Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Baha'u'llah and Abdu’l-Bahá on sex, marriage and divorce.

He is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of Me. From his garment the Concourse on high can inhale the fragrance of sanctity.... And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an one, indeed, is the creation of spotless chastity"(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 118)"Say: O concourse of monks! Enter ye into wedlock, that after you another may arise in your stead. We, verily, have forbidden you lechery, and not that which is conducive to fidelity."
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 49)

“Ye are forbidden to commit adultery, sodomy and lechery. Avoid them, O concourse of the faithful,” Bahá’u’lláh.

"It is forbidden you to wed your fathers' wives. We shrink, for very shame, from treating of the subject of boys. Fear ye the Merciful, O peoples of the world! Commit not that which is forbidden you in Our Holy Tablet, and be not of those who rove distractedly in the wilderness of their desires." (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 58)

And when He desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order, He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvation, and enjoined it upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven of sanctity in His Most Holy Book.

God hath prescribed matrimony unto you...Enter into wedlock, O people, that ye may bring forth one who will make mention of Me amid My servants. This is My bidding unto you; hold fast to it as an assistance to yourselves.

Abdu’l-Bahá has stated the following in this regard: Bahá’í marriage is the commitment of the two parties one to the other, and their mutual attachment of mind and heart. Each must, however, exercise the utmost care to become thoroughly acquainted with the character of the other, that the binding covenant between them may be a tie that will endure forever. Their purpose must be this: To become loving companions and comrades and at one with each other for time and eternity.


The true marriage of Bahá’ís is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is Bahá’í marriage.
In another Tablet, He has written:

O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He, hath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the welfare of each other.
If they live thus, they will pass through this world with perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the object of divine grace and favor in the Kingdom of heaven. But if they do other than this, they will live out their lives in great bitterness, longing at every moment for death, and will be shamefaced in the heavenly realm. Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds.

As for the question regarding marriage under the Law of God: First thou must choose one who is pleasing to thee, and then the matter is subject to the consent of father and mother. Before thou make thy choice, they have no right to interfere.


Should resentment or antipathy arise between husband and wife, he is not to divorce her but to bide in patience throughout the course of one whole year, that perchance the fragrance of affection may be renewed between them. If, upon the completion of this period, their love hath not returned, it is permissible for divorce to take place.
Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 43


https://www.bahai.org/beliefs/life-spirit/character-conduct/articles-resources/compilation-family-life-marriage

Some symbols from the holy scriptures explained by Baháʼu'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá.

WINE 

Yes, in the Bahá'í Faith, "wine" is often used metaphorically to symbolize divine knowledge, spiritual intoxication, and the joy of experiencing God's presence. This is similar to some Christian interpretations where wine represents the Holy Spirit or divine love, such as in the Eucharist.

FIRE 

Fire of Love and Devotion: The "fire of love" is a powerful symbol in Bahá'í writings, representing a deep, burning love for God, which leads to spiritual transformation. It is often seen as a force that purifies and refines the soul, just as fire refines gold. This fire can burn away the ego and selfish desires, allowing a person to grow closer to God.

Fire of Ignorance: On the opposite end, the "fire of ignorance" is used to symbolize the destructive and consuming nature of ignorance, particularly ignorance of spiritual truths. This fire leads people to suffer and can distort their understanding, much like how fire can burn and destroy if not controlled. 

Desire: In some of Bahá'u'lláh's writings, fire is used to symbolise the intense material desires and passions that bind humans to the earthly plane. These physical desires, driven by the ego and the self, can be seen as a "fire" that burns the soul, keeping it in a state of attachment to the material world and far from spiritual truth.

Purification and Transformation: In the Bahá'í context, fire is also used symbolically in relation to purification. Just as fire purifies physical substances, it symbolizes the spiritual purification of the soul. It can be seen as a transformative force, burning away impurities and revealing the essential purity of the spirit.

The Fire of God's Wrath: There is also the idea of a "fire of God's wrath," but this is not in the vengeful sense often depicted in older religious texts. In the Bahá'í Faith, God's wrath is more about the consequences of turning away from the Divine, leading to the burning anguish of spiritual separation.

FIRE VERSUS LIGHT

Light of Fire: In some ways, the symbolism of fire can be connected to light, where the light represents the knowledge and guidance of God. Just as fire provides light in the darkness, the divine light helps illuminate the path for humanity.

