Spirit Matters Autumn 2013

A message from the editor

Front cover photo: Azad Roddy Daly; Flower photos on this page and in borders throughout this issue: June Buchanan.

MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Membership to the Sufi Movement in Australia is open to all. If you find yourself drawn to the ideals of universal spiritual

brother-and-sisterhood, you may be interested in becoming a member.

The Sufi Movement in Australia offers an annual Sufi summer retreat, classes in centres around Australia,

and a quarterly newsletter. In addition, members are affiliated with the International

Sufi Movement, its teachers and activities.

Annual Membership FeesSingle-$75

Family-$100

Please contact the treasurer for more details (see the back page for contact details)

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What’s in the Autumn issue?

Spirit Matters - Autumn 2013

3 Letter from Nuria, SMIA’s National Representative

4-6 Reflections on the Australian Summer Retreat – Nur- Alam

7 Flowers, Humans and Mornings – a poem by Elif Sezen

8 Getting to the retreat with the help of Rumi – Azim Murray Smith

9 Retreating by the River – reflection by Zora Bria Floren 10-12 Consciousness and being on the Sufi Path – Azad Roddy Daly

13 In memoriam: Walia van Lohuizen – Sakya van Male 14-15 Sacred Reading: Divine Grace – Hazrat Inayat Khan

16-17 The Other Room – a poem by Roshandil Ronit Bergman

18-19 The Holy Book of Nature, part 1 of 3 – Kadir Troelstra

19 International Sufi Movement Summer Retreat – July

20-22 The Frog Princess, part 3 of 5 – Nuria Daly

23 Cooking with fire of Devotion – Dargah Retreat – November 24 Contacts

Dear friends

We have another bumper issue this season, with articles and poems from all over the world. We have many reflections on the just-past Australian summer retreat, which is great. As I couldn’t attend this year, I really enjoyed reading and being inspired by them. We also have news and contributions from the Netherlands and Macedonia this issue, so we are becoming international! Next issue is due in July, so please send your articles, poems and photos by 1 July. I hope you enjoy the issue, and thank you to all our contributors for sharing their hearts and words (and images) with us.Happy reading.

Love, Sakina

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Letter from Nuria, SMiA’s national

Phot

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Beloved Sisters and BrothersWhat a truly beautiful retreat we have just had! It really has been the best, deepest and most profound retreat ever, and I am not alone in saying this. The topic was ‘A Natural Life’ and there were many teachings on this subject both directly and indirectly, through the various strands, practices and events that permeated the retreat.

But let me start at the beginning.

After the first Zikar we were in silence until lunch time the next day. This meant that we could turn inward and really absorb the teachings and our practices on a deep level, devoid of the usual inner and outer chatter. In addition we were given a practice on the nature meditations: there was a basket of Nature Meditations with relevant practices folded into little golden messages. We chose one every day and then followed through with the practice that we had drawn. Each day the Nature Meditation I had chosen was so very relevant for me that I felt it was Divinely inspired. For instance, on a cool day when I did feel the cold, I was given Warmth, so I wrapped myself up and sat in the warmth of the sun, and, as part of the practice, repeated inwardly: ‘Let me live in Thy warmth’ (on the inhale); ‘Raise me above the coldness of the earth’ (on the exhale). On a terribly windy day one of us drew ‘Wind’ and he said how amazing this practice was for him – the wind was really talking to him.

At first the going was tough for me – I was confronted by all my own shortcomings and limitations when looking at the Divine Ideal, but it changed and evolved until the Thursday which happened to be the Autumn Equinox and the Persian New Year (Nauroz 21st March). We had all come together in a inner space of Unity without ego. Murshid Nawab was inspired – telling us beautiful stories which brought many of us to tears. Our hearts were truly open and later that evening, two souls were initiated following Zikar.

On the last day, some other people came to Amberley to have a meeting in one of the downstairs rooms . After so many days of silence, their loud talk and laughter was actually shocking to me, and they didn’t seem to realise that we were trying to hold a silence, and so wanted to talk with us. That was such a good lesson on how much

our usual outer communications are not all that important, or even useful, and how nourishing silence really is. As the saying goes, ‘We can only hear the voice of God in the silence’.

In one group, Azad gave us this quote from Thomas Merton: ‘Interior silence is impossible without mercy and without humility.’ This brought up some questions for me at the time. ‘Why do we need God’s mercy to meditate?’, I wondered. However, this is one of the questions which was answered at the retreat. The reading on Grace, which is included in this newsletter, may answer this for you as it did for me. It is really Divine Grace which is needed and this is not given on merit. For example, if I believe that if I do my practice faithfully for 10 years, I will, as a result of this, receive Grace, then I’m afraid I will be disappointed as it just doesn’t work like that. Grace just comes, and yet paradoxically, as Nawab said, we need to be prepared in some way to receive Grace, or perhaps to recognise and welcome it when it comes.

At the end of the retreat I felt so sad that it was over and that our beautiful Sufi family would soon be scattered all over Australia again.

What has been most important is that I believe and hope that much of what I have absorbed from the retreat will stay with me and whatever happens and wherever we are we belong to this Sufi family.

With love to you all,

NuriaP.S. Azad and Malik have recorded and filmed the whole retreat and hopefully a DVD will be available within a few months should you wish to experience this retreat and even if you want to relive the experience.

All members of the Sufi Movement will be sent the retreat teachings and I strongly recommend that you really read and absorb them.

Mur

shid

Naw

ab, E

lif a

nd N

uria

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Reflections on the Australian Summer Retreat by Nur-Alam


‘Possibility is the nature of God, and impossibility is the limitation of man.’

‘In the complete unfoldment of human nature is the fulfilment of life’s purpose.’

These words of Hazrat Inayat Khan, in the retreat flyer sent by Nuria, attracted me to register for the Summer Retreat. This was the first time, in the last five years of my time in the Sufi Movement, that I signed up for the entire length of the retreat. I was not disappointed. In fact, I didn’t know what a surprise was awaiting for me there! What a great treasure of learning I was to learn there. It was the retreat of my lifetime, an awakening and inspiration to pursue a true retreat; i.e. move back to do a fresh start in life with a whole new perspective.

