A Bahá’í Symbol…

'The Ringstone Symbol'

I have a ring which I bought in Tehran engraved with an emblem Bahá’ís call the ‘ringstone’ symbol. It is from a design created by `Abdu’l-Bahá and comprises two stars and a calligraphic rendition of the Arabic word ‘Bahá’ or ‘Glory’. The lower line symbolises the world of Humanity, the upper line represents God, and the middle line symbolises the ‘Manifestation of God’. The vertical line can be seen as the Divine Will (or ‘Holy Spirit’) issuing from God via the Manifestation of God to Humanity. Thus the Manifestation of God is the vital link between the divine and mortal worlds.`Abdu’l-Bahá wrote

‘The Divine Reality is Unthinkable, Limitless, Eternal, Immortal and Invisible. The world of creation is bound by natural law, finite and mortal. The Infinite Reality cannot be said to ascend or descend. It is beyond the understanding of man, and cannot be described in terms which apply to the phenomenal sphere of the created world. Man, then, is in extreme need of the only Power by which he is able to receive help from the Divine Reality, that Power alone bringing him into contact with the Source of all life. An intermediary is needed to bring two extremes into relation with each other. Riches and poverty, plenty and need: without an intermediary power there could be no relation between these pairs of opposites. So we can say there must be a Mediator between God and Man, and this is none other than the Holy Spirit, which brings the created earth into relation with the ‘Unthinkable One’, the Divine Reality. The Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and the Holy Spirit to the rays of the sun. As the rays of the sun bring the light and warmth of the sun to the earth, giving life to all created beings, so do the ‘Manifestations’ bring the power of the Holy Spirit from the Divine Sun of Reality to give light and life to the souls of men’.