Light as a Spiritual Symbol: Light, on the other hand, is often used as a symbol of divine guidance, knowledge, and the illumination of the soul. Spiritual light represents the truth of God's teachings, the "light of the heart," and the spiritual awakening that comes when a person turns toward God and seeks enlightenment. Bahá'u'lláh often speaks of the "light of His Revelation" as something that brings clarity and understanding to those who seek it.

This distinction between fire and light aligns with the broader duality in many religious traditions where material and spiritual forces are often represented by opposites. Fire (the earthly, material) is something that can consume and destroy, whereas light (the spiritual) is something that nourishes and enlightens.

This distinction is a reminder that in the spiritual journey, one must transcend the earthly "fires" of material attachment and desire to embrace the "light" of divine knowledge and guidance. It's a powerful metaphor for the transformative process that Bahá'ís believe leads to true inner peace and enlightenment. Fasting is illumination, prayer is light. 

Dette sitatet fra Baha'u'lláh uttrykker en dyp åndelig betydning, og bruken av metaforen "vin" er spesielt interessant. I denne sammenhengen kan "vin" symbolisere en intens og høyverdig åndelig opplevelse, noe som går utover det fysiske og overfladiske.

  • Tolkning av: Tro ikke at det kun er en lovsamling vi har åpenbart for dere. Nei, snarere har vi brutt seglet på den utsøkte vin med maktens og styrkens fingre.

    Baha'u'lláh sammenligner her åpenbaringene sine med en vin som er blitt åpnet, og som derigjennom blir tilgjengelig for de som er i stand til å motta og forstå den. Det antyder at hans åpenbaring ikke er en enkel samling av lover eller regler, men en kraftfull åndelig drikk som kan transformere mennesker, gi styrke og visdom, og lede dem mot en dypere forståelse av Gud og av deres eget åndelige potensial.

    Denne vinen kan også representere den åndelige "styrken" og "makten" som Baha'u'lláh bringer med sin lære, og hvordan denne kraften kan ryste det gamle og åpne for noe nytt, akkurat som å bryte et segl og åpne en flaske vin.

    Så, på en symbolsk måte, kan dette sitatet uttrykke at Baha'u'lláhs åpenbaring er en livgivende kraft som ikke bare handler om lovgivning eller regler, men om å gi menneskene en dypere, mer essensiell åndelig opplevelse som kan føre til transformasjon og vekst. I mange religiøse tradisjoner, inkludert i Bahá'í-tradisjonen, er vin et symbol på åndelig erkjennelse og åpenbaring. På samme måte som vin kan være noe som er gjæret og modnet over tid for å få sin fulle smak, kan "vin" i denne sammenhengen referere til de dype åndelige innsiktene og sannhetene som Baha'u'lláh har åpenbart for menneskeheten.

  • Kledning: Åndelige egenskaper og aura.

  • De høyeste tinder: De høyeste åndelige nivåer.

  • Hav: Der visdom er.

  • The terms “sun,” “moon,” and “stars” primarily signify the Prophets of God, the saints, and their companions, those Luminaries, the light of Whose knowledge hath shed illumination upon the worlds of the visible and the invisible. These beings have a lofty position. In another sense, by the terms “sun,” “moon,” and “stars” are meant such laws and teachings as have been established and proclaimed in every Dispensation, such as the laws of prayer and fasting. Inasmuch as fasting cause the heat of the body to increase, it hath therefore been likened unto the light of the sun; and as the prayer of the night-season refresh man, it hath been compared unto the radiance of the moon. By the words “the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven” is intended the waywardness of the divines, and the annulment of laws firmly established by divine Revelation.

  • "When the heaven shall be cloven asunder.”: By “heaven” is meant the heaven of divine Revelation, which is elevated with every Manifestation, and rent asunder with every subsequent one. By “cloven asunder” is meant that the former Dispensation is superseded and annulled. 

  • His Sun giveth Light continually, and the Clouds of His Mercy are full of the Waters of Compassion with which He waters the hearts of all who trust in Him. His refreshing Breeze ever carries healing in its wings to the parched souls of men!

  • Fire: Gods love. https://bahai-library.com/compilation_fire_symbol

    Hellfire: "Do not associate with the wicked, because the company of the wicked change the light of life into the fire of remorse.

    Heaven and hell: Think ye of love and good fellowship as the delights of heaven, think ye of hostility and hatred as the torments of hell. Where is Paradise, and where is Hell? Say: 'The one is reunion with Me; the other thine own self. There is no fiercer hell, no more fiery abyss, than to possess a character that is evil and unsound; no more darksome pit nor loathsome torment than to show forth qualities which deserve to be condemned.

