Denise and I moved out of Little Marais on October 12, 2020. The Lake Baha'i Cluster has only one Baha'i remaining. She lives in Grand Marais.
Zoom keeps us connected with a monthly Devotional Gathering. Two of the originals who started devotions with us have moved to Pine Island, Florida, west of Ft Myers and Cape Coral. Another couple have a home on Lax Lake southwest of Finland, north of Silver Bay. They have a winter home in Tucson. Zoom is a must for them.
Today, May 19, 2021 the theme of our devotions was Chaos. My concern this week is for the chaos now killing Palestinians, Jews, and other Israelis in Gaza, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem. Who can stop the slaughter?
My scriptural source is Baha'ullah's Tablet of Carmel. Imagine one of the two founders of the Baha'i Faith pacing back and forth across the slope of Mount Carmel. He chants in a loud voice. The only ears to hear him are Catholic monks and sisters at the Stella Mara Monastery at the Cave of Elijah. The slope where Baha'ullah paces is littered with rocky rubble from ages of wars.
In 2021, the slope of Mount Carmel facing the sea and the harbor at Haifa is one of the most beautiful sites in Israel. Nineteen terraces with fountains of water, channels of water recycling constantly from bottom to top. The centerpiece is the Shrine of the Bab, where the remains of the Bab are buried in a chamber surrounded by colorful lights and beautiful flowers.
Abdul-Baha' s remains are buried in another chamber. A new shrine for Abdul-Baha is under construction across the bay at Acca. The slope of Mount Carmel also is the Baha'i World Center, where the Universal House of Justice meets.
One of the most sacred spots is the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh in Acre, where Baha'ullah is buried.
Baha'i Pilgrimage to any of the places where the Bab, Baha'ullah, Abdu'l-Baha lived, died, or were martyred is sacred. Obviously, in 2021 with wars, and global pandemic, no one goes on pilgrimage to these places. In the best of times, Baha'i's may request a date for pilgrimage or a three-day visit
