The Transcription of the Twelfth Valley

The Twelfth Valley

Part One
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,
With strength drawn from the absolute power of Allah, we begin the session.
Hello, friends. I am Hossein, a traveler and the guardian of the meeting.
(Hello, Hossein)
I kindly ask that we observe fourteen seconds of silence and seek refuge in the Almighty God for our liberation from our most powerful enemy which is our own ignorance and unawareness. Silence.

Thank you, friends.
I kindly ask the esteemed secretary, Ms. Fatemeh, to present the summary of the previous session’s proceedings and announce today’s agenda.
In the name of the absolute power of Allah,
Hello, friends, I am Fatemeh, a traveler. (Hello, Fatemeh).
Today marks the eighth session of the twenty-first round, dated 9th of December, 2012, began at exactly 9:00 AM with the agenda of “The Twelfth Valley”, under the guardianship and leadership of Mr. Dezhakam and me, Fatemeh, as the secretary. Thank you.
Thank you, much appreciated.
 

Let’s move on to the Valley of the Twelfth. And the Valley of the Twelfth says: "In the end, the first command is carried out."
Now, to reach this understanding, we begin by reading from the Valley, and I will explain it paragraph by paragraph. The Valley has attempted to express the point it wants to make quickly and move on. Each of these paragraphs, if we wanted to explain or act upon them, could easily fill fifty or a hundred pages. But in short, symbolically, it makes a reference and then gets to the heart of the matter.
The Absolute Power: We call Allah the Absolute Power because we accept Him as the source of all power.
The Absolute Power: Just a moment before the devil’s disobedience, when apparently the light was pregnant with darkness, and everything was ready for a great division, He commanded the residents of the heavens to gather. In a grand assembly, He declared, “I have placed a vicegerent on the earth.” This earthly world, or the story of humankind, begins at a certain point, as mentioned in all the religious texts. The story is that on a certain day, the physical part of humanity, its body, was created. The Absolute Power, the Sovereign, or God, gathered the angels and said, “I have done this, and it is very valuable, so bow to him.” This is found in the Torah, the Bible, and everywhere. They all bowed, except one. This means everyone accepted it, but the devil did not. He said, "I am made of fire, and man is made of clay," and that incident took place.
You see, when the Absolute Power, just before this gathering, called them together, it means they existed already. Therefore, life did not begin at that moment. The earthly world did not exist yet, but other worlds did. This shows that the earthly world was created later.

Was the physical body of man created later? Well, where is this gathering? It’s not clear where it is, in the heavens? When it is? It’s not clear either. This is just a process, because what about the nature of these beings, their gathering, and these talks? What is their nature? The physical and earthly body—what is it? For example, I would say it's of a spiritual nature.
In a grand assembly, the Absolute Power declared, "I have placed a successor on the earth." Immediately, the first question the residents in that gathering ask is, "What person? Who?" And then they ask, "With what authority?" Here, authority is very important. The only thing that mattered to the residents was the person who was going to be the successor and the extent and nature of their authority. Similarly, when any of us becomes responsible for something, the first question is always about the extent of our authority and what we are able to do. Why was this important for them? It says: "Man, Adam, or Adam with full authority over his own destiny." See, it doesn’t dwell on the details.
The Valley quickly gets to the heart of the matter and says: "Adam with full authority over his own destiny." So, the one who says "Adam" specifies who the person is, but then it talks about his full authority over his destiny, meaning that authority is one of the most important things. It’s the most important gift God has given to man—power or the power to make decisions.


The residents say: "We have always praised You and remembered You for Your purity and power. Are You placing someone there who will bring about corruption, destruction, and bloodshed?" When it is said, "We have given him authority," they respond: "You are placing someone there who will abuse power, bring corruption, and so on." For example, let’s say you appoint a governor. They might say, "We have given the governor full authority," and the residents might respond: "Well, we accepted you, for example, if you were righteous and so on, but the one you appoint as governor could make our lives miserable. He could bring countless disasters upon us." The response comes: "Have we had a problem up until now? Have you had any problems? You’ve always been here, and you’ve always been present, so there’s no need to choose someone else. Moreover, it could cause problems."
The Absolute Power says: "I know what you do not know." He says: "There are things I know that you do not yet know." Then, He taught Adam all the names and told the residents: "Now, tell us what Adam knows." He taught Adam all the things and all the names, and then He told the residents: "Adam knows all the names now. You may ask him questions, and he will answer." The residents responded: "We don’t know anything. We only know what You have taught us."
Here, it was said that Adam knows things that you do not know. When the residents were told, they responded: "We don’t know anything. We only know the things that You have taught us."

The Absolute Power said to the successor: "Then inform them of their names," and He told the residents: "You may ask the successor about what you do not know." And a sense of awe fell upon the residents. Here, the Absolute Power tells the successor: "Inform them of their names." Now, this is a significant point. It is said that God taught man the Names of Allah. But what could these names be? One interpretation is that all things and objects in existence have names assigned to them by humans. Unlike animals, which do not name everything, humans give a name to every object in the world. This is one perspective to consider. We might think that God is teaching humans the concept and essence of names or that He has already taught them. What does this mean? For example, bitterness is a name. You can say something is bitter, but you don’t understand its meaning until you taste it. "Grape" is the name of a fruit, but what does "grape" really mean? Sometimes you have a mental concept of it, but there are moments when you’ve actually eaten grapes, and when you’re asked, "What is a grape?" the taste immediately comes to your mind. Or when someone says "sour," you immediately have a mental picture of that taste. This means that you understand not just the name, but the essence of it. Similarly, when it is said "anger" or "joy," you must fully grasp the whole concept of anger or joy. Beyond each name, there is a concept behind it, and if you can understand that concept, then you truly understand the name.
This is one interpretation: If someone wants to know what addiction is, they may need to experience it themselves to understand the meaning of the word "addiction." If someone wants to understand what a heart disease is, they might need to experience heart disease to truly know what it is. Or if they want to understand what a headache is, they may need to suffer from migraines or headaches themselves to understand what it means. It’s not just an empty name.

It says: "Inform them of their names." The day when these beings gathered in the heavens, that was one stage, and some of us were in the heavens. But today, as we are here, we don’t remember that sky. Have you noticed what I’m saying? That day, in the heavens, we were there, and God made a covenant with us. We were in the heavens, and today we are here! But we don’t remember that sky. When we were in the heavens, we had a name, didn’t we? The scriptures accept this; we were definitely there, and we made a covenant, where He said, "Am I your Lord?" and we responded, "Yes." That day, we had a name; we weren’t nameless. But today, we don’t remember that name. One of the concepts this could indicate is that the beings who were there might have passed through many worlds, and in each world, they had a name. And in each world, that name was forgotten, but Adam could recall the names from before. Another interpretation is that the past is just the past, as we are considered ancient beings. What does "ancient" mean? It means we have always existed, and it’s impossible to specify whether it was billions or trillions of years ago.

Our hidden attribute, our self, has always existed. It might have existed in many different worlds, and one could also point to the names they had in those other worlds where they lived.
Now, don’t dwell too much on this matter; it’s just a brief mention. A sense of wonder arose among the residents, and they asked the successor: "What kind of creation is man?" The first thing they asked was about the nature of man, and this is presented in the form of a story where some concepts are explained through questions and answers, which help clarify things for us. The successor says: "Man is a creation whose hidden attribute, like yours, was made from fire, but the outward form of man resides in the earthly world."
This is how it began. He says: "His hidden attribute is like your hidden form." We know for sure that man is made of two parts: one is the body, and the other is the self. Is that correct? These two parts are commonly referred to as the body and the self, but what is the self made of? The body is made of earth, and the self—what is it made of? The self is made of fire. He says: "Man is a creation like you. Your hidden form is made from fire, and man’s hidden attribute is also made from fire. Whatever essence you are, he is made of the same essence, but there is one thing that sets him apart, and that is his physical form." The outward form of man, which resides in the earthly world, began this way: The Absolute Power first compressed waves and created a world called the earthly world, which consists of stars and galaxies beyond counting. From the particles that make up the earthly world—like calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, and iron—He built a city for man, known as the body or physical form. According to a specific process, He sent me to that earthly world, settling me in that city or body for a limited time, yet on the other hand, without limits. He said: "Everything is waves. In the earthly world, these waves became more compressed." He continued to compress and bring these waves closer and closer together, thus creating the earthly world. When the earthly world was created, from the particles of the earthly world—calcium, potassium, copper, and iron—He built a city, my body. Then He said to me: "Enter this city."

Residents: "How was the earthly world created?"
Successor replies: "The earthly world, in terms of vibrations and wavelengths, is completely different from the world you live in. That’s why earthly beings cannot easily perceive your world or other worlds."
They ask: "What is your world—the earthly world—like?"
Successor responds: "You cannot comprehend it."
Why can't they comprehend it? Because every being has its own receivers. And what are our receivers? Our senses. Our vision, for instance, is limited—we can only see wavelengths from red to violet. We cannot perceive infrared or ultraviolet. If an entire world were created from ultraviolet waves, we wouldn't be able to see it. If a structure or a building were made of infrared waves, it would be invisible to us.
He says to the angels: "You cannot touch it."
The Absolute Power created the earthly world by breathing love into the particles or waves through induction. Love, by its nature, has a unifying force—it brings things together. Hatred, on the other hand, pushes things apart. A lover and a beloved are drawn to each other, they come together. If you love canaries, you will always be surrounded by them. But where there is hatred, separation follows.

He says: "Love sent forth a power into the particles, bringing them closer together. The Absolute Power, in creating the earthly world, breathed love into the particles or waves through induction. Under the astonishing force of love, some of these waves drew nearer and became denser, forming the initial core of the earthly world. Then, it was as if He planted it like a tree in our current world—just as planting a single walnut can, under the right conditions and with the presence of essential forces and raw materials, lead to billions upon billions of walnuts."
He says: "Once it was gathered together, the first atom or molecule was formed."
They ask: "How did the vast universe come to be?"
Look at the systems of the universe; observe the patterns. Everything follows a pattern—there is no difference. Just as humans multiply, so do fish. Chickens lay eggs, and other creatures such as sheep, deer, and gazelles also reproduce—each in its own way. The principle is the same. Take agriculture, for example. How do you get billions of walnuts from a single tree? You plant one walnut, and then, through the combined forces of water, soil, wind, and fire, it grows into a tree that produces countless more walnuts.
He says: "The same thing was done with the first atom. It was planted like a walnut tree, nourished with other forces, and supplied with energy from different sources. Bit by bit, it expanded until it became this vast universe filled with galaxies."
To put it in the simplest terms—He planted the universe.
I won’t dwell on this for too long, just a brief mention before moving on. But think about it—planting a single walnut can lead to billions upon billions of walnuts. The universe follows the same principle. Humanity follows the same principle. There was once just one Adam and Eve, and now—how vast has their lineage grown?

With the planting of the initial core of the earthly world, the forces of alteration and transformation automatically came into action. This is an important point—once the worlds were planted, the initial core activated an inherent force of alteration and a force of transformation. Just as a walnut seed splits underground before sprouting, the initial core of the earthly world also split open, and thus, the earthly world was born. Over millions upon millions of cycles of alteration and transformation, it reached its current state. And one day, it will redeem and return to its original point.
Consider how a wheat seed, when planted, cracks open before a sprout emerges from within it. A walnut, too, must break apart when planted. Any seed you plant must split open—must crack—so that something new can emerge from within. The earthly world is no different. That initial core split open. The so-called Big Bang—the great explosion—occurred.
If you were to magnify the sounds within a walnut as it cracks, you would hear an immense noise, a deep cracking sound as the shell splits apart. Then, suddenly, something far greater emerges from within. How does such a vast tree come from a single walnut? The core of the physical world follows the same principle: from within a single seed, such a vast creation unfolds. And, like the walnut tree, it draws additional energy from water, air, soil, and other forces.
Likewise, when the universe came into being, it drew from certain unknown energies—energies we have yet to comprehend. He says: "One day, it will also be destroyed." Just as it has reached this point, it will one day cease to exist—returning to waves.
But the key point is this: the waves that formed the earthly world and the waves that will arise from its destruction are the same. However, from the perspective of knowledge and awareness, they are completely different—because knowledge and awareness do not remain static.
Since the raw materials for creating the earthly world originated from your current world, neither you nor the people of Earth can truly comprehend them.