Flashes of motivations to come to the retreat

It all started in the morning on the day of retreat. I did not feel very much excited. After my dawn prayer and meditation, instead of being happy, I felt extremely sad. I was supposed to be happy because of the fact that I had the whole week off work to do only what I loved. That means, to do only Zikr (remembrance), Sukr (gratitude) and Fikr (reflection & deep thinking on the creation of Allah). I have a very deep feeling and love for those three Sufi practices – a topic which I’ll cover in my next article. I found that instead of being content and cheerful, I was flabbergasted by a plethora of sorrowfulness and despair.

In a few moments, I understood the reason for my sadness. It was because of my hesitation and doubtfulness that crept into my mind. I love Sufism, but I was not sure whether the Sufi Movement is the kind of Path for me or not. That dithering thought was what was bothering me. Before even I left home, I was already feeling homesick. I had started missing my family, my children. I felt some kind of emptiness even during the week. I went to my son’s room, just three days before the retreat to tell him that I would be going for the whole week. He said he already knew it. So, although I thought of going to my daughter’s room, I didn’t. I realised that it’s a feeling of separation in me; everyone is okay with me going away for a week, but I realised in the morning the real reason of my sadness.

I told this to Azim (Murray Smith) when I arrived at the Retreat Centre at Amberley and had my first opportunity to mingle and speak to someone in the retreat on that morning. I told him the full story of my feeling that morning. I told him that a strong thought with a great message flashed in my mind when I was looking for an answer. I realised that something was changing in me, in my life. Everything has been changing in this planet and I have been changing too. I found that I was being replaced everywhere: in my work place, in my home. I realised that this change has been happening in me and in my life since I was born. I was replaced in my mother’s lap when my younger sister was born. I was replaced when I was promoted to Grade 2 from Grade 1. I was replaced when

I moved from my Primary to High School and from my college to my university. All the places I was used to and enjoyed one day, someone else came along and took it over from me. I realised that I did the same. I replaced my father. When I looked into the mirror, I saw my father in me. I remembered, when I visited my son, who is now nineteen years old, I saw myself in him. Slowly he is becoming like me to replace me. That thought of losing my spot in this planet seized me for a moment.

However, I recognised an interesting part in that thought. I discovered that I was always happy to move on and embrace all those changes in my life with utmost pleasure. I was happy to grow up and leave behind all those toys to my sisters and brothers. I was happy to get promoted to a higher class, a higher position in my job. I was happy to leave behind all my belongings and ownerships to my family members in Bangladesh when I moved to Australia.

So I asked myself: why am I feeling sad now? Another thought wave came with an answer as soon as I finished my sunrise prayer. I was happy for all of the past changes because I considered those as better options for me and my life. The new changes are happening in my life now: like getting older, the new generation taking my roles at home and work, going towards the preparation for the After-life through embracing Sufism, embracing nothingness, and giving up my strong attachments to the worldly life. I felt that I was not yet fully grown up spiritually to understand this new change. I found that I haven’t prayed enough yet of what Hazrat Inayat Khan taught us to pray: ‘Save me, my Lord, from the temptations of power, fame, and wealth, which keep man away from Thy Glorious Vision’.

Is it really better? Am I going towards a better life? Then this Qur’anic verse crossed my mind:

KNOW [O men] that the life of this world is but a play and a passing delight, and a beautiful show, and [the cause of] your boastful vying with one another, and [of your] greed for more and more riches and children. Its parable is that of [life-giving] rain: the herbage which it causes to grow delights the tillers of the soil; but then it withers, and thou canst see it turn yellow; and in the end it crumbles into dust. But [the abiding truth of man’s condition will become fully apparent] in the life to come: [either] suffering severely, or God’s forgiveness and His goodly acceptance: for the life of this world is nothing but an enjoyment of self-delusion. (Qur’an,57:20)

Also, I remembered Pir-O-Murshid’s words that I read in his autobiography. He mentioned that when he was in Calcutta, he lost the highly revered and coveted medal from King Nizam of Hyderabad that he was awarded as recognition of his distinguished career as an Indian Classical musician. He was initially very sad to lose it, but a thought crossed his mind which changed that moment of sadness to a happy one. He was inspired to understand that when a child grew up physically he/she threw away

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his/her toys, and when a human grew up spiritually, he/she threw away his/her worldly toys like medals, fame and wealth, and the other earthly stuff of glory. After that insight, he was easily able to let it go and rise up above it.

So I was feeling better with those flashes of motivations. I felt that I have been guided to this retreat to seek the unfoldment of my inner nature.

What I learnt on my first day at the retreat

I saw the sign on my first day at the retreat. I didn’t know then that this will lead me to start my Suluk journey (wayfaring on the Path of Sufism). I found the answer in this little note which I picked as a lottery for my individual practice for the day. It said: ‘Repeat aloud the phrase below ... as many times as you like... until you feel that it is engraved in your consciousness. Then place it upon the breath as indicated. Be aware of the moving waves of the sea as you work with the phrase below:

The waves of joy rise in my heart (inhale); When I see Thy nature manifest in the sea (exhale).’

But this last piece of advice followed the practice: ‘keep the picture ever-moving nature in your consciousness.’

Here is the subject of ‘ever-moving nature’ which was reflected in my heart in the early morning, now brought home for me in the teaching of my life. I thought I have been asked by Allah through my heart, my intuitive sense, that I should fill my heart ‘with the waves of joy’, whenever

I see a ‘change of nature’ in my life i.e. changes in my family, in my workplace , in myself. That was an excellent teaching for me at this retreat.

What I learnt on my second day at the retreat

I also had doubt about whether I would get any new learning from the retreat, as the teacher wouldn’t quote much from the Qur’an or Hadith. I was guided to seek advice about this.

So when I had my opportunity to have a one-on-one session with our great teacher Nawab Pasnak, the International Co-ordinator of the Sufi Movement, I asked him to help me understand the following verse of the Qur’an:

HAD WE bestowed this Qur’an from on high upon a mountain, thou wouldst indeed see it humbling itself, breaking asunder for awe of God. And [all] such parables We propound unto men, so that they might [learn to] think. (Qur’an 59:21)

Nawab, in his usual modest way, told me, sorry I am not much knowledgeable about the Qur’an or Mohammedian teachings, but I think it means the following:

A mountain is made of rock. Solid, dense earthly stuff, but stays erect, high with pride. However, the weight of the heavenly Divine revelation is so heavy that even it would have been crushed into dust with humility. So the lesson is that we should crush our ego even if it is as high, rock-solid-hard and full of pride as a mountain is if we are sincere in our search for the Truth.