    The meaning of Jesus dying for our sins is this: Christ sacrificed Himself so that mankind might be freed from the imperfections of the material nature and endowed with the virtues of the spiritual nature. Abdul Baha Know thou that when the Son of Man [Christ] yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. He it is who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him. 

    Beasts: Baha’is believe the biblical beasts are allegorical descriptions of the organised forces that always oppose new revelations. Symbolically, the first beast refers to the armies that opposed Muhammad. 

    Life and death: By the terms 'life' and 'death,' spoken of in the scriptures, is intended the life of faith and the death of unbelief. His Holiness Jesus Christ has pronounced that those who have not received a portion of the divine spirit are dead. The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23 Wherever in the holy books they speak of raising the dead, the meaning is that the dead were blessed by eternal life. 

    Only the believers in the Prophet Noah were spiritually alive, safely preserved in the "ark" of His Faith, and the other people on the earth were spiritually dead. By this bread is meant the heavenly sustenance of divine perfections. In other words, whoso partakes of this sustenance—that is, whoso acquires the outpouring grace of God, draws illumination from His light, and obtains his portion of the perfections of Christ—will attain everlasting life. What is meant by blood, likewise, is the spirit of life, which consists in divine perfections, heavenly splendours, and eternal grace.

    Water: The knowledge of God; life. But the heavenly water and spirit, which are knowledge and life, make the human heart good and pure; the heart which receives a portion of the bounty of the Spirit becomes sanctified, good and pure -- that is to say, the reality of man becomes purified and sanctified from the impurities of the world of nature. Water is the cause of life, and when Christ speaks of water, He is symbolising that which is the cause of Everlasting Life. This life-giving water of which He speaks is like unto fire, for it is none other than the Love of God, and this love means life to our souls.

    Grave/tomb: Heedlessness and error. Behold, all the people are imprisoned within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath the nethermost depths of worldly desire! 

    Leprosy: Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that intervene between man and the recognition of the Lord, his God. 

    Angels: People who have replaced faults with divine attributes. Those who, reinforced by the power of the spirit, have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and limitations, and have clothed themselves with the attributes of the most exalted Beings and of the Cherubim. The meaning of ‘angels’ is the confirmations of God and His celestial powers. Likewise angels are blessed beings who have severed all ties with this nether world, have been released from the chains of self and the desires of the flesh, and anchored their hearts to the heavenly realms of the Lord. These are of the Kingdom, heavenly; these are of God, spiritual; these are revealers of God’s abounding grace; these are dawning-points of His spiritual bestowals. 

    Adam and Eve: Adam signifies the heavenly spirit of Adam, and Eve His human soul. For in some passages in the Holy Books where women are mentioned, they represent the soul of man. 

    The tree of good and evil signifies the human world; for the spiritual and divine world is purely good and absolutely luminous, but in the human world light and darkness, good and evil, exist as opposite conditions.  

    Serpent: The meaning of the serpent is attachment to the human world. This attachment of the spirit to the human world led the soul and spirit of Adam from the world of freedom to the world of bondage and caused Him to turn from the Kingdom of Unity to the human world. When the soul and spirit of Adam entered the human world, He came out from the paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From the height of purity and absolute goodness, He entered into the world of good and evil. The tree of life is the highest degree of the world of existence: The position of the Word of God, and the supreme Manifestation. 

    -If there is a symbol you don't find here, but you would like to see the meaning of, please write in the comment below and I will try to provide.

    Abdu’l-Bahá words about preparing for the life beyond

     