He says: "Waves came together and created this world. Then, one day, this world will once again explode and return to waves." But he also clarifies that the waves that initially formed the world are different from the waves that exist now.
We were nothing, and then, as they say, we came into this world. Eventually, we will leave this world and return to nothingness—at least in the physical sense. What remains is our essence, our self. However, the state in which we arrived is not the same as the state in which we depart. Though it is still the same self, it has undergone transformation—it has been educated.
The waves, too, have accumulated vast amounts of knowledge and information within them.
He tells the angels: "The raw materials for creating the earthly world were taken from your world. That is, the elements of your world were compressed and transformed into something else. Just as the earthly world is beyond your comprehension, your world is beyond the understanding of those on Earth."
The Residents ask: "As a human being, what qualities do you possess?"
Now, this is the key point: the question is not about philosophy, but about our very nature—what are we? One of the most important aspects of our existence is free will. This means that whatever happens to us, whatever choices we make, the power to decide lies in our own hands. We are the ones who determine our destiny, whether we use this ability wisely or not.
Then, he asks again: "What qualities does a human being possess? What makes us different?"
The Successor responds: "We have acquired knowledge. Knowledge exists within us. Furthermore, most of the attributes of the Absolute Power (God) exist within us, albeit on a much smaller scale."
When he says that knowledge is within us, it means that everything we need is already embedded within our being. Consider this: if you try to teach a baby goat geometry, mathematics, or the principles of logic, it will not learn. It will simply get up and bleat—because such knowledge does not exist within it. But if you take a human being and teach them mathematics, they will learn—because that knowledge is already within them, waiting to be recalled.
“Remind them, for you are only a reminder.” (Quran: 21) We do not teach a human being something entirely new; rather, we awaken what is already within them. You cannot teach a goat a language, but you can teach a human being—because the capacity for knowledge exists within us, while it does not exist within the goat.

If you go to the Lut Desert and dig as much as you want, you will never reach water—because for you to find water, it must already exist underground. The same applies to a gold mine or a coal deposit—you can only extract something if it is already there.
Likewise, these qualities are embedded within human beings; they only need education and training to uncover them. Everything is already inside us.
We have acquired knowledge, and it resides within us. In the same way, most of the attributes of the Absolute Power (God) exist within us, but on a much smaller scale. He says: "Just as God possesses all qualities, many of these qualities are also embedded within us—but in a limited capacity."
We have often said that if God is generous, a human being can also be generous. If God is noble, a human being can also be noble. If God has the power to will something into existence, a human being also has the ability to create—though in a different way.
We must discover these qualities within ourselves through education and experience. And because we have free will, we hold complete responsibility for shaping our own destiny. The goal is to reach a level of awareness where we can distinguish the right path from the wrong one.
If we move toward values, we will find peace, comfort, joy, and enthusiasm. But if we move toward anti-values, we will be led into restlessness, fear, anxiety, humiliation, hardship, and suffering.
We have been given complete free will to navigate this challenging and winding journey, so that one day, we may attain full awareness. If we choose the right path, we will reach peace and prosperity—but if we choose the wrong path, we will fall into misery and despair.

Residents: With the knowledge, attributes, and free will that you possess, don’t you think there is a risk of corruption, bloodshed, and destruction on Earth?
Successor: Yes, you are right. That is a valid concern. These things can indeed happen—especially when we take on a physical body.
He says: Particularly when we enter the physical form, we lose all recollection of our past, including the covenant we made with the Absolute Power and even this very gathering. However, everything is stored in our subconscious, in our archive, or what is known as the Preserved Tablet.
Yes, the potential for bloodshed, corruption, and all manner of chaos certainly exists. This is because, once we inhabit the body and the city of existence, we forget our past—our gathering, our covenant, and the promises we made. Yet, deep within our subconscious, this knowledge remains, influencing us in ways we may not fully perceive.
However, when a person reaches a high level of knowledge, wisdom, and awareness, and when they have developed the necessary capacity, they can access their past information—their subconscious archive. At that point, they will realize how the entire universe, and even multiple worlds, are contained within them.
Yes, you are right—the potential for corruption, bloodshed, and oppression certainly exists. But you must also know that the Absolute Power has taught me... (silence falls)
He says: At their current level, humans may not be able to comprehend this. However, if a person reaches an advanced stage of knowledge, awareness, and wisdom, and if they develop the patience to endure, they will gradually become aware of their archive and subconscious realm. Eventually, all humans can gain insight into their past—into their covenants, past events, and even their former names. But for this to happen, one must attain a high level of knowledge and awareness. And so, he says: Yes, you are right. Given the current state of affairs, the risk of bloodshed, corruption, conflict, and destruction does exist.

That is exactly how it is. Right now, if you listen to the news, you’ll hear reports about Helmand Province in Afghanistan—stories of theft, robbery, and kidnappings, with even some police officers allegedly involved. Now, whether these reports are true or not is another matter. But just imagine how far negative forces can infiltrate, leading to corruption, bloodshed, and destruction.
But if one attains that level of understanding and awareness, they will realize that all worlds exist within them.
He says: Yes, all of this—bloodshed, corruption—does happen. (Silence follows.)
The residents ask: What? What did he learn?
He replies: He learned that in the end, the first command is carried out.
Command means order. At the very end, the original command is fulfilled. Command means decree. At the final moment, the very first decree is carried out.
And command means "Be, and it becomes". When we say something must be, when we set something in motion, eventually, it will come to pass.

Residents: What is the meaning of the phrase: "In the end, the first command is carried out"?
Successor: On Earth, achieving any goal requires taking time into account. Any desire or command can only be fulfilled over time. For example, if your initial command is to produce rice, you won’t have rice immediately. You must first plant the rice seeds, nurture them, and wait until, in the end, you finally harvest the rice and become its owner.
Likewise, we must observe events unfold until we reach the final stage of human creation, where the results will become clear. Here, it is evident that on Earth, everything happens according to time.
You may ask, "But can things happen outside of time?" The answer is yes—some things do happen in timelessness.
Right now, if we imagine constructing a tower that reaches the Moon, all of you can immediately visualize it in your minds. Suppose we want to create a horse with seven heads, as big as this building—you instantly picture it. Or if we imagine making a Pepsi bottle two meters tall and purple, you can form that image in your minds right away. See how quickly things are created in timelessness?
Now, in certain other worlds, this process also occurs—things are created instantly. But we won’t go into those details now.
The point is that in timelessness, everything can be created instantly. But can the same be done in the physical world? No, because in the physical world, things require time.
For example, if we want to grow rice, the initial command is to plant rice, but the final execution—the moment we actually have rice—comes only at the end of the process. The same applies to wheat: we plant the wheat, water it, and only in the harvest season, around July, do we finally obtain it.

م
He says: You mentioned time! What is time in the material world? He says: You mentioned time, because they exist in a state of timelessness do not recognize time.
The successor says: Nothing in the material world is at rest. As it was said, the material world came into existence from the condensation of waves, and since the waves were in motion, the space that emerged from them also became mobile.
I read it from the beginning: The successor: Nothing in the material world is at rest. There is nothing in the material world that is motionless. We have nothing in the material world that is static. All the particles, atoms, electrons, and protons are in motion. There is no fixed entity. We ourselves are in motion. Even our cells—some of them die and are regenerated. Everything is in motion. We ourselves are in motion. Nothing is fixed.
As it was said, the material world came into existence from the condensation of waves. The material world was formed from the condensation of waves, and since the waves were in motion, the space that emerged from them also became mobile. Because the waves were in motion, the world they created was also in motion. The domain where this mobile space moved was called space. This moving space began its movement, and the Earth started to rotate on its own. The domain where this moving space operated was named space, and from the combination of moving space and this domain, time emerged on its own in the form of one, two, and three—something that could be measured.
One, two, three—that is, seconds ticking: tick-tock, tick-tock. That is time: an hour, two o’clock, five o’clock, the first month, the second month, Saturday, Monday—everything is measurable and countable. Then, once again, he says: Time emerged on its own from these two.
Of course, you, who continue to exist in a state of timelessness, are incapable of understanding time and its miracle—unless you enter the physical body and set out for that realm.
He says: You who exist in timelessness cannot comprehend time, just as we who exist in time cannot comprehend timelessness.

Residents: What is the miracle of time? What is the benefit of the miracle of time?
Successor: It is the miracle of time that gave waves the opportunity to change in nature over time, leading to the emergence of gases, liquids, and solids.
He says: It is the miracle of time that gave waves the chance to change in nature within the material world. From their transformation, gases, liquids, and solids came into existence. Then, through this process, plants appeared, grew, diversified, and multiplied. Plants continued to emerge, multiply, and increase in number until animals began consuming them.
Then came humans. Humans were created when the material world and plants already existed. Plants were there, and animals were there, and then humans came into being. So, plants emerged, grew, diversified, and multiplied so that animals—and then humans in their physical form—could step into existence, increase in number, and comprehend the joy and value of being and living.
Humans came into existence to perceive the pleasure and significance of existence and life. Thus, one of the essential aspects of being in the dimension of time is experiencing and enjoying life while going through the earthly educational stages, which is an immensely valuable experience.
Therefore, we are waiting for the final stage, where the first command is fulfilled, and we go through the process of earthly education in this cycle of time and the dimension of life. But we are all waiting for the moment when, in the end, the first command is carried out—meaning that all stages must be completed.
Thus, both creation as a whole and every individual must successfully pass through time to achieve their desired outcomes.

The conclusion here is that both creation and every individual must pass through time to reach their desired outcomes. If you want to achieve something in life—whether it’s learning tailoring, embroidery, swimming, a new language, construction work, saving money, studying, or even treating illnesses—you need time. There is no shortcut; there is no way to bypass time. Anyone who tries to eliminate time from the process will inevitably face problems and difficulties.
In any process—perhaps this point I’m about to make is not directly related to this valley, but I’ll mention it here anyway. One of the members gave me a small clipping from a newspaper, and I think it’s worth reading. While it’s not directly tied to this discussion, I’ll include it in the valley.
It’s the same with cigarettes—we say that cigarettes must be replaced with edible gum, and then that gum should be tapered gradually over a year, decreasing bit by bit, until the treatment is complete.
A study examined the relationship between cigarette smoking and the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases in women. Among women with intestinal disorders—specifically those with Crohn’s disease—both past smoking history and current smoking increased the risk of the disease. There was a direct correlation between the amount of cigarettes smoked and the level of risk reduction. However, in cases of ulcerative colitis, current smoking did not reduce the risk, but quitting smoking led to a significant increase in the incidence of ulcerative colitis within the first two to five years after quitting.

Do you see what happened here? This means that for someone who smokes, the effects of smoking itself weren’t necessarily examined in this case. However, for a woman who smokes, if she suddenly quits smoking, the risk of ulcerative colitis increases significantly. In other words, both smoking and the abrupt cessation of smoking can contribute to an increased risk of disease.
There was a direct correlation between the amount of cigarettes smoked and the reduction in risk. In the case of ulcerative colitis, smoking itself did not reduce the risk of developing the disease, but quitting smoking led to a significant increase in ulcerative colitis cases within the first two to five years after quitting. This increasing effect continued for over twenty years.
This study was conducted using data from 336 recorded cases of Crohn’s disease and 400 recorded cases of ulcerative colitis within the Nurses' Health Study, which monitored 299,111 individuals over a span of forty years.
Now, why am I bringing this up? My point is that a person who smokes and tries to quit by eliminating time from the equation—someone who has been smoking for years but suddenly decides to quit without considering the factor of time—can suffer serious consequences. Look at how abruptly quitting smoking can have a destructive effect on ulcerative colitis. Not only does sudden cessation negatively impact ulcerative colitis, but it may also have harmful and damaging effects on many other diseases.
That is why smoking must be tapered gradually over the course of a year before being completely stopped. We cannot eliminate time from the process.
Therefore, both creation and every individual must successfully pass through time to reach their desired outcomes. There is no way to remove time—unless one steps outside the realm of time entirely. To reach the final stage, one must go through the phases of change and transformation before arriving at the stage of outcome or release.
Of course, on Earth, there are also three fundamental forces—infusion, revival, and motion—that guide us toward our desired results and ultimately to the final stage.

