everyone in the audience until those beautiful words filled the air with praise. Tears welling up in my eyes.

Thank you Baha'u'llah for allowing me to witness this utterly unique process. Who knows if I will ever get this bounty again in my lifetime.
It will be etched in my mind, in my soul forever.



The Arc Buildings and terraces
Lit up on the night of the election
30th April 2008

Not by bread alone

I had the most moving encounter two nights ago.
A group of us went to Old Jaffa, to watch a show performed by 11 deaf-blind actors, as in, they couldn't see or hear. Each actor had their own individual interpreter on stage with them who would communicate touch based sign-language. When the audience was clapping they would tap the hand of the actor so they knew.
I was blown away. What courageous, radiant souls. They smiled the whole time, even when one of the actors fainted on stage, she recovered and continued with the show.
'The show must go on' one of the actors said to me backstage. He was born blind and at the age of 7 lost his hearing through meningitis, yet he talks outloud even though he can't hear it himself.
I was privilged enough to be invited backstage before they went on. We sat in a circle and they introduced us "This is Chantelle, from the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa. She is from New Zealand (they had difficulty translating NZ, some people didnt know where it was...'next to australia' i bit my tongue, hehe)
Then after they had translated into 'touch-sign' I'll call it, I went around and shook hands with each of the actors, this is the only way they can get to know a person, if you touch their hand. One beautiful guy lifted my hand up and kissed it delicately. I wanted to burst into tears.
We took our seats in the circle and the director then asked, "Tell us about the Baha'i Faith.
Wow. What a beautiful moment. I scrambled around for a brief 1 minute summary... and they translated...
" The Baha'i Faith is a world religion that began in 1844. The main principle of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Faith, is the unification of all the human race under one universal Cause, one common faith."
This got a few head nods from the actors. Then the director mentioned how special Haifa is and how the group must visit the Shrines. I was so so happy. These beautiful people would be the most receptive to the energy one gets when you go inside the Shrines. So many tourists come in, looking with their eyes, searching everywhere for a 'sign', expecting to see something huge, leaving disapointed because there was 'no dome to see'. Sometimes sight can become a veil, you forget the most important part, the feeling in your heart.
Back to Nalagaat (which means Please Do Touch in Hebrew - the name of the Company)

they started off each kneading their own bread, speaking of the challenges they face, inviting us into 'their bakery', that they do not live by bread alone, challenging the stereotypes we have about deaf-blind people just living to survive.
"Sometimes I feel lonely, like I am the only person in the world. Just me, the dark silence, and my thoughts" He spoke of how he has never seen a sunset. These things we take for granted....

One of them revealed what she said to her mum as a kid
"Mum why am I like this?"
"Because it is God's Will"

Most wouldn't actually speak outloud, the interpreter would do so. They shared their hopes and dreams, as the bread rised in the corner, they re-inacted Bat Sheva (one of the actors) dream of having her hair done by Israel's top hairdresser to the stars 'Yofi'.
The funny thing was, she had the most gorgeous hair already! I told her that after the show had ended, she smiled! That is how I heard of this company, while I was at the hairdressers in Jaffa, and I saw a postcard with them on it, instantly drawn to the picture of an old couple dancing, and a man on stilts wheeling a baby carriage in the background.....

They placed the bread in the 6 ovens on stage, and as the show continued you could smell it baking away...then once it was baked they invited us on stage to share with them the bread, to meet the actors and experience how they do not live by bread alone.......
I feel so inspired, and re- awakened by this experience.

newsflash....

never in my life would i expect this.
i filled in the email interview thinking, yeah it will make a page 12 blurb, heck, not the friggen front cover....yikes!!! my face, plastered over downtown wellington, outside dairy's, sitting on coffee tables on cuba st cafe's, ahhh. I loved hearing Mum's reaction, I didnt tell her a thing about this, "OH MY GOD, Chonnie, its like all my 19 Tablets of Ahmad have been answered this morning. I have 9 copies of it on my lap. The article is great. I am just so proud of you. If I died tomorrow I wouldnt care, my life is complete. I would go through all the crap, all the challenges in my life again just for this, just for you to be firm in the Faith." that was so sweet. I could just picture her, sitting outside the check-out's at new world lower hutt with this stack of capital times on her lap....hehe.
This whole experience has taught me that what I assume the media, or people in generals reaction to the Faith, or to my story from drama school to bahai world centre, is totally wrong. It's front page news.....and its time to share this Faith with everyone, and they are interested....make the first step and Baha'u'llah provides....