Pilgrim's Notes about Shoghi Effendi
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Ramona Brown, Pilgrim's Notes about Shoghi Effendi, Wilmette, IL: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980, bahai-library.com.
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Pilgrim's Notes about Shoghi Effendi

Ramona Brown
published in Memories of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Recollections of the Early Days of the Bahá'ís of California pp. 111-118

Wilmette, IL: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980

Biographical sketch on jacket cover:

Ramona Allen Brown was born in Boulder Creek, California, on August 10,
1889, the only daughter of Dr. Woodson and Frances Orr Allen. In 1904 she
heard about the Bahá'í Faith, which she embraced
immediately. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to California in 1912 only
deepened her commitment to her Faith. Except for a short trip to Hawaii,
Mrs. Brown remained in California, raising her family and teaching the
Bahá'í Faith — until 1954. In that year she made a
pilgrimage to the World Center of the Bahá'í Faith, then
settled in Majorca and later in Austria. In 1963 poor health forced her to
return to California, where she lived in La Jolla until her death on
February 23, 1975, at the age of eighty-six. To the end of her life she
continued to share her memories of the beloved 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

[page 111]
Coda

In 1946 my husband, Arthur Brown, and I moved into a new home in
Oakland. Shortly afterwards Agnes Alexander spoke at our first meeting,
and on that day Arthur and I dedicated our home to the service of
Bahá'u'lláh. Many Bahá'í activities took
place in our home; friends enjoyed the meetings where Ella Cooper, Mark
Tobey, Marziah Gail, Bahia Gulick, Loulie Mathews, and many others spoke.
It was from this home, after the passing of Arthur, that my daughter
[Barbara], my granddaughter ["Bobbin"], and I attended the dedication of the
Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette in 1953. After this I
went to the International Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, and visited
the Bahá'ís of Oslo and Copenhagen for several months
before returning to my home in Oakland in December. My desire was to
arrange my affairs quickly and go pioneering. However, to my surprise and
joy, I received an invitation to make my pilgrimage in May, and I deferred
my other plans.

It was early afternoon on May 10, 1954, when I arrived in Haifa. As my
taxi approached the Eastern Pilgrim House, suddenly through the treetops I
caught a glimpse of the golden dome of the Shrine of the Báb.
Never will I forget the exhilaration of that moment! After my first
outburst of joy, I was silent. Other fleeting views of the Shrine appeared,
but I was too overcome to utter a sound. Arriving at the Western Pilgrim
House where we were to stay, I was greeted by Jessie Revell, who told me
that she would accompany me to the house of 'Abdu'l-

[page 112]

Bahá where I had been invited to have tea with
Rúhíyyih Khánum. As I walked up the steps, I
was thrilled by the thought that the Master had for years climbed these
same steps, and I entered the large main room where He had so often
received His guests. As Rúhíyyih Khánum
came toward me with outstretched arms and lovingly embraced me, I could
feel the very presence of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Later I was able to spend
some time alone in prayer and meditation at the side of the iron bed in the
modest room nearby where the Master had slept and passed away in
1921.

Soon it was the dinner hour at the Western Pilgrim House, and my dream of
being in the presence of our beloved Guardian was coming true. Shoghi
Effendi and Rúhíyyih Khánum had already
entered the dining room. I stood with the group of friends outside the
dining room waiting for others to go in. They said to me, "Go on in. Go in!"
But I hesitated. Then I was gently pushed by Milly Collins into the room.
There I saw him —"The sign of God," the "priceless pearl!"[1] My heart stood
still. I could not speak or move until he came toward me smiling and took
my hand, saying, "Welcome, Mrs. Brown. We are very happy to see you and
have you with us. Please sit here"; he indicated a chair opposite him at
the dinner table. The warmth of his greeting and his gentle courtesy made
me feel comfortable and happy. I sensed his quiet, deep, spiritual
strength. Shoghi Effendi asked me about my daughter. He looked a long
time at the pictures of my family, and I gave him the message each one
had sent him his greetings and a special message, which I relayed to him.
He said, "Tell your son that I hope his wishes to serve and help will be
gratified." Looking again at the photographs, the Guardian said that he
would pray in the Holy Shrines for my family.

Then in a gentle and loving manner he inquired about the believers in
California and spoke of some of the early Bahá'ís whom I
had known — Helen Goodall, Ella Cooper, Phoebe Hearst, and Lua Getsinger.
Often as we

[page 113]

sat with Shoghi Effendi he seemed to know what was in our hearts, for he
answered questions that were in my own heart but which I had not
asked.