Residents: Explain the three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption.
These three stages—alteration, transformation, and redemption—must be applied in all matters.
Was today’s lesson a bit heavy? No, not heavy—just a lot, wasn’t it?
Well, in any case, the point is that we must go through the stage of time. Without considering the element of time, we will face difficulties and challenges. And as we pass through time, we must go through the three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption.
Then, the Successor asks:
"Explain the three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption. What exactly are these three stages?"
The Successor responds:
These stages are among the most important, fundamental, and destiny-shaping principles. They bring the law of "In the end, the first command is carried out" into action. These stages play a crucial role not only in the visible structure of the material world—such as waves, gases, liquids, solids, plants, animals, and humans—but also in the unseen aspects, including human intellect, thought, speech, behavior, and actions.
Through the passage of time, these stages gradually transform a person with limited wisdom into a wise and enlightened individual.

Whenever someone departs from this world, another person is born; when one reaches their destination, another begins their journey. As one traveler sets out on their path, another arrives at their destination. When a person’s life comes to an end, another steps into existence. As our wise ones say, for every book that is closed, another is opened; for every Hallaj who is hanged, thousands more will rise from the earth.
Everything is constantly in a state of alteration. We are always encountering individuals who lack wisdom, and this entire system is the work of creation itself. Beyond the existence of the universe, life itself is a source of joy, and every human being must embrace and experience life. At the same time, everything is undergoing change—what kind of change? The alteration of the ignorant into the wise. There is a purpose behind it all; the universe is persistently transforming those lacking wisdom into enlightened individuals. It is an inherent part of the structure of the physical world, gradually refining the uninformed into the wise and aware.
Had the processes of alteration, transformation, and redemption not occurred within existence, the universe would have fallen into stillness, immediately stopping and collapsing into destruction. Therefore, in the grand design of the universe, for an unwise person to evolve into a wise one, there must be change—these three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption must take place.
For example, when you extract grape juice and store it in a jug, barrel, or any other container, the liquid must gradually, step by step, undergo alteration before it can transform into vinegar or wine. This progression must happen in tiny, incremental steps before it reaches the stage of transformation. The same principle applies to human beings—change must happen little by little, bit by bit, leading them into the next stage. Healing from illness occurs in the same manner; it happens gradually, step by step, until the disease is overcome. The same applies to substance dependency—it must be reduced little by little, step by step, until the person reaches the stage of transformation and becomes a healthy individual.

As we move into deeper discussions, the topics become more specialized. To prevent these higher-level valleys from turning into six or seven CDs worth of material, I sometimes read a bit faster. But of course, you are all knowledgeable, so I only need to provide a brief and concise explanation.
One of the words used by the secretary was joftak (lashing out with both feet), and I’m sure some of the words I use may be unfamiliar to you. Only some of you might know their meanings. Take lashing out with both feet, for example. Nowadays, with urbanization, animals are rarely seen in cities. But in the past, cities had carriages, donkeys, horses, and mules, and we would observe them up close.
Normally, a donkey or a horse kicks with one leg. You’ve probably seen how they do it. But sometimes, they rear up and kick with both legs simultaneously—that is called joftak. (The term refers to a donkey or horse kicking with both hind legs.)
Now, in human behavior, some people—excuse me for saying this—are like donkeys in that, at one stage, they might throw a single kick. But once they reach a certain position or status, they start kicking with both legs! That’s the point I wanted to highlight.

The second issue is about exams. I don’t hold exams, nor do I design questions that everyone can answer. Exams aren’t usually designed so that everyone can answer them—they’re designed so that people can’t answer them. So, you should never expect to know the answers to every exam question. That’s not how it works.
Another important point in Congress 60 is that the idea of an exam being "hard" or "easy" is completely meaningless. It doesn’t matter whether an exam is difficult or simple. For example, let’s say 800 people take an exam. Out of those, only the top 100 will pass, while the remaining 700 won’t. It doesn’t matter whether the race is at 60 km/h, 120 km/h, or just 2 km/h—the only thing that matters is that the top 100 make it. It’s the same with exams: 800 people take the test, but only 100 are meant to pass, while up to 700 won’t, and that’s completely normal.
This is called grading on a curve. What does that mean? Well, sometimes if everyone scores high, they might set the passing grade at 20, meaning even a 19 would be considered a failing score. If the exam is too difficult and scores are lower, they might set the passing grade at 15, 16, or even 12—it all depends on the overall performance of the group. So, in an exam, two factors are important: first, what you’ve written, and second, what others have written. That’s how exams work.
Then some might say, "Why not just accept everyone as guides? What’s wrong with that?" Should all 800 people pass and become guides? Some things need to exist in moderation. Right now, I’ve heard there are around 50,000 unemployed doctors in the country. So much effort and resources were spent on training these doctors, yet they have no jobs. The same would happen if we overloaded Congress 60 with guides—what would they do? It wouldn’t work. Things that are scarce are valuable. Why is gold valuable? Because it’s rare. Meanwhile, scrap iron is scattered all over the streets. Do you see gold lying around in the streets? No. Steel rods, beams, and iron bars are everywhere, but gold is not.
So, we can’t have too much of something. We calculate and bring in a reasonable number of people as guides so that we can actually provide them with the necessary support while maintaining balance.

These were the key points I covered. Now, onto the next point—like how I included a question about cooking in a worldview exam. You need to understand that our subject is worldview. We teach worldview—we don’t teach philosophy, mysticism, history, or religious studies. Worldview means how we see the world—how we see our family, our relationships, our interactions with society, our relationships with our spouse, friends, and siblings. How do we create harmony? How do we connect with people? How do we cultivate good social skills?
Well, one of the most important aspects of human connection is food—cooking food and eating together at the same table. This is the highest form of worldview. In today’s families, people don’t even eat together anymore. They don’t even eat the same food! One says, I’ll have sausage and cold cuts, another says, I prefer ham, someone else says, I want pizza, and the mother of the house says, I’ll just reheat last night’s stew. Everyone eats something different! The father says, Fine, I’ll grab something on my way home, and that’s it. They don’t even share a meal together anymore. Cooking at home is disappearing, and that’s why everyone is getting sick. With all these canned and fast foods, people either suffer from constipation or diarrhea—their digestive systems are a mess. Everyone has some kind of gut issue, from irritable bowel syndrome to all sorts of colitis. If you go to a doctor, you’ll see endless cases of colitis and digestive disorders.
So, if we can find a way to bring family members together and have them eat at the same table, that is the highest level of worldview—it’s practical worldview. That’s what application means. Worldview applies to every aspect of life—exercise, aerobics, maintaining relationships, going to the park for a run, even practicing rhythmic movements. All of this is part of worldview.
Worldview isn’t just about asking abstract questions like What is the spirit? What is the self? We can’t keep discussing those forever! At some point, we also need to talk about how to make a good Ghormeh Sabzi or Gheimeh stew, or how to cook a delicious Abgoosht. Many people have actually brought their families together just by learning to cook a good meal. That, too, is part of the bigger picture.
That’s enough for today’s lesson. Thank you all. We’ll pick up next time from alteration. Thanks again.

Translated by: Companion Marjan

3/24/2024

Part 2

Hello friends, I’m Hossein, a traveller.
The Twelfth Valley, or the Twelfth Path: In the end, the first command is carried out.
I’ll start by reading a paragraph from the previous section:
Residents: Could you explain the three stages of change, transformation, and release?
Successor: These stages are among the most important, fundamental, and decisive principles for putting into action the law: In the end, the first command is carried out. They play a significant role not only in the outer structure of the physical world — such as waves, gases, liquids, solids, plants, animals, and humans — but also in the inner dimension of human beings: in intellect, thought, speech, behavior, and actions.
It is through these stages that a person with limited understanding gradually becomes wise and aware over time.
And if change, transformation, and release did not take place in existence, all of creation would fall into stillness, come to a halt, and eventually collapse and disintegrate.

 
The subject I’m about to share with you has not been presented in this way by others before — namely, how this process of alteration and transformation actually takes place.
(I had asked for new microphones to be bought; but again, these stands aren’t in the border guard’s storage — the spring ones — please have a look.)
Some of the most important and subtle points are discussed here, and they can open the way to solving many issues. Many great thinkers have tried to bring about human alteration or have offered insights about how humans might change — but they were not truly successful, and their efforts didn’t bring about lasting success. Many have tried to transform, for example, a thief into a righteous person; or to turn a liar into a virtuous person; or to help an alcoholic become pure and free from their addiction. But this task is not possible — it simply cannot be done. Various groups, sects, and movements have attempted this, yet it remains unachievable.

Likewise, if you look at the great revolutions of the world, you’ll see that whenever there’s a revolution — a sudden upheaval — everything collapses at once, and afterward, the situation often becomes much worse and more chaotic.
Take the French Revolution, for instance, where multiple revolutions overlapped inside one another; or the Russian Revolution; or in some other countries.
That’s because you cannot alter human beings all at once. It’s about a culture and a structure; we can’t just go to bed one night and wake up the next morning as entirely different people.
A person must mature gradually, step by step by step. And that is precisely the issue raised here: alteration, transformation, and redemption.
Until alteration takes place, nothing happens.
All of us want to achieve transformation without undergoing any real alteration first — but that is simply impossible.
Many groups have tried to do this: to bring about transformation without first making any alterations — but it can’t be done. It is impossible, unachievable.
When you press grapes for juice and want to turn it into vinegar or wine, there must first be a process of alteration.
You can’t just take grape juice today and by tomorrow have it become forty-year-old wine or seven-year-old vinegar. There absolutely must be alteration for that to happen.
The same is true for human beings: for someone who doesn’t know English to become someone who does — or someone who learns French or German — there has to be alteration. Step by step, they must gather information. We all want to alter a person all at once — but all guides and mentors must remember that altering pupils can only happen gradually, step by step. It’s the same in teaching and training: no one transforms overnight. It’s the same in illnesses too: a person’s illness doesn’t just vanish in a single moment. For someone to recover from an illness, it must happen gradually, little by little by little.

Or look at how someone even becomes ill in the first place — it doesn’t happen in an instant.
When a heart artery becomes blocked, it clogs little by little: two or three percent at first, then more, until it reaches eighty percent — and only then do you notice.
And so, a living person transforms into someone who is deceased, step by step.
Or fat gradually accumulates in the body, little by little by little, and a slim person transforms into an overweight person.
Therefore, until alteration takes place, transformation cannot happen. Yet everyone wishes to have transformation without any alteration at all.

Suppose I sit here and preach to you — let’s say, to a group of people who, with all due respect, might not be in the best state — and expect that suddenly, all of you will feel wonderful and by tomorrow morning turn into saints. That is simply impossible.
It’s the same in psychology and psychiatry; it’s the same at every level.
Whether it’s in sports, in gaining knowledge, or in education — in all of these, there must be this process of alteration, transformation, and redemption. It’s a three-stage journey.
But people want to skip the first two: they want to have no alteration, no transformation, and yet somehow still receive redemption.
Even the great sages have spoken of “the Abdāl,” those who have transformed — but transformation is no easy feat. Not everyone can achieve it.
The point being raised here is this: for a corrupt or troubled human being to transform into a good person — for anything at all to change — there absolutely must first be alteration. Without alteration, it’s impossible.
Imagine you want to build a house: you begin with an empty plot of land. Then, brick by brick, layer by layer, mortar and brick, it gradually comes together until it becomes a building. After that, you add wiring, electricity, and cables — so that what was once an empty lot or unfinished shell transforms into a usable building. Once it becomes usable, it reaches redemption: people can move in and live there.
Or consider wheat: you sow the seeds, and slowly, little by little, they sprout from the ground, grow taller, turn green, blossom, and finally ripen into full grains of wheat. Once the wheat has fully matured, then comes the redemption stage: you harvest it, and other processes follow.
So without transformation, alteration simply doesn’t make sense; it’s not possible.
Many people try to skip this process — and end up running into all sorts of difficulties.
That’s why things don’t happen just by words, slogans, or recitations alone. Real alteration must take place first.
And now, this text goes on to explore what alteration really means.
Most of this piece, in fact, I’ve written in the style of a play or story — like a dialogue — so that the issue can be unpacked more clearly and beautifully.

