In the name of the Almighty God, Allah
The first session of the 86th round of Congress 60 educational workshops for travelers and companions, chaired and supervised by Mr. Hossein Dezhakam with Mr. Farhad as the secretary commenced on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. The topic of the session was “The Eighth Valley and its Effect on Me”.
Mr. Hossein Dezhakam’s speech: Hello friends, I am Hossein, a traveler.
I hope you are all doing well—thank God, I am fine too. Today is Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the time is 10:05 a.m. and we are at the Academy branch in Tehran. The agenda is “The Eighth Valley”—the path reveals itself through movement.
Before talking about The Eighth Valley, I would like to mention a few points here:
Last time, the topic of our session was Manners, Respect and Discipline, and I also talked about cell phones (etiquette). One of the habits that some of us have—and really need to correct—is that when the person next to us receives a message or wants to send one on their cell phone, we lean over to look at their screen to see who messaged them or what they are writing. This behavior is extremely impolite, undisciplined, and against the principles of proper etiquette. We shouldn’t peek at someone’s phone when they’re sitting next to us and get a message, a picture, or a video. It’s not our business to see who texted them or what they’re doing. The problem is, many of us just haven’t learned this kind of social etiquette yet—we need to understand the culture of proper phone use before we can really use it. So, these are really important points that we must observe: we should never peek at other people’s phones to see what messages they receive or who’s texting them. This is a key point.
The next point is our research work. Actually, yesterday we delivered two speeches for a conference in Paris related to infectious diseases. Although the main congress center is in Chicago, USA, because obtaining a U.S. visa can be difficult, the conference is sometimes held in other countries. It is organized by the U.S., but may take place in Barcelona, Spain, or Paris. There, we also spoke virtually, stating that we had prepared our presentations and submitted them. One advantage of COVID-19 was that, fortunately, it opened up virtual opportunities, allowing conferences to be held online. If virtual attendance were not possible, we could only participate in one or two conferences per year. But with this option, it is possible to attend and present at up to forty conferences annually. We’re still being invited to participate in other conferences and give presentations.
Another issue that I need to talk about now is the matter of overweight. I have just asked Mr. Khodami to raise this issue in the Didebans (watchmen) group so that we can conduct a survey. In other words, we’ve given individuals who are overweight a period of time to lose weight, and afterwards, we will conclude or stop their service. Guides who are overweight may be informed that they are no longer allowed to take on pupils. For those who exceed a certain weight limit—let’s say 12 kilograms, or perhaps 15 kilograms allowing some flexibility—they will not be permitted to accept pupils. Whether someone is a sports guardian, an agent, a Marzban (border guard), or in any other position—even a Dideban (watchman)—they are not allowed to be overweight. They are given a period of time to lose weight, and if they can’t reach the desired reduction, they’ll be suspended. That means they can’t take part in their work, in the groups (legions), or in the classes. The program will be officially approved next week. So, this matter must be taken completely seriously, and we need too actually follow through with it.
For example, sometimes we had a guide in the Jones’s Legion (Health Nutrition Legion) who was 20 kilograms overweight; (in such cases) their work must be immediately suspended. In sports-related roles—whether referees or sports guardians, sessions guardians, Marzbans (border guards), or agents—everyone must maintain an ideal weight. In my opinion, for each kilogram of excess weight, a year may be subtracted from a person’s life. Obesity and being overweight are the root causes of many illnesses, especially for female companions.
Sometimes, we see the guides of Jones’s legion are overweight by 20 kilograms and they must be suspended immediately. Currently, we have about 20 to 30 Jones’s liberated individuals (from overweight) per day, meaning this many people have lost weight. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, when I issue the command of liberation, we usually have 14 to 18 liberated individuals (from overweight) in each session. For example, last Friday there were 19 individuals liberated from addiction. So sometimes in a week, 40 to 50 people end up losing weight (through Dezhakam’s method). In Congress 60, losing weight is really easy and happens gradually. You can eat whatever you want and live normally— you just learn how to eat properly and in a balanced way so that you do not gain weight. Then, when we look at the results, we see how many illnesses people have recovered from after weight loss. One woman told me that after 27 years, she was finally able to have a baby after losing weight. So, as you can see, many types of illnesses are caused by being overweight. That’s another important point.
