Today is the Winter Solstice, marking the longest night of the year. In ancient Iran, this night was celebrated as the coming of the light, because from this day forward the days would again begin getting longer, signalling life in the coming Spring.
Let us send our light to Iran in a very special meditation to celebrate the coming of light in this great land.
Dear Friends,
Salaam (peace).
Since the fraudulent election that took place three months ago in Iran that reinstated the illegitimate government of Mr. Ahmadinejad, the brave and freedom loving people of Iran have suffered a great deal of brutal oppression in the hands of the authoritarian and theocratic regime. At least 70 people have lost their lives and thousands have been arrested, detained and tortured, in some cases to their deaths, with some reports of rape and sexual abuse in the dungeons, held by a variety of security services under the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Army, etc. Many of the top leaders from the early post Islamic revolution period and heads of the political parties, who in the past 30 years had reached some degree of political maturity have now been jailed and tortured, forced into public confessions, which have been widely broadcasted by the state controlled television and news agencies. These confessions, which were coerced after months of solitary confinement and under extreme physical and psychological torture, have already been invalidated by the Grand Ayatollahs, i.e., Montazeri, Sanei and Dastgheib, and others, on the grounds of Figh judiciary principles, as well as the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has forbidden obtaining confessions under any circumstances of torture. Since the first round of the wide scale arrests of the top political figures, brutal suppression of the protestors in the streets, closure of the universities and attacks on the students’ dormitories did not calm the situation, a second round of arrests, this time the children of the detainees, including the grandchildren of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, has been started. There have been instances that a detained father has been threatened that if he does not publicly confess to the allegations imposed upon him, his child will be executed. Interestingly, as mentioned above, according to the Islamic law (Sharia) and the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, not only is any form of torture forbidden, but any confession obtained under solitary confinement and isolation or under torture is not valid. Moreover, the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran allows for peaceful demonstrations as the legitimate right of people (Principle #27). This would be in total conflict with the decree that Ayatollah Khamenei made in the Friday prayer after the fraudulent election, which forbade any further demonstrations, threatening the demonstrators with harsh treatment, and putting all of the responsibility on the shoulders of the political opposition leaders. In that move, Mr. Khamenei not only proved to have a very poor judgment, but also to be unjust. Unfortunately, the Council of Experts, that according to the constitution is in charge of appointment, evaluation of performance, and dismissal of the Supreme Leader (Principle #111) has become a ceremonial body asking him for guidance!! An independently functioning Council of Experts would have critically reviewed the performance of the Supreme Leader, questioning his judgment and justice, and would have removed him from his position. Interestingly, a number of Grand Ayatollahs in the city of Quom (Javadi Amoli, Amini, Ostadi, and others) are now expressing their concerns and disapproval of the way that the government has handled the general public dissatisfaction in reaction to the election. It seems that Ayatollah Khamenei has lost his legitimacy as the Supreme Leader (Valye Fahih) on the grounds of his poor judgment and administrative incapability (Tadbir), and lack of justice (Adl), all of which are prerequisites in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Principles #5 and #109).
The concept of Velayate Fagih (the supremacy/guardianship of the jurist) was introduced into the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran about a year after the establishment of the Republic, and it was ten years later, that is, 1990, that the concept of Velayate Motlagheh Fagih (the absolute supremacy/guardianship of the jurist) was amended into the constitution. The latter did nothing but elevate the position of the Valye Fagih (the supreme religious leader) to a modern time pharaoh, granting a jurist an unlimited power and authority, demanding absolute obedience by all, and without any accountability, which inherently created a most dangerous form of dictatorship. As a result, Islam, which is a religion of kindness and reasoning, with its God most revered as “the most merciful and the most compassionate,” and its prophet characterized as “mercy to all mankind,” (Rahmatan Lel Alamin), has now become a brutally oppressive tool in the hands of Iran’s theocratic regime.
What people of Iran have experienced in the past 30 years has been a brutal, authoritarian, oppressive government that is willing to commit any type of oppression and brutality on its own people in order to sustain its grip on power. This resulted in murders of around 80 intellectuals and nationalists in 1980s, more than 3,000 political prisoners being summarily executed without a proper legal due process in 1988, and multiple attacks on university campuses, brutally beating the students and killing several of them by throwing them off the roof of their dormitories, etc. All have resulted in a disillusionment of the Iranian people who had voted for a just, fair and honest Islamic Republic. As time has passed, it has become apparent that the republic component of the constitution has gradually lost its position to an authoritarian, dictatorial theocracy run by an “Islamic” pharaoh called Valye Faghih.
