Baha’is and Buddhists to Co-facilitate a Meditation Gathering on Sunday, October 28

Photo courtesy of Omkara World.

People of all faiths are warmly invited to share in the pre-Thanksgiving, stress-free authentic meditations facilitated by interfaith teams from six faiths in the DC metro area. The primary intention of the meditation series is to enhance individual and collective wellness across traditional religious lines. The gatherings will be held in synagogues, churches, mosques, universities, and temples.

This week’s meditation will be hosted by Dr. Elena Mustakova-Possart of the Baha’i Faith and Ani Rinchen Khandro of the Buddhist Faith on Sunday, October 28, 11:00AM to 12:30PM at the Baha’i Center of Washington, D.C. The address is 5713 16th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. There are no required fees to attend this event, but there is a suggested donation of $10-15.

Dr. Elena Mustakova-Possart is an author, psychologist, and educational & organizational consultant who works with mindfulness to facilitate bringing together mind, body, and soul.

Ani Rinchen Khandro is a Buddhist nun from the Kunzang Palyul Choling Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Poolesville, Maryland. She has traveled and taught meditation classes extensively, and has been instrumental in establishing Buddhist meditation programs in several Maryland state prisons.

Learn more about the Interfaith Meditation Initiative here. For more information on the Baha’i Faith, contact the Baha’is of Arlington, VA.

Come Enjoy the musical talents of Alex Kruszewski on October 19!

Individuals who were lucky enough to attend Arlington’s Prayer Station on September 14 were also treated to a preview of the Prayer Station’s musical act on October 19 – Alex Kruszewski.

Alex has had a passion for music and performance for as long as he can remember. Exploring the mediums of Dance, Theatre, Literature, Musical Performance, and Composition throughout his youth and schooling, he loves sharing creativity with others and using art as an avenue for social change. His creative and performance credits include commissions from the BalletProject@VirginiaTech, Ensemble roles in Threatre of the Stars’ ’08 touring production of “Les Miserables,” and principle roles in a variety of theatre productions and choral works performed over the past several years. Most of all, he looks forward to sharing his music with you!

Contact the host of the Arlington Prayer Station for more details on Alex’s upcoming performance!

Need More Time in Your Year? Check Out the Badi’ Calendar

What in the world is a nineteen-month calendar? Ask most people about the Baha’i Faith‘s nineteen-month calender and they’ll shrug. The Badi Calendar, as the Baha’i calendar is known by Baha’is, is used to track each of the nineteen months in the Baha’i year.

The Baha’i year contains 19 months of 19 days each (361 days), with the addition of “Intercalary Days” (four in ordinary and five in leap years) between the eighteenth and nineteenth months to adjust the calendar to the solar year. Each month is named after an attribute of God.

The Baha’i New Year falls in line with the March equinox (March 21). The Baha’i Era began with the year of the Bab’s declaration (1844 A.D.). Each Baha’i community holds a Nineteen Day Feast on the first day of each Baha’i month. The Feast has spiritual, administrative, and social functions and is the principal gathering of Baha’is of a particular geographic region, or principality. Baha’i days begin at sunset one day and end at sunset the next day. The Nineteen Day Feast is generally held in the evening on the day before the first day of the Baha’i month according to the Gregorian calendar, the calendar used primarily by western and/or non-Islamic countries.

Download the Badi calendar or contact the Baha’is of Arlington, Virginia for more information.

Reference:
The official website of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States

Women and the Olympics

Female Saudi Arabian athletes at the London Olympic ceremony.

This year’s Olympic games have marked a special milestone in history. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, every participating country has at least one female participant.

Even more amazing is the fact that Saudi Arabia, a country widely known for banning women drivers within its borders, has sent its own contingent of female athletes. Whether or not the number of female athletes allowed to participate increases for future Olympic games remains to be seen. However, imagine the impact of the image above on a ten-year old girl living in Sudan who is seeing the Olympic games for the first time on television. This little girl is now aware that there are possibilities for her beyond her current situation.

Baha’i children

The advancement of women in all aspects of society is one of the primary tenets of the Baha’i Faith. Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Baha’i Faith, tells us:
“In this Day the Hand of divine grace hath removed all distinctions. The servants of God and His handmaidens are regarded on the same plane. Blessed is the servant who hath attained unto that which God hath decreed, and likewise the leaf moving in accordance with the breezes of His will. This favour is great and this station lofty. His bounties and bestowals are ever present and manifest”.

To hear more about the tenets of the Baha’i Faith and what we’re doing to advance the status of women in the world, contact the Baha’is of Arlington, Virginia.