Another point is that people who become agents should not suddenly want to change everything once they take the position. It shouldn’t be like in some places where, when a new minister takes office, everyone is replaced immensely, and the whole team is dismissed. No—they should first assess the situation and determine whether it is actually necessary to replace people. Someone might say, “No, I want to appoint my own pupil.” Agents should be careful—they do have the authority to change people, but they need to plan, think, and evaluate the situation first. If it is truly necessary, then they can make those changes. This authority is in their hands. However, if they wish to replace the person in charge of publications, every agent who intends to do so must first consult with Mr. Ghadiri, the head of the Congress 60’s central publication department. They should call him and ask, “Am I allowed to replace this person? What is your opinion on this matter?” Because sometimes you see that an agent has replaced the publications representative and appointed his own pupil instead. Since the publications representative handles financial transactions—receiving and paying money—it can lead to problems. For example, the new person might suddenly come up fifty million Tomans (about 500 USD) short, take the money, and disappear. In such a case, the responsibility falls on the agent himself. Therefore, the agent should first consult with Mr. Ghadiri and ask whether this person is suitable for this position or not—“Are you satisfied with this person? What is your opinion? Should I replace them or not? What do you think?” The agent does have the authority to make such changes, but it is better to seek advice beforehand. This was another important point to keep in mind.
But today’s valley is the Eighth Valley: “The path reveals itself through movement”. I read a few of the first lines of the valley: “The path reveals itself through movement”. It constantly talks about movement in this context. “The waves descend upon the earth like a whirlwind”—there is movement in that. “And carrying away whatever is meant to be taken, which is entrusted to them”—there is movement in that. And all of this unfolds only by the Divine Command.” So, to those of you who make a covenant, reflect upon this: rise from the earth and set forth toward the place destined by the Command”—there is again movement in that. “From stillness, nothing is born, and nothing comes into existence. Everything takes shape through movement”—from stillness, nothing is born, everything takes shape through movement. “Structures emerge, beings are created, and the journey through the cycles of creation begins and continues. In this journey, a person’s thoughts serve as the architect of their structures, the guiding tongue (voice) and determiner of the movement path”. So here it tells us again that in the movement, thinking is the architect of structures. That is, if you want to move, you must definitely think before it. Without thinking, you cannot move. In stillness, there is nothing—I may have a problem, but I don’t take any action.
I had a very complicated, difficult, and strange problem. My checks had bounced, and an arrest warrant had been issued for me. I had gone to Kerman and hidden there. In the mornings, I would go to the tomb of Shah Nematollah Vali, and in the afternoons, I would come back. Well, that was my routine—to go there and pray, hoping that Shah Nematollah Vali would help me pay off my debts and honor my checks. I went back and forth over and over again—all for nothing. I had to make a different move. I had to be in a different state of mind. The thought I eventually settled on was this: I told myself, “Alright, I owe this amount of money—what can I do to pay off these debts, or at least part of them?” Then I realized: well, if I try to borrow, say, one million tomans from one person, they won’t have it to lend. But I could borrow one hundred thousand tomans from ten friends or acquaintances, or fifty thousand tomans each from twenty people, for example. So I made a plan and took action. I went back to Tehran, started working, organized everything, took action again—and solved the problem. Whenever a problem arises for us, we must take action. If we don’t move, we won’t reach any result. This is the rise and fall—the ups and downs—of life’s journey.
Yesterday I was talking about how some people say: “Doesn’t God see how much injustice is happening? Doesn’t God see all this oppression? What kind of God allows so much wrong to happen? I don’t worship a God who witnesses all this injustice and does nothing to stop it—I don’t even believe in such a God.” Many of you might have said something like that, or at least heard others say it. But what we often forget is that God has made the world exactly this way—this is how the structure of existence has been created. It cannot be otherwise, because everything is in motion, and movement always has its ups and downs. If you want water to flow from a source, the source must be at a higher point and the destination at a lower one. Only then can the water flow—the height rides upon the low ground; elevation depends on the low point beneath it.
