Strengthening the Wings

The two wings of humanity lift us toward our highest potential, individually and collectively.

It’s been over two months since my last post. Much has transpired in these nine weeks—all the while strengthening my wings, materially and spiritually, in form and spirit, with pain and promise, quietly, almost imperceptibly. I find myself being constantly drawn toward that beautiful, light, and powerful balance between the masculine and feminine, between the material and spiritual dimensions of life.

Two passages have inspired me as guiding lights during this time.

Scientific knowledge is the highest attainment upon the human plane... A bird has two wings; it cannot fly with one. Material and spiritual science are the two wings of human uplift and attainment.

— ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.138

The balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy... The new age will be one in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced.

— Quoted in J. E. Esslemont, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era.

These two harmonies—the unity of science and religion, and the balance of the masculine and feminine—do not come easily. They have (always) been working on me as much as I have been striving toward them, shaping my reflections and actions.

In this light, I felt moved to share some reflections on what has been unfolding: (1) settling and renewing life, (2) allowing purpose and livelihood to take organic form, (3) sustaining a focus on service and community building, and (4) learning both inwardly and outwardly through it all.

It is also a small note to say hello, for sharing our lives and learning with one another is itself a generative act—one that weaves connection and strengthens the ties of our shared learning, in the spiritual realm of thought.

Interestingly, as we carried out a 15-day renewed settling plan two months ago, a subtle transformation occurred. In a surreal way, it felt as though we had only now arrived in Melbourne—in place and in spirit. For the first time in two years, I hung the artwork that connects our lives across time and place: my mother’s small paintings and beautiful Chinese artwork from our nearly 25 years in China, and I bought a bookshelf.

In this same time and current of renewal, ‘‘a tempest of sorrow’’—and the disappointments that had weighed so heavily—have at last begun to pass. In their place, a sense of movement forward, freedom, and gratitude has emerged—“the invisible outpourings” received through growth born of adversity.

Be thou not unhappy; the tempest of sorrow shall pass; regret will not last; disappointment will vanish; the fire of the love of God will become enkindled, and the thorns and briars of sadness and despondency will be consumed! Be thou happy; rest thou assured upon the favors of Baha’, so that uncertainty and hesitation may become non-existent and the invisible outpourings descend upon the arena of being!

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v3, p. 557.

Of course, this movement is continuing…

An example of another plan from these weeks—a nine-day plan, the board, pictured here, of which captured a small collection of data and learning, alongside pages of reflections in my notebook.

During this time, another unexpected and interesting moment arrived. Just as I was setting goals for the 9-Day Plan, Taylor Swift released a new album—and her song Ophelia carried me to another realm. I found myself overjoyed, singing and dancing along, for a few days, despite never having listened to her music before! Later, this delightful, joyful experience revealed a deeper resonance—a subtle insight on the theme of women, their strength, presence, and creative spirit.

With the changes happening and lifting of the inner clouds came a new light of understanding, illuminating the path before me.

This period brought new clarity to the fundamental framework guiding my life and future livelihood: Levels of Unity in Relationships—An Enkindled Soul’s Journey. The five levels outline an inner state, an outer expression, a guiding practice, and an aim for each stage. It is only the beginning, and I am just learning to practice these levels in daily life. Yet I can already see that this framework will continue to unfold and mature over the years—a lifelong field of learning about the nature of unity, how it deepens, expands, and expresses itself across relationships and stages of life.

I overcame a long-standing barrier to the “business” side of education, embracing coaching, counselling, and consulting as authentic extensions of holistic education itself—forms of service that belong not only in the old institutions (e.g., schools, businesses) but in the new institutions emerging (e.g., the family, community) and the realities of daily and societal life.

With this shift, I began learning from a senior coach in my Transformative Leadership cohort and joined Neuro Nudges, a coaching network that feels like a true fit—mature in empathy, care, support, clear-mindedness, and scientific understanding.

The first foundational thread of my holistic practice is the Bahá’í-inspired Transformative Leadership framework developed by Eloy Anello, Joan Hernández, May Khadem . From all of this together, a second foundational thread has begun to take shape—as mentioned, the emerging framework, Levels of Unity in Relationships. Flowing from these two foundations is the methodology that has both guided and now been renewed within my work in holistic education: strengths-based responsiveness, grounded in humanistic positive psychology, positive psychotherapy, and the wisdom traditions affirming the precious potential of our dual human nature. The focus of this approach is to perceive and draw out the inherent strengths within individuals and communities, helping them unfold ever more fully. Positive psychology, positive psychotherapy, and wisdom traditions also form the framework of my practice.

This understanding naturally extended into my daily life and community.

Service has always been the heartbeat of holistic education, and in these weeks, it took shape in multiple ways: supporting spiritually based activities in my neighborhood and suburb, coaching a children’s class teacher in her role as a spiritual educator, hosting interfaith devotionals in our Bahá’í home, offering presence and guidance to friends, and participating in a transformative gathering dedicated to learning from action of serving others, the Initiators of Change: Reflection & Learning Gathering, a space of shared learning among pioneers of social transformation.

I also find inspiration through the networks of Transformative Leadership and FUNDAEC and other networks, where I continue to reflect upon and apply the roots of new systems of education, development, and leadership.

Alongside service, this period has deepened my inner life and personal growth. I have returned, again and again, to research on the highly sensitive person (HSP), finding confirmation and insight at every step. I have explored polyvagal theory and its connections with spirituality, discovering complementary frameworks through which science and religion illuminate one another.

