The Weather Wizards – Part Five
The interaction between an enlightened being (a person who has discovered his or her true state of being) and nature is not limited to those occasions of conscious intervention, such as when a person decides to influence the weather in one way or another, as we have seen in the ability of Jesus to calm a storm and still a raging sea (Matthew 8:24-27). There is a subtle and ongoing relationship between the two that takes its character from the mind.
Because mind is the foundation of the entire universe, of which nature is a part, the mind of an enlightened being is constantly in harmony with the weather, as well as all other aspects of nature. It should therefore come as no surprise to find that when an enlightened being is put to death by violent means, that the forces of nature would rise up in harmonic fashion at the moment of their death.
St. Matthew wrote that at the very moment that Jesus gave up the ghost: “The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom: and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.” (Matthew 27:51). The apostle Mark noted that from the sixth to the ninth hour while Jesus hung on the cross, “There was darkness over the whole land.” (Mark 15:33). It was this awesome display of nature that so impressed the Roman centurion and caused him to confess: “Truly this was the Son of God”. (Matthew 27:54)
The strange events that attended the death of Jesus find an interesting parallel in the life and death of the prophet Ali Muhammad, who was one of the founders of the Baha’i faith. Born in 1819 in the Persian town of Shiraz, the young Ali was renowned for his austere practices and religious understanding. He grew into a man endowed with remarkable qualities, allied to a quiet dignity and purity of character. He spoke with rare beauty and power.
It was not long before Ali attracted a group of followers who revered him as a prophet, and the bearer of a new religious revelation. He became known as the Bab, a title meaning “Gateway of God”. By the year 1849, the signs and wonders attributed to the Bab generated a religious fervor throughout the whole of Persia. It even reached Tehran, much to the dismay of the ecclesiastical dignitaries.
Alarmed at the intense loyalty demonstrated by his followers, and their public displays of faith and devotion, the ministers of the Shah ordered the Bab to be arrested and brought to Tabriz to account for his actions. At his trial, he was asked who he claimed to be. In response the Bab announced: “I am, I am, I am the Promised One”. This claim of divine status infuriated the assembled elders.
When asked to provide proof of his claim to be the Promised One, the Bab replied: “Is it not enough for them that we have sent down to Thee the Book? The power to produce such evidence has been given to me by God. Within the space of two days and two nights I declare myself able to reveal verses of such number as will equal the whole of the Koran.” (Modern Mystics: Francis Younghusband)
The Bab’s reply so enraged the gathered Mullahs that he was ordered to be severely beaten. But the treatment that he received at the hands of the authorities so inflamed his followers that there were further outbreaks of insurrection. Finally, for the safety of the state, he was ordered to be put to death. He was delivered to Sam Khan, a colonel of the Christian regiment at Urumiyya, who was instructed to carry out the execution.
In the early hours of July 9, 1850, the Bab, together with one of his devoted followers who had pleaded to be allowed to remain with his master, were tied to a pillar in front of selected marksmen. At the command of Sam Khan they opened fire. As the smoke from their rifles cleared, the soldiers were astounded to see that the Bab’s companion remained standing before them, alive and unhurt. The Bab himself was nowhere to be seen.
An immediate search of the barracks was conducted and the Bab was found to be engaged in quiet conversation with one of his disciples. Stunned by what he had witnessed, Sam Khan refused to have anything further to do with the Bab. In his place another colonel of the bodyguard offered to carry out the execution. The Bab was again led outside and tied to the pillar. This time, when the rifles rang out, the shattered bodies of the Bab and his companion hung limply from the mast.
It was at this moment that the skies erupted in fury. In the words of the noted British army officer, explorer and writer Sir Francis Younghusband:
“A gale arose and swept over the city. A whirlwind of dust of incredible density obscured the light of the sun and blinded the eyes of the people. The entire city remained enveloped in darkness from noon till night.”