That explanation from Nawab soothed my heart so much that I cried for a while. I wondered how he came up with such a beautiful understanding of that verse so quickly. Then I understood; it is the power of the spirit of guidance that he is representing; i.e. Hazrat Inayat Khan through the lineage of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

What I learnt on my third day at the retreat

Also on the third day of the retreat, I collected a copy of “Spiritual Liberty” – a book written by Murshid Hidayat Inayat Khan, the only living son of Hazrat Inayat Khan at this time of history. After I took it to my room, suddenly I opened to page 29, where I read the following paragraph:

Divine guidance is also experienced through temptation, in such forms as wealth, success or comfort. Such temptations are meant to remind one to keep steadily on the path and not to go astray. But a reward can be most blinding, and as soon as one thinks that one is wealthy or successful forever, one becomes intoxicated.

The last line of the above paragraph brought home a serious Qur’anic message to me. I was just pondering on this message two weeks ago before coming to the retreat. The message is from Allah, the most Glorious, who said:

Nay, verily man does transgress all bounds, whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient. (Qur’an, 96:6-7)

Although Murshid Hidayat Inayat Khan has not written many books, whatever he has written, I tried reading as much as I could. In this retreat, I learnt from Nawab that he was raised with a Western mindset; as a result, he uses only Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teachings as his basic source, nothing from any other sources of the East, like the Qur’an or Hadith, although he admires and believes in all sources of Divine scriptures.

However, when I read this chapter on ‘Divine Guidance’, I could see that Murshid Hidayat correctly illustrated the Qur’anic verse, which brought home the point for me that although no Qur’an was mentioned, all of his teachings are based on true Qur’an and hadith based classical Sufi teachings.

What I learnt on my fourth day at the retreat

I loved the collections of sacred readings in this retreat. Our teacher selected very beautiful collections to ponder and live on our Sufi Path of Wayfaring to build a fully adorned “Natural Life”, as per the list below:

Purity of Life (Vol 6, the Alchemy of Happiness)

The Control of Body (Complete Works of HIK, Lecture given at Chicago, April 30, 1926)

The Control of Mind (Complete Works of HIK, Lecture given at Chicago, May 1, 1926)

The Tuning of the Heart (Complete Works of HIK, Lecture given at San Francisco, April 9, 1926)

And some selections from the Religious Gathekas

On the fourth morning, our beloved teacher Nawab told us a beautiful Sufi story of Nizamuddin Aulia, how his disciple Amir Khasru broke the “spell of grief” in his Murshid. The teaching was to give ‘Homage to Nature’ by recognising everything as a gift from God (Nature) as we enjoy it in our life.

In the sacred reading on the Purity of Life, Hazrat Inayat Khan asked us to cultivate the child-like pure-minded qualities. He said:

What do we find there (in the mind of a little child)? We find first of all faith, the natural tendency to trust; then love, the natural tendency towards friendliness and affection; then hope, the natural expectancy of joy and happiness. No child is a natural unbeliever. If it were so it could not learn anything.

I loved the quoting of a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by Nawab, when he was explaining the pure-mindedness (or pure innocence) of a child in the above section of the sacred reading:

Every child is born in Fitrat Al-Allah (Allah’s Nature), i.e. with the primordial nature of purity. (Al-Bukhari, 32:79)

That sacred reading of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s work and the appropriate explanation from Nawab brought home for me the point of Fitrat Al-Allah (Allah’s Nature) in my inner self, which I read in the Holy Quran:

AND SO, set thy face steadfastly towards the [one ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into man: [for,] not to allow any change to corrupt what God has thus created, this is the [purpose of the one] ever-true faith; but most people know it not. (Quran, 30:30)

Then of course, the moment of truth came for me when I asked the following question of Nawab:

Hazrat Inayat Khan said in this sacred reading that ‘the true nature of the heart … is love. And this can only be done by a continual watchfulness over one’s attitude towards others; by overlooking their faults, by forgiving their shortcomings, by judging no

one except oneself ’ and it is evident in HIK’s response to a question when he was asked ‘Who is better, Jesus or Buddha?’ and his reply was ‘I cannot rise above them to judge them, so I follow both of them’. Can you tell us any example or incident in HIK’s life where we can find how he was ‘watchful over his attitude towards others’?

Then Nawab told us a beautiful story of Hazrat Inayat Khan. In the 1920s when he greeted a footpath worker with a handshake in front of his highly rich well-to-do mureeds who rebuked him for it, he handled the situation so aptly without hurting their feelings, it created an impression in the heart of the footpath worker, who came, in his old age, to enquire about HIK, but found Murshid Hidayat instead.

Later Nuria told us that it was a story recorded by Murshid Hidayat in his book Once upon a time ..., a biographical work on HIK’s life.

Anyway, this story of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s practice of what he preached brought tears to my eyes. Later I saw many others also in tears at the same moment. I was so moved by it that I decided then and there to move forward and take my step towards ‘initiation’ on the Suluk journey of wayfaring by using the Sufi Movement Path as was laid by its founder Hazrat Inayat Khan. I was initiated on that night after Zikar.


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Flowers, Humans and Mornings by Elif Sezen

I.But human spirit is weaker than that of flowers(absence grows from its joyabsence grows from its joy)its joy says: that was mea space between two leaveslike the space of a prophet-flowerit opens while we sleep(dominating emptiness)

We there lying still watching small petals surrounding bigger ones we were like prophet-bugs smiling at each other on a joyful evening(we were like people cackling at their deaths)we were carrying a kind of big secretthat no one could take from uswe had a distinction: being divided into components and getting smaller

(at the same time birds with the same destinywere flying through familiar clouds)

II.Morning flies through a cloudmorning celebrates its own endmorning sprouts into an abyss againwhat’s the difference between morning and my breath?you cannot you cannot catch itbut you can love it like you love your baby

‘All the mornings of the world are irretrievably gone!’*

*an old French sayingOriginal publication reference: Elif Sezen, Gece Düşüşü, Hayal Publishing, Istanbul, 2012, p. 51-52


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Getting to the Retreat with the help of Rumi by Azim Murray Smith

Dear NaurozI hear you’re going to the Melbourne retreat.Perhaps we could travel together ?Sufi HugsAzim

‘Come ,Come, whoever you areWanderer, worshipper, lover of leavingIt doesn’t matterOurs is not a caravan of despairCome, even if you have broken your vow a hundred timesCome, come again, come.’

