Day 7 - Powers of Expression​

“One word may be likened unto fire, another unto light, and the influence which both exert is manifest in the world. Therefore an enlightened man of wisdom should primarily speak with words as mild as milk, that the children of men may be nurtured and edified thereby and may attain the ultimate goal of human existence which is the station of true understanding and nobility. ”

- Bahá’u’lláh

Happy Women’s Day!

As thyroid cancer is one of the growing cancers in women in China and around the world, there is no more fitting subject to talk about the importance of powers of expressions - the energetics correlated to the throat and thyroid and where diseases can stem from.

Words like as “mild as milk” is by far my favorite expression in the Sacred Writings. Thinking of the numerous dairy products that are made from milk alone, yogurt, butter, cheese, I mean it seems like the best things are made of milk ;)

Our words are like milk as well, it has the ability to produce various physical forms, exercising its creative power with its fluid nature that nourishes the human spirit.

Our voice box is so incredibly powerful, many just exercise it with very little thought or consequence of its potency. It is how we communicate and express Will to the outside world. Without it, how would people know of revelation from God without the Words of the Manifestations of God? How would we know which words to use ourselves to be that pure channel of the Divine?

Also why memorization is so important. To constantly be in memory and in flow of the Words of God.

It is likewise the thing that distinguishes humans from animals.

“And indeed ye do worse to harm an animal, for man hath a language, he can lodge a complaint, he can cry out and moan; if injured he can have recourse to the authorities and these will protect him from his aggressor. But the hapless beast is mute, able neither to express its hurt nor take its case to the authorities. If a man inflict a thousand ills upon a beast, it can neither ward him off with speech nor hale him into court. Therefore is it essential that ye show forth the utmost consideration to the animal, and that ye be even kinder to him than to your fellow man.” - ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá

Blockages in the quest for truth, in the questioning of truth, in the verbalizing of truth, requires wisdom - that I know now I did not have then and offer as a consideration with palms open to think about.

Remembering that seeking the truth, we use our powers of expression and questioning.

This was such a passionate discovery that I made, realizing that half my problem was the way I wrongfully/without wisdom/or really understanding the mechanics of how to pose a question, stood in my way of getting the answer that I wanted.

So much so, that I created a youtube video titled “Mechanics of A Question”, a valuable tool to help anyone in building a proper foundation in the path of self-discovery.

If you don’t know what a question is, or how to pose it, or without the prerequisite conditions needed to get an answer?

How could you even hope to get one?

As I get older, and sit in study circles after study circle repeating one of the true or false questions that asks you to determine the following if “It is ok to tell a white lie”, which is a particularly difficult one, or opinionated statement that has always incited a lot of discussion in the group, that I made a full realization of why it is NOT ok to tell a white lie.

Besides the fact that lying is energetically taxing on the body, and in yoga it is the second Universal Vow in the 8 steps to enlightenment, the first being non-violence, I believe that telling a lie is not allowed by universal spiritual truths because we each have a duty to be as mirrors of truth to each others souls, and souls growth.

A lie that is told, is for you to be less comfortable, for you to not want to be so hurtful, however, it does not consider the spiritual growth of the other, and our duty to be true to truth, so that to mirror forth unto the opposite where reality lies, where truth lies, and to never waver from it - every time we tell a lie, we veer off our compass to truth, to the reality of life.

Of course observing non-violence is absolutely important in our speech, as it is, after all the first Universal Vow in yoga, but the fact that the Baha’i Writings has truthfulness as its foundation, makes it all the more important, that truth even trumps hurting another - for perchance that hurt would be the antidote to the ego and be the cause of spiritual growth and transformation in the other?

Divinely, that would be better for the other person.

“And likewise He saith: One word is like unto springtime causing the tender saplings of the rose-garden of knowledge to become verdant and flourishing, while another word is even as a deadly poison. It behooveth a prudent man of wisdom to speak with utmost leniency and forbearance so that the sweetness of his words may induce everyone to attain that which befitteth man’s station” - Bahá’u’lláh

Although truthfulness is above all, in our power of expression, how it is used and directed requires caution - and will, literally, physically produce, the effects of which they are intended, consciously or not.