I sincerely hope that these are the last years of the theocratic government and that Mr. Khamenei is the last jurist ruler in Iran’s history. I strongly believe that the people of Iran have reached the historic maturity to look forward to the democratic republic of Iran, where every citizen, irrespective of his/her religious beliefs, has one vote, and all citizens are considered equal in the eyes of the law, irrespective of their sex, race, and religious beliefs, with equal opportunities for pursuit of intellectual and spiritual growth, as well as prosperity and happiness. The influence of religion in such an institution would be from the bottom to the top, and not form the top to the bottom, as it is at the present time in Iran. Moreover, human rights will be a mandate that will not be negotiated.
Looking forward to better days for the people of Iran and the rest of the world.
With regards,
Bahar Bastani, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
10/1/2009
Freedom is delicious! Over the last three months, Iranians have been awakening to their power, their divinity. They are fighting the nonviolent fight for their freedom, yet do they realize that they are already free? They have already tasted it, and they love it, and they want more. The mullacracy knows it, and they are scared shitless! That’s why they are reacting so violently and schitzophrenically. They know that they are FUCKED! The people are awakening, and they are actively co-creating a new reality for themselves. The world is watching, yet does the world know what it is witnessing?
Hmm?
It has always bothered me that Iran’s hard line fanatical supreme leader, Ali Khameini, has attained the title of ‘Ayatollah’ without earning it. An ayatollah is someone who has studied earnestly for many many years in religious seminaries, gradually achieving the lofty status bearing the title “Sign of God”. This is compareable to a PHD in university. Ayatollahs are supposed to be very knowledgeable men, well versed in Islamic law. (for a detailed description see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayatollah ).
Ali Khameini did not earn his degree folks. He was more like a BA (or BS in his case), but just before his predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini, died in 1989, he was suddenly appointed, overnight, to the lofty position. Why? Because the other Ayatollah (Montazeri) that was to succeed Khomeini fell out of favor for suggesting that Iran was straying from the true path, that Iran perhaps should embrace dialogue with “The Great Satan” America. He was simply defrocked and placed under house arrest, where he remains to this day. The thing is, under the Iranian constitution, only an Ayatollah may become the ’supreme leader’, thus Khameini’s sudden promotion. He was favored for his hard line views that more closely reflected those of Khomeini (and coincidentally, his name is almost identical).
So for the last 20 years we have had this imposter running Iran into the ground. We are all too familiar with the horrible policies and behavior of this regime, but I digress. Let’s take a look at the words coming from the mouth of the real deal, not this imposter. I’m not trying to advocate another Ayatollah to replace the current supreme leader (I don’t think Iran needs a theocracy at all). I just want to see what a true ayatollah, THE rightful successor to run the regime, has to say about what has been happening in Iran recently. Take a look, it may surprise you:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/16/irans-fatwa-for-freedom/
I was just reflecting on the reality of the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds, of innocents in Iran following the elections. When you understand that they aren’t truly ‘dead’ in that their consciousness continues on a higher level than that of this physical level, then it is possible to grasp the reality that they are now operating on this situation from their higher vantage point.
Also, don’t forget the power of the Shahid in Iranian culture. The Iranian government itself has abused this Shi’ite concept perhaps more than any other in the ‘name of God’ over the last 30 years. Now the good Iranian people are showing us TRUE martyrdom through peaceful protests, and perhaps for the first time, the entire world can identify with this very powerful cultural archetype in unity with Iranians that are sacrificing their lives in the name of freedom. I can not think of a higher ideal to struggle or die for.
All of those who have sacrificed their physical lives in the name of freedom in Iran are remembered deeply by the survivers and witnesses, and are surely lending support to the cause through the energy they receive from the people. Iranians are energizing the process of change with their consciousness, as are the rest of us that focus our attention on this situation.
Each one of the people who was murdered is a precious soul, and by losing their physical bodies, they are not weakened or removed at all. On the contrary, they are certainly empowered dramatically, and with each execution, their numbers swell and more energy is fed into their ranks. The Iranian government is unwittingly empowering the change that will result in their own demise.