In the morning of the second day at Bahjí I went with Mary and
Alan Elston, two pioneers from Africa, and [the gardener] Sala to pray in
the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh. To enter the Shrine one passes
through a beautiful, small, wrought iron gate and steps on a short path of
white pebbles leading to the handsome bronze door of the Shrine. On
either side of the path is a pillar. I put my hand on the ledge of the pillar
to steady myself as I removed my shoes before entering the Shrine, and my
hand fell upon three glorious white carnations! I was surprised and
exclaimed over them because I had not seen any carnations in the gardens.
I was deeply touched when Sala said, "Shoghi Effendi put them there
yesterday when he visited the Shrine, and I am sure he meant them for
you!" When Sala said this, I wondered whether Shoghi Effendi knew that
carnations have a special significance to me and are very dear to my heart.
I remembered that Zikr'u'lláh Khadem, a Hand of the Cause of God,
had once said to me, "The beloved Guardian knows the heart of each one of
us."

Each evening at dinner Shoghi Effendi wore a light tan camel's hair
overcoat, a white shirt, and a black tie. His complexion was a soft tan and
his large brown eyes expressed his every emotion. From under his black
fez, on each side, a few white hairs were mingled with the black. He was
not a large man, but his presence filled the room. When the Guardian spoke
of the accomplishments of the Bahá'ís the world over, he
never included himself. He was a humble, gentle person and generally
spoke in a soft voice; but when he explained the Administration, he spoke
with a firm tone and great authority. When he was not speaking in a
serious vein, he often made us laugh as he related some funny incident or
experience that he or someone else had had, and then his eyes twinkled as
he laughed. Nothing made Shoghi Effendi happier than news of the unity
among the believers. During dinner he often

[page 114]

spoke of what was occurring in many parts of the world. some evenings he
would stay after dinner was over and tell us of good news he had received
or explain some special Teaching.

Each evening after the Guardian had left the dining room,
Rúhíyyih Khánum and we three pilgrims
would visit in the sitting room, and she would tell us of some special
news or incident that had made Shoghi Effendi very happy. After she left,
we would recall the words of the Guardian and later compare our notes.
One evening Shoghi Effendi said, "Please share your notes that you have
taken here with the friends when you return home." This I have tried to do
ever since, and following are some of the important and interesting things
which he said to us while we were his guests in Haifa:

Bahá'ís must have a new way of life. They need to be
different from other people. They must be distinguished. The more
distinguished, the more they will attract people. The greater the
distinction, the greater the attraction. They must read the Tablets of
'Abdu'l-Bahá, study the text of the Teachings. It is not enough to
be good and kind and to lead a religious life today; it does not count for
much unless one accepts the Manifestation of God, if one has heard of Him;
it is almost wasted. One must accept the Manifestation in His day. If one
has not heard of Bahá'u'lláh, they are not to be blame; the
blame lies with the Bahá'ís. If the Bahá'ís
fail to teach the Faith, the people who do not hear of the Faith are not to
blame. The blame lies with the Bahá'ís.

All men are not of the same capacity. To serve to full capacity is
meritorious with God. God judges men by how they use their capacity.

Every city, every town, and every village will have a
[Bahá'í] Temple and a House of Justice in the
future.

[page 115]

There are three processes in teaching: the first is to attract
the people; the second is to convert the people; and the third is to be
consecrated. There must be attraction, conversion, and consecration. The
teachers must not be unwise. There are three Charters to be used: (1) the
Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, or the Divine Plan; (2) the Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá with the plan for world administration;
and (3) the Tablet of Carmel, the Charter for the development for the
World Center of the Faith.[2] the Tablet of Carmel is the symbol of the
House of Justice. The Ark is the symbol of the Administrative body. The
higher cave of Elijah is the real one where Bahá'u'lláh
revealed the Tablet of Carmel in such a loud voice that the priests heard
it.

It is essential that the youth of today study deeply the Faith as they will
usher in the Most Great Peace. The Lesser Peace will be established
within this century. The Most Great Peace in the next century. The Global
Crusade will establish the Bahá'í Faith the world over but
will not have a direct influence in establishing the United States of the
World. The first period will be that of suffering and cleansing; the second
period will be that of unification; and the third, the establishment of the
Bahá'í World Faith. After the International State is
established and wars cease, the money now being expended for destruction
and war will be used for education and science, and a method will be
discovered for interplanetary communication, even interplanetary
conferences. The time will come when people can cross the entire nation
in one hour and eventually beyond the continent into interplanetary travel.
The cycle of six thousand years of city building has come to an end, and
now we will have a new pattern starting with villages, etc. Material
civilization is becoming like the ancient city of Babylon, and it must be
destroyed.

