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Baha'is of Carlton and Gedling, Gedling (2026)

23/05/2026

Stroll for the Soul Saturday 23rd May 2026.

We gathered at the car park off Catfoot Lane and moved off at 11am. We started with the thought:

If you would be a light for others,
Be like the sun: Show the same face to all.
Abu Sa’id.

We slowly walked across the grassy football field alongside the Dumbles stream. Then entering the wooded border running alongside the stream where we heard Spring Carol by Robert Louis Stevenson:

WHEN loud by landside streamlets gush,
And clear in the greenwood quires the thrush,
With sun on the meadows
And songs in the shadows
Comes again to me
The gift of the tongues of the lea,
The gift of the tongues of meadows.

So when the earth is alive with gods,
And the l***y ploughman breaks the sod,
And the grass sings in the meadows,
And the flowers smile in the shadows,
Sits my heart at ease,
Hearing the song of the leas,
Singing the songs of the meadows.

Robert Louis Stevenson.

Then we walked slowly alongside the stream and through some woodland to the meadow where we paused to hear:

When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed freedom, for self is the greater prison. When this release takes place, one can never be imprisoned… The spiritual world bestows only joy.
'Abdu'l-Bahá.

Then up the footpath through a wooded glade to the top where we paused by our favourite tree with arms reaching to the sky where we heard Field Path by John Clare:

The beams in blossom with their spots of jet
Smelt sweet as gardens wheresoever met;
The level meadow grass was in the swath;
The hedge briar rose hung right across the path,
White over with its flowers--the grass that lay
Bleaching beneath the twittering heat to hay
Smelt so deliciously, the puzzled bee
Went wondering where the honey sweets could be;
And passer-bye along the level rows
Stoopt down and whipt a bit beneath his nose.
John Clare.

Then across the meadow and over the footbridge to a buttercup field ablaze with flowers. Then crossing the field we passed through a narrow gap in the hedge to the ‘heart’ of the Dumbles next to an Oak tree by a small waterfall where we paused silently while we heard this prayer:

From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire!
Bahá'u'lláh.

Back across the meadow and over the second bridge we paused by the other side of the waterfall and heard:

Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all… With the utmost unity and in a spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves…
Bahá'u'lláh.
After a meditative pause we gently strolled onwards, along the wooded path, over the stile, across another buttercup meadow and back to the car park where we shared refreshments.
Thanks to all who joined us on this inspiring sunny day.

26/04/2026

Stroll for the Soul Saturday 25th April 2026. Lambley Dumbles.

Once again we gathered at the car park near Lambley Village Primary School for our Stroll. It was dry underfoot and the sun shone.
All around us on the ground were the signs of young green Spring leaves and among the trees bluebells and yellow archangel flourished in clumps. We started with the thought-

O Friend! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love.
Bahá'u'lláh

Walking gently across the playing field towards the hedge beside the Dumbles stream, we entered the wooded border and under the trees we read these words:

Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart.
Bahá'u'lláh

Then walking along the edge of the field with the wooded edge of the Dumbles to our left, we passed through a small copse and out into the open meadow with birds singing where we heard:

Young Lambs by John Clare.

The spring is coming by a many signs;
The trays are up, the hedges broken down,
That fenced the haystack, and the remnant shines
Like some old antique fragment weathered brown.
And where suns peep, in every sheltered place,
The little early buttercups unfold
A glittering star or two--till many trace
The edges of the blackthorn clumps in gold.
And then a little lamb bolts up behind
The hill and wags his tail to meet the yoe,
And then another, sheltered from the wind,
Lies all his length as dead--and lets me go
Close bye and never stirs but baking lies,
With legs stretched out as though he could not rise.

Then up the hill, through the wooded area to the summit and down once again towards the meadow.
Over the footbridge and across a second meadow we passed through the hedge to the ‘heart’ of the Dumbles with the waterfall flowing with a turbulent vigour we offered this prayer to this sacred and magical spot:

From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire!
Bahá’u’lláh.

After spending a few minutes bathing in the tranquility of the Dumbles, we slowly walked back across the footbridge, turned left through the cowslip meadow, over the footbridge and along the footpath through the small field, then returning down the side of the hedgerow we entered the presence of the waterfall from the other side of the stream where we heard:

The earth is in motion and growth; the mountains, hills and prairies are green and pleasant; the bounty is overflowing; the mercy universal; the rain is descending from the cloud of mercy; the brilliant Sun is shining; the full moon is ornamenting the horizon of ether; the great ocean-tide is flooding every little stream; the gifts are successive; the favors consecutive; and the refreshing breeze is blowing, wafting the fragrant perfume of the blossoms...
If we are not happy and joyous at this season, for what other season shall we wait and for what other time shall we look?
'Abdu'l-Bahá

Then a slow walk back to the hedgerow and along the footpath where we entered the woodland to our left offering a view back towards where we had just been, where we heard a poem by Robert Frost:

A Prayer in Spring
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
Robert Frost

After a short meditative pause we continued along the path on the edge of the woodland following the course of the Dumbles stream, over a stile and through a meadow and eventually back to the car park where we shared refreshments.