    In this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which he needs in the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here. Just as he prepared himself in the world of the matrix by acquiring forces necessary in this sphere of existence, so likewise the indispensable forces of the divine existence must be potentially attained in this world.
    What is he in need of in the Kingdom which transcends the life and limitation of this mortal sphere? That world beyond is a world of sanctity and radiance; therefore it is necessary that in this world he should acquire these divine attributes. In that world there is need of spirituality, faith, assurance, the knowledge and love of God. These he must attain in this world so that after his ascension from the earthly to the heavenly Kingdom he shall find all that is needful in that life eternal ready for him.
    That divine world is manifestly a world of lights; therefore man has need of illumination here. That is a world of love; the love of God is essential. It is a world of perfections; virtues or perfections must be acquired. That world is vivified by the breaths of the Holy Spirit; in this world we must seek them. That is the Kingdom of life everlasting; it must be attained during this vanishing existence.
    By what means can man acquire these things? How shall he obtain these merciful gifts and powers? First, through the knowledge of God. Second, through the love of God. Third, through faith. Fourth, through philanthropic deeds. Fifth, through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness. Unless he acquires these forces and attains to these requirements he will surely be deprived of the life that is eternal. But if he possesses the knowledge of God, becomes ignited through the fire of the love of God, witnesses the great and mighty signs of the Kingdom, becomes the cause of love among mankind, and lives in the utmost state of sanctity and holiness, he shall surely attain to second birth, be baptized by the Holy Spirit and enjoy everlasting existence.
    Is it not astonishing that although man has been created for the knowledge and love of God, for the virtues of the human world, for spirituality, heavenly illumination and life eternal, nevertheless he continues ignorant and negligent of all this? Consider how he seeks knowledge of everything except knowledge of God. For instance, his utmost desire is to penetrate the mysteries of the lowest strata of the earth. Day by day he strives to know what can be found ten metres below the surface, what he can discover within the stone, what he can learn by archaeological research in the dust. He puts forth arduous labors to fathom terrestrial mysteries but is not at all concerned about knowing the mysteries of the Kingdom, traversing the illimitable fields of the eternal world, becoming informed of the divine realities, discovering the secrets of God, attaining the knowledge of God, witnessing the splendors of the Sun of Truth and realizing the glories of everlasting life. He is unmindful and thoughtless of these. How much he is attracted to the mysteries of matter and how completely unaware he is of the mysteries of divinity! Nay, he is utterly negligent and oblivious of the secrets of divinity. How great his ignorance! How conducive to his degradation! It is as if a kind and loving father had provided a library of wonderful books for his son in order that he might be informed of the mysteries of creation; at the same time surrounding him with every means of comfort and enjoyment; but the son amuses himself with pebbles and playthings, neglectful of all his father’s gifts and provision. How ignorant and heedless is man! The Father has willed for him glory eternal and he is content with blindness and deprivation. The Father has built for him a royal palace but he is playing with the dust; prepared for him garments of silk but he prefers to remain unclothed; provided for him delicious foods and fruits while he seeks sustenance in the grasses of the field.
    Praise be to God! you have heard the call of the Kingdom. Your eyes are opened; you have turned to God. Your purpose is the good-pleasure of God, the understanding of the mysteries of the heart and investigation of the realities. Day and night you must strive that you may attain to the significances of the heavenly kingdom, perceive the signs of divinity, acquire certainty of knowledge and realize that this world has a creator, a vivifier, a provider, an architect,—knowing this through proofs and evidences and not through susceptibilities,—nay, rather, through decisive arguments and real vision; that is to say, visualizing it as clearly as the outer eye beholds the sun. In this way may you behold the presence of God and attain to the knowledge of the holy, divine Manifestations.
    From the book Foundations of world unity https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/FWU/fwu-19.html#pg64

    Saturday, October 23, 2021

    Links to online books and articles about the Bahai faith

    Introduction to the Bahai faith https://bahaiteachings.org/bahai-faith/

    https://bahai-library.com/kelsey_bahai_answers


    https://bahaiteachings.org/promises-prophets-will-return/


    https://www.bahai.org/bahaullah/life-bahaullah/


    Two important books by Bahaullah:


    https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/


    https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/kitab-i-iqan/8#539327387


    The understanding of His words and the comprehension of the utterances of the Birds of Heaven are in no wise dependent upon human learning. They depend solely upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom of spirit. The heart must needs therefore be cleansed from the idle sayings of men, and sanctified from every earthly affection, so that it may discover the hidden meaning of divine inspiration, and become the treasury of the mysteries of divine knowledge. From Kitab-i-Iqan by Baha’u’llah



    Three important books by Abdul Baha:

    Paris talks and Some answered questions

    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19284/19284-pdf.pdf


    https://bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_some_answered_questions-origin


    https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/FWU/


    Abdu'l-Bahá: Our aim is to free the foundations of the religion of God from the clouds of dogmas for the sun of reality is prevented from shining forth. We desire to dispel these black impenetrable fogs, so that the regions of the world may be flooded and illumined. May these foul clouds never return, may the rays of the sun of reality encircle all countries, for the sun has not beginning in time and no ending.


    All books and articles of Abdul Baha and Bahaullah can be searched after here by writing their name in the search field https://bahai-library.com/author



    Friday, October 22, 2021

    Excerpts from the book Sex perfection

    Here is the link if you want to read it: https://synergyexplorers.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SexPerfectionVonUrban.pdf

    The importance of similar wave length, wave frequency and wave amplitude in the body rays of two persons is one of the main reasons for sympathy and attractions. The pleasant feeling which comes from holding hands indicates that these two persons are attuned to each other.


