Our National Spiritual Assembly has just received greetings messages for Naw-Ruz from our Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Tony Blair MP:

Naw-Ruz greetings from the Prime Minister (Rt Hon Tony Blair MP).

March 2007

It gives me great pleasure, once again, to send my best wishes to the Baha’i community in the UK as you celebrate Naw Ruz. The United Kingdom deeply values the presence of the Baha’i community and the unique contribution you make.

The words of your founder, that “the earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens”, have perhaps an even greater resonance in 2007 than ever before. The universal challenges of climate change, and its potentially disastrous impact on millions of people across the globe, remind us forcefully that we are all fellow citizens of the world, all sharing in its destiny. As we confront these challenges I have no doubt that you, and your fellow Baha’is in other countries, have much to contribute to the debate and the pursuit of possible solutions, drawing on the tradition of working for social justice of which Baha’is can rightly be so proud.

With my best wishes to you all for the forthcoming year.

[Signed] Tony Blair

The Rt Hon. David Cameron MP, the Leader of the Opposition, has also sent a message:

March 2007

Happy Naw-Ruz

I am delighted to send all members of the Baha’i community my best wishes for a Happy New Year.

The principles which the Baha’i community hold dear - in particular unity and also the promotion of social justice, a belief in the importance of family life, and a concern for the environment - are of central importance to our society today.

The fact that so much work has been carried out to put these values into practice, through development projects around the world does great credit to your faith.

I know also that you will have in your thoughts at this time those communities elsewhere who face persecution because of their faith. Freedom to worship and to hold religious belief is a fundamental right which we must always cherish.

May I once again send my good wishes to you and your families at this time.

[Signed] David Cameron

They’re very good messages and they will be read out at our official Naw-Ruz reception in the House of Commons this evening.

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Our Baha’i community (Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England) has been running a series of public meditation classes in a local community centre for the past few weeks. The classes, using the excellent CALM course, designed by Paul Profaska and published by George Ronald, have attracted a number of friends of Baha’is, all of whom have said how much they’re getting out of the course.

We’ve had as many as 15 in the class some nights, but last night there were just seven of us. The theme of the class was dhikr (or zikr), the remembrance of God. In simple practical terms, this can mean inward repetition of one of the names of God, although participants chose (privately) a word or phrase for repetition that suited their particular and heartfelt need. These classes do not enforce a particular practice or system of meditation - there is no set Baha’i meditation practice and we strenuously avoid pushing people in any particular direction - but introduce people to various possibilities and help them gently build up their skills in meditation practice.

We start each session by sharing (if we want to) anything from our week just gone, any stresses, any joys, any meditation practice we’ve been able to do. We then go into around 15 or 20 minutes of quieting down, physical relaxation, and moving into the meditation proper. The meditation period closes with the reading of a quotation from the Baha’i scriptures. Last night’s quote was:

…give thy best attention to the remembrance of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with His Spirit, and not be shut out as by a veil from thy Best Beloved. Let not thy tongue pay lip service in praise of God while thy heart be not attuned to the exalted Summit of Glory and the Focal Point of communion. [The B