29/03/2026

Stroll for the Soul – 28th March 2026.

We gathered at the side of Lambley Primary School at 11am on Saturday 28th March and started with the thought:

‘Strive that your actions day by day may be beautiful prayers.’
'Abdu'l-Bahá.

We gently strolled through the playing field to beside the Dumble stream. Nestling ‘neath the trees we heard:

Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all… With the utmost unity, and in a spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves
Bahá'u'lláh

Through the hedge and along the path to the meadow the Hawthorns were coming into lime-green leaf, the Blackthorn were shining white in flower and the small barren branches in the hedgerow were verdant with lichen. At the side of the meadow on the footpath by the hedge we heard a poem by John Clare:

On a Lane in Spring.

A Little Lane, the brook runs close beside
And spangles in the sunshine while the fish glide swiftly by
And hedges leafing with the green spring tide
From out their greenery the old birds fly
And chirp and whistle in the morning sun
The pilewort glitters ‘neath the pale blue sky
The little robin has its nest begun
And grass green linnets round the bushes fly
How Mild the Spring Comes in; the daisy buds
Lift up their golden blossoms to the sky
How lovely are the pingles and the woods
Here a beetle runs; and there a fly
Rests on the Arum leaf in bottle green
And all the Spring in this Sweet lane is seen

John Clare.

Across the meadow and over the footbridge crossing the stream, the clouds ebbed and flowed under the gust of surging winds. Across a second meadow alongside the hedge we passed through a narrow gap and entered the presence of the heart of the Dumbles by a small waterfall where we offered these words:

From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire!
Bahá'u'lláh.

After some moments of silent reflection and the gentle sound sof the running water we slowly moved back into the meadow, across the second bridge over the stream and to the woodland on the opposite side of the stream near the waterfall where we heard:

Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart.
Bahá'u'lláh.

Back onto the path and in to the woodland looking back over the joining of the two streams we had encountered, we heard:

Harshness vanished. A sudden softness
has replaced the meadows’ wintry grey.
Little rivulets of water changed
their singing accents. Tendernesses,
hesitantly, reach toward the earth
from space, and country lanes are showing
these unexpected subtle risings
that find expression in the empty trees
Rainer Marie Rilke.

After some moments pause we returned to the footpath on the edge of the woodland by the hedge and walked slowly along to the last stile on our Stroll. On passing over the stile and through the grassy cattle meadow we slowly walked back to the Lambley for refreshments.

16/03/2026

Please Share:
During the Second World War, a group of people stopped whatever they were doing at a specific time every night to pray for peace and safety for everyone. They did this every day, and it was as if the whole city paused — such was the power of prayer. The result was so overwhelming that the bombing stopped shortly afterward!
Now once again some people are organizing. A group of people around the world has agreed to spend one minute praying for the safety of our countries, for the end of the problems that oppress us, and for God to guide the decisions of our leaders.
We will gather at the following times:
India – 9:00 p.m.
Germany – 4:00 p.m.
Austria – 4:00 p.m.
Spain – 4:00 p.m.
Portugal – 3:00 p.m.
Canary Islands – 3:00 p.m.
Costa Rica – 8:00 p.m.
Colombia – 7:00 p.m.
Nicaragua – 8:00 p.m.
Ecuador – 7:00 p.m.
Guatemala – 8:00 p.m.
Mexico – 8:00 p.m.
Panama – 7:00 p.m.
Honduras – 6:00 p.m.
El Salvador – 8:00 p.m.
Venezuela – 6:00 p.m.
Uruguay – 5:00 p.m.
Paraguay – 5:00 p.m.
Brazil – 6:00 p.m.
Argentina – 5:00 p.m.
Peru – 6:00 p.m.
Chile – 5:00 p.m.
Italy – 4:00 p.m.
Australia – 2:00 p.m.
United States – 1:00 p.m.
Canada – 12 noon
Singapore – 9:00 p.m.
Thailand – 9:00 p.m.
Korea – 9:00 p.m.
Hong Kong / Taiwan – 10:00 p.m.
Philippines – 11:00 p.m.
Switzerland – 4:00 p.m.
U.K. - 3:00 p.m.
Please support us in this initiative. Every day we will pause for one minute at the designated time to pray for world peace, for the end of conflict, and for the restoration of calm and security for all people on earth. We will also pray that families may seek their security, protection, and salvation in God.
If we truly understood the immense power of prayer, we would be amazed. 🙏🙏🙏🙏
If you can, please forward this request to your contacts so that together we can work a miracle through our prayers.
Set an alarm on your phone every day at the time designated for your country and pray for one minute for peace. 🙏🙏🙏🙏
The power of many people praying together at the same time is incredible!
Let us try to pray at the given time. 🕔
PLEASE FORWARD / SHARE 🙏🏼

12/03/2026

Food Bank Donations.