    An emotional immature man will only increase his wife's frigidity.

    No one can attain the goal of sexual perfection unless he possesses or aquires certain qualities of character. Chief among these are unselfishness, honesty, reliability, emotional maturity witch means the development from taking to giving.


    In the life of a child, masturbation, playing with genitals, is an important factor in developing sexuality, for masturbation helps the child to transfer his sensations from the primary, lust-regions of the mouth and anus, normal to the baby, to the sex organs where they eventually will be needed.


    Pampering and over-indulgence can also restrict sexual development. As Oswald Schwarz says: A man who's mother has kept him too long to her self never, or only with the greatest difficulty, finds his way to other women. An overly strong attachment to the parents -between the boy and his mother, and between the girl and her father (Oedipus complex) usually keeps the children from marrying when they mature.


    The unconcious in the young man drives him in search of the unattainable mother ideal continual changes of sweet-hearts. Such a man is predestined to unfaithfulness. And if he marries, impotence is often the result. In his wife he unconsciously sees his mother, to whom he must not have incest-wishes, and therefore he is inhibited by an unconscious feeling of guilt. The woman he loves he cannot possess and the woman he possesses he cannot love. Such conflict of soul can drive a man back to childish sex activity, some kind of perversion.


    A third factor damaging to the child's sexual evolution is beating. This appeared in a young woman whose marriage was very unhappy because, unconsciously she longed to get from her husband the same beatings she had received as a child from her governess. Because of her masochistic fixation she had nor matured efficiently to react to any other sexual stimulus. She therefore remained sexual frigid. (A masochist is a person who is a sadist against himself).


    The child is afraid of the beatings; they thwart the development of his self-esteem; nevertheless they produce feelings of pleasure which remain in his unconscious. A child accustomed to being beaten will finally behave in such a way as to provoke beatings. It is the unconscious craving for relaxation of bodily tension. One form of relaxation can be produced by beating. Many couples who have fist fights with each other are often afterwards relaxed and happy.


    Education through threats also gives poor results. His character is endangered; malice and low cunning are aroused, for a child yields to force most reluctantly.


    She becomes disturbed, helpless, a true reflection of her home athmosphere.


    Unloving parents prevent the child from liberating himself from narcissism, from his love to himself.


    Again, I repeat parents make an irreparable mistake when they fail to guide their children in their sex cravings. Without such guidance children become the victims of neurosis, frivolity or masturbation. Unguided girls are so overwhelmed by sexual energy that, in selecting a marriage partner they make blind choices, disregarding the mental and physical fitness of their partner. What they thought was love they later discover to be mere sensuousness or a craving for adventure.


    Woman's entire nature consists of sexuality, in the larger sense.


    The means towards the improvement of modern marriages: Sex education of the right kind, early marriage and a better, a more cultivated home life.


    To a boy about masturbation: If a jug has too much milk in it, it has to overflow. You are at a time in your life in which an abundance of such little germ cells is produced in your testicles. You do not need to force them out, they will discharge them-selves during the night while you are sleeping. And if you force them out too often, by what we call masturbation, you give these celles which build these germ cells no rest or leisure. You drive them to ceaseless work and so exhaust them. A boy can torture himself with too frequent masturbation. Every handling of the sex organ drives out, from every cell of the body, radiation which, if they cannot flow out from the body, only serve to tense it more and more. This tension produces fear. You feel if as you were in a prison. You become terrified, not knowing what happened to you. Masturbation relaxes only the sex organs, while it tenses him more in his whole body.


    The sex hormones stimulates the production of sperm cells in the testicles. The tension in these organs, induced by the increase in the number of the sperm cells, is a further source of the desire in boys to get rid of this local pressure through the discharge of their semen. Sex hormones can also be produced prematurely. This may happen, for instance, from too vivid sensations, startling impressions and great excitement, such as dramatic scenes between parents or early sexual experience.


    To get rid of the tension in the whole body, a child is driven, more or less unconsciously, to seek bodily contact with adults, mostly with one of the parents. The love of such a child is based on the need for bodily relaxation. An infant starts to cry and becomes restless untill the mother fondles him, where upon he immediately calms down. A little devil of a child will become obident and happy if the mother takes him to bed with her, or even strokes his hair and body softly, thus relieving him of tension.