Hi AzimWe could fly from Sydney on Monday morning and share a cab to Amberley.Goddess BlessMaerey Nauroz

‘While the inner lamp of jewels is still alight ,Hasten to trim its wick and provide it with oil.’

Top of the mornin’, Blessed Maerey NaurozI’ve booked a 7am flight on Jetstar! We can meet Zubin at Melbourne airport and hopefully make it to the retreat start. See you at 6 am?Azim

‘The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep!Ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep.People are walking back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch.The door is round and open.DON’T GO BACK TO SLEEP !

Crikey Dick ! It’s an early start, Azim. ‘Out beyond the boundaries of right and wrongThere is a fieldI’ll meet you there.’

Nauroz

Photo: Azad Daly


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Retreating by the Riverby Zora Bria Floren

What a lovely time we had.

Do we say every time, ‘It’s clearer to me this time?’ I wasn’t alone in saying it this year. Maybe Nawab is getting more transparent. Maybe we are. The magic of retreat.

Ah, what a treat to return to the familiarity of Amberley. To reconnect with friends of the heart. To be well fed and cosily housed. Free to rest in an innocence and open-ness and not be challenged to shut down as in the rough and tumble of everyday life. Even living as I do, out on the quiet ridge, remembering is most oft forgotten. But we were aided at Amberley by a gently flowing ribbon of practices from waking until evening zikar, and then there was the privilege of silence until lunch every day. The force was with us. As was repose.

In my experience, it’s rare to gather like this, and year af-ter year be given encouragement and the space to learn our own lessons. To be led with an egalitarianism that’s maintained and sustained, despite all the changes and challenges. It’s deceptively simply done and more than anything else, it’s this kindly regard for us all that encour-ages me to keep returning. Safe to increasingly drop all resistance and to explore for the tender place in me that I don’t yet know.

With gratitude to Nuria and Azad and Nawab, yet again, from Zora.

Let yourself be silently drawnby the stronger pull

of what you really love.

Love is not condescension, never that, nor books, nor any marking

on paper, nor what people say of each other. Love is a tree with

branches reaching into eternity and roots set deep in eternity,

and no trunk! Have you seen it? The mind cannot. Your desiring

cannot. The longing you feel for this love comes from inside you.

Jelaluddin Rumi(Translated by Coleman Barks)

Let us choose one another as companions! Let us sit at each other’s feet!Oh friends, sit a little closer, so that we may see each other’s faces!Inwardly we have many harmonies–think not that we are only what you see.Now that we are sitting together, our hands hold the wine and our sleeves are full of roses.We have a way from this visible world to the Unseen, for we are the companions of religion’s messenger.We have a way from the house to the garden, we are the neighbor of cypress and jasmine.Every day we come to the garden and see a hundred blossoms.In order to scatter them among the lovers, we fill our skirts to overflowing.Whatever we gather from the garden we put down, and then we pick out the best.Steal not your hearts away from us – we are no thief, we are trustworthy.Behold our words! They are the fragrance of those roses–we are the rosebush of certainty’s rosegarden.The world is filled with the fragrance of those roses. They say, ‘Come! For we are like this!’When we caught their scent, they took us away – they make us great, though we be small.We may be Love’s least slave, but like Love, we wait in ambush.

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Consciousness and being on the Sufi Path by Azad Roddy Daly

The consciousness is the intelligence; the intelligence is the soul; the soul is the spirit; and the spirit is God. Therefore consciousness is the divine element, the consciousness is the God part in us. And it is through consciousness that we become small or great, and through consciousness either we rise or fall, and through consciousness we become narrow or we expand. (Gathekas 49)

Or as Murshid Hidayat puts it:

Out of the Absolute, a consciousness was born – the consciousness of being conscious – and out of this consciousness arose the exaltation of existing. It is this exaltation which is understood by the Greek word logos.

I know I have written, or talked, about this particular Gatheka before but following a very special day (Thursday) of Murshid Nawab’s teachings at our Summer Retreat, a few weeks ago, it once again came to my mind.

The topic or theme for this year’s Summer Retreat was ‘A Natural Life’ and it was on a Thursday that Murshid Nawab addressed the subject of Purity of Life (Vol 6, The Alchemy of Happiness). You will find this on page 1 of your Booklet. (All SMIA Members who were unable to attend this year’s retreat will receive a copy of this by post.)

Murshid prefaced this teaching by saying that it really answered a question that had been raised the previous day on our ‘fixation on the material world’. He noted that our Master had said that first amongst the steps to be made for leading a spiritual life was ‘purification’. What follows is mainly a précis of the text(s) used and Murshid Nawab’s comments, with some commentary by myself.

The text begins with:

Purity of life is the central theme of all the religions, which have been given through the ages to humanity. For purity is not only a religious idea but it is the outcome of the nature of life itself, and one sees it in some form or another [in] every living creature…

Even a man who has not risen above the material life shows this faculty in physical cleanliness, but behind this there is something else hidden, something, which is the secret of the whole creation, and the reason why the world was made…Purity is the process through which the life-rhythm manifests; the rhythm of that indwelling spirit which has worked through the ages in mineral and plant, in animal and man…

The entire process of creation and of spiritual unfoldment shows that the spirit which is life itself, and which represents the divine in life, has wrapped itself in numberless folds, and in that way has, so to speak, descended from heaven to earth.

This process is called involution, and that which follows is known as evolution, or the unwrapping of the divine essence from the folds of enshrouding matter. The sense of this need of freeing the spirit from that which clogs and binds it is called purity, in whatever part of life it is felt. It is in this sense that we may understand the saying ‘cleanliness is next to godliness.

Murshid Nawab commented that the description in the paragraph beginning ‘the entire proceses of creation’ was a beautiful definition of evolution, or the unwrapping of the Divine Essence from the folds of matter that surrounded it:

I hadn’t come across this word involution before so I looked it up and found that the formal meaning of this word, as opposed to its mathematical or physiological meaning, is ‘the process of involving or complicating – or on the state of being involved or complicated’.