O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.

Bahá’u’lláh.

Our community and friends are continuing to support our local Food Banks for the homeless and disadvantaged. This week we are supporting the food bank at Bethesda Community Hall, behind the church in Netherfield. Thanks to all those who have donated.

08/03/2026

Stroll for the Soul – February (delayed from Saturday March 8th).

We gathered at a car park at the side of the Dumbles stream in the village of Lambley, Nottinghamshire, UK. We started with the thought:

‘The Holy Land is everywhere’ Black Elk.

Then we slowly walked to the side of the Dumbles stream under the trees where we heard -

The turning and falling of the autumn leaves is past; the bleakness of the winter time is over. The new year hath appeared and the spiritual springtime is at hand. The black earth is becoming a verdant garden; the deserts and mountains are teeming with red flowers; from the borders of the wilderness the tall grasses are standing like advance guards before the cypress and jessamine trees; while the birds are singing among the rose branches like the angels in the highest heavens, announcing the glad-tidings of the approach of that spiritual spring, and the sweet music of their voices is causing the real essence of all things to move and quiver.
'Abdu'l-Bahá.

After a few moments silent meditation we walked alongside the stream by the hedge to the meadow by the wooded copse-

Fidelity by D H Lawrence.

Man and woman are like the earth, that brings forth flowers
in summer, and love, but underneath is rock.
Older than flowers, older than ferns, older than foraminiferae,
older than plasm altogether is the soul underneath.
And when, throughout all the wild chaos of love
slowly a gem forms, in the ancient, once-more-molten rocks
of two human hearts, two ancient rocks,
a man's heart and a woman's,
that is the crystal of peace, the slow hard jewel of trust,
the sapphire of fidelity.
The gem of mutual peace emerging from the wild chaos of love.
D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)

Then passing through the wooded copse we paused by the ‘tree with open arms’ and heard the words of Donald Culross Peattie:

The last fling of winter is over.
The earth, the soil itself, has a dreaming quality about it.
It is warm now to the touch;
it has come alive;
is hides secrets that in a moment,
in a little while,
it will tell.
Then across the meadow and one arm of the Dumbles we came to the gushing waterfall where we always offer this sacred text:
From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire!
From a Bahá'í Prayer.

Then after a meditative pause we continued across the bridge of the second arm of the Dumbles to view the waterfall from a different angle where we heard the words -
Create in me a pure heart…
Renew a tranquil conscience within me O my Hope.
Let the breezes of thine eternity gladden me…
Let thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquility on me, O my Companion.
From a prayer of Bahá'u'lláh.

After a short pause we continued along the upper edge of the Dumbles stream, through the sublime woodland eventually crossing a style into the open meadow and then a slow stroll back to the Lambley for refreshments.

08/02/2026

Cluster Reflection Meeting - Derby 07/02/26.

For consultation:

Ultimately, the power to transform the world is effected by love, love originating from the relationship with the divine, love ablaze among members of a community, love extended without restriction to every human being. This divine love, ignited by the Word of God, is disseminated by enkindled souls through intimate conversations that create new susceptibilities in human hearts, open minds to moral persuasion, and loosen the hold of biased norms and social systems so that they can gradually take on a new form in keeping with the requirements of humanity’s age of maturity. You are channels for this divine love; let it flow through you to all who cross your path. Infuse it into every neighborhood and social space in which you move to build capacity to canalize the society-building power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. There can be no rest until the destined outcome is achieved.
The Universal House of Justice, 22 July 2022

02/02/2026

Stroll for the Soul Saturday 31st January 2026.

Welcome to our new year of Strolls. Once again we gathered at the car park near Lambley Village Primary School for our Stroll. It was wet and muddy, but the sun shone.

We started with a thought from Thomas Mann:
‘Laughter is the sunbeam of the soul.’