    Nevertheless, the local tension in the sexual region remains and are abated in one of two ways: Either self-induced friction of the child, or - according to the customs of certain primitive people -old women quietly lay their hands on the testicles of young boys and old men on the vulvas of little girls, holding them thus for some time.


    Every irritation of the sex organ, whether direct or indirect, increases the tension in the body. Children can not diminish their bodily tension by masturbation, because the palms of their hands and their sex organs do not differ in the quality of their radiation.


    Among the Melanesian Islanders a girl who has not learned to abandon her immature sensations in the clitoris in favor of the awakening, mature feeling in the vagina, would lose all hope of marrying, as she would be considered inferior.


    The damage done by masturbation does not arise from the effect of such action on the sex organs of the child, but from fears implanted in him of its injurious consequenses. There are three objections to masturbation: Too much masturbation has a weakening effect, sometimes even an exhausting one. Secondly: it increase bodily tension. Thirdly: As long as a person masturbates his sex life remains egocentric, and he remains immature.


    Just as a child has to learn to control his bodily functions during the first three years of his life, so, during puberty, must he try to control increasing pressure in the awakening sex organs. If they learn to control their sex impulses now they will have laid the groundwork for the mastery of the problem of self-control in all its phases throughout their life.


    Experiments with a young couple in love:


    During the course of these experiments, it was ascertained that if the couple did not lie naked for half an hour or longer, in close physical contact, kissing and caressing, but, instead starting intercourse immediately, the strange radiation did not radiate from the body of the girl; nor did sparks fly between the two lovers after when they stood near each other afterwards, even though the sex union lasted less than 27 minutes, which we had come to think was necessary to eliminate these phenomena.


    Every intercourse lasting less than 27 minutes induced an urgent desire, in both, for a repetition of the sex act. But if this desire was fulfilled by another too-brief act, both became nervous and irritated. The tension in their bodies became stronger with each intercourse of brief duration. On the other hand, intercourse lasting half an hour or more was followed by an entire relaxation from nervous tension; and the desire to repeat the sex act did not renew itself for five or six days, sometimes not for a week, yet the couple's feeling of love towards each other increased and they were extremely happy.


    Their feelings of relaxation and happiness set in, even after a short intercourse, if the husband did not withdraw his penis from the vagina after his ejaculation, but instead, remained there for half an hour, even in an unerected state, giving his full and undisturbed attention to the contact.


    They found that a sex union of half an hour's duration induced deep satisfaction for both for five days; one lasting an hour satisfied them for a week; an intercourse lasting two hours brought contentment for two weeks. This same lasting relaxation was also produced by prolonged bodily contact, without sex relaton.


    Very instructive is the sex life of young girls among some South Sea Islanders. At the time of puberty she leaves her home to another hut, where she sleeps with four boys of her choice, six months with each boy. After these two years she marries the boy who has given her the greatest relaxation. These marriages lasts a lifetime without infidelity. They usually have intercourse not oftener than every five day. On other nights they sleep together, body to body without contact between the sex organs. Preparation for sex union takes at least half an hour. They embrace, kiss and bite each other, untill both are electrified. But never does a man touch the clitoris of his mate. (A matured woman should have entirely given up the sensations of the clitoris, which are characteristic of a child. After puberty these sensations are normally consentrated in the vagina.) When the sex act begins they lie motionless for at least half an hour, sometimeslonger,before they start any movements. After the climax they continue to lie together for a long time.


    Their first rule is total relaxation and freedom from pressure or strain. The man does not lie over his mate and deprive her the power of movement, also to avoid stimulation of the clitoris. After the preparation when full sex union is reached no no more tender caresses is allowed. All the attention, all the electric streams have to flow fully and undisturbed to the sex organs.


    On all the other nights, without sex union, they lie close together, naked body to naked body, and find themselves deeply relaxed in the morning. On these nights they do not caress or kiss each other, as that is a prelude to sexual intercourse.


    Sometimes they lie with their heads at opposite ends of the sleeping mat, the two open pairs of legs fitted together like pinchers, in such a way that the sex organs come into the closest contact without penetration of the vagina. In this position they sleep together when no sexual intercourse is intended.


    In karezza the only thing renounced is the ejaculation of the man. Physical union is complete, prolonged and motionless. In half an hour a sort of superlative delight sets in. It is nature rewarding one a thousandfold for supreme self control. It lasts for hours. Then the two falls asleep in a refreshing dreamless sleep. After such complete relaxation it takes time to recharge the bodies. Therefore karezza can only be practiced successfully once in one to three weeks.