The kind of question that naturally comes to the reader’s mind — I try to anticipate that question, and then provide its answer. You’ll notice this same approach in the later Valleys too: a question arises for the listener or reader, and right there, I’ve anticipated it and offered the answer.
For example, when a sperm and an ovum meet in the mother’s womb, right from that very moment, alterations begin. Over roughly nine months, these alterations gradually take shape within the vessel of time and ultimately transform into a newborn child. And once that transformation is complete, the process of redemption takes place, and the baby is born.
This is perfectly clear. And in the same way, we can see stages of alteration and transformation in sowing and harvesting wheat, in the growth of a tree, or in countless other examples.
Of course, in existence itself, there are also the forces of Induction, Revival, and Motion that come into play, supporting and hastening the processes of alteration and transformation — because without their help, no alteration or transformation could take place.
You see, the entire structure of Congress 60 works in this very way: as soon as you answer one question, immediately another appears. Here, it explains what alteration is — and then, all of a sudden, it introduces these three forces: Induction, Revival, and Motion. Naturally, the listener wonders: What exactly is Motion? What is Induction? What is Revival?
One question gets answered, but three new unknowns emerge.
In almost all of my writings, you’ll notice this same pattern: I describe how something works — and then mention there are also three other forces called Induction, Revival, and Motion, which help with alteration and transformation.
Then the resident asks: How is it that through alteration, a narrow-minded person can be transformed into a wise person?
And the successor replies: Just as human beings have free will, they also have a certain quality. It is within this quality that alteration must take place, so transformation can follow.
And so, another unknown gets added: previously, we had alteration, transformation, and redemption — and now we have this concept of quality as well.
While explaining alteration, the text naturally brings up new questions: it tells us that just as humans have free will, they also have this inherent quality.

Residents: What is this quality they possess?
Successor: Human beings are composed of two halves: one half comes from the higher, pure, and immaculate realms — and the other half from the lower realms, which can at times be even baser than certain animals.
Over the course of evolution, this animalistic half — which we might call darkness — must be transformed into light. But this cannot happen except through gaining knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and real-life experience. And it’s important to know: no transformation can ever take place unless alterations happen gradually, little by little, and each alteration must follow its own timeline.
Therefore, when it comes to changing human traits, we must allow time. For instance, you cannot teach an illiterate person to read and write in an instant. You cannot turn a liar into an honest person overnight. Nor can you turn someone malicious into someone virtuous, or transform an alcoholic into a healthy individual within a week. Each of these negative traits requires its own time for change.
Here, it says that all people have this quality: half of every human being belongs to the higher realm and the other half belongs to the lower realm. This duality exists in every person.
Think of it like this: the higher realm is akin to the angelic, and the lower realm is like the demonic — for instance, like jinn. This was discussed earlier when we talked about the Triangle of the One Self.
Take it as an analogy, or if you like, as something real — it doesn't matter much which way you see it. Each person is an entity composed of a spirit and a jinn, held together by what we call the self or the soul.
The self — the true essence of a person, that which defines who they are inside and out — is in charge of everything. And alongside this self, there are two advisors: one is the spirit, and the other is the jinn. As I mentioned before in the book Edmond and Helga, these two forces stand on either side of the self.

It is the spirit that guides you toward goodness, virtue, and purity — and it is the jinn that teaches you all those sneaky tricks and deceitful games. The jinn quickly puts on a righteous face and keeps whispering to you, moment by moment, trying to lead you astray.
So, the half from the higher realm is the spirit; the half from the lower realm is the jinn — and this exists within every human being.
Alteration, too, must happen gradually, step by step. For example, how does an illiterate person become literate? You can’t suddenly turn a liar into an honest person overnight. Each of these changes requires its own specific period of time — and this is quite clear.
Take, for instance, transforming an alcoholic: fundamental alterations must take place over time in the body, the physiology, the psyche, and the worldview. And to truly achieve this, at least ten months are required.
As we’ve said, every real change takes time — and here it even points out how long it might take. For example, for an alcoholic, profound alterations must be made to both the physiology and the worldview, and this process needs around ten months.

Yesterday, I was talking with one of the teachers who said that, according to another great master, depression rests on three main pillars: a person’s attitude toward themselves, their attitude toward their family, and their attitude toward the world and society around them.
If these three attitudes are not addressed in a depressed individual, the depression will not go away. The attitude a person holds about themselves, their family, and their surroundings and society — if these don’t change, depression won’t disappear, and it won’t be cured just by medication. The teacher was actually a psychiatrist himself.
I said, “What you’re saying really shows that we are on the right path.” Because when we approached all these aspects, we said worldview — meaning the individual’s attitude toward themselves, their family, and society — all included in one concept.
So for this, our worldview must change. For an alcoholic or anyone, this important change needs at least ten months.
Of course, once the person’s thinking awakens, the forces of induction, revival, and motion immediately begin to take effect — if the person can overcome the destructive and inhibiting forces.
Here again is another unknown factor — it says that the person’s thought must awaken, and when it does, the forces of induction, revival, and motion come into play and guide the person — but only if the destructive and inhibiting forces allow it.
This adds yet another unknown into the path, and here the residents start making noise again.

The Residents : “The more you speak, the more unknowns we’re faced with. Please explain this as well — what exactly are these destructive and restraining forces?”
In our own culture, you’ve heard of something called ‘Satan.’ But what we’re talking about here is something broader, called the destructive and restraining forces — and the name itself tells you what they do. ‘Satan’ isn’t literally named by its function; we just say it has a certain role. But the task of these forces is clearly to destroy and to hold back — to restrain.
In other words, we actually and formally have destructive and restraining forces. These forces exist both in the hidden attribute of our being (the ‘inner face’) and in the visible attribute (the ‘outer face’).
We can even see them among people around us: there are some people whose very job, consciously or unconsciously, is to destroy; and some whose work is to hold others back, to block or stop those who are trying to walk the straight path.
Some people, whether knowingly or not, intend to harm or destroy others, or interfere in others’ actions and choices — and these we call the destructive and restraining forces.”
Residents: “The more you speak, the more unknowns we’re faced with. Please also explain this: what exactly are these destructive and restraining forces?”
And the Successor replies:
“With the creation of human beings — because ultimately, this all goes back to the origin and creation of humanity. And here, we’re speaking about a stage even before that creation has taken final shape.

With the creation of humankind, soon a great division will emerge across the earth and sky. Light will give birth to its own child of darkness, and one of the high-ranking commanders will defy the command of the Absolute Power. Altogether, the forces will split into two camps: forces of light and forces of darkness.
This split is bound to happen soon, dividing the forces into two realms: forces of light and forces of darkness, or what we may call good and evil forces, or the Ahuraic (divine) and Ahrimanic (demonic) forces. And in every spiritual teaching or tradition, you will see this kind of division.
Both sides will be powerful. Don’t imagine that the divine force is infinitely strong and the satanic force is feeble — it’s not like that. Both are strong, and each stands as a worthy rival to the other.
Those who spread corruption and act against virtues — like the corrupt, the liars, the oath-breakers, and the oppressors — fall among the forces of darkness. Understand this clearly: anyone who lies is corrupt, no matter where they stand or what title they hold. Anyone who breaks a promise is corrupt. Anyone who oppresses others belongs to the corrupt.
Alcohol and drug users — whether they want to or not — also become part of the forces of darkness, the destructive and restraining forces. Whether they are aware of it or not, whether they accept it or not, they fall under the Ahrimanic forces.
For instance: someone who smokes opium or uses heroin becomes part of the forces of darkness. This is because these are intoxicants — and in Arabic, khamr isn’t limited to alcohol. Khamr is anything that casts a veil over human intellect, thought, and character.
So, when asked about khamr, it’s clear that its use is a satanic act — no matter who the person is. They may believe there’s no problem and think they still belong among the divine forces. But why don’t they remain in the realm of divine forces when they use opium or heroin?
Because while intoxicated, yes — perhaps they feel in tune with divine forces, with no sense of conflict. But the moment the high fades and they’re left in withdrawal, their nature changes. And when a crisis appears in that state of withdrawal, the real test comes: which side will they choose…

Let me explain it another way to show why I say such a person belongs to the satanic forces:
Imagine someone who is deeply religious — very devout — yet is addicted to opium or opium extract. After much effort, he finally manages to go on the obligatory Hajj pilgrimage. Now suppose he secretly carries opium extract (shirah) with him. Let’s say he somehow slips past the Iranian customs undetected, and even gets through customs in Saudi Arabia without anyone noticing.
But then, on the day when the main Hajj rituals must be performed, he loses his stash. Maybe it was wrapped carefully in plastic, ready to use — but now it’s gone.
Now think about it: he has to do tawaf — circling the Kaaba seven times. Someone addicted to opium or extract, who might also be suffering from diarrhea at that moment, how can he manage to complete the tawaf? Can he run back and forth between Safa and Marwah? Can he even manage to throw stones at the pillar that symbolizes the devil?
Clearly, he wouldn’t be able to properly perform these religious duties.
And suppose he’s also been entrusted with the responsibility of caring for fifty other pilgrims — there’s no way he could handle that. In that desperate state, just to get back to normal, he’d be ready to do anything — he might even go as far as “selling his soul to the devil” just to get a couple of grams of extract.
That’s why, when we look closely at such situations, we see why someone like this cannot truly be counted among the divine forces.
And it’s even worse with some other substances that push people even further away from their natural state.
That’s why we say: such a person cannot be considered part of the divine forces.

Those who do valuable and righteous deeds — the truthful, the virtuous, the sincere, the benevolent, and those who serve humanity and all of creation — they belong to the forces of light.
Those who help and serve others stand on the side of light.
These two forces — the forces of light and the forces of darkness — are in constant struggle. And really, it couldn’t have been any other way.
Imagine if any one of us were in the position of God, or the great power that governs the universe, and we wanted to design a system so that everything would run and keep turning. Honestly, there was no better design than this: to create two opposing forces.
When there are two forces, they keep each other balanced.
For example, look at the United States: there are two main political parties — Republicans and Democrats. When people become dissatisfied with one, they shift to the other, and vice versa. They’re always in tension with each other, pushing and pulling. One gains power, then the other. The existence of these two sides helps the country stay balanced and, in some ways, more advanced than places where only a single ruling bloc exists — like in Russia, for example, where for a long time there was just one dominant power.
Now, I’m not saying one side is divine and the other is demonic. But the existence of two sides itself is what matters.
I’ve often said that if creation had only been made of positive forces, it simply wouldn’t have worked. There’d be nothing to challenge, nothing to test, no story to unfold.
Because in my view, life itself — with all its complexities and growth — is, in the end, a beautifully intricate game.

These two forces are locked in a constant struggle — each one training, recruiting, and increasing its numbers. Both are active, both are trying to grow stronger.
It’s like, for example, Hamid Karzai adding to his forces while the Taliban add to theirs. Each side is reinforcing itself; both sides are in battle.
Now, we’re not yet saying which is good and which is bad — but this strengthening of forces is happening both on earth and in the heavens.
And part of how this happens is through what we call “induction” or “inspiration”: both the inspiration of vice (fujur) and the inspiration of virtue (taqwa).
As it’s said: “And inspired it [the soul] with its wickedness and its piety.”
To give another example: when you spend time with negative, corrupt people, they naturally infuse you with negativity and destructive thoughts.
On the other hand, if you keep company with good, virtuous people, they naturally infuse you with goodness and positive qualities.
That’s why it’s been said — and will always be said — that we should stay away from the “evil tree,” meaning corrupt people. Because if we get too close, they will inevitably drag us down into misery and suffering.
Good-natured people infuse goodness; corrupt people infuse corruption.
And this process is so subtle that most of the time, you’re not even aware it’s happening.
When someone keeps whispering something into your ear over and over, it starts to affect you without you realizing it.
Later, the text illustrates this beautifully: imagine placing this hat next to an open bottle of perfume. Though the two objects don’t physically touch, over time the scent of the perfume will settle into the hat.
Or, as in the poem:
A fragrant flower, once passed from the hand of a beloved, spreads its scent even further.
Likewise, if you place a flower next to another flower, the second one too will take on the same fragrance.
That’s how induction works.
A voice near you keeps repeating something, again and again, until it leaves its mark. And you end up believing it, sometimes without question.
Essentially, this is what induction is all about — and in the same way, inspiration works quietly and imperceptibly across the universe.