Meditation

Yoga Avec Moi has dedicated the year October 2019 - October 2020 to celebrate the Bicentenary Birth of The Báb with the Bicentenary Meditation Project, aiming to create 365 meditations throughout the year to 'open the heart of a person for His sake' through a meditation or to 'strengthen faith in Him and certitude in His Reality' - Him referring to either The Báb or Bahá'u'lláh.

“For indeed if though dost open the heart of a person for His sake, better will it be for thee than every virtuous deed; since deeds are secondary to faith in Him and certitude in His Reality.” - The Báb

As of March 8th, 2022, the Bicentenary Meditation Project has 472 meditations in 21 languages.

Follow us on The Bicentenary Meditation Project Apple iTunes Podcast, Spotify and Youtube with the live link below, you can also find the recent update on Facebook @bicentenarymeditations (also our instagram name)

Read more about the Bicentenary Meditation Project here

The Bicentenary Meditation Project Podcast

Reflection Questions

1. Do you find it difficult to be honest with yourself?

2. How does the region of your throat feel? Do you swallow often, feel a lump in your throat? Do you have awareness of what type of circumstances make it particularly difficult to express or swallow your thoughts?

3. Do you bargain with yourself in talking yourself out or into situations? If so, describe those types of circumstances.

Prayer

“O my God, aid Thou Thy servant to raise up the Word, and to refute what is vain and false, to establish the truth, to spread the sacred verses abroad, reveal the splendors, and make the morning’s light to dawn in the hearts of the righteous.

Thou art, verily, the Generous, the Forgiving.” 

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Tomorrows Day 8’s purification series will be focusing on our power of inner sight. Share the link below if you have friends that might enjoy these purification series and be interested in receiving updates about the Bicentenary Meditation Project.

Remainder of the 19 Days of Purifications

The Seven Chakras 
8. Inner sight/seeing [NEXT]
9. Connecting with the divine 

The Three Kriyas, 
10. Self Study, 
11. Fortitude 
12. Surrender 

The Five Koshas 
13. Physical 
14. Energetic 
15. Mental/Emotional 
16. The Witness
17. Bliss Body 

18. Summary 
19. Maintaining purification

To receive personal updates on classes, workshops of Nahal that she doesn't share anywhere else, get on her mailing list on her website www.yogaavecmoi.com/subscribe

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Introduction to the Author 

作者简介

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Nahal Haghbin's Chinese name is Chen Nana, a Canadian-born foreigner who grew up in Tianjin, China. She is an Integrative Yoga Therapist (IAYT) in training. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences from the University of British Columbia and a Master's degree in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In 2014, Nahal worked with the World Health Organization on the H7N9, MERS-CoV and Ebola global outbreaks whilst serving in the Assistant Director General's Office Taskforce. It was her teenage experience of SARS in 2003, that led her to choose her eventual profession and future career in the control of infectious disease outbreaks. 

作者简介：Nahal Haghbin 中文名字：陈娜娜，出生于加拿大，在中国天津长大的外籍人士。她是一名在训的综合瑜伽理疗师（IAYT），她拥有英国哥伦比亚大学生命科学学士学位和伦敦卫生及热带医学院传染病控制科学硕士学位。2014年，Nahal与世界卫生组织合作处理H7N9、MERS-CoV和埃博拉全球疫情，同时在助理总干事办公室工作组任职。正是2003年她十几岁时的非典经历，让她最终选择了她未来的职业方向：控制传染病的爆发

Nahal has found that she can best be of service to mankind by combining her passions of global health and integrative yoga therapy. To her, both serve as complementary systems of knowledge to interpret the world around her. Nahal has found that by bridging the two disciplines, it broadens the availability of language and understanding that she can access, to share her interpretations of various health conditions. 

Nahal发现她能结合自己对全球健康和综合瑜伽理疗的热情，为人类提供最好的服务。对她来说两者是互为补充的知识系统，可以用来帮她解读周围的世界。Nahal发现连接这两个学科拓宽了语言和理解的可用性，使她能够分享她对不同疾病的理解.