The young people must disperse far away, the old

[page 116]

ones to outlying places; they must settle goal cities. Sell
your property and pioneer!...The young people of America should go out into
the country on farms and work with their hands and produce food for their
families.

Americans are exposed to great dangers. Today the power of America is in
the hands of the masses.[3] There is a terrific power in the press, and the
people are swayed by it. The United States, on a national scale, sets the
pattern for an international pattern... There will be a world civil war
followed by the establishment of a world state; all the nations will be
part of it and will have to conform to it. This war has already started in
Korea. Mankind cannot be purified and cleansed without suffering... It is
positively dangerous to live in cities. The cities are doomed. They will
evaporate... The Bahá'ís must disperse from the cities...why
do they not disperse? If they do not respond and disperse, they will suffer
spiritually, materially, and physically...In America the destruction will be
great!... They must disperse for their own protection. the cities are
doomed: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles. They must flee
from the United States because America will become the storm center of
the future.... Buy property in Central Africa! Those with independent
means must pack up and go.... Those with spirit must pack up and go....
There must be a mass response... I can warn them, but I cannot make them
go.... The Cause will triumph in spite of the actions and inactivity of the
believers. If one country falls down, another will make up for it. The
Bahá'ís have been given the method. Now they must have
the spirit. It is hopeless for capable teachers in the cities (the people
will not listen).... The friends are calculating too much, and there is too
much emphasis on nonessentials.

People are flocking to churches through fear. Ameri-

[page 117]

cans must have a totally new way of life, become a race of
wholly devoted souls, devoted to God and His ways. They must get to a
simpler way of life. The standards of America must be lowered, have
fewer luxuries.... Americans do not have enough belief in God, not enough
detachment. They must be more spiritual, disencumber themselves from
things, have Bahá'í standards, not American standards.
Americans are too materialistic, too mechanized, too attached to family,
health, and death. There must be less materialism, less intellectualism,
and more spirit... America is the most disturbed nation, politically, on
earth... There is too much organization in America and too little spirit.

Joseph smith was a seer, not a Prophet of God, neither major nor minor
Prophet. He had a high standard... but the Bahá'ís have a
higher standard coupled with God's power that comes direct from God. for
this age.

We must encourage the marriage of blacks and
whites...Bahá'u'lláh was sent to bring about world unity,
and world unity is the cornerstone of the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh.

It is not enough to go pioneering; one must start immediately teaching the
Faith... For pioneers to leave their posts means the next to arrive will
have to go through the difficulties all over again, and it will be twice as
difficult for them... As soon as the community is strong enough, one should
leave and pioneer elsewhere.

The new race will be wholly devoted souls.

[page 118]

As the hours passed in the presence of Shoghi Effendi, I became more and
more aware of his tremendous vision of the Faith and of his one aim to
establish good will and peace throughout the world. He was modest about
his efficiency, but one could not ignore it. He lovingly encouraged the
friends in every country. Rúhíyyih Khánum
said that gossip did not influence the Guardian. No one received any
special things for serving the Cause; whether they did it well or poorly,
the principle was the same.

Before departing at the end of my pilgrimage, I asked Shoghi Effendi if
there were any service I could render him. He said, "Please visit the
Bahá'í pioneers on the islands in the Mediterranean and give
them my love, sheer them up, and beg them to remain at their posts; for if
they leave, those who come to replace them will find it much more
difficult. Share with them the spirit of the Holy Places here, particularly
that of the Sacred Shrines, and tell them of the latest developments of the
Ten Year Crusade."

According to the Guardian's wishes, I traveled among the Mediterranean
Islands and visited the pioneers in many places. Wherever Shoghi Effendi
asked me to go, I felt secure under his protection and shelter and had no
anxiety although I traveled alone through these foreign lands, amid
strange surroundings, and spoke only English.

1. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-
Bahá (Wilmette, Ill: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944),
pp. 11, 3.

2. See Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, rev. ed. (Wilmette, Ill:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1974), p. 194 and
Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed
after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, comp. Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice, trans. Habib Taherzadeh and Committee at
Bahá'í World Centre (Haifa: Bahá'í World
Centre, 1978), pp. 3-5. —Ed.

3. See Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 218

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-- Pilgrim's Notes about Shoghi Effendi (Used by permission of the curator)