Walking gently across the playing field towards the hedge beside the Dumbles stream, we entered the wooded border and under the trees we read a poem:

To the New Year – by William Stanley Merwin:

With what stillness at last
you appear in the valley
your first sunlight reaching down
to touch the tips of a few
high leaves that do not stir
as though they had not noticed
and did not know you at all
then the voice of a dove calls
from far away in itself
to the hush of the morning…

Then walking along the edge of the field with water trickling and puddles seated we passed through a wooded area and out into the open meadow with birds singing:

I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive the dead. I am the guiding Light that illumineth the way. I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird and start it on its flight.
- Bahá’u’lláh.

Then up the hill, through the wooded area to the summit and down once again towards the meadow:

...when the ray returneth to the sun, it is wiped out, and when the drop cometh to the sea, it vanisheth, and when the true lover findeth his Beloved, he yieldeth up his soul. – Abdu’l-Baha.

Over the footbridge and across the second meadow we passed through the hedge to the ‘heart’ of the Dumbles with the waterfall flowing with a turbulent vigour we offered this prayer to this sacred and magical spot:

From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire!
Bahá’u’lláh.

After spending a few minutes bathing in the tranquility of the Dumbles, we slowly walked back across the footbridge, through inspiring woodland and meadows to end our Stroll at the Lambley, where we had some refreshments.

22/01/2026

Current world events seem to be escalating towards a need for global change and transformation. Many insightful and visionary postings are appearing. Some further insights are offered below to enter into the global consultation, from a visionary message from 1985 entitled:

The Promise of World Peace.
To the Peoples of the World.

Disunity is a danger that the nations and peoples of the earth can no longer endure; the consequences are too terrible to contemplate, too obvious to require any demonstration… “Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fe**sh, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.”

Concerning the proceedings for this world gathering... “They must make the Cause of Peace the object of general consultation, and seek by every means in their power to establish a Union of the nations of the world. They must conclude a binding treaty and establish a covenant, the provisions of which shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to all the world and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. This supreme and noble undertaking—the real source of the peace and well-being of all the world—should be regarded as sacred by all that dwell on earth. All the forces of humanity must be mobilized to ensure the stability and permanence of this Most Great Covenant. In this all-embracing Pact the limits and frontiers of each and every nation should be clearly fixed, the principles underlying the relations of governments towards one another definitely laid down, and all international agreements and obligations ascertained. In like manner, the size of the armaments of every government should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will arouse the suspicion of others. The fundamental principle underlying this solemn Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate any one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise to reduce it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to destroy that government. Should this greatest of all remedies be applied to the sick body of the world, it will assuredly recover from its ills and will remain eternally safe and secure.”
The holding of this mighty convocation is long overdue.

Extract from The Promise of World Peace, Universal House of Justice, Haifa, 1985.

23/11/2025

Stroll for the Soul – 22nd November

Five eager souls gathered at the car park by the Primary School off Catfoot Lane, Lambley Village on Saturday 25th October at 11am. The mist and light rain offered a sombre yet atmospheric atmosphere. We started with the thought-

All the darkness of the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.
Francis of Assisi

Walking along the path to the hedgerow by the gentle trickling sound of Dumbles we gathered neath the shade of hazel and oak among fallen leaves and acorns and with the canopy of leaves branches and twigs glistening with water, we slowly walked along the footpath, passed by a wooded hedge with lichen clad branches, through a small rough pasture where the skeletons of Hogweed still stood proud then by a small copse into a meadow where we heard -

Birds initially had no desire to fly, what really happened was this:
God once sat close to them playing music.
When He left they missed Him so much
Their great longing sprouted wings,
Needing to search the sky.
Nothing evolves us like Love.
Hafiz

Through the trees into a meadow, then across a footbridge over the stream and following the hedge, through a concealed gap we entered the ‘heart’ of the Dumbles with a small waterfall, deep steep sided valleys and a sublime atmosphere where we offered this prayer:

From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire!
- Bahá’u’lláh

Then a gentle stroll along the footpath across a second footbridge, through a small meadow to the other side of the main stream where we looked back and heard the words -

My November Guest

My sorrow, when she’s here with me,
Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
She walks the sodden pasture lane.
Her pleasure will not let me stay.
She talks and I am fain to list:
She’s glad the birds are gone away,
She’s glad her simple worsted grey
Is silver now with clinging mist.
The desolate, deserted trees,
The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
And vexes me for reason why.
Not yesterday I learned to know
The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
And they are better for her praise.

Robert Frost.

– we continued following the path alongside the hedgerow and over the stile into the large meadow and back through a small lane we retired to the The Lambley for refreshments.

Thanks once again to all who joined us and shared this atmospheric walk.

Baha'is of Carlton and Gedling

23/05/2026

26/04/2026

29/03/2026

16/03/2026

12/03/2026

08/03/2026

08/02/2026

02/02/2026

22/01/2026

23/11/2025

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