Could it be that this is a natural state or a way of being? Could we go further and say that this (state), for quite a large percentage of people who are on a Spiritual Journey, is a natural state? But, what we are interested in, as seekers on the path, is evolution – that is where we can evolve from this state of complication, or being involved, to what one could call a spiritual realization!

Now I think it could be said that one of the ways we could achieve this is by the reuniting of our ongoing daily life with that of our inner spiritual life – in other words reunite the outer with the inner. Join our physical life with our spiritual life; join our body with our soul.

If having a successful materialistic life is fulfilling then why are we, in the so-called developed world, not deliriously happy and contented. In this age of consumerism, how come many people are looking for something that is more meaningful to, or for, them? This dissatisfaction with life has no age, gender or racial boundaries. All are looking for some semblance of meaning in their lives.

Azad, Bhakti and Talibah. Photo supplied by Azad.


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If on the Spiritual quest why do some (could it be most?) continually go from source to source seeking more & more information when they have the answer already? In our case I would say that contained within Murshid’s teachings and the volumes are all the answers to any question that could be posed. This is not to say that Murshid represents the only way – no! Many spiritual leaders have expressed the same wisdom at different times and in different languages but the underlying message has always remained the same!

On page 2 of our Retreat notes you can find this passage by Murshid:

To bring back that higher stage of innocence which existed in the Garden of Eden we do not need to lose intellect, we need to rise above it. As long as man is beneath his intellect, he is the slave of his intellect; but when he is above it he is its master. Man is greater than the angels; therefore the world can be a higher place than the Garden of Eden, if only man has mastery over his intellect, if only he can rise above it instead of sinking beneath it.

When the soul is evolved it feels by itself. In other words it becomes conscious of its purity, of its majesty, of its eternal life, of its bliss, of its inspiration and of its power. Such is the original mind of man and such its natural condition. It is not sin that is original but purity, the original purity of God Himself. But as the mind grows and is fed by the life in the world, unnatural things are added to it and for the moment these additions seem desirable, useful, or beautiful; they build another kind of mind, which is sometimes called the ego or the false self. They make man clever, learned, brilliant, and many other things; but above and beyond all is the man of whom it can be said that he is pure-minded.

Just prior to this Murshid Inayat writes that we should observe, and even envy, the innocence, simplicity and purity of a child. We could use the child’s example as a template towards the illumination of our path. He writes that ‘this way is very simple and yet very difficult.’

He writes further that:

When we think about this there arises the question as to whether it would then be desirable to keep a child always a child, so that it should never learn the things which belong to the worldly life. But one might just as well ask if it is not desirable that the spirit should always remain in heaven and never come to earth at all!

and then:

True exaltation* of the spirit resides in the fact that it has come to earth and has realized there its spiritual existence. It is this which is the perfection of spirit. Therefore all that the

world gives in the way of knowledge, of experience, or of reason, all that a man’s own experience or that of others teaches, all that is learnt from life, its sorrows and disappointments, its joys and opportunities, all these contradictory experiences help our love to become fuller and our vision wider. A man who has gone through all experiences and has held his spirit high and has not allowed it to be stained, such a man may be said to be pure-minded. The person who could be called pure because he had no knowledge of either good or evil would in reality be merely a simpleton. To go through all which takes away the original purity and yet to rise above everything which seeks to overwhelm it and drag it down – that is spirituality; the light of the spirit held high and burning clear and pure. It needs the effort of a whole lifetime, and he who has not known it has not known life…

Murshid Inayat sums up the necessary steps to be taken as firstly ‘purity of the physical world then purity of life’, which he generally describes as man’s social, moral and religious attitude – an inner purity! Having given us the means (I suggest you read the Retreat Notes for a fuller understanding of these) of purifying the body and the mind he then says that there is a third step and that is the purification of the heart:

the constant effort to keep the heart pure from all the impressions which come from without and are foreign to the true nature of the heart, which is love. And this can only be done by a continual watchfulness over one’s attitude towards others; by overlooking their faults, by forgiving their shortcomings, by judging no one except oneself. For all harsh judgments and bitterness towards others are like poison; to feel them is exactly the same as absorbing poison in the blood: the result must be disease. (Page 2 of Retreat Notes)

This particular text ends with the uplifting message that:

Then after this third stage has been reached, and the heart has been attuned by high ideals, by good thoughts, by righteous actions, there comes a still greater purity in which all that is seen or felt, all that is touched or admired, is perceived as God. At this stage no thought

Retreat photos and sunset photo on next page by Azad.


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or feeling may be allowed to come into the heart but God alone. In the picture of the artist this heart sees God; in the merit of the artist, which observes nature, in the faculty of the artist to reproduce that which he observes, such a one sees the perfection of God; and therefore to him God becomes all and all becomes God.

When this purity is reached man lives in virtue. Virtue is not a thing, which he expresses, or experiences from time to time; his life itself is virtue. Every moment that God is absent from the consciousness is considered by

the sage to be a sin; for at that moment the purity of the heart is poisoned. It is lack of life, which is sin: and it is purity of life, which is virtue. It is of this purity that Jesus Christ spoke when he said, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.’ (Page 3 of Retreat Notes)

There is a lot more to be found or absorbed in these particular notes and I urge you all to read and assimilate them. May I offer to Murshid Nawab our deepest thanks and appreciation for his wisdom and his gift of story telling. Can I also thank him for making the long journey from Norway to Australia, which can be a tedious one. Can I also say that it was a joy and a pleasure to attend this particular retreat and I would like to thank all those who attended, from far and near. I hope that as you process the readings and the practices that you will experience the joy and exaltation* – and be able to distinguish the difference – that these will bring; and I will repeat (again) what is said in our Retreat readings:

To go through all which takes away the original purity and yet to rise above everything that seeks to overwhelm it and drag it down, that is spirituality; the light of the spirit held high and burning clear and pure. It needs the effort of a whole lifetime, and he who has not known it has not known life.

I say Amen to that!

* See page 6 of Retreat Notes on sensation & exaltation

ANNUAL SMIA FEES DUE

SMIA fees are gratefully accepted now by the transfer of funds into the SMIA account.

