November 2021

The Four Valleys and the Hidden Words: An Arts Perspective

Nov. 11 - Dec. 22, 2021

As a companion course to The Seven Valleys and the Arts of Transformation, The Four Valleys focuses on exploring mystical writings through creative expression, following an experiential process of weekly artistic postings of concepts found in The Four Valleys and selected Hidden Words. However, while The Four Valleys also focuses on the process of spiritual development, it does so from the perspective of four different approaches to this process: “They that seek to ascend to the heaven of mystic wayfaring are of four kinds only.”

Mirza Mihdi: The Purest Branch

Nov. 11 - Dec. 29, 2021

This course familiarizes participants with the short life of Mirza Mihdi whose sacrifice was raised by Bahá’u’lláh to the same station as the great sacrifices of humanity's religious history. He was the youngest son of Baha’u’llah and Asiyih Khanum. Born in Tehran in 1848, Mirza Mihdi was separated from his parents when they were exiled to Baghdad in 1852. He joined his parents in Baghdad in 1860 and then suffered three successive exiles with his Father over the next ten years to finally be imprisoned in the city-prison of 'Akka in 1868. When Mirza Mihdi fell from a skylight in the roof of the prison where he, his family and many Baha'is were imprisoned with the Manifestation of God, he was severely injured and likely to die from his injuries. When offered his life by his father, he chose instead to sacrifice it so that the doors of the prison might open and those who longed to see Baha'u'llah attain their desire.

Required text--Mirza Mihdi: The Purest Branch

Writing Biographies and Histories

Nov. 18, 2021 - Jan. 5, 2022



Writing Biographies and Histories: Recording Stories of People and Places is designed to help Baha’is who wish to compose a memoir about their own lives, produce a biography of a Baha’i mentor, or write the history of their local Bahá’í community. Units in the first half of the course will cover such topics as selecting a topic and settling on an audience; the philosophy and ethics of writing biographies and history; collecting oral history; research in archives and libraries and on the web; organizing notes and outlining the topic. In the second half of the course, participants will pursue a research and writing project with support and and advice from the faculty. The Wilmette Institute may be interested in publishing some short histories, biographies, and memoirs on its public website.

The Summons of the Lord of Hosts

Nov. 25, 2021 - Jan. 19, 2022

This course will explore the series of open letters (“Tablets”) that Baha’u’llah sent to “kings and ecclesiastics” (the world’s political and religious leaders) and, to a lesser extent, to statesmen and scholars, beginning in 1867. Written after He privately declared His mission to select followers in the Garden of Ridvan on 21 April 1863, these public epistles, according to the Universal House of Justice, “summoned the monarchs of East and West collectively, and some among them individually, to recognize the Day of God and to acknowledge the One promised in the scriptures of the religions professed by the recipients of His Summons.” Baha’u’llah Himself says that this Proclamation was unique in the annals of religious history: “Never since the beginning of the world hath the Message been so openly proclaimed.”

The Advent of Divine Justice

Dec. 2, 2021 - Jan. 19, 2022

Shoghi Effendi’s soul-stirring letter, The Advent of Divine Justice, was written in 1938 during a time of tremendous turmoil in world affairs, but it leads us to understand the stages in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, which continues to be propelled forward under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice. In this course we will learn the spiritual prerequisites for success of the Divine Plan, the teaching requirements, and the “double crusade” each Baha’i must conduct to “prepare . . . for the time when the Hand of Destiny will have directed them to assist in creating and in bringing into operation that World Order. . . .” As the Universal House of Justice wrote in its December 29, 2015, letter: This is an urgent call for action—“the urgency . . . impelled by the world’s desperate condition.”

The Six Requisites of Spiritual Growth

Dec. 2, 2021 - Jan. 19, 2022

Bahá’u’lláh has stated quite clearly in His Writings the essential requisites for our spiritual growth, and these are stressed again and again by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in His talks and Tablets. One can summarize them briefly in this way:

1 The recital each day of one of the Obligatory Prayers.

2 The regular reading of the Sacred Scriptures.

3 Prayerful meditation on the Teachings.

4 Striving every day to bring our behavior more into accordance with the high standards that are set forth in the Teachings.

5 Teaching the Cause of God

6 Selfless service in the work of the Cause and our trade or profession

World Peace: The Baha'i Perspective

Dec. 9, 2021-Jan. 19, 2022

World Peace has long been a dream, a vision, and a motivator to action for individuals, organizations of civil society, national governments, and international bodies. We will study and reflect upon the Universal House of Justice’s 18th January 2019 message to the Bahá'ís of the World, alongside The Promise of World Peace and a number of other important sources. The aim of the course is to help us to build our capacity to engage in public discourses and social action—in other words, our transformation as individuals and as members of communities and institutions.

365 (on Demand) Courses

Register anytime and study at your own pace!

• Thinking of Relationships and Marriage?
• Are We Ready for Marriage?
• Engaging in Parental Consent for Marriage
• Enhancing Love, Friendship & Service in Your Marriage
• Nurturing your Baby Spiritually During Pregnancy

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The Wilmette Institute eNewsletter 

The Wilmette Institute eNewsletter is published monthly by the Wilmette Institute, which offers quality online courses on the Baha'i Faith. The Wilmette Institute is committed to engaging a broad and diverse international community of learners in deep study of the Faith and to fostering love for study of the Faith. The Wilmette Institute was established in January 1995 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.

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Editor

Robert H. Stockman

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Robert H. Stockman

Niki Daniels

Betty J. Fisher

Contributors

Tracy Gee

Christine Muller