    The bio-electricity discharged from the cells of two bodies during the prolonged love-making and stored up in the skin, has flowed to their sex organs where the two kinds of bio-electricity, of different potentials, meet and neutralize each other. As they are neutralized the electrical tension in the two bodies cease and full relaxation sets in.


    A persons happiness depends on coming in contact with an individual whose electrical radiations complement his own.; That the tension of a negatively charged man can find its outlet only through contact with an positively charged woman- one to whose wave length his wave length is attuned. In the exchange of radiation between two lovers lies a satifaction more delightful and profound than in the sex act itself.


    The measurable electricity in the body reaches its greatest intensity in the genitals, but that does not mean that the amount of electricity from innumerable small sources cannot exceed that from one single stream, however strong. The author believes that these small streams can can flow directly to each other and achieve equalization by mere bodily contact. without sexual union. This exchange induces a sense of delight that endures for days rather than for two or three hours.


    The more a person can relax another from the tension induced in him by the electrical streams the more that person is desired by the other and more passionate is their mutual love.


    A couple had an ecstatic experience of karezza, but after 7 hours they felt suffocated. They took a shower and could continue.


    If a couple's love for each other is not well founded the karezza method will not work. To learn to change from the customary sensations of ejaculation and orgasm, both of which have to entirely be prevented, to the sensations accompanying the union of the body's electrical streams, is a task suitable only for very strong and determined characters. A sexual relationship entirely devoted to karezza is unsuited to the avarage healthy man and woman. Our task here on earth is to create. The tension produced by the electrical power within us is the driving force which makes creation possible. The sexual happiness possible through karezza is the strongest proof yet to available that orgasm is not essential for sexual happiness,that the exchange of bio-electricity is more essential and can be combined with orgasm.


    The reason the vagina must be moist is also because water is a good conductor of electricity.


    If a woman will abandon the half satifaction of clitoris orgasm she can eventually learn the deep, mature satifaction coming from the orgasm brought about by stimulation of the vagina and the tip of the uterus. Granted, such women will go through a sexual dead period, while losing their accustomed sensation, and before gaining the right one, but a few weeks of consentration, patience and willpower, will bring an abundant reward.


    Only by lying in a perfectly relaxed position as the one described can the husband hope to hold back his orgasm long enough to permit satisfaction for his wife:


    Position. After the pre-liminary love-play, the partners should occupy the following position which permits perfect freedom, of movement as well as complete absence of muscular effert, and avoid stimulation of clitoris. The wife first lies on her back with her knees raised so that they touch her breasts. The husband lies on his right side to the left of her, turned towards her in such a way that his left leg lies above of his right leg. In this position he puts both of his legs under both of her thighs while his wife lets her legs fall over his left hip. In so doing he has to move the upper part of his body away from her body until he lies in right angles to her. She is still on her back lengthwise of the bed while he is still lying on his right side, but crosswise of the bed. Most couples prefer that the man places his left leg between her thighs, so forcing her right leg down on his right leg, while his right leg remains under the buttocks of his wife. Simplyfied version: The husband lies at the left side of his wife, turns to her and places his left leg between her legs so their sex organs are in closest contact.


    At this point every kiss and caresses on other parts of the body should cease, in order that all the awakening bio-electrical streams may flow undisturbed towards the sex organs. In this position it does not matter if the penis is in erection or not, the important thing is that its tip should touch the mucosa of the inner lips at the vagina's entrance. After half a hour, when the full exchange of the radiation between the two individuals is established, the penis usually becomes erected and can enter the vagina. Until the man has learned to hold back his ejaculation the position outlined above should usually be maintained at least half an hour, outside the vagina. Complete sex union, in which the tip of the penis penetrates the vagina so deeply that it touches the entrance of the uturus, as it should do in perfect intercourse, then follows. This lasts usually half an hour, though this time can be lengthened to hours if the couple are motionless.


    They should train themselves to be completely aware of the sensations of their sex organs and also of the flow of electricity they receive from their partner. They should not permit their thoughts to wander to other subjects and interrupt the flow to the sex organs. Every cell of the body should be relaxed. Every tension serves to block radiation. The more relaxed the cells are, the more easily can they discharge radiations.


    As a rule, a well performed sex act, one in which full sex union lasts half an hour, should not be repeated more than once in five days. When sex union lasts for an hour, repetition in a week's time is indicated, when it lasts for two hours the interval should be two weeks. The batteries of the body needs to be recharged.