Please deposit to: Commonwealth Bank

Brandon Park A/c Number: 063-587 10251994 (the first 6 letters are the BSB)

The meaning of existence is to preserve unspoiled, undisturbed and

undistorted the image of eternity with which each person is born. Like a silver moon in a calm, still pond.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Offered by Ananda Bernadette Hogan

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In memoriam: Walia van Lohuizenby Sakya van Male

The many Australian mureeds who have met Walia at Sufi Summer Schools in Katwijk and at the Dargah of our Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan in Delhi were saddened by the recent passing of this wonderful, warm hearted and inspiring Sufi woman. As Walia embarks on her onward journey, we hold her husband, Wali, their family, and all those who love her in our hearts. With many thanks to Hamida Verlinden for tracking down and emailing us the photo, and Sakya van Male (in Utrecht, the Netherlands) for her beautiful tribute below. Shakti Celia Genn

We are always searching for God afar off, when all the while He is nearer to us than our own soul.

(Bowl of Saki, 16 February)

On the 16th of February 2013 Walia van Lohuizen died after a very fruitful life, professionaly as well as in her work for the Sufi Movement.

At the end of the fifties Walia, a student in art history, met her husband to be, Wali van Lohuizen. Through their marriage Walia became part of a Sufi family. From that moment on Sufism became the guiding star for her life. She discovered in her initiator, Murshid Musharaf Khan, an example in which she could mirror herself. His warm-heartedness and humour made an indelible impression on her.

In the years thereafter Walia had a busy life with two children, Kadir and Hamid, and a lot of traveling for the art-research she was doing. Her Sufi work also developed; she was part of the Sufi Board in the Netherlands for many years and she initiated and guided a lot of mureeds. Moreover, she and Wali had another big task; the activities around the dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan in Delhi. For eighteen years Walia and Wali had the final responsibility for this place, which included overseeing an extensive renovation, as well as the development of a music academy and social work in the quarters around the dargah.

I got acquainted with Walia at the end of the 1990s and was struck by her ability to combine head and heart. She could give a structured talk but you always felt there was a living experience behind it. Her eyes sparkled behind her spectacle lenses and she had something that Sufis call ‘the smiling forehead’.

The combination of head and heart also made itself felt at the so-called Sister Days, when she invited her mureeds, all women, to her lovely apartment in Amsterdam. We would discuss a serious topic and enjoy warmth, friendship and tasty snacks at the same time.

We advocate that Sufism is about the conduct of daily life and in that respect Walia was a great example for all of us. We watched with awe the way she coped with the loss of her son, Hamid. It was that same acceptance, combined with trust and dignity, that made her endure her illness and her decreasing strength during the last few years

of her life. Sheer force of character, exemplified by her willpower and optimism, brought her in December 2012 to Delhi, together with Wali, to visit the dargah of her beloved murshid for the last time. After their return she was struck by her final illness and on the 16th of February she began her journey into the next world.

At her burial ceremony in the Sufi temple in Katwijk, the hall was filled beyond capacity by relatives, friends and mureeds. The sadness of her passing was transcended by an atmosphere of light and peace during the service and accentuated by the following words of Hazrat Inayat Khan:

Therefore death does nothing but unite man with God, because to whom the soul really belongs, to Him she will return eventually. Indeed, death is but a veil, behind which the life is hidden that goes beyond the understanding of earthly beings.

Sacred Reading: Divine Grace by Hazrat Inayat Khan


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There is a saying that the one who troubles much about the cause is far removed from the cause. Many wonder, ‘If I am happy in life, what is the cause of it? If I am sorry in life, what is the cause for it? Is it my past life, where I have brought something which brings me happiness or unhappiness, or is it my action in this life which is the cause of my happiness or unhappiness?’ And one can give a thousand answers to it and at the same time one cannot satisfy the questioner fully. When people think much about the law, they forget about love. When they think that the world is constructed according to a certain law, then they forget the Constructor, Who is called in the Bible ‘love’: ‘God is Love.’

In the first place, when we see from morning till evening man’s selfish actions, whether good or bad actions, one sees that he is not entitled to any happiness or anything good coming to him. And that shows that it is not always that God exacts according to a certain law. He does not weigh your virtue on one side of the scale and His grace on the other, and exchange His grace for man’s virtues. The Divine Being apart, man in his friendship, in his kindness, in his favor and disfavor, does he always exact

what the other one is, or is doing? No. A friend admires his friend for his goodness and defends him for his wrongdoings. What is it? Does he not forget the law when there comes friendship? He forgets it. So man, instead of using justice and reason, overlooks all that is lacking and wrong. Something right comes forward to cover it all, to forget it all, to forgive it all. A mother whose son is accused of having done something wrong, she knows he has done wrong and she knows he is against the law. At the same time there is something else in her which wishes to lift up, to clear away. She would spend anything, lose anything, sacrifice anything in order that her son may not be punished.

If that is mankind, when we see that in everyday life, according to his evolution, man has a tendency to forget, to forgive, to look at things favorably, to cover all that is ugly – if this tendency is in man, from where does it come? It comes from the source which is Perfection. There is God. It is most amusing to see how people make God and His actions mechanical and how for themselves they claim free will. They say, ‘I choose to do this,’ or ‘I choose to do that,’ and ‘I have the free will to choose.’ This is man’s claim. And at the same time he thinks that God and all His works and the Universe are a mechanism. It is all running automatically. Man denies that God has a free will and he himself claims it.

People look at it in two ways. They say, ‘All that man does is recorded, and in accordance to that, it is adjusted. On the Judgment Day, either he has the reward of his good deeds or the punishment for his wrong deeds.’ Others who are more philosophical and intellectual say, ‘It is not God, but it is the law, the automatic working which brings about a result in accordance to the cause and therefore, what man has done in his past life, he experiences in this life.’ And there is a third point of view, that there need not be the hereafter and that it need not be the life before, in order for man to have the experience and the result of his deeds, but that every day is his Judgment Day and that every day brings the result of his deeds. That is true also.

There is no doubt that the world is constructed on a certain law, that the whole creation works according to a certain law, and yet it is not all that. There is love beyond it, and it is the prophets of all ages who have recognized that part of God’s working and have given man that consolation and hope that in spite of our faults and shortcomings, we will reach Heaven.

