A Prayer for Meltdowns
By John Taylor; 2009 Feb 10, 04 Mulk, 165 BE
"Dominion is God's, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation," (Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 172)
This is the Prayer of the Signs, a prayer "to be said in times of natural events, like earthquakes, eclipses, and other such phenomena, which may cause fear and are taken to be signs or acts of God." A prayer of the signs is an obligatory prayer for Muslims, but for Baha'is saying it is optional.
Looking at the prayer, I noticed that it starts with that word "dominion." In the Badi' Calendar this month is named Mulk, Dominion. So this is surely an appropriate prayer to say and think about as the fast approaches, the old Badi' year is all but ended, and the creative renewal of spring approaches. Such events, rising and falling, cooling and melting, help us fathom the significance of the divine virtue of dominion.
I felt moved to research the Long Obligatory prayer this morning, and going through the Aqdas I ran across this prayer of the signs. Immediately, I wondered if it might be appropriate to say this prayer for the present financial crash. It is true that a financial meltdown is not as outwardly violent and scary as a volcano, say, but in terms of human misery and loss of employment, it will probably turn out to be far worse than most volcanoes.
When I watch the business news, the excruciatingly slow and ominous approach of the dreaded Second Great Depression reminds me of the early days of our planet, about four billion years ago. No, I was not there, but modern graphics technology, television productions like "The Earth" and "The Universe" give viewers a persuasive look at the defining cataclysmic event in pre-history. A huge meteor smashed into our planet, tearing off a huge chunk, which became the moon, and, among other things, melting the whole sphere so that the heavy iron sunk to the core, thus making it into a giant magnet whose protective field allows for both an atmosphere and life to form.
These films re-enact this defining crisis unforgettably.
It all started with a massive body seemingly hanging there in the sky, dominating it from horizon to horizon. From the standpoint of a doomed creature standing on the surface it would have seemed to just hang there tranquil and quiet, still and static. Although it was millions of miles away and plummeting at unimaginable speed, it just sits there, until, that is, everything around you starts to melt. A good time to say,
"Dominion is God's, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation."
And now that we are entering into a money meltdown, a meltdown that will almost certainly soon be followed upon by an even worse climate meltdown, it is good to remember this prayer of the signs, to recall that if it were not for that moon-creating crash so long ago we would not have air to breathe, much less a life to live. Surely, out of these crashes will come creative benefits both "seen and unseen."
The artist has a right, when necessary, to wipe the slate clean and start again. It is part of the creative purpose.
Golden Age, anyone?
John Taylor
email: badijet@gmail.com
blog: http://badiblog.blogspot.com/
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