That’s why it’s said: stay away from the evil tree — because when you get too close, it starts to influence you.
Something is whispered into your ear again and again, until finally it leaves its mark on you.
At this point, the Residents ask a very good question:
Why does the Supreme Power even allow such a split to happen? Why let the destructive and restraining forces come into play at all? Why does God allow it? Why doesn’t He stop them? Isn’t He able to?
It’s a very natural question — one that comes to many people’s minds.
The Successor replies:
“He Himself surely knows best. But in my understanding, these destructive and restraining forces actually function as complementary forces within existence.”
In this universe, everything is known and defined through its opposite.
Without death, life itself would have no meaning. Without darkness, what meaning could light possibly have?
He says: I don’t fully know — the Supreme Power surely knows best — but as far as I see, everything is recognized by contrast to its opposite.
A bad person versus a good person. A person who backbites and gossips versus someone who never does. As the old saying goes: the one who “plays the record behind your back,” and the one who doesn’t — these two people are fundamentally different.
And I’ve often said: we can’t fully, deeply sense God in the absolute way we might wish — though we feel Him in our hearts and we have faith. But still, to us, it’s partly unclear, partly mysterious. That’s because there isn’t an opposite to God Himself.
Some people say “Satan is God’s opposite.” No, Satan isn’t God’s opposite — Satan is a creation of God. So, it had to be this way: destructive and restraining forces had to enter the scene for us to learn and truly distinguish things.
And it really is so: without bitterness, we wouldn’t appreciate sweetness. Without darkness, we wouldn’t know what light is. Without poverty, we wouldn’t understand wealth. Without hunger, we wouldn’t understand fullness. Life itself would lose its meaning.
And in the same way, without darkness, what real meaning could light have?
When we look at it from a broader perspective, these destructive and restraining forces can actually serve as complementary forces — even as forces that elevate human beings.
He says: they can, in their own way, help us grow and rise.

 Well, that’s exactly the point:
If Dezhakam were created in such a way that his entire nature and essence were made purely of pearls, diamonds, or some special waves from the hidden treasury of the unseen — crafted so perfectly and purely from the very start — then what real value would Dezhakam have? What would be so remarkable about that?
If someone has simply been made good from the beginning — so good that they don’t even know what wrongdoing is, and couldn’t possibly do wrong — then what’s so special about that?
True value appears when someone can do wrong… but chooses not to. When they could bring corruption… but they don’t. A human being is truly valuable when they could do many things, but choose not to.
A person could pour gasoline onto a fire and make it blaze even more fiercely — and another person could pour water on it and put it out.
But if a person were created in such a way that they could only ever pour water, where’s the value in that? That would be nothing more than a robot.
Isn’t that exactly what a robot is?
One robot could be programmed to do only good deeds; another could be programmed to do only bad ones.
But what difference is there between them, really? From the Creator’s perspective, one was created to do good, and the other to do bad.
So can we say, “This robot is truly noble and good, and that one is evil”? No — that’s just how they were designed.
But a human isn’t a robot.
A human being is a being who must choose for themselves.

It’s the same here.
It says that if we look at this subject from above — not from below, and not as if we should become supporters of the negative forces and say, “Oh, let’s praise the negative forces because they help us and complete us” — no, that’s not the point.
It means that if we look at the matter from a higher perspective, the destructive and restraining forces can act as complementary forces, helping to elevate human beings.
Of course, as we’ve said, there is a battle going on between these two forces — and a battle without casualties and bloodshed has no real meaning. Inevitably, countless people are wounded or destroyed along the way, and their bones are crushed. Because this hidden and visible battle is far more serious than we might think.
Yes, we may call them complementary and elevating forces — but this “game” is a very serious one.
It is a game that goes all the way to life and death; it’s like a gladiator’s fight.
It’s no joke, it’s no stage play, and it’s not like watching Shakespeare in a theater in London; it’s nothing like that.
This is a real, deadly game — like gladiators in the arena, where it’s either kill or be killed.
There is no room for pretense here. And if you look at it from above, that’s exactly why human beings have been given complete free will: so that each person can choose their own side.
Every person has been given the freedom to choose their own path — and that, in itself, is the true beauty of being human.

A crucial point is that if a person wants to join either group—whether the forces of Light or the forces of Darkness—they must absolutely pay a price.
If you want to join any group, you have to pay its price. Don’t imagine that if you want to enter the restraining and destructive forces, they’ll just say, “Very well, come on in…” and welcome you. No—they won’t accept you until you pay the price they demand.
The same goes for the forces of Light.
If you wish to join the forces of Darkness, it’s not enough to casually say, “I’d like to be part of your group, please accept me.” They’ll keep you waiting outside the door. They might even hand you a weapon and say, “Go, shoot that person in the head,” or “Kill this one, do this job, do that job—prove your loyalty to us through wrongdoing.” Prove your loyalty by trafficking drugs, smuggling something, committing theft, or even murder. You must pay the price to be accepted.
Of course, I’m describing the higher ranks of these groups, but there are also lower levels where the demands may be less severe.
It’s exactly the same for the forces of Light.
So, to truly enter either group and become part of its inner circle, you must do certain things, make sacrifices, and prove yourself. Nothing is free—you can’t just walk in and be welcomed.
Even in the mafia, if you want to climb the ranks, there’s a whole system: you have to do many things, step by step, to rise higher.
That’s why every human being has been given complete free will—to choose for themselves which side they wish to join.
What matters most is that to join any group—whether the forces of Light or the forces of Darkness—you must absolutely pay its price, and each group has its own price.
Yet behind all these hidden games, a profound truth lies concealed. And I know deeply in my heart that whatever happens, it will ultimately end in goodness.
For this very reason, it is said: In the end, the first command shall be fulfilled. And the power of the Almighty once declared: I know what you do not know.
And I have no doubt in the mercy and grace of the Absolute Power.
For His promise is never false, and He loves His creations and teaches them so that they may come to know what they did not know.

This is truly a beautiful part of the discussion.
It says that in the end, I know with certainty that everything the Absolute Power has planned—despite all its ups and downs—will ultimately end in goodness.
Because in the end, the first command will be fulfilled.
The very first command that God issued for the creation of humankind was about goodness, prosperity, growth, elevation, strength, and free will—and in the end, it shall lead to goodness.
For I have complete faith in God’s mercy and grace,
and I know that His promise is never false.

Residents: You mentioned three forces: induction, revival, and motion. Could you explain them?
Successor: Here, induction  means the transmission of knowledge and awareness—whether positive or negative, and whether directly or indirectly.
This transmission can include true information or false information, correct awareness or misleading awareness.
Induction, or inspiration, is simply the act of conveying knowledge and awareness—again, whether it’s positive or negative, whether done directly or indirectly.
Sometimes you can infuse an idea directly; sometimes indirectly—you’re familiar with this yourselves.
At times, you might indirectly suggest something; at other times, you might directly say it.
This induction or inspiration could come through the words and voice of a human being, or it could come from another realm:
like when that spirit whispers guidance into your ear, or when the jinn murmurs suggestions beside you—just as it’s said: “And inspired it with its depravity and its piety.”(Holy Quran, 91:8)
Sometimes it’s so subtle you don’t even notice; sometimes it’s direct.
Then it says: in terms of induction, the universe is completely alive and active.
Every part of existence is eager to infuse whatever it knows into its own kind.
And the clearest example is how animals and humans pass on knowledge to their own species—both positive and negative.

A human being naturally wants to share whatever they have with others; this is an innate quality. Typically, people project (or “induce”) these onto their own kind—those similar to themselves. For example, people who lie want everyone else to become liars too; people who speak ill behind others’ backs wish for everyone to do the same. This process of transmission—induction—exists both among animals and among humans. Animals also teach this way: when an animal learns to hunt in a certain manner, it “induces” or passes this skill to its offspring so they can learn to do the same. So, it’s both positive and negative.
The phenomenon of induction even plays a role among inanimate objects. For instance, if an electric current passes through one wire and there’s another wire next to it—without any physical connection—the neighboring wire still becomes energized through induction. I don’t know why I suddenly slipped into electrical engineering! But eventually, that old engineering instinct has to show itself somewhere—and here it’s in electricity.
If we place two wires side by side and run electricity through one, the other wire also picks up electricity. Sometimes, we’re told to turn off our mobile phones because they can create noise in other devices—they induce interference. When you’re on an airplane, they ask you to switch off your electronic devices because they could affect the aircraft’s navigation systems. It doesn’t require them to touch each other; simply being nearby can result in mutual induction.
In fact, the very foundation of electricity generation works like this: electricity is transferred from one wire to another without direct connection, under special conditions. This principle—electricity being induced into another wire—is one of the core fundamentals behind the production of electricity and the functioning of electric machinery and devices. Even a ringtone or a phone call on your mobile phone can sometimes induce interference or noise in certain electronic systems.

Sometimes you’re watching satellite TV—assuming your satellite dish hasn’t been taken away! And sometimes, when the satellite signal is weak, suddenly your mobile phone rings and the entire TV screen starts flickering. Your mobile phone is a completely separate device; it’s something else altogether, with no direct connection to the TV. But when it rings, it causes interference that gets infused into the television signal and creates that noise.
In some electronic systems, this kind of disturbance or noise can appear through infusion. Or, for instance, you’re advised to avoid standing or spending too much time near high-voltage transmission towers. You know those massive towers you see in fields or by the roadside—they call them high-voltage pylons. That’s because you’d be standing right inside the field of infusion, where electricity gets infused into your body. That’s why there’s a specific restricted zone around these towers where people are warned not to build homes or stay for long periods.
Similarly, if you place a lump of clay next to a fragrant flower (I think this example comes from Saadi), after a while, the clay will absorb the scent of the flower. Or, a person who uses drugs or an addict can infuse addiction into others.
So, whenever two subjects—whether with positive or negative behavior—are placed side by side, whichever one is stronger will infuse its effect onto the other. When two come together, the one with greater strength or potential will influence the other. Sometimes, your positive energy might actually be weaker, and when you try to “fix” someone negative, you end up becoming just like them.

In those movies—you know, The Exorcist—I think most of you have seen The Exorcist. The priest comes to supposedly drive out the evil spirit from that girl. He’s got his priestly robes on, a bottle of holy water that he sprinkles around, he waves the crucifix in the air, holds up the holy book, a rosary around his neck, and starts reciting prayers: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come out, you damned Satan!”
Then suddenly, the demon blows at him—just a puff—and the priest goes flying and smashes against the wall! (laughter from the audience) Another puff—and the Bible catches fire. Another puff—and his clothes get ripped to shreds, he spins around, and smacks into the wall again.
See, here’s the point: if that priest wants to go and fight such a powerful negative force, he has to be stronger than it. If he’s not, he’ll get destroyed himself! That’s a classic example.
If someone really wants to cast out a demon or an evil spirit from a possessed person—well, it isn’t a job for just any priest. It takes a very strong, powerful priest. Like Constantine—you know, I gave you that movie to watch. Audience: Yes, like Constantine.
Or someone who has certain special qualities that make them capable of doing it. For example, if someone’s possessed by an evil spirit like in The Exorcist, the Pope himself probably couldn’t handle it. Usually, Popes can barely walk; they need someone to hold them up on both sides! (laughter)
I don’t mean to insult them, but by the time they become Pope, they’re so old and fossilized they can hardly move! They have to be pushed around in a little carriage—like those carts you see in the old markets in the south of town. (laughter)
Someone like that wouldn’t stand a chance against such forces. You need a very special kind of person for that.

 
Even if you want to get close to negative forces, you’ve got to be really strong. You can’t just walk up to them like it’s nothing, because they’ll drag you down and destroy you too. In that movie, they showed it beautifully.
Don’t think that just because you know a few prayers or a handful of verses—I mean the Christian example—that you can just go in and handle something like that. It’s the same in our religion too; it makes no difference. If you truly believe these kinds of things happen—like in The Exorcist or other real-life cases—you won’t stand a chance just by knowing a few religious texts. You won’t be able to do anything, and you could end up destroyed yourself.
To face something like that, you need to be extremely powerful and strong. So if you want to step into those situations—maybe you want to help someone else, or try to reform them—you yourself must be very, very capable. If you’re not, you’ll be ruined. Life will crush you, and you’ll end up in a worse state than before, no matter what field it is.
For example, if you want to help someone who has cholera, you’d better be very strong, have a lot of knowledge, and know exactly what you’re doing—otherwise, you’ll catch cholera yourself while trying to help. The same goes for tuberculosis or any contagious disease. You have to be strong, aware, and prepared so you can help them without falling ill yourself.
It’s exactly the same in spiritual matters too. If you want to help someone or face negative forces, you must be truly strong and knowledgeable so you can give help without letting their darkness affect you.

