Images in this post taken by Rachel Wilder, Copyright 2012.

Today our travels take us north of Chicago to the suburb of Wilmette, Illinois, USA and the first Bahai Temple in the Western Hemisphere.  Persecuted in their country of origin, Bahai worshipers must practice their faith in secret in many places today.  Chicago is proud not to be one of them.  The sense of peace is immediately apparent when you step onto the grounds of the temple, regardless of what your personal faith is.  This is truly one of the most beautiful man-made structures I’ve ever had the privilege to visit.

The pathway to the temple is between the tall hedges to the right of this image; the grass spreads out like a lap from the flowering trees in the garden.

The gazing pool has several different colors of tile in its bottom, creating a complex reflexion in the surface of the water.

The color here is primarily of the natural world, as the temple uses no colored stained glass in its windows.  The atrium is paned with clear glass and patterned with stone, so that when you look up from inside you see the sky through hundreds of tiny openings.  We did not go inside to photograph, as it would have disturbed the worshipers inside.

The stairs surround the temple in a circle, allowing the visitor to fully engage with the structure as they walk up to the doors.

The gardens surround the temple on all sides, full of lush flowering trees, shrubs, and plants.

The walkways encircle the temple, allowing the contemplative to walk around it in silence as they consider the natural world juxtaposed with the temple itself.  This is truly a place of quiet contemplation.  The lower level houses a gallery and information center for those unfamiliar with Bahai faith.

Thank you for joining us for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave us a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

The theme at Noony’s blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join her as she explores Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

Noony’s theme on Knoontime Knitting – One Writer’s Journey Into 3-D craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  She’ll be exploring her daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12^th to the 17^th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from Noon & Wilder; the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

Our friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and we’ll add you!):

• Darla M. Sands, Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
• Kari Trenten, The Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration

Write on, and Happy Blogging!