Changing the calendar
Posted 01-02-2010 at 06:51 AM by Pollwr
Tags bahai calendar, calendar, memories, new year
Yesterday I changed the calendar hung on my wall and that caused me to reflect. There was an old friend, overseas who always sent me a calendar and I always used it, putting it on the kitchen wall. He passed away this year and so that was the last of the calendar's that he would send me. I did not buy a new one or even have to use the free one from the phone company. This year I have made some new friends and cooincidentally one of them had given me a new calendar of thier own photos before they moved away.
Bahá'ís reading this will know that we have our own calendar, dividing the year into 19 months, each of 19 days plus the intercalary days to make the year up to the 365 or 366 days.
I would very much like to find a way of, more effectively using the Bahá'í callendar in my life but living in a society and family who all use the 12 months version, I have not found it so easy. I did download an add-on for firefox which does keep pestering me for updates but it does not seem to do anything and I have not seen any Bahá'i dates anywhere.
Anyway, with my memory, I need a calendar to write appointments and reminders on and to mark the passing of time.
When I grew up, and my contempories have confirmed this, there seemed to be very few premature deaths amongst the people I knew. There seem to be more now, partly the rise of the motor vehicle and roads, partly cancer. Every year I seem to trawl through my address book and cross of the deceased and wonder about those whom I have not heard from for a few years.
The pace of life just seems to be increasing as I get older and I have more of an awareness of the passing seasons and cycles of life, death and regeneration at play in the world. I am not that old but already a trip to the museum can be a trip down memory lane in some areas and a walk through the graveyard can be a visit to old friends. When I look at my garden in the spring I see the potential for the dying back of autumn and in autum I see the path being cleared for the rebirth of spring.
"O FRIENDS!
Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust."
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
Bahá'ís reading this will know that we have our own calendar, dividing the year into 19 months, each of 19 days plus the intercalary days to make the year up to the 365 or 366 days.
I would very much like to find a way of, more effectively using the Bahá'í callendar in my life but living in a society and family who all use the 12 months version, I have not found it so easy. I did download an add-on for firefox which does keep pestering me for updates but it does not seem to do anything and I have not seen any Bahá'i dates anywhere.
Anyway, with my memory, I need a calendar to write appointments and reminders on and to mark the passing of time.
When I grew up, and my contempories have confirmed this, there seemed to be very few premature deaths amongst the people I knew. There seem to be more now, partly the rise of the motor vehicle and roads, partly cancer. Every year I seem to trawl through my address book and cross of the deceased and wonder about those whom I have not heard from for a few years.
The pace of life just seems to be increasing as I get older and I have more of an awareness of the passing seasons and cycles of life, death and regeneration at play in the world. I am not that old but already a trip to the museum can be a trip down memory lane in some areas and a walk through the graveyard can be a visit to old friends. When I look at my garden in the spring I see the potential for the dying back of autumn and in autum I see the path being cleared for the rebirth of spring.
"O FRIENDS!
Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust."
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
Total Comments 3
Comments
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If I did not use my Baha'i datebook, and carry it with me practically, I would never get anywhere when I should!! A calendar on the wall is no good for me, I'm not always at that wall!
I have used datebooks from different places, the ones I find most helpful have a slant to indicate the evening is the beginning of a new day.
The way I use the Baha'i dates are on correspondence with Baha'is and some other places where the person knows and respects the Faith. Once we sold a home and a friend of the Faith was our realtor, he agreed to date the sales contract with the Baha'i and Gregorian date. COOL!!
But I use the Baha'i dates several times a week in my journal. the Baha'i date is the ONLY way I date the entries I write. I don't even think of it in Gregorian terms. I began in Mashiyyat 129. I use spiral notebooks (I figured they would be produced for all of my life) and I'm into book #100 now. There is not one Gregorian date in them!!
I don't write daily (it's not about what I do so much as what I think about what's going on around me), but several times a week. In this way I've learned the sequence of the months, how to spell them and what season they occur.
dlh.....Posted 01-02-2010 at 07:50 PM by dlherrmann
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Thank you for your comment. I have tried a Bahai datebook but they are easier to order from some places than others! I really need something with both dates. I am aware of the months because of the feast names. Also, when I could get a Bahá'í datebook with those slants, they only had a little space and I need a part diary page to note down what to do. Maybe someone produces diaries somewhere with more space and Bahá'í dates. They would have to have Gregorian dates too because of the society I live in or I would never arrive anywhere I should be. Maybbe I need to customise my other diary when I have a moment....Posted 01-03-2010 at 05:12 AM by Pollwr - Dear Baha'i Friends,
I am Publisher of Baha'i Diary for the last 8 years. I am grateful to Blessed Beauty that friends from around the world appreciate our effort and this publication so much. In fact, it increases Bahá’í identity and fosters Bahá’í culture.
Since it is a wonderful gift item for the Holy days viz. Ayyam-i-Ha, Naw Ruz, Ridvan and other personal occasions, the friends who have want to know more are requested to visit my site Nightingale Group With loving Baha'i greetings
Inga Mishra
Nightingale PressPosted 01-27-2010 at 10:53 PM by oneworld