If you place a lump of clay next to a fragrant flower, over time the scent of the flower will be transferred to the clay. Likewise, an addict can pass on addiction to another person, or a sick person—especially with contagious diseases—can spread illness to others. So whenever two patterns of behavior, whether positive or negative, come close to each other, whichever one is stronger will inevitably impose its effect on the other.
That’s why the power of suggestion—or induction—plays such a powerful and active role in the universe, constantly driving change and transformation. And through this very same property, we can also pass on correct teachings to help guide people out of darkness.
Interestingly, whenever someone chooses to step out of darkness themselves, immediately the forces of induction—from both the heavens and the earth—will come to their aid. And this, as it’s said, is a law of the universe. It’s so beautiful: as soon as a person turns toward the path of goodness and the straight way, the forces of light, from earth and sky, rush to help them in a positive direction.
But the same holds true if someone turns toward negativity: then too, the negative forces from earth and sky will help them go further down that path. It all depends on which direction we choose to move in.
The moment we decide and start moving in that direction, guidance arrives immediately. It’s like the saying: “When the student is ready, they will hear the footsteps of the teacher.” If the intention is negative, it will be a negative teacher; if the intention is positive, it will be a positive teacher.
As the old proverb goes:
Pigeon flies with pigeon, hawk flies with hawk;
Like attracts like, and together they soar.

Then he says, now let’s talk about Revival—which means bringing to life. Hay in Arabic means to give life. The greatest of all who brings life is “He who gives life and causes death.” The Supreme Power, who revives the dead and takes life away.
But at our level, those people who are sunk deep in darkness and living in pain and suffering—or those who, through drug or alcohol use, have reached total destruction—or those who, because of poverty, live homeless on the streets: in truth, these people are no different from the dead.
Those human beings and forces who step in to help them, and bring about change and transformation in their lives, are what we call the Reviving Forces.
Revival means giving life. So, those who come to help the homeless, to help drug users, to help the poor—people who are, in effect, living like the dead—these are the reviving forces, both on earth and in the heavens.
So what is a guide, really? A reviver—someone who brings life back.
And these reviving forces, whether on earth or in the unseen realms, act like catalysts for transformation and renewal across all levels of existence. Through these catalysts, this grand program moves forward.
He says these reviving forces exist everywhere in the universe, always active, at every level and in every part.
Well, now we come to the next part: the force of Movement, which I’ll leave for the next session.
Thank you all so much for listening to my words.

Translated by: Companion Marjan
7/6/2025

Part Three

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
With strength drawn from the Absolute Power of God, we begin this session.
Hello, friends. I am Hossein, a traveler and the session guardian.
(Audience responds: Hello, Hossein!)
I kindly ask everyone to observe fourteen seconds of silence to seek refuge in the Almighty and free ourselves from our greatest enemy—our own ignorance and unawareness.
(Fourteen seconds of silence observed)
Thank you, friends. I now request our esteemed secretary to provide a summary of the previous session and announce today’s agenda.

Hello, friends. My name is Fatemeh, and I am a traveler.
(Audience responds: Hello, Fatemeh!)
In the name of the Absolute Power of God, today the 11th session of the 21st round of Congress 60 workshops, dated March 19, 2013 is held with the agenda “The twelfth Valley, Part 3” from the book “14 valleys for Recovery” written in 2012. The session started under the guidance and supervision of Mr. Dezhakam and me Fatemeh as the secretary at 9:00 a.m. Thank you.
(Audience applauds)

So, in the Twelfth Valley, Part Three, we’ve now reached the section on motion—first we had the stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption, and then infusion, revival, and finally, motion. Movement refers to action, to making things happen. The Twelfth Valley reads, “In the end, the initial command will be carried out.” This means that whatever we intend to do, we must factor in the element of time. This applies to everything in life.
Unfortunately, we human beings often forget this. We ignore the time factor in some cases, even if we consider it in others. But every time we’ve tried to eliminate time from the equation, we’ve created serious problems and crises. Humanity keeps trying, time and again, to bypass time.

Well, in some areas, it’s actually beneficial to shorten things. But in other areas, it’s not possible. For instance, one of the things people have tried to drastically reduce the time for is food preparation. That’s how processed food came about—canned goods and so on—which disrupted the digestive system and led to a surge in diseases of the small and large intestines. Sausages and cold cuts, for example, caused very severe digestive problems. Or those instant meals meant to be stored for long periods and prepared quickly—those also created a lot of health issues.
Now, in some areas, shortening time actually worked well. For example, when it comes to travel—if you want to go from here to the United States, traveling by car, train, or ship would take a very long time. In this case, reducing travel time has been quite effective. But in other areas, it has caused serious problems. And in some cases, humans are not considered at all in the equation. The entire Valley is trying to emphasize this point.

There’s always been this idea of trying to fix or reform people all at once—and we see this concept present in our own culture. It’s been around from ancient times until now, not only in our culture but in others as well. People have always tried to find shortcuts, proposing various methods to achieve change quickly—through mysticism, philosophy, religion, and countless other paths. The hope is that we can suddenly transform and change in an instant.
In our own culture, for example, we have the concept of repentance—that a person can repent once and for all, and that’s it; everything is resolved.

Of course, repentance means returning—but that return doesn’t happen instantly. Sure, it marks the beginning, but if you’ve fallen to the bottom of a well and want to come back, you’ll need to climb all the way back up. Just because you’ve repented at the bottom doesn’t mean you’ll immediately pop back up to the surface. In any area where you repent, you don’t suddenly reset to the starting point. Repentance is simply the starting point—the beginning of a return, of making amends. All of that has to happen. Some things follow natural laws; they must go through their own natural process.
When it comes to moral refinement, religions, sects, and various groups have presented many approaches. But many times, in trying to fix the eyebrows they poked the eyes out. Right now, one of the major issues—so serious that it even led to a change in the Pope—is the crisis facing the new Pope, Francis: the moral deviance among priests. There are numerous cases where priests have sexually abused children. Today, one of the gravest challenges facing Catholic priests—and the Pope himself—is this horrifying issue of child abuse and severe sexual deviance among clergy. For example, one of our current problems might be the sanctions or certain other issues we're dealing with—but their problems are different.
Why did this happen? What led to such a crisis?
It stems from trying to purify morality by saying priests should not marry—that they should dedicate themselves entirely to God. The same idea exists among Buddhist monks. They too face similar issues, believing that in order to purify themselves and devote their lives to God, they must give up worldly relationships. But this approach has led to them falling off the other side of the roof, so to speak. In those environments, we see widespread homosexuality at its extreme, child abuse, harm to others, and a range of troubling behaviors.
This all happened because they tried to force moral purification all at once. They said, “This man should not have any marital relationships; he must dedicate his entire life to God.” But trying to go about it that way has only created countless crises and problems.
So, no—it doesn't work like that. You can’t expect to refine morals through sudden motions and quick-fix ideas. That’s just not how it works.

The path must follow its natural course. Many people in our culture have tried to shortcut it by forming various groups or sects—still today, we see all kinds of spiritual and ethical movements that aim to guide people toward righteousness. This exists not only in our culture but in many others. But where do these paths actually lead?
I’ve told you this before, but let me share one example again. I was in Tajrish, on my way down Valiasr Street to the office, so I took a taxi. The moment I got in, I noticed the driver had styled himself like a dervish—his hair, clothes, all of it. Now, these appearances can sometimes be used for exploitation, and that happens everywhere. He had a string of agate rings, prayer beads, charms hanging from the mirror—it felt like I was sitting in a mobile khanqah (Sufi lodge).
When we got to the office, the fare should’ve been about 30,000 tomans. He said, “It’s 50.” I saw he even had printed business cards. I told him, “You dressed up like this just to charge me 20,000 extras?” He had crafted the outward image, but the inner ethics weren’t there.
One time, we decided to visit a khanqah in Saltanatabad—just to see what it was about. This was long ago, and I’m telling you exactly what I witnessed. I’m not saying it was good or bad—I’m just sharing what I saw. They were serving abgoosht (a traditional stew), and about 80 people were gathered. They said the Pir (elder) would arrive soon. First, the spokesperson came out, then the Pir. He was wearing a large robe, with long hair and the whole look. But two people sitting by the brazier, who stood up to welcome him, were clearly high on opium and syrup. Now, how was this Pir going to help anyone reach moral refinement?
Another time, I visited a khanqah in southern Tehran, near Behesht-e Zahra. Some of the guys from there had invited us. We went a couple of times, but didn’t enjoy it much and stopped going. Then, nearly a year later, I saw the same Pir who was the head of that group show up at our place with one of our members. He was so heavily medicated—on opium syrup and pills—that they asked us to help him get clean.
I’ve even visited places associated with Krishna and other Hindu sects. I’ve been to many of these places, maybe just by chance I always saw the same pattern. Everyone claims to offer moral purification—and they all want to do it instantly, with chants, rituals, shortcuts. But it doesn’t work. Real refinement doesn’t happen like that.
Now, I’m not denying that some dervishes are sincere, or that there are beautiful schools of mysticism. Those do exist. But unfortunately, these things can also be misused. Even if we put aside the misuse, the root issue remains: ethical refinement must happen gradually—bit by bit, step by step. There is no instant transformation. And it only becomes possible with true cognizance, awareness, and accurate information—not distorted or manipulative teachings.
Many people promise to deliver you to paradise but instead drop you into the depths of hell. They claim they’ll guide you to heaven, but they lead you into destruction. And this happens in every field, every group—I’m not pointing fingers at any one in particular.
So, if we truly want the final outcome to fulfill the original intention—as it says, “In the end, the first command is carried out”—then it takes time. We must pass through time. For every science, we understand that learning takes time. But when it comes to ethics and moral training, we pretend that no time is needed! As if spirituality requires no effort. Spiritual matters are far more challenging than material ones. In fact, if you want to refine your character and undergo moral purification, it’s much harder than learning French, learning English, or even learning how to paint. It’s a slow process. It requires deep roots and strong foundations. As I mentioned in the book "The Blissful State", it’s about settling old scores and bringing everything back to zero. All of these elements work together, hand in hand.

Alright, now we’ve reached the point where we talk about motion. Earlier, we discussed infusion and revival. Revival means to bring something back to life, to repair, to fix, to restore. It comes from the word hay, meaning life or to give life. Now we move on to motion.
Let me read the original first, then I’ll explain:
“Motion is the foundation of existence and the basis for all changes and transformations.”
Motion is the very core of existence and the engine behind all changes and transformations. Without motion, the entire universe would collapse in an instant. Nothing in existence is ever completely still. And when I say nothing is still, I don’t just mean on Earth or in the physical universe. Even in what we call the hereafter, or the world after death—whatever you believe in, even parallel worlds—there is no such thing as absolute stillness. You can’t even imagine a state of total stillness where something just continues endlessly without motion. It’s simply not possible.
Picture yourself in a garden—do you think you can stay in that garden forever, doing nothing, with no motion or change? That’s just not possible. Without motion, everything would collapse.
There is no place, nothing in the universe that is truly at rest. Everything is in motion—constantly. And because of that, we say: “Stagnation is not permissible for any being.”
A person who lacks motion and progress will crumble like a mound of soft clay. Because everything in the universe is in motion, even a little stagnation is harmful. If someone insists on staying still and resisting change, they’ll break down like a fragile lump of clay.
We’ve all seen this happen to people—especially those struggling with addiction or alcoholism. They fall into a stagnant state, stuck in the same patterns, and over time, they collapse. They fall apart. They fade away. That’s why it’s said: “Stagnation is not permissible for any being.”
A person without motion and growth will fall apart like a soft clay rock. Only through motion does the path ahead become visible. Without motion, no transformation or change is possible—not even on the molecular, atomic, or subatomic levels. All transformations arise from motion. That’s how change begins.

Now, the important thing here is that a person is in motion—and motion itself is very good. But the question is: where is this motion headed? Motion by itself isn’t enough; it must have direction. How do we know if the direction is right or wrong? Sometimes you see someone moving a lot, very actively, working hard, but they never reach their goal.
It’s like those treadmills where people run and run, sweating and covering many kilometers—but in the end, they’re still in the same place!
And sometimes, it’s worse—you might even be moving backward, going in the wrong direction.
So, when you want to move, there must be a clear path, a proper route to follow. This is the secret of discovering the truth in two things: first, finding the right path; second, following what you receive.
Finding the path is like the Straight Path. We all say, “Guide us to the Straight Path.” That means: God, lead us on the right way. Take us to a path where our motion will lead us to our destination.
But remember, the Straight Path itself isn’t the goal—it’s the route to the goal.
Imagine you want to go somewhere, and you ask for directions. Someone tells you, “Go down this street, then turn left, then right...” If you want to go to Qom, you have to get on the road that leads there. If you don’t, even if you walk a lot, you might end up going north instead, getting farther from your destination despite all your effort.
So, you have to know if your movement is the right movement or not.
Some people move from morning till night, but in doing so, they create enemies for themselves. They rush, rush, rush—and all that motion just causes problems.
Others move from morning till night and make friends, build relationships, find companions. So, the key is: where and how you move matters.
To put it simply, the text says: If a person is deep in darkness, facing away from the light, all it takes is a small bit of thought—a 180-degree turn—to turn their face toward the light.