This is just one more example of how the very tools that the mullahs have used to gain & exercize their power were taken from them and used in an authentic way by the Iranian people against them.
Opening my heart and traveling to this area of Iran, I travel today with a blue stream of light. Blue adds the energy of truth to the area we are focused on.
I am in the center of Tehran…by Afoo’s side. I now open my awareness to our connection and to my energy merged with hers as ONE. Yes, I feel the fear of the unknown… I feel many beings of Light around me…it is no longer possible to work as an individual. We open our awareness to the knowing that we come as ONE energy of Light. One energy in Truth Trust and in Divine Love. And we remain.
As we expand our conscious healing light a golden hue integrates the area and the country and then expands to surround our planet. Our Mother expands her awareness and opens her heart and this golden hue is now integrated with a silver hue.
In the energy of Divine Love we command the healing of the Iranian people to be of the highest potential for all, for the country, for the planet, for the Universe and beyond. All healing is in Divine Love. All is created in Divine Love.
And so it is.
Healing Spirit
On the eve of the Iranian presidential elections, I would like to make an observation from the point of view of someone who has witnessed the political history of Iran first-hand over the past three decades. I’m not an Iranian or a woman, but I can clearly see the obvious euphoria felt by many young Iranians, particularly women, over the imminent election of Mir Hussain Mousavi. Of course, I don’t beleive the elections in ANY country to be free and fair, and I am well aware that it is quite possible for this election to be rigged by the Ahmadinejad camp. Nevertheless, Iranians are expresing their desire for real change in their country. It saddens me to know that it doesn’t really matter who is elected, and the struggle in Iran is far from over. However, I am heartened to see the enthusiasm for change in Iran, and knowing this does give me hope. Iran is an ancient country, and also a very young country. Whoever wins, I hope & pray that the people of Iran will FINALLY some day receive the real change they deserve. The fuse has been lit…don’t let them blow it out!
Here is a wonderful video of a song by Ebi entitled “Tasmim” (Decision) that sums it up beautifully:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0hUREstSlw&feature=related
OK. now that the election is ‘official’, we can clearly see the TRUTH. The votes probably weren’t even counted. I think the Iranian goverment just made a serious miscalculation that may well cost them their throne. I’m reminded of the 1999 student demonstrations. I was actually in Tehran when that happened. The government was actually bussing supporters in from the provinces to create the illusion that they were actually popular. I saw this with my own eyes. I also heard with my own ears the negative comments about the Iranian demonstrators from the lips of government officials. They felt nothing but contempt for the youth who were demanding change in their country.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31238321/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/?gt1=43001
Now is the BEST chance Iranians have ever had to make a real change in Iran since 1979. For the sake of the entire world, PLEASE don’t blow it this time! Stand up and take back your power! They are only powerful because you allow them to take it from you! The world is watching. GO IRAN!!!!
We can all see countless beautiful videos of Iran on youtube, but this one really digs straight through all of the bullshit, straight to the heart:
I am so heartened to see that there are Americans whom refuse to cower from the negative stereotyping of Iran by the media and actually go to Iran to see the truth for themselves. In every single case I am pleased to hear the enthusiasm flowing from the lips of excited Americans upon their return from their trips to Iran. Here is a beautiful photo essay by an American grassroots delegation, sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, which has recently returned from such a trip:
Welcome and Khoshamadid! This blog is dedicated to the oppressed but powerful people of Iran, and their supporters. The goal of this blog is to awaken Iranians to their true power and glory as co-creators of a new world free of pain, suffering and lies, and welcome them to the reality of their true power and glory which has been suppressed by the terrible system of religious and social oppression. Wake up to a new world of love, peace, unity, and joy that was originally conceived in Iran millenia ago under the name of ‘Paradise’!
This is a place for Truth. Everyone is welcome to join us here, without exception. No matter your religious background or political persuasion, we will discuss new ways of thinking, new ways of living, in a world in which WE are the masters of creation, of reality. If you are sick and tired of the lies and the threats, if you want to live in a world where we can ALL be free to live in peace and happiness and unity, if you want to make a difference and change this dying old world into a fresh and dynamic and beautiful garden of life and love, then you have come to the right place! Get ready to change the world, starting right NOW!
Khoda Hafez and Namaste