Yesterday, I gave an example of a movie. I said, imagine a film in which everything is positive—everyone is good, everything that happens is good—there’s absolutely nothing negative in the entire movie. For example, imagine this: a man wakes up in the morning and says, “Good morning, my dear.” He kisses the children, they go off to school. He gets dressed, goes to work and greets his colleagues at the office. Then at noon he takes the bus or drives back home. They eat lunch, saying “dear” this and “dear” that again. The parents kiss and cuddle the kids once more, then take a nap. In the afternoon they wake up, watch a movie, go for a walk together, and then return home. If the entire movie were like this—would you even watch it? Would anyone watch such a film? Is that even possible? If a story has no ups and downs, no positives or negatives, can it even be called a story? Does life even have any meaning without these things? Think about watching that same movie—would you enjoy it at all? Human life is the same. Isn’t life itself a kind of game? The movie of life is a game. So, these things exist: hardships, poverty, debt, failures—heartbreak, emotional setbacks, business failures, financial losses, political defeats and even injuries like broken arms or legs. Everything is part of it. All of these are parts of life—without them, life wouldn’t truly be life. If you were God, how would you create life? Put yourself in God’s place—let me see how you would create, how it would turn out. Think deeply: when you say, “What kind of God is this, why does He not see?”—Then become God yourself, and show me how you would design and plan the world. Since life is full of rises and falls, there is movement within it—and through movement, the path is revealed.
If there’s a problem, we just need to think about it first. We must think about problems without bias. How much? A lot. I’ve said this before on one of the CDs, and I’ll say it again now: since around 1981—which makes it about forty-four years until now—I’ve been thinking about the word Ruh (Spiritروح ) what is it? In the CD I said thirty years, I’ve thought about this one word— Ruh —for forty, thirty-five years I have been thinking of this word. What is it? What’s the difference between Ruh and Nafs (Self نفس )? Why is Ruh never used in the plural form in the Qur’an? Why are Nafs and Ruh two distinct words in the Qur’an? Why does Ruh have one function and Nafs another? Why are they different? What does that mean? For example, what does Jān (جان) mean?
So when a problem comes up, we just need to think about it. That’s what this is really saying: in this process, our thoughts are like the architect that designs everything. When you want to build a house, you need an architect to draw up the plan. In the same way, when a person faces a problem, wants to solve something, or decide what to do—who’s the architect? It’s our own thinking. Our thoughts design the structure: Should I go to college or not? Should I study this major or that one? I want to lose weight—should I have surgery or not?
Someone went to get a tattoo—back then they used to call it Khal-Koobi (tattooing), but now we just say “tattoo.” He went to the tattoo artist, and the artist asked him, “What do you want to get?” The man said, “I want you to tattoo a big, strong lion across my shoulders.” The master said, “Alright,” and drew the design of the lion with those old carbon papers and pens. Then he made the first prick with the needle. You know, these days when people get a tattoo, things are a bit different—they use machines, apply numbing cream, and all that. But back in the old days, there was none of that. They used to take leek juice, and with a needle they’d inject the juice into the skin. The skin would start bleeding, and as the needle pricked the skin, the leek juice would mix with the blood—and that’s how the tattoo would eventually take shape. When the tattoo artist made the first prick, the man shouted, “Ouch! What are you doing?”
The artist said, “I’m tattooing the lion.”
The man asked, “Which part are you working on?”
“The tail,” the artist replied.
The man said, “Forget the tail—make it without a tail.”
The artist continued, made another prick, and again the man cried out, “Ouch! Don’t do that!” “Which part is it now?” he asked.
“The leg,” the artist said.
“The leg? Leave it out. No legs.”
Every time the artist made a prick, the man asked, “Which part is that?”
“The back.”
“Don’t do the back.”
“The head.”
“No, not the head either.”
“The mane.”
“No mane, no need for that.”
Finally, the tattoo artist said, “My friend, a lion with no legs, no tail, no mane and no head—such a lion has never been created by God!”
Now, let’s say you want to lose weight. You start saying things like, “Well, I’m not going to bother with the salad. I won’t go for a walk either. I’m not even sure what to have for breakfast. Let’s just skip today and do something else instead.” Well, if you don’t follow any part of the plan, of course you won’t get any results. It’s the same when you want to follow the DST method for addiction cure. If you keep going off plan—saying things like, “Let me take my medicine (Opium Tincture) a little earlier,” or “Instead of one cc, I’ll take two”—then it simply won’t work. To lose weight, you must think carefully and follow the plan to the letter. To treat addiction with the DST method, you must follow the plan to the letter. To quit smoking, you must follow the plan to the letter. And to succeed in business, you must follow the plan to the letter.
When you’re ready to act, the old folks had a saying: “First dig the well, then steal the minaret.” You know what a minaret is—those tall mosque towers that rise sixty or seventy meters high. It’s an old story, a proverb. If you want to steal a minaret, where will you hide it? You can’t hide something that big! So first, dig a deep well, so that you can place the minaret in it, and only then steal it. In other words, whatever you want to do, you must first prepare the ground—dig the well first, then do that.