So, the direction of our face—our direction of motion—determines where we are headed. Are we moving toward darkness, or toward the light? If we find ourselves moving into the depths of darkness, all we need to do is pause for a moment, think deeply, and turn our face around. When we do that, we begin to face the light—and once we move forward from there, we start getting closer to the light.
Here it says: with just a little thought and a 180-degree turn, a person can turn their face toward the light. At first, they might only see a tiny spark of light. But from there, they must move toward that spark until they reach the source of the light.
When someone is deep in darkness and turns toward the light, they won’t suddenly be blinded by a dazzling glare. If the light were too bright all at once, it would blind them. A person emerging from darkness can’t open their eyes suddenly to a blinding light; they would become blind.
Instead, they must approach the light gradually, step by step. At first, they might only see a faint flicker—just a tiny glimpse. There’s no guarantee they’ll see everything at once. But they catch that small spark, that brief flicker of light—and then they keep moving toward it, again and again, until they finally reach the source of brightness.

Now, the key point is that by moving toward that tiny spark of light, you will eventually reach the source of that light. And when you do, immediately, positive and divine forces from the earth and the heavens come to assist you in your transformation and growth.
When you turn your face toward the light and take that step forward, those divine and positive energies start moving toward you. This isn’t just a slogan or empty phrase — although we hear plenty of slogans like this — this is exactly what I believe based on my own knowledge, awareness, experience, and observations.
When you move toward values and goodness, divine forces begin to move toward you from both earth and sky.
Now, think about this for a moment — everything in existence works by mechanism. Nothing happens without a system or a plan. You can’t find anything in the universe that doesn’t follow some kind of mechanism or programming.
For example, when you plant a single wheat seed in the ground, it has to go through a series of mechanisms before it becomes seventy seeds. Without these steps, the transformation won’t happen.
Or, if a mouse is to reproduce, certain mechanisms must take place: fertilization, pregnancy, birth—only then does a mouse come into being.
If you want to walk on the ground, you have to use a certain mechanism. Even crawling like a snake requires its own mechanisms.
If you want to fly in the sky, you need wings and the ability to flap them — a mechanism that makes flight possible.
A fish swimming in the water needs fins and a tail moving in the right way to propel it forward.
In the whole universe and creation, nothing exists without a mechanism, a system, or a plan.
It’s impossible to think there is someone sitting somewhere — let’s call him God — who instantly programs everything that happens. Imagine God sitting somewhere telling everyone exactly what to do: “Okay, lend Hossein Dezhakam one million tomans; now help Mrs. So-and-so’s child get better; no, wait, let that sick person die.”
(Here a laugh from the audience)
How could one person possibly manage such detailed commands for eight billion people on Earth, plus animals, plants, planets, galaxies, and the entire universe?
There is simply no way all this happens without mechanisms.
Even if there was someone trying to micromanage, he’d have to give instructions to others to carry it out.

Alright, so it can’t happen on its own. The divine system, the system of God, cannot exist without a mechanism. It’s simply not possible. The reason is clear: if the one we believe to be God wants to communicate with us, there must be a means. He needs a messenger—a prophet—to convey His message. That means there must be a plan. You can call it a necessity if you like, but the point is, it requires structure. It needs a system to tell us what we should and shouldn’t do.
So, the Creator of the universe chooses someone as a prophet—Jesus, Moses, Noah, Muhammad, Abraham—peace be upon all of them—and says, “Go and tell them this; do this, don’t do that.” This means there must be a system. There has to be a mechanism. There must be a book. There must be written instructions, something to hand over and say, “Read this, follow this, this is the prescription, this is the cure.” Nothing in existence works without a system.
And so, what I want to say is this: there are forces operating under God’s command—a system of divine forces. And just as there are divine forces, there are also dark forces—satanic and demonic powers—both on Earth and in the heavens, both in the visible and invisible realms.
When someone moves toward values and righteousness, the divine forces come to support them. And when someone moves in the opposite direction, toward anti-values, the dark forces step in to help them. But there’s a catch—they first want to see how determined you really are. Are you truly walking the straight path, or just pretending?
That’s why, for example, when you put on your shoes and head to the mosque to pray, the first thing that might happen is someone steals your shoes right at the door. And then what? You give up, you say, “Forget it. Even God must be joking—I just came to pray and now my shoes are gone!” That’s a test.
Every action you take is a test in the eyes of the divine forces—to see how you handle that path. You must pass these tests. Even in your own life, if you truly love someone, sometimes you test them to see if they genuinely care about you or not. It’s no different here.
In the divine system, the same principle applies. You’re tested to see if you really belong on this path. The same happens in any organization. Employees are tested and evaluated to see if they have the qualities that are needed.
So, you see, it’s not random. God’s system is structured. That’s why, when it says, “The positive, divine forces from Earth and the heavens will rush to support someone who seeks transformation,” it makes perfect sense.
“Each of you who stepped into Congress 60 and decided to come here—weren’t you helped along the way?” Isn’t everyone helping you? The guides, the border-guards (Marzbans), the Watchmen (Didehbans) , myself, your friends—aren’t they all helping you solve your problem? This is how it appears on the surface, but behind the scenes, it's unfolding in another way.

So, divine forces from the earth and sky will come to assist a person in their journey of change and transformation. But it all starts with motion—human beings must begin to move, and this change must occur in their thoughts, words, and actions. I always say it has to happen in all three: in thought, in speech, and in behavior.
First, you think. When you’ve reflected deeply, then you say with your tongue, Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allah, Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan Rasūl Allah. You start with thought. Then you speak the words and become a Muslim. But just saying it isn’t the whole story. What happens next is that you must also show it through your actions. Are you truly the one who thought these things? Are you truly the one who said them? Or are you not? Sometimes, someone becomes a hypocrite—meaning, they’ve thought and spoken, but their actions don’t reflect any of it. That’s what hypocrisy is: when a person’s outer self doesn’t match their inner truth.
So, change must show up in words and in deeds. Words alone are not enough. And the more profound the transformation, the more forces will come to support it—until, over time, that change reaches a necessary point and real transformation occurs.
It’s a process: the person changes and changes and changes again, until one day, transformation happens. They keep changing, and when the time comes, I issue the command to cut the dose. The person enters the Second Journey. They continue on, go further, take the exam, pass it, and become a guide. So, a first-travel pupil becomes a second-travel pupil. Then the journey of change continues. They study and learn, and eventually, they become a guide.
When change reaches its final stage, transformation takes place—and that person is transformed into a divine or positive force and becomes ready to serve others. When someone becomes an assistant guide, they themselves become a positive, divine force—ready to serve their fellow human beings.
It must be noted that at every stage, various forces will offer support—but the main responsibility always lies with the individual. The heavenly forces only infuse ideas—they do not act on your behalf. That infusion—that was the inspiration, the revival, the motion. The hands of heaven only deliver the infusion of thought. They don’t do anything else.

Alright, so the residents (of the heavens) were asking a question: they asked, “Do you think that if we, too, were to go down to Earth, would it be possible for us to make mistakes or commit corruption?” These residents of the skies—who we can assume included the angels—were wondering, “If we go to Earth, would there be a chance of wrongdoing or corruption for us?”
It reminded me of the early days of the (1979) Revolution. I was working in the Shahrak-e Gharb district, at the municipality, repairing a central telephone system. Back then, anyone who’d done anything wrong—people caught stealing or involved in corruption—were being arrested. Suddenly, the phone system I was working on sort of ‘spoke’ and said, “Good for me! I’m lucky I’m not a thief!” I replied, “What are you even saying, man?”
At that time, I myself was still using (drugs), and I told him, “What are you even talking about? If you wanted to steal, what exactly could you steal? What makes you say you’re not a thief? What do you have access to that you could possibly steal? Are you going to steal the telephone lines? Steal people’s calls? What position are you in that would even allow you to commit theft? You’re not in a situation where you could steal even if you wanted to.”
Now imagine you’re a high-ranking official, and someone brings twenty million tomans to your house at night, and you say, “No, I don’t want it.” Or they offer you two silk carpets as a bribe, and you refuse. That’s when you’ve really chosen not to steal. But when you’re not in any position of power, when you have no access or opportunity, not stealing doesn’t count for much—it’s not a real test. So a person needs to be in a position where they could do wrong, but choose not to.
And the same applies to the angels. As long as you're up there and your very nature, let’s say, is made of goodness, then there’s no value in that. If someone’s nature is purely good and they’re incapable of doing wrong, if they don’t even know what wrongdoing is, they’re like a robot—just a robot made of flesh and blood. They only do good things because they literally don’t know anything else.
To me, that’s worth nothing. I mean, maybe it's worth something in its own way, but not in terms of moral value. Because if you don't even understand what evil is, of course you won’t commit it—your very creation is rooted in goodness.
Likewise, those poor devils—literally the jinn—if they’ve been created from the substance of evil, then they were formed with that nature. It wouldn’t be right to punish them either. That’s just how they were made. It’s like a robot that speaks English or one that speaks Spanish—it’s just a matter of programming.
So, if a human being is made from the best of clay, shaped in such a way that they can only do good and aren’t even capable of doing wrong, that too holds no real value.
The real worth lies in the fact that a human is placed at a crossroads, and they can choose to do wrong, but they don’t. That’s what makes humans unique and special. We’re designed in a way that we can do certain things—or not do them.
So when the angels said, “If we go to Earth, what will happen? We’re good beings—are we also capable of doing wrong?” They assumed they wouldn’t. But if they actually did come down to Earth, they’d end up committing the same serious kinds of corruption and wrongdoing.

I once watched a French-American film where four angels—whose names were known—came down to Earth in human form. One of them opened a casino, another started a different kind of business, and each of them got involved in something. You’d be surprised to see what they did, all because they took on human form.
Now, there's a question: if we were to come down to Earth, would it be possible for us to fall into wrongdoing or corruption?
This echoes that moment when the angels asked God, “Are You placing someone on Earth who will spread corruption and shed blood?” And God responded, “I know what you do not know.” So, would we also be susceptible to corruption if we descended in human form?
Successor: yes, absolutely. Human beings are creatures capable of even deceiving themselves. Some humans commit the gravest of sins, crimes, and acts of corruption—and yet, somehow, they still manage to justify their actions to themselves.
In fact, no immoral or corrupt act ever takes place without first being disguised in something beautiful. Evil and darkness always present themselves with an attractive and logical appearance at first—but in the end, they lead only to destruction, ruin, and decay.
So yes, if you too were sent to Earth in a human body, there’s no doubt you could commit any sort of wrongdoing, because the traps of darkness are incredibly powerful and seductive. And maybe then, one day, you'd come to truly understand what it means when we say, “In the end, the first command will be carried out.”
It’s true—if you come to Earth, you might fall into error. But here’s another layer: human beings are capable of fooling even themselves. This isn’t just a slogan; it’s a truth.
Whatever wrong someone does, they’ll always dress it up in the appearance of righteousness. Every time a person commits a sin, they have to convince their own conscience. And to do that, they must make the surface of the act look good—at least to themselves.
Some people commit the most horrific crimes and still manage to make it seem reasonable in their own minds. Imagine someone strapping a bomb to themselves, walking into a bakery line, and blowing themselves up—killing a hundred, a hundred and fifty innocent people—just because those people happen to be Shiites.
They convince themselves this is a rational, even divine act. They tell themselves they’re serving God. They plant bombs in prayer lines, at mosques, in marketplaces—killing dozens or hundreds of innocent men, women, and children—and somehow they still claim it’s an act of faith.
And to top it off, before the bombing, so-called religious leaders come and wash the attacker’s body, dress him in clean clothes, and tell him: “As soon as you push this button, the Prophet of God will greet you at the Pond of Kawthar with a cup of water to drink, and you’ll be welcomed into paradise. You’ll have 80, 90, even 100 virgins—whatever your heart desires.”