    Too frequent intercourse forces cells in the testicles to consentrate more on the production of sperm cells than hormones. An organism without hormones has no animation or energy. In the end it leads to exhaustion, frustration and disgust with the sex act which includes resentment against the person who has aroused his desire. This is a typical picture of the end of many a passionate love affairs.


    How can women attain relaxation when the natural method of natural bodily contact is denied them? Some can find outlets in their activities.To give them female hormones, as is commonly done, can may only increase the tension. The most successfull means combines a warm bath with a vaginal douche used 15 minutes while consentrating on the outflow of radiation from her body, taken every other night before retiring, after orgasm or not. Water is a conductor of energy. The woman should go straight to bed afterwards.


    Findings of Wilhelm Reich:

    Feelings of pleasure on any skin area are accompanied by an increase in bio-electrical chargein that area. Feelings of displeasure are accompanied (anxiety, fear, irritation) by a decrease of electrical charge. Pleasure draws the charge to the outside of the body, displeasure draws the bio-electricity back to the interior of the organism.


    It seems that the bio-electrical charge aroused in the prelude of the to intercourse does not flow back into the same organism, but instead it flows between the two partners, each "neutralizes" is some way the bio-electrical charge of the other.


    Over-exitement in the sex glands increases the functions of the pituatary and thyroid glands, resulting in extreme psychic irritability. Hyperfunctioning of the thyroid even leads to visual or accoustic hallucinations. Hyperfunctioning of the pituatary glands stimulates an individual to extreme activity and which sometimes leads to uncontrollable pugnacity.


    If a couple will follow the essential parts of our requirements only, these are: Prolonged sex contact, (even after orgasm and ejaculation) for at least half an hour, with full consentraton on the sex act and sleep in a double bed, in close bodily contact.


    Twice a week let the couple assume a locked pincher position in bed for at least an hour.


    According to Dr. K. Davis, who studied the sex desire of 2000 women, maximum desire were always noted within a period of two days before to one week after menstruation.


    The best method to insure animation and vitality is a well performed, regular sex life. It stimulates the production of sex hormones and relaxes the bodily tension.


    The stages of the soul by Abdu’l-Bahá

    The stages of the soul


    a. The commanding soul—the soul that commands to evil — is preoccupied with the trivialities of this world, and is in fatuated with evil and ephemeral desires.

    b. The blaming soul — which becomes aware of the depths of its degradation and of its remoteness from its true goal. It awakes to a perception of its state, is filled with regret and blames itself for the depths of perversity and error to which it has sunk.

    c. The inspired soul —as it rises from its lowly condition, the soul comes to understand those things that kept it abased and those thing which will lead to its elevation. It becomes averse to those things that perish and to incline towards those things that endure. It is termed the inspired soul for it is inspired as to that which on the one hand leads to depravation and on the other to righteousness.

    d. The assured soul — this is the stage at which the soul is in remembrance of its Lord and sees the signs of God in the creation. As a result it is assured in its faith, its turmoil and unrest is calmed, it has quenched its thirst, soothed its torment; it has changed its darkness to light and unloaded its burdens.

    e. The accepting soul — reaches a station of submission and contentment, leaving behind its searching and neediness. It entrusts its affairs to God and is content with whatever God may decree for it. This is a happiness that is not followed by sadness. There remains no will, no rest , no motion, no destiny nor any fate except in God.

    f. The accepted soul — in this state all- encompassing blessings and mercy reach it. Insofar as it has  risen and left behind its passions and accepted the decree of its Lord, it becomes accepted in the sight of God, and in its state of nothingness, it is approved by its Creator.

    g. The perfect soul — here it is characterized by divine perfections and comprised of godly attributes. It thus becomes the focal point of inspiration and the dawning-place for the Divine effulgences.

    h. The soul of the Kingdom of God (Mal ak út)— here the soul confirms in its reality the profession of Divine Unity and establishes in its essence the sign of detachment. It attains to everlasting life and eternal living. It takes pleasure from delights the like of which no eye has seen nor any ear heard .

    i. The soul of the Realm of Divine Command (Jab arút)— this is a stati on far ab ove the unde rs tand ing of the minds of men, for this stati on is created out of the elements of power, authority, sovereignty, omnipotence, and freedom and nothing that has limitations or pluralities has any resemblance to it. Here the soul becomes aware of the secrets of hidden and invisible realities. This is the ultimate goal in the world of creation .


    From ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Commentary on the Quránic Verses Concerning the Overthrow of the Byzantines: The Stages of the Soul by Moojan Momen file:///C:/Users/Leah%20Wilhelmsen/Downloads/lights2_momen_byzantines%20Complete%20.pdf