Courtesy of Karen Banks, USA

Our Study Circle decided to hold a Birth of the Bab celebration open to the public to fulfill its Book 4 storytelling practice and as a service to the community. We secured a public location, a meeting room in a local library that would hold 40 people. We decided to tell about the Bab from the perspective of those who knew him, since we cannot portray the Manifestations. We used two stories from the Book 4 text -- the Bab's uncle and His teacher and the mounted escort story. Then we chose others who are mentioned in the Book -- the Bab's wife, Mulla Husayn and Tahirih. Each participant chose a part, as well as a narrator who would give an overview, welcome and closing. They had to write a script or monologue about their interaction with the Bab. We also decided on costumes so that we would be the characters. For our scripts, we used such books as The Dawn Breakers, Khadijih Bagum, and Tahirih. We practiced the parts and critiqued each other before the actual day. In addition, we printed a flyer announcing the event, created a program that would be handed out, had a piece of Persian fabric that we used as a backdrop as well as a Persian carpet, a transparency of the page in the story book part of the book where a picture of Persia is given and the date of the Bab's birth is written. The only thing that we forgot was music, so if you try this please don't forget music! We also had refreshments.

The event was successful in that we planned and carried it out, a seeker was present, and a patron of the library came in to investigate what we were doing. Also, another Book 4 Study Circle made bookmarks to be distributed to the guests as their service project. Above all, it was successful because we had carried out the practice -- telling the stories of the Bab. This has led to our next practice/project which will be for the Birth of Baha'u'llah. We are inviting the larger community to bring a story about Baha'u'llah to share. The members of the Study Circle will have their stories to practice and we will provide refreshments and opening devotions

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Courtesy of The WAyfarer, Australia, March 2003 edition.

"Wing and I completed Book 4 under the tutorship of our daughter, Shanthi.  Wanting to be obedient to the practice requirements of this book, we invited a dear Bahá'í couple in our community, who are becoming more engaged in Bahá'í activities now, although they have been Bahá'ís for many years. We enlarged the pictures for the sections on Báb and Bahá'u'lláh.  I told the Báb story and Wing told the Bahá'u'lláh story.

"The evening was set up very simply, but with a focus on making it a sacred experience.  We started with some music from the Writings.  Then I simply started, using the pictures as a flip chart. At relevant opportunities, I embellished the pictures with stories, etc.  A highlight was the time of the meeting of Mulla Husayn with the Báb. The lights were turned off, a candle lit, and they were asked to imagine the room.  Then narration of this event from the tape  "Midsummer Noon" was played (available at Bookshop).  When the lights were turned on, the two beloved friends were silent, and in a state of awe, saying that they felt they had been there on that night.  Another highlight, was again, when telling of the Báb's public announcement, the lights were turned off, and candle on.  This time the song played was "I am I am I am the Promised One" also from Misummer Noon.  When the lights came back on, the request was for tissues, as both were in tears!

"After a short break, Wing told Bahá'u'lláh's story, with musical embellishment of "God is Sufficient unto me."  The same procedure followed, with similar results. The two dear friends asked to give feedback (we should have invited them, slack!).  They said that although these stories had been familiar to them, for the first time, they came alive because they were told briefly, with only the basic details, and in a sacred environment, which fed the mystic sense.

"Wing and I wanted to use the most basic tools from Book Four, to evaluate how successful such simple tools were for the Australian Bahá'ís.  The result was, for us, a resounding success.  I will not feel, even in my heart, that such simple tools as pictures with one line stories, are mostly suitable for the village Bahá'í"!

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Courtesy of The WAyfarer, Australia, March 2003 edition.

 "I loved Book 4 ... But it was the visits that made it for me!!  I now understand why we have Book 4 in the sequence and how important it is. 

"I must admit that I loved Book 4 - it was not only the group, several of whom so improved their English over the course that they gave brilliant presentations about the life of the Báb.  The creative aspects we did were great, plays and maps and art work that at a deep level explained how our expressions represented spiritual understandings. 

"But it was the visits that made it for me.  Before then it was a lovely indulgence spending time understanding the history of the Faith in terms of crisis and victory.

"My first visit was to a person who has not been active for a long time.  For some reason their face came to mind when I was thinking about whom I should contact.  I called half expecting that they would say they were not interested, but they asked to come to my place instead.  We had to change the date 3 times but eventually we met. 

"We started with a small devotional program - this person had not been to a Feast for over a year.  Lots of music and nice readings that one of the Book 4 participates had prepared previously.  Then I started my presentation at the point of Mulla Husayn talking to the student late one night, asking about the family of Bahá'u'lláh.  I spent a lot of time on the journey of Bahá'u'lláh to Tihran and the time He spent in the Síyáh-Chál.  This person had also suffered a lot recently.  At the appropriate time I played the World Congress tape of the chant that Bahá'u'lláh had taught the Bábis, and read the passages where Bahá'u'lláh speaks of His intimation of revelation.  I finished the story with Bahá'u'lláh in the Ridván garden.

"I know that I was supposed to do a story on the life of the Báb or Bahá'u'lláh, but this sequence of history seemed just right for this person.  They were quite overcome with emotion at the beautiful words of Bahá'u'lláh and the wonderful images that our history evokes.  They asked to be told the rest of the story for my next practice.  I now understood how powerful stories of the Faith can be to those in difficulty and how it can reignite their love for the Central Figures. 

"I also was present at a farewell dinner for a believer with members of his Book 2 study circle.  At a point in the evening, I asked them when they were starting book 4.  I then realised that this could be my second opportunity for a visit and with their permission, related the joy they would have doing book 4 and told the same history story - this time without the quotations that I wished I had better memorised!  We did not have a tape of the World Congress either, so we put chairs in two rows, faced each other and chanted in English and Farsi, back and forth.  What an amazing experience.  Tears in everyone's eyes.  I now understood that even those who are deep in the Faith and actively involved in the Institute process can be moved to tears by history stories they know, but expressed in a meaningful way of crisis and victory.  And what a wonderful thing to do - visit friends and inspire them with history stories."