I Blog Poetry and Prose

Evil Whisper and Halloween

Istiqlál (Independence), 16 Mashíyyat (Will) 175 B.E. - Friday, October 12, 2018

Overcoming Insistent Self

Desiring freedom
the inner child attempts
to overcome it programmed limits.

The "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompt for DAY 1761
“If any help was going to arrive to lift me out of my misery, it would come from the dark side of my personality.” ~ Robert Bly Do you agree or disagree with Mr. Bly? Do the dark sides of our personality aid us or harm us?

The Evil Whisperer

The dark side, the animal side, of human nature can harm us if we let it. It is the Evil Whisperer whispering in the minds and hearts of humanity, turning us against each other and against God. It whispers negativity, xenophobia, doubt, and all the other negative emotions that could the mirror of the human soul. The Evil Whisperer has had many names down through the centuries from the voice of Satan to the insistent self. It is the voice of our lower nature, and it apposes the voice of our souls--if we let it.

The Evil Whisperer
whispers in the human mind
chanting negativity, fear, and hate.

"...Keep us safe, then, through Thine unfailing protection, O Thou the Beloved of the entire creation and the Desire of the whole universe, from them whom Thou hast made to be the manifestations of the Evil Whisperer, who whisper in men's breasts...."

Baha'u'llah1

It takes persistence, prayer, meditation upon the sacred scriptures, and action to overcome the Evil Whisperer or the Insistent Self (which ever you want to call it). Sometimes an individual falls and listens to the voice whispering fear and negativity. God understands our weaknesses, forgives us, and encourages us to do better. This is why Baha'u'llah encourages the individual to bring him or herself to account each day.

The "Blogging Circle of Friends "  prompt for DAY 2154
Create an Halloween entry. Let's see how creative you are.

Halloween

I don't celebrate or commemorate Halloween any more. I will participate in Halloween parities or events, which I see as social events that don't celebrate this holiday. Sometimes I write a Halloween poem or memory, but I don't make a habit of it. The most I will do on Halloween is say prayers for the departed. I have six prayer in my Baha'i Prayer book for the departed and nine in the smartphone app, so I have several prayers to choose from.

I see Halloween as a secular Holiday, so I don't see any harm in people commemorating it--as long as they do it in a civilized way. I went trick or treating as a child, and it didn't harm me. In fact, it left me with some pleasant memories. I don't give out candy on Halloween, because most of the children in this neighborhood go to Halloween parties or to businesses that give out treats on that night. This is just as well with me, because I don't need a lot of candy leftover for me to eat the rest of the year.

Footnotes
1  From a morning prayer revealed by Baha'u'llah http://www.bahaiprayers.org/morning1.htm Also found in Baha'i Prayers, 1991 Edition, page 116-117.