There is the Grace of God. Many know the Grace of God. And what does it mean? It means a wave of favor, a rising of love, a manifestation of compassion, which sees no particular reason. One may say, ‘Does God close His eyes? Why must it be like this?’ But in human nature we see the same thing. The Divine nature can be recognized by human nature. Ask a lover who loves someone, ‘What


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is the beauty of that person? What is in that person that makes you love her?’ He may try to explain, ‘It is because this person is kind or because this person is beautiful or because this person is good or this person is compassionate or intellectual or learned.’ But that is not the real cause. If really he knows what makes him love, he will say, ‘Because my beloved is beloved, that is the reason. There is no other reason.’ One can give a reason for everything. One can say, ‘I pay this person because he is good at his work, I pay for this stone because it is beautiful, but I cannot give a reason why I love, there is no reason for it.’

Love stands beyond law, beyond reason. The love of God works beyond reason, that Divine Love which is called the grace of God; no piety, no spirituality, no devotion can attract it. No one can say, ‘I will draw the Divine grace.’ God apart, can anyone say in this world, ‘I shall draw the friendship of someone.’ No one can say this. This is something which comes by itself. No one can command or attract it, or compel anyone to be his friend. It is natural. God’s grace is God’s friendship, God’s grace is God’s love, God’s compassion. No one has the power to draw it, to attract it; no meditation, no spirituality, no good action can attract it. There is no commercial business between God and man; God stands free from rules which humanity recognizes. That aspect makes Him the Lord of His own creation. As the wind blows, as the wind comes when it comes, so the grace of God comes when it is its time to come.

There is a story among the Arabs, that Moses was going to Mount Sinai. He saw a man praying and this man asked Moses, ‘Are you going to communicate with God?’ Moses answered, ‘Yes.’ The man said, ‘Will you ask about me? I have prayed all my life, and all my life I have been in difficulty. I feared God; I was always kind to man and yet what have I got? Nothing. A hard life always, nothing else?’ Moses said, ‘Yes, I will ask about it.’ When Moses had gone a few steps further he saw a man who was fully drunken. The man called, ‘Come along, come here, Moses. Will you take my message to God and ask Him what he thinks about me?’ Moses was amused and he took the messages of these two men. Naturally the answer was, ‘Moses, you know Our Law. The man who has prayed all his life, he will be rewarded and the man who has been drunken will have his punishment.’ Moses came back and told this man, ‘Be sure and be happy. All you have done will be rewarded.’ ‘I have no doubt,’ said the man, ‘I am sure, I have always done good. God will not forget this.’ When Moses comes to the other man, he says: ‘You have well enjoyed your life; for you there is the worst place.’ The man said, ‘Yes? I am so happy, I do not mind where God puts me. But that God thinks of me! There is nothing better for me.’ Then he began to dance, he was so happy. The result was that these two men were quite in the contrary place than Moses had expected them to be.

And Moses asked God, ‘Why is it?’ The answer was that all the virtues of this man were wiped away by that thought of conceit, ‘Yes, I deserved it.’ Since that moment, all his virtues were wiped away. The other man, he thought, ‘all the punishment there is, I have deserved it.’ His only happiness was that he was remembered by the Lord. This gives the picture. There is law and yet there is something beyond law and that is love.

I have heard people say, ‘I am ill,’ or ‘I am suffering,’ or ‘I am going through a difficulty,’ or ‘things go wrong because of my karma of the past’. I say, ‘If it is so or if it is not so, you thinking about it makes it still worse. Everything that one acknowledges to be, it becomes worse because one acknowledges it.’ That karma which could be thrown away in one day’s time, by acknowledging it, will keep with a person all his life. Some people think that they suffer or that they go through pain according to the law of karma. But when the thought of the grace of God comes and when one realizes the real meaning of the grace of God, one begins to rise above it and one begins to know that my little actions, my good deeds, all my good deeds I must collect in order to make them equal to God’s mercy and compassion. His grace and Love, He gives at every moment. God’s compassion cannot be returned by all life’s good actions. The relation of God and man apart, can one return a real thought of love, all a friend has done for us? We can love that friend, his loving kindness and his compassion. But we never pay for it. In all our life we cannot pay for it. And when we see the kindness and the compassion of God which is always hidden from our view, because we are always only seeing what is lacking, the pain, the suffering, the difficulties. Man is so absorbed in them that he loses the vision of all the good that there is. We can never be grateful enough if we saw it like this, that it is not the law, but that it is the grace of God which governs our life. And it is the trust and confidence in this grace which does not only console a person, but which lifts him and brings him nearer to the grace of God.

Sal a

nd T

alib

ah o

n re

trea

t. Ph

oto:

Aza

d.


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The Other Room by Roshandil Ronit Bergman

Oh Lord! Let me serve you for I am Human and not because I am a woman.Help me to cross the sea of attachment and,The ocean of detachment, and let this crossing remind meThe Gate between the Physical and the Spiritual is open.

THE OTHER ROOM

I saw my home across the seas,Except it no longer had one room, but two, and a light shone in two windows.‘Introduce me to this neighbor who has been living here as long as I my Lord’. How Could I have not notice the Other Room until now?And perhaps I did before?‘Let your heart remember always to attend each room in this Life-House.Let your heart remember always to keep them good and warm, for water can leak From one to the otherAnd if a window is broken both rooms will get cold.Keep dusting off the memories from all the mirrors so the divine may reflect.Fold the clothes next to the prayers,Count the beads when you pay for the wood.Let the smell of the cakes reach all the cornersLet the music tears drop on all the plants’.

Sustain with my heart, that which only hearts can care for. Here we no longer need keys. We live in His breathAnd He comes and goes when He wants to, And He can make Anyone do the same...

We have two eyes and what we see is One, yet we constantly mix it all up. You are not separated from me, just as the air between your wide-open fingers Is not separated from your hand. In separation, Death is breathless – for Life, and Light is teasing Darkness. Down is always underneath Up, and Time tries to capture Space. Right fights for Left, Better remains Worse’s best enemy and Happy only smiles to Sad. Sweet gets sweeter just to compete with Bitter, and we are forever complaining ‘It’s too hot’ or ‘too cold’ and go on thinking we know what is In, what is Out...

Can you separate the inhale from the exhale? That is the relationship between you and your Spirit, Until your self-important Sees, you’ll be half dead indeed, as an inhale which cannot be exhaled, Or a day which doesn’t have a night to cuddle with.

Image: Roshandil Bergman


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Come to The Other Room to know Oneness, for All is One Body,And just as there are no screws connecting organs, or barriers between ribs, We keep the door open under this roof.Let Spirit in, it is not lost in some faraway spiritual path… it is waiting next door.