First, we need to plan what we want to do. For example, if I want to go to university, I need to decide which university, which field of study, where it’s located—I need to research all of that. It’s just like an architect designing a building: they draw a blueprint showing where the living room goes, where the bathroom is, where the hall and windows are—every detail is planned. Whatever we want to do—whether starting a business, running a shop, or importing goods from abroad—we first need a plan. Every action requires a blueprint. And while we act, our thoughts are the architects of the structure we’re building. We need to design and guide our actions carefully with our own ideas.
We often fail because we act before thinking. For example, imagine you want to lend 20 million tomans to a friend. You need to ask yourself: “If I lend this money and my friend doesn’t pay me back, can I handle that?” You might decide, “Okay, I’ll give it. Even if I never get it back, it’s worth it for the friendship.” That’s one way to look at it. Or you might think, “I want to lend the money, but I need it back.” In that case, it’s smart to get a check, a receipt, or some written proof from your friend. As the saying goes: “Never let go of the reins of your wealth—claiming what’s rightfully yours is no less than begging.” You lend someone money, and when you want to get it back, you have to act like a beggar! When you decide to get the money back, they say: "What's wrong with you? Come on, you just lent me a bit of chump change—stop making such a fuss! You’re driving me crazy, constantly nagging me every minute—'Give me my money! Give me my money! I'll pay you back—just let me get some money first, then I'll give you your money. "It's like that story I told you before: One person owed money to another. The lender kept going to him saying, "Give me my money," and the debtor would say, "I'll pay you later." This is exactly why I say: Whether you want to lend money or do anything else, plan ahead first, otherwise you'll get caught up in trouble. Because he kept saying, "I'll pay you later, I'll pay you later." One day the lender came and said, "Why don’t you give me my money?" The debtor said, "I've made a plan to pay you back. “I’ve gathered some thistle seeds from the wild bushes. I’m going to sow them in the desert during winter. When spring comes, they’ll grow into thorny bushes. Then, when the sheep pass by, their wool will get caught in the thorns. At the end of summer, I’ll go collect all that wool, have it spun into yarn, then I’ll dye it, weave it into a carpet, sell the carpet, and then I’ll pay you back.” The creditor burst out laughing. The debtor said, “You got your money, and you’re laughing?” Sometimes, when you give someone something, getting it back later is no easier than begging for it.
This is where we say: thought is the architect of structures; the path reveals itself through movement. Whatever we want to do, we must think first. If we don’t think, we’ll run into problems. Smart and clever people think before they act. But those who are a bit unbalanced act first and think later—and that’s why they often face failure and all sorts of difficulties.
Now, that’s as far as I’ve talked about it—that’s enough. The point is: whatever we want to do, let’s take some time to think first—maybe ten seconds, maybe ten minutes, maybe two hours, depending on what it is—and then take action. And when you start moving, it doesn’t have to be that everything is already clear, because the path reveals itself through movement.
Let’s say you want to drive to Chalous (a city in north of Iran). Right now, you don’t know where the road goes uphill or downhill, where you’ll need to turn left or right. You have no idea. But once you start moving, the road signs will guide you—they’ll say, “Turn left,” “Turn right,” “Tunnel ahead,” “Watch out, there’s a valley,” “There’s a embankment here,” and so on. So, it’s in movement that the path reveals itself. In other words, when you want to do something, make your initial plan—sketch the main outline—and then start moving. The rest will unfold along the way. We can’t expect to have every single detail figured out before we begin. What matters is that you take some steps, make a general plan, create the structure, and then move forward. The movement itself will show you what to do and what not to do. That’s all I wanted to say. Thank you all for listening—I truly appreciate your attention.
This week is International Teacher Appreciation Week. Besides me, all of you are teachers. Here, all the guides present are teachers and even the border guards—it makes no difference. Anyone at Congress 60 is a teacher. Even a first-travel pupil is a teacher, because they also teach us some lessons.
So, happy Teacher’s Week to all of you. Thank you.
https://congress60.org/News/447628/%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A2%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86%E2%80%8C%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D9%87%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%85-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%B1%DA%A9%D8%AA-%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87-%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%AF
Written by companion Fatemeh, Salman Farsi branch of congress 60, Isfahan, Iran
Translated by companion Sepideh, Legion 22, Sheikhbahaei branch of Congress 60, Isfahan, Iran
Revised and edited by Elahe