29 October | a.m

The hands of bounty have borne round the cup of everlasting life. Approach, and quaff your fill. Drink with healthy relish, O ye that are the very incarnations of longing, ye who are the embodiments of vehement desire!

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 32

O maid-servant of God! verily, I long for that cup, which is overflowing with the bounty of God, as a patient desiring to be healed, as a thirsty soul seeking water, as the poor in quest of wealth, and as one in separation yearning after the meeting of the beloved one night and day.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá v2, p. 314

28 October | p.m

This is the day on which the Bird of Utterance hath warbled its melody upon the branches, in the name of its Lord, the God of Mercy. Blessed is the man that hath, on the wings of longing, soared towards God, the Lord of the Judgment Day.

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 94

28 October | a.m

The sincere soul longeth for nearness to God even as the suckling babe yearneth for its mother's breast, nay more ardent is his longing, could ye but know it! Again, his longing is even as the panting of one sore athirst after the living waters of grace, or the yearning of the sinner for forgiveness and mercy.

- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 204

The companions of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters of such as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts. How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path, and how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy Word!

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 95

27 October | p.m

Thus do We expound unto you the mysteries of the Cause, and impart unto you what shall render you independent of all that hath so far occupied you, that perchance ye may enter the Court of Holiness within this exalted Paradise. I swear by God! Whoso entereth therein shall never abandon its precincts, and whoso gazeth thereon shall never turn away therefrom, even should the swords of infidels and deniers rain blows upon him.

- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 205

25 October | p.m

Verily, I say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love, burning in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming waters of holy utterance can never quench its flame. Oceans can never allay this Leviathan's burning thirst, and this Phoenix of the undying fire can abide nowhere save in the glow of the countenance of the Well-Beloved. Therefore, O brother! kindle with the oil of wisdom the lamp of the spirit within the innermost chamber of thy heart, and guard it with the globe of understanding, that the breath of the infidel may extinguish not its flame nor dim its brightness.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 60

25 October | a.m

Until thou enter the Egypt of love, thou shalt never come to the Joseph of the Beauty of the Friend; and until, like Jacob, thou forsake thine outward eyes, thou shalt never open the eye of thine inward being; and until thou burn with the fire of love, thou shalt never commune with the Lover of Longing.

A lover feareth nothing and no harm can come nigh him: Thou seest him chill in the fire and dry in the sea.

- Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 9

Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 15

24 October | p.m

By My life! Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My Pen, and discover the treasures of My Cause, and the pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the seas of My names and in the goblets of My words, thou wouldst for longing after His glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay down thy life in the path of God.

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 58

24 October | a.m

Let the flame of search burn with such fierceness within your hearts as to enable you to attain your supreme and most exalted goal - the station at which ye can draw nigh unto, and be united with, your Best-Beloved
- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 323

Thus may your hearts be set aglow with the fire of the love of God and [may it] burn away the self-life.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá v3, p. 509

21 October | p.m

Know also that the soul is endowed with two wings: should it soar in the atmosphere of love and contentment, then it will be related to the All-Merciful. And should it fly in the atmosphere of self and desire, then it will pertain to the Evil One; may God shield and protect us and protect you therefrom, O ye who perceive! Should the soul become ignited with the fire of the love of God, it is called benevolent and pleasing unto God, but should it be consumed with the fire of passion, it is known as the concupiscent soul. Thus have We expounded this subject for thee that thou mayest obtain a clear understanding.

- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 154

19 October | p.m

The movement of My Pen is stilled when it attempteth to befittingly describe the loftiness and glory of so exalted a station. The honor with which the Hand of Mercy will invest the soul is such as no tongue can adequately reveal, nor any other earthly agency describe. Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul liveth and moveth in accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the all-highest Paradise.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 154

19 October | a.m

Know, furthermore, that the life of man proceedeth from the spirit, and the spirit turneth to wheresoever the soul directeth it. Ponder upon that which We have revealed unto thee that thou mayest recognize the Soul of God which hath appeared above the Dayspring of bounty invested with manifest sovereignty.

- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 154

It is through the power of the soul that the mind comprehendeth, imagineth and exerteth its influence, whilst the soul is a power that is free. The mind comprehendeth the abstract by the aid of the concrete, but the soul hath limitless manifestations of its own. The mind is circumscribed, the soul limitless. It is by the aid of such senses as those of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, that the mind comprehendeth, whereas the soul is free from all agencies. The soul as thou observest, whether it be in sleep or waking, is in motion and ever active.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablet to August Forel, p. 7

18 October | p.m

Verily I say, the human soul is, in its essence, one of the signs of God, a mystery among His mysteries. It is one of the mighty signs of the Almighty, the harbinger that proclaimeth the reality of all the worlds of God. Within it lieth concealed that which the world is now utterly incapable of apprehending.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 160

18 October | a.m

Know that the soul which is common to all men cometh forth following the commingling of things and after their maturation, as thou dost observe in the germ: once it hath developed to its predestined stage, God manifesteth the soul that was latent within it. Thy Lord, verily, doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth.

- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 154

15 October | p.m

O SON OF SPIRIT!

I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

- Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words

15 October | a.m

If the veil were lifted, and the full glory of the station of those that have turned wholly towards God, and have, in their love for Him, renounced the world, were made manifest, the entire creation would be dumbfounded.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 190

God has created such a conscious spirit within him [man] that he is the most wonderful of all contingent beings. In ignoring these virtues he descends to the material plane, considers matter the ruler of existence and denies that which lies beyond. Is this virtue?

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Bahá Section, p. 237

14 October | p.m

[God]… revealeth: "And be ye not like those who forget God, and whom He hath therefore caused to forget their own selves."[ Qur'án 59:19] In this connection, He Who is the eternal King - may the souls of all that dwell within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him - hath spoken: "He hath known God who hath known himself."

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 99

14 October | a.m

… Man should know his own self, and know those things which lead to loftiness or to baseness, to shame or to honor, to affluence or to poverty.

- Baha'u'llah, Compilations, Baha'i World Faith, p. 167

The object of God's teaching to man is that man may know himself in order to comprehend the greatness of God.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Abdu'l-Bahá in London, p. 79

13 October | p.m

Great and blessed is this Day - the Day in which all that lay latent in man hath been and will be made manifest. Lofty is the station of man, were he to hold fast to righteousness and truth and to remain firm and steadfast in the Cause. In the eyes of the All-Merciful a true man appeareth even as a firmament; its sun and moon are his sight and hearing, and his shining and resplendent character its stars. His is the loftiest station, and his influence educateth the world of being.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 219

13 October | a.m

Great is the station of man. Great must also be his endeavours for the rehabilitation of the world and the well-being of nations. I beseech the One true God to graciously confirm thee in that which beseemeth man's station.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 174

We must strive unceasingly and without rest to accomplish the development of the spiritual nature in man, and endeavor with tireless energy to advance humanity toward the nobility of its true and intended station.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 60

12 October | p.m

Consider, moreover, how frequently doth man become forgetful of his own self, whilst God remaineth, through His all-encompassing knowledge, aware of His creature, and continueth to shed upon him the manifest radiance of His glory. It is evident, therefore, that, in such circumstances, He is closer to him than his own self.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 186

12 October | a.m

O servants! If ye be informed of the wonders of My generosity and grace which I have deposited in yourselves, ye will certainly be cut from all directions, and, seeking to know your own selves, which is identical with knowing Myself, will find yourselves independent of all else save Me, and will see the ocean of My providence and the deep of My beneficence in yourselves, with your outward and inward eye, as manifest and clear as the sun shining from the name of Abhá.

- Baha'u'llah, Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 222

11 October | p.m

How resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such distinction. For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled or surpassed.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 100

11 October | a.m

The All-Merciful hath conferred upon man the faculty of vision, and endowed him with the power of hearing. Some have described him as the "lesser world," when, in reality, he should be regarded as the "greater world." The potentialities inherent in the station of man, the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his reality, must all be manifested in this promised Day of God.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 340

Praise be to God! man is always turned toward the heights, and his aspiration is lofty; he always desires to reach a greater world than the world in which he is, and to mount to a higher sphere than that in which he is. The love of exaltation is one of the characteristics of man.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 188

4 October | a.m

The Divine Messengers have been sent down, and their Books were revealed, for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of God, and of furthering unity and fellowship amongst men.

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 12

Why is man so hard of heart? It is because he does not yet know God. If he had knowledge of God he could not act in direct opposition to His laws; if he were spiritually minded such a line of conduct would be impossible to him. If only the laws and precepts of the prophets of God had been believed, understood and followed, wars would no longer darken the face of the earth.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 115

1 October | a.m

Become as true brethren in the one and indivisible religion of God, free from distinction, for verily God desireth that your hearts should become mirrors unto your brethren in the Faith, so that ye find yourselves reflected in them, and they in you. This is the true Path of God, the Almighty, and He is indeed watchful over your actions.

- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 56

A Bahá'í denies no religion; he accepts the Truth in all, and would die to uphold it. He loves all men as his brothers, of whatever class, of whatever race or nationality, of whatever creed or colour, whether good or bad, rich or poor, beautiful or hideous.

- Abdu'l-Bahá, Abdu'l-Bahá in London, p. 55

30 September | p.m

Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness and justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine. Unto this will bear witness every man of true understanding.

- Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas", p. 125