Once Upon A Tomorrow
Our Story Is One
Written & Illustrated by Mehrnoosh Vejdani Watson
Once Upon A Tomorrow
Our Story Is One
Written & Illustrated by Mehrnoosh Vejdani Watson
Once Upon a Tomorrow : Our Story Is One
Bahá’í Publications Australia
Publication copyright © National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia. All rights reserved
Text and illustrations copyright © Mehrnoosh Vejdani Watson
Printed and distributed by
Bahá’í Distribution Service of Australia
ISBN: 978-1-923266-17-9
1st Edition, 2025
Typeset in 16/24pt Minion Pro, titles in Cinzel
Printed in PPC
Perhaps the sky knew that the Invisible Tree was shining. It had been shining over the whole universe since the dawn of time.
And the people?
Most were so busy that they did not notice the eternal light or the fragrance of blossoms. Even when they enjoyed eating the fruits that the Tree gave so abundantly, they did not think about where their Source was.
One day, in the land of Ur in Mesopotamia, a child named Abram ate one of the fruits and was filled with a sense of wonder. As He studied the seed He found inside, the eyes of His heart opened wide, and He saw the light pouring down from the Invisible Tree. Later, He heard the voice of the Tree giving Him a new name—Abraham, meaning ‘the Father of Many Nations.’
As He grew, Abraham loved to bask in that dazzling light. He planted the seed He had treasured and told the people who were worshiping statues about the invisible Tree of Oneness, the Tree of Life. Most at first didn’t believe Him. A few did.
He cared for the sapling under the rays of the Tree of Light and watched it grow into a big Tamarisk tree that spread its branches over the land and into the future. This new tree was visible, and over time, many rested in its shade and marvelled at its majesty as they tried to imagine the Invisible Tree. Abraham helped them to learn that the Tree of Life was everywhere and nowhere. It was now and then. It was ancient and everlasting, and It was one.
In a different place—a city called Mathura in Northern India—a boy named Krishna was born and grew strong in the light of the same Invisible Tree. Just like Abraham, His heart gradually swelled with a new understanding and vision, and He heard the voice of the Tree:
I am the beginning, middle, and end of all beings … I am also the pure fragrance in the Earth, and the brightness in fire …
I am the eternal seed … and the splendour of the splendid …1
Krishna became aware of the many powers of the Invisible Tree. He played His flute as an expression of His love and gratitude. He planted a seed from the Invisible Tree and watched it grow into a beautiful Kadamba tree. He loved the fragrance that its ball-shaped blossoms spread through the air. He shared its fruits with people and told them incredible stories that described the countless powers and attributes of the Invisible Tree—Creating, Preserving, Protecting, Destroying, and many more. He told them:
One should never do something to others that one would regard as an injury to one’s own self.2
Some believed and were given the gift of a new vision, and some did not. Those who believed shared the fruits, fed the hungry, and became grateful.
End of this sample.
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