"Subhanallah"—just look at how such atrocities are carried out under the guise of piety, cloaked in the robes of righteousness and religion. In the end, who knows where the roots of these operations lie—maybe with the CIA, or the KGB, or some other intelligence agency. Only God knows which network is really behind it.
That’s why it’s said: There is no corrupt or anti-value act that isn’t first dressed in the garments of beauty. Could there be a greater tragedy or atrocity than this—innocent people, ordinary passersby, worshippers, torn to pieces in the name of God? And then they claim they’re serving religion!
God begins His book with "In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful." The foundation of Islam is mercy and compassion. It doesn't begin with murder, masochism, torture, or corruption—those things have no place in it. And now they want to shift the blame onto me?
Let me tell you: no corruption is ever carried out unless it's dressed in the clothing of virtue.
And yes, even you—if you were sent to Earth in a physical body, you could easily fall into wrongdoing and corruption. Because the traps of darkness are both powerful and seductive. Once you're there, you might one day truly understand what it means when we say: “The meaning of the end is the execution of the beginning.”
Residents: How can we go to Earth?
Successor: To descend to Earth, two things are necessary: desire and permission.
Now, this is a view that some may not accept—but it’s my perspective. Of course, there's no concrete way to prove it. This stands in contrast to those who say, “We didn’t choose to come here; it wasn’t in our hands.”
But I say no—you came of your own free will. Coming to Earth and experiencing life here is a matter of free will, because everything in God's creation is based on choice. First, you must want to go, and then you must be granted permission (command).
It's like traveling to the U.S.—you must first want to go, and then you need a visa or some sort of approval to actually enter. The same applies to going to Germany. Wanting to go isn’t enough—you also need official approval. It’s both will and command.

Residents: If we go to Earth and make a mistake, will we be punished?
Successor (with a smile): It’s actually very simple. On Earth, you need to learn not to cross the red lines—because crossing the red lines of life will naturally bring about consequences so severe that only the Supreme Power truly understands.
So when they ask, “If we go to Earth and do something wrong, will we be punished?”—we need to understand that some things are explained symbolically, and these symbols need to be unpacked.
It’s not just about kids—we use symbols for adults too.
When you tell a child, “Don’t touch the stove or the monster will get you,” that “monster” is just a symbol—it represents the explosion of a gas leak or the burn from a fire. You say “hot” or “ouch” or use made-up words, because you can’t explain things like gas leaks, electric shocks, or fire hazards to a toddler. That’s our language with children. In the same way, there’s a language that God uses with us, or that the hidden realm uses to speak to us. It’s also the language of those who have seen behind the curtain—those with deeper knowledge of the metaphysical world—like mystics or spiritual sages.
They speak in a different way. When they want to explain something to us, they use certain phrases and expressions. One of those expressions is:
“If you commit a sin, God will punish you.” Now, sure—sometimes this punishment is presented symbolically. But in reality, you are the one punishing yourself. You are the one creating problems for yourself. That’s why he answers with a smile. It’s symbolic. Yes, whenever you do something wrong, there is a consequence. But it’s not about divine revenge—it’s that the system itself reacts. If you can’t swim and jump into deep water, you’ll drown. If you walk too close to the edge of a rooftop, you’ll fall. You’ll crash to the ground and be destroyed.

Here, the successor smiles and says, “Yes, it’s actually very simple.” When you're living on Earth, you must respect the red lines. Every game has its own rules—you need to play by the rules. Whatever you want to do, there are rules for it. If you want to go to a mosque and pray, it has its own set of rules. If you want to worship in a church, there are certain regulations. If you go to a synagogue, which belongs to the Jewish faith, it has its own specific rules. If you go to a Hindu temple, it follows its own framework. Even if you go to a casino, it has its own set of rules. If you walk into a bar, there are rules there too. Even a tavern has its own code. There’s no place without rules. Even a friendship has its own rules. Even a simple, ordinary friendship has red lines. The relationship between a student and a teacher has its own boundaries. Everything operates within a certain framework—and you can't just step outside those limits. Don’t assume, for instance, that a tavern has no structure or the casino is a free-for-all.
In fact, casinos are often stricter than churches. Because if you make a mistake in a church, maybe the priest or the pastor will simply give you a gentle warning—and that’s it. It’s not such a big deal. But if you mess up in a casino—you’ve seen it in the movies—two big guys will show up, grab you by the collar, throw you out, maybe even beat you up. They’ll drag you away by the arms. So, you see, breaking the rules in a casino is far more dangerous than breaking them in a church. The church might let it slide. But the casino? Definitely not.

Everything has its red lines, and crossing those lines brings consequences that can be far worse than any formal punishment. A great example is when you're driving, which you don’t know what it is. If you run a red light, at some point, you’ll suddenly be hit with a terrible accident. And compared to that, the traffic ticket—which you may not even be aware of—is nothing.
The point here is not that God punishes you the moment you make a mistake, like stealing something and immediately facing divine wrath. No—it's that the system itself is designed in such a way that when you cross a red line, you're bound to take a serious hit. It's like running a red light: sure, the ticket might cost 30,000 or 50,000 tomans, but if you run that light and a Jeep, a Land Rover, or a dump truck slams into you, your car gets wrecked, both your legs might get crushed, and you could end up in the hospital for six months with your back in a cast. The police fine might be 50,000 tomans, but the damage from breaking the rule is massive—no amount of money, not even 50 million, can make up for it.
So, the penalty you suffer from breaking the system’s rules—by crossing those red lines—is far heavier than anything God might impose.

Now, if we wanted to come down to Earth, wouldn’t you have any advice for us? He answers: Live your life on Earth, and let others live theirs. What a beautiful and powerful message this is: Live your life, but let others live too. The problem is, we want to live, but we don’t allow others to live. Let’s say I want to drink alcohol and get drunk every night. Fine—go ahead. That’s your life. But don’t drag your family, your relatives, your friends, and society down with you. Live your own life, but let them live theirs too. You can’t come into society with your drunken behavior and cause chaos—breaking families apart and messing up other people’s lives. Live your life, but let people live theirs too. Do not do to others what you wouldn’t accept for yourself. And don’t do to yourself what you wouldn’t accept from others. If you’re okay with people calling you a jerk, then go ahead and call others jerks too. But if you don’t like being labeled, then don’t label others either. If you’re fine with others ruining your reputation and dignity, then sure—go ahead and ruin theirs too. But if you’re not, then don’t do it to them. As the old saying goes: First stick yourself with a needle before stabbing others with a big needle. Or, pinch yourself first—see if you can even tolerate that.

Do not harm the earth, nature, plants, animals, or other human beings. It says even when you're out in nature—don’t harm the land, the trees, the animals, or other people. But what do we see? People are rapidly cutting down forests, pouring diesel around trees to dry them out, so they can turn forests into land for building apartments. If the forests disappear from the face of the Earth, this planet will no longer be livable. Earth’s ecosystem is essential to our survival.
Look at what some people do just for the sake of pleasure. In the past, a hunter might have been in the forest—maybe Native American, Black, or White—living a primitive life without modern conveniences. When they hunted, it was for food. They ate the meat with their family, used the organs, the skin for clothing, even the antlers—for making knife handles or smoking pipes. Nothing was wasted.
But now, some people hunt purely for amusement. They go hunting, kill a buffalo just for the thrill, and leave it there. They don’t eat the meat, don’t take anything—it’s just the act of killing a living creature for pleasure.
And then there are the greedy ones—who kill thousands of elephants just for their ivory, or wipe out whales for a single product. Some people even drive shark species to the brink of extinction for one supposed benefit.
This teaching tells us: don’t do these things. Don’t harm nature, plants, animals, or other people. Don’t pollute the earth. Sadly, in our country, this problem is growing rapidly. We’re becoming increasingly skilled at polluting the environment.

There was a time I really wished—believe me—when I used to walk down Suhrawardi Street and saw those shopkeepers dumping their trash into the street gutter, I wanted to gather all that garbage and throw it right back into their shops, into their display windows, even onto their heads! They pollute so much—as if the water channels are made for trash! Any rotten orange peel, cardboard, or garbage, they just dump it all into the gutters. Sometimes even the municipality throws waste into them.
We had a river in front of our house. They eventually blocked its source and covered it up. That river had been there for years. When I opened the window, I used to hear the sound of the flowing water. I could see clear, fresh water running through it. But little by little, that river turned into a sewage canal. And this is in the Zarrabkhaneh crossroads area—not even in the south of the city—it’s still considered part of uptown. Even the north of the city has become ridiculous. Where’s the civilization? That river is now full of filth. And we’re talking about the river that runs from Tajrish—it's not even a long stretch! Then you see old cardboard, broken sofas floating in it—believe it or not, old chairs and beds get stuck under the bridges. And the moment it rains just a bit, the bridges overflow, and the streets are flooded.
To make things easier for themselves, the municipality spent tons of money to cover the rivers. Go take a look up north—you’ll be disgusted. And who’s to blame? You and I! No one came here from Mars. These aren’t Martians. It’s us. We’re the ones who go out for a picnic, eat melons and throw the rinds on the ground, toss away old bottles, plastic bags, old blankets—whatever junk we have. We grill kebabs and leave all the trash and bones behind.
We buy our fancy coats from Valiasr Street—designer brands. We bleach our hair, dye it, do all sorts of treatments, spend a fortune on these things… but we throw garbage all over the place. People walk around in décolleté outfits—oh, sorry, I meant bleached hair! (everyone laughs) I meant to say “bleached,” not “décolleté,” but well, I guess both are true in a way!

Yes, this is the situation. We go to great lengths to keep our own clothes clean, but when it comes to our surroundings, it's full of trash, filth, and waste. If you head up north to some areas, it honestly brings tears to your eyes—there’s so much garbage everywhere. I keep repeating this: don't pollute the waters. We used to swim in those streams. We'd block the water with rocks so it would collect and rise, and then we'd jump in and enjoy it. Can guys do that now?
We used to drink from those waters, play in them, wash our hands and faces. But now? You can’t even dip your hand in that water without needing to sterilize it afterward. Just the other day, my knife accidentally touched some water from a nearby stream, and I immediately cleaned it with alcohol and Savlon—because that water was so filthy.
And look at what God has freely given us in this country. Honestly, some of us—no offense to anyone—are just ridiculous. Shops that used to cost twenty or fifty thousand tomans now go for hundreds of millions, even up to two or three billion tomans. Where did all this money come from? God gave it to us freely. Look at how property prices have soared. But despite having such valuable shops, many still lack the basic awareness to keep their surroundings clean.
You have shopkeepers who make a million tomans a day selling sandwiches, and then they just dump all their waste—spoiled herbs, rotten tomatoes, moldy bread—straight into the canals and rivers. A person owns a two-billion-toman shop but throws his trash into the open sewers.

And then we expect God to have mercy on us? Others planted before us so that we could eat. Now it’s our turn to plant so others can eat. But no—we say, “They planted, and we’ll eat. We’ll keep eating, and let others do the planting!” (Audience laughs)
My final recommendation—for a greener Earth and a cleaner, healthier environment for all of us—is this: every year, plant a tree. Any kind, anywhere you go. That way, maybe—just maybe—you’ll witness the fulfillment of that very first commandment in the final chapter, as the trees you planted grow and flourish.
Dear friends, my time is up. Farewell.

Here, at the end of the Twelfth Valley—which also happened to be Tree Planting Week, just before the New Year—everyone in their second travel was expected to plant a tree, wherever they could. And in that moment, the residents of the heavens joyfully thanked the successor and bid him farewell. Meanwhile, in other corners, new whispers had already begun to stir.

Conditions for Practicing the Twelfth Valley
To practice the Twelfth Valley, at least one full year must have passed since the start of our second travel or our liberation. During Tree Planting Week, which takes place in Esfand (late February to late March), we can individually or as a group, along with fellow travelers and companions, plant trees. The location for planting the tree can be anywhere. An important point is that the tree we plant should be marked or identified so that, whenever possible, we can take care of it and keep track of its progress. It is essential to record the address of the planting site, the type of tree—whatever species it may be—and the date it was planted. If we later notice that a tree we planted has dried up or died, then in the next tree planting season, we should plant two trees. This tree planting practice should be continued every year as long as we live. God willing, may you be able to plant one hundred and twenty trees.

So now, little by little, you need to learn this. This year is the very first year for planting trees. If you don’t plant any trees in the coming years, it’s not a big issue for now, but we must plan to definitely plant trees in the future years. We have damaged the Earth so much that perhaps by planting trees together with the members of Congress 60, we can compensate for some of this harm.
That is the end of the Twelfth Valley. Thank you very much for listening to my words. I appreciate it.
(Applause)
 

Translated by: Companion Marjan

7/29/2025

The End