REVIEW

Unlocking the Gate of the Heart

by Lasse Thorsen
Available from Bahá'í Publishing Trust, paperback £11.95

Those whose background has included meditation and mantras in their spiritual search, will really enjoy this book. For those of a more rigid religious background the response may be that it is "New Agey" ... but being from the former, I really found it a joy to read, and a sort of self-help book that is really timeless yet updates our spiritual habits to include chanting mantras, singing and meditation.

Bahá'u'lláh has recommended that we use a few moments each day to recall our behaviour, and if wished we can chant using as a mantra "Alláh'u''Abhá", repeating this ninety-five times, if necessary employing rosary beads to keep count of the repetitions. To learn some of the Writings by heart and to meditate on them, brings us closer to the meaning contained therein. In the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá ...

"... play and sing the holy words of God with wondrous tones in the gatherings of the friends, that the listener may be freed from chains of care and sorrow, and his soul may leap for joy and humble itself in prayer in the realm of Glory."

The greatest need of our time is to restore human dignity and honour to the whole human race. The object of this personal transformation is to create a world society based on spiritual and moral values, a civilisation fulfilling the desire of all the peoples of the world to see the promised Kingdom of God established on this earth.

When we become members of the Bahá'í Faith we carry with us, consciously or not, patterns of thought and behaviour from our own background which colour our perception of the Faith.

To activate the soul's latent spiritual potential, man needs access to a power capable of directly influencing it and mobilising it. It is for this purpose that God sends His prophets, messengers and manifestation at regular intervals throughout the history of human existence. As civilisations are born, blossom and fall, so will mankind always need new ordinances and guidelines for living, particularly in relation to society. Through contact with the Word, man gains the strength to put aside his ego and develop his higher spiritual self. He becomes able to act mercifully, justly and unselfishly. He then comes into harmony with the laws of existence at a deep level, a level which includes but surpasses the laws of the physical world.

The theme of peace is always a welcome one, and the reminder of the importance of a New World Order is especially timely, stressing that the change must begin within ourselves before others can be influenced by what we preach ... "the Faith encourages us to be faithful to ideals, principles and laws without being dogmatic, rigid and fanatical in the way we practice them ... yet forgiving and forbearing towards the human weaknesses which may hinder us from realising them." ... Echoed in the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

"In order to find truth we must give up our prejudices, our own small trivial notions; an open receptive mind is essential. If our chalice is full of self, there is no room in it for the water of life. The fact that we imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles towards unity ... when one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed freedom!"

Information, a lot of it new to me, pours from this fascinating book and I believe it would be much appreciated not only to read, but also as a future reference for up-to-date, yet practical ideas on practicing the Faith. Written from a Nordic viewpoint, and with an eyecatching, vivid cover, I found I couldn't put it down until I had reached the last page.

Ina Cantrell

(Quotations from "Unlocking the Gate of the Heart")