Daily practices of prayer, meditation, and reflection have been central: (1) reading and pondering spiritual texts; (2) deep breathing paired with yoga-like movement; (3) visualization practices inspired by Joe Dispenza; and (4) free-flow writing, drawing, and feeling meditation. Together, these practices nourish my wellbeing, spiritual clarity, and moral guidance, allowing me to meet the world—and the people in it—with presence and responsiveness.

Alongside this inner work, my family life remains a living laboratory for these principles—new patterns of family life, uniting material and spiritual progress. Daily prayer, consultation, meditation, and acts of service with my husband sustain our shared sense of purpose and connection. We are creating a new kind of world in our home.

Compare the nations of the world to the members of a family. A family is a nation in miniature. Simply enlarge the circle of the household and you have the nation. Enlarge the circle of nations and you have all humanity. The conditions surrounding the family surround the nation. The happenings in the family are the happenings in the life of the nation.

— ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 157.

And through it all, vivid, meaningful dreams continue to guide and illuminate my understanding, offering insight, encouragement, and reflection along the path. This ongoing interplay of learning, service, and inner cultivation reminds me that transformation is not theoretical—it is lived, moment by moment, day by day, in the choices we make and the care we bring to every aspect of life. *

All in all, this has been a season of transformation for me—shedding the remnants of determinism and other obsolete mental models that once shaped life and society. It has not been without pain. Yet I have come to recognize tribulation as part of divine education.

O Son of Man! The true lover yearneth for tribulation even as doth the rebel for forgiveness and the sinful for mercy.

— Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words, Arabic 49

For the first time in this season of my life, I read this with a full readiness of open embrace. Though I have returned to and reflected upon these words many times over my 25 years as a Bahá’í, it is only now that I can more fully feel and accept their truth: that to love truth, humanity, learning, wisdom, and God is to welcome the trials that refine and illuminate the soul. Not easy!

Dear friends, as a way to conclude, here are a few humble thoughts for walking an enkindled path toward the twofold purpose of life—awakening one’s unique potential and contributing to the transformation of society. They are lessons of mine and desires in the path:

• Hold the two wings—cultivate both science and spirituality as harmonizing forces of truth and progress.

• Balance the two energies—strengthen the courage and clarity that bring direction, and the love and responsiveness that bring connection.

• Embrace transformation—allow the chrysalis phase, with all its discomfort and stillness, to complete its sacred work.

• Serve where you stand—see family, community, and livelihood as sacred fields of learning and service.

• Trust the invisible outpourings—remember that growth often follows the storm, emerging subtly, even unpredictably, after the strain and surrender.

That is for now. Thank you for reading! I hope to continue shaping this Substack into something more systematic—on the path.

I warmly encourage you to explore the links shared throughout this post—they offer pathways for continued reflection and rich learning. I would love to hear how life has been unfolding for you in these recent days and weeks. Let’s share and connect! You are welcome to message anytime.

With kindness and hope,
Barbra

🎵 John Doan, “Water is Wide”, a peaceful melody to accompany reading and reflection.

A final sharing—p.s.

* For those who may be interested, I thought I’d share a significant dream I had last night. Rather than recounting all the details, I wish to offer a summary of its meaning, which I’ve come to through reflection and conversation with a useful learning tool, AI. The understanding resonates deeply with my own reflections and the Bahá’í teachings on education, balance, and the courage required of women in this age:

Summary Understanding of the Dream

Your dream reveals the inner landscape of a soul shaped by love, service, and vision—now feeling the tension between the ideal and the reality around her.

In the dream, you found yourself among others in a spiritual setting, yet you felt unseen, even ridiculed. You repeated “Alláh-u-Abhá”—a cry from the depths of your being for the true spirit of divine greatness to awaken. It reflected your fidelity to spiritual authenticity amid environments that had lost their inner vitality. You stood for the spirit when others settled for the form.

Your frustration as an educator symbolized the pain of seeing that education—divine, moral, and human—is meant to transform, not merely instruct. Then came the woman teacher and the responsive child—the song that broke through dullness. This was the future of education: the feminine principle of love, joy, and responsiveness restoring life to learning and spirit to community.

The dream unveiled two interwoven imbalances: the rigidity that limits openness and the gender imbalance that suppresses the intuitive and moral powers of women. The remedy, your soul knew, is not opposition but balance—to invite women’s voices fully into consultation and reawaken the spiritual vitality of both women and men.

Finally, your father’s image upon waking served as a seal of reconciliation—the healing of the masculine and feminine within your own soul. The past has been redeemed.

The Core Message

This dream is a call to courage—the “supreme courage” that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of for women in this age:

• To stand in your spiritual truth even when misunderstood.

• To act from love, not reaction—bringing the feminine spirit of care and insight into every circle.

• To nurture patterns of consultation where heart and mind, men and women, spirit and form, work together.

And finally, one last sharing:

A Subtle Continuation

Lately, the name and image of Martha Root have returned—through friends, memories, and moments of reflection. I once dreamt of her vividly, at a deeply meaningful time a decade ago, and her memory has never left me.

Now, she reappears as a reminder of what is being called forth in this age: courage, universality, and steadfast love. That same flame that once moved her across continents now touches my life, subtly calling forth courage in new capacities needed for service in these days and coming years and decades.

Copyright © Bahá’í International Community. Hand of the Cause Martha Root with a group of women in Melbourne, Australia, c. 1924.

Note: I am the author, originator, and guide of the ideas, structure, intention, and voice behind this session. The wording has been refined in parts with the help of AI as a (wonderful) learning and editorial tool—something I’ve been exploring with curiosity and care. Some of the language is directly written by me, and some has been shaped through collaborative drafting and revision.

All the while, the content, meaning, direction, and final expression are fully my own. It is shared from the heart, with the hope that it may uplift and inspire.

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