Someone you know pretends not to see you down the street, as if it is not seen. Someone else makesYou swear not to tell something, as if it is not heard. Some people never say they are sorry, yet Sorrow knows where they live... The uncovered promises have snakes hiding between them and the stones. And all the snakes and all the lies, all the secrets and the plots flow like rivers to The Other Room.And your Spirit is dealing with everything for you, nobly squeezing endless soaking rags. Your spirit, you, your-self, the Real. Quietly, waiting for you to open your Human eyes, to bud out of Your body, to see Her, the unseen, to lead the light she keeps for you with your attention.At times she gets weary, that’s when you get scared and shout ‘ghosts’! Other times you might hear her beauty call you, that’s when you have another perfect day.Tend to your Spirit as you look after a baby. Do not desert it crying alone in the dark. For your Spirit is More tender than even the most fragile baby. You live in one room. Your impressions become memory-dust on the mirrored door. These rooms are so close together, closer than your two eyes to one another, tighter than the nail on The flesh of your finger, more identical than you and your reflection in the mirror are to each other. Spirit room is the room you cannot see, yet all it sees is you.Spirit room is the room you cannot hear, yet all it hears is you.

The meditation rug wants to feel your floorThe candle next door wants to play ‘shadows’ with your lightsYour prayer books want to watch a film with you. Let them. Unite your rooms, break the wall down. Don’t say you’ll attend it when you finish cleaning or after you prepare the lesson. Go now. A crack in the one room may split the wall in the otherAnd dirt in the one room can easily make a whole clean house stink. What your Spirit will teach you, no school will.

If you thought what you’ve just heard are your neighbors,Then perhaps next time you’ll hear well.If you saw that which is not seen, and you knew,Even for a tiny second, that which is Unknown, yet still, you do not attend it, then don’t be surprised if itFinds even better tricks to get your attention.

Dedicated to my children.

Roshandil Ronit Bergman is an Israeli poet and songstress who lives in Macedonia with her family. Some of us have met Roshandil in India at Nawab’s retreats. You can watch and listen to her recite this poem on YouTube, at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtQFvL_bwiE


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The Holy Book of Nature ... part 1 of 3 by Kadir Troelstra

This lecture was given at the 2012 Sufi Summer School in Katwijk, The Netherlands

‘The Sufi’s book is not of ink and letters, it is nothing but a heart as white as snow.’

(Rumi)

A Sufi is always looking for the Divine Being, everywhere, without and within: in the people she or he meets, in all creatures, in nature, in the realm of her or his own thoughts and feelings, in inspiration, in everything that arises before his or her physical or inner senses. However, the Divine is hidden, and cannot just be seen in this material world. Deeper senses are needed. Therefore the Sufi travels the way of the heart, tries to awaken the heart; because an awakened heart is sensitive to the one and all-pervading life, which carries all there is.

The Sufi path is experiential; life can be fully experienced especially through the heart. But the heart has to be open. The heart is sometimes seen as a bridge between outer and inner worlds, or as a gate. When the doors are opened, we become more aware of the One Life. Then we are more insightful, we really see who or what is in front of us, what arises within us, what life provides for us. It is natural for human beings to have an open heart, but at the same time it is often not the case. The gate is closed or just a little open, or just open occasionally. We do not live natural lives. Our daily affairs make us preoccupied, worried, make us have the feeling that we have to take care of ourselves all the time. And often we are too conditioned, living on autopilot, unaware.

Children, however, still are able to have a more direct experience of life, without worries. In a way, children live more natural lives. And here we can make a link with this

2012 Summer School’s theme ‘the Holy Book of Nature’, because children are often more open to nature if they are exposed to it. They have an explorative nature and their lively imaginations make nature speak to them, and spur their minds to creativity. That’s why it is so important that children are exposed to nature, giving them the opportunity to experience nature. It helps the development of the heart quality in their lives, making them more considerate for creation and for nature for the rest of their lives.

To go deeper into our theme, ‘the Holy Book of Nature’, we know from the 3rd Sufi-thought which reads: ‘There is One Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture which can enlighten the reader.’ Hearing this, we can ask ourselves several questions, such as: What is nature? How can one read it, gain knowledge and insight from it? How does it enlighten the reader? Why is it considered sacred? And why is it considered the only holy book?

Let us consider the first question: what is nature? Murshid (Hazrat Inayat Khan) has answered this and said that nature is ‘life’ itself. Murshid also said that life is the greatest teacher. Looking at it this way one could say that through life’s experiences, by studying life, we can develop ourselves and come to a better understanding of who we really are, what creation really is. As Murshid says: ‘In the path of wisdom it is a constant reading, a constant learning, and every experience whether happy or unhappy, and in every impression, whether it brings comfort or discomfort, if we will only observe what each one teaches, then the whole of life becomes a vision that is man’s constant guide.’

There is a lecture in which Murshid distinguishes four aspects of nature. The forest, the desert, the hills and dales, mountains, rivers, sunrise and sunset, the stars are one aspect. The second aspect manifests through the lower creation, little creatures crawling on earth, birds, the lion with its wrath, the elephant with its grandeur, the horse with its grace, etc. Human nature and its continual change is the third aspect. And the last is divine nature, realizing the meaning of the saying that man proposes and God disposes.

And all this is considered as a holy book. Preparing this lecture I learned that this is a very old concept. It is based on the idea that you can gain insight and that you can become aware of the Divine Being by looking at nature. This idea is known throughout the ages in different cultures. This is an old tradition in the Christian west. Saints, mystics and philosophers like St. Augustine, Hildergard of Bingen, Bernardus of Clairvaux and Meister Eckhard, Comenius and others spoke in this way about nature. Also we know it from the Sufi-poets like Sa’adi who said: ‘Every leaf of a tree becomes a page of the Holy Book before the soul that

Phot

o by

Aza

d.


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can read.’ The Koran speaks of the signs of Allah, which can be understood by humans who really see. In Taoism, Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism for instance, the object of spiritual practice is to ‘become one with the Tao’ (the way) or to harmonize one’s will with Nature in order to achieve ‘effortless action’. And the Indian Upanishads, which developed from the 7th century BC, express the idea that the interconnectedness and regularity of nature, and the One Being behind it could be understood through the human mind. And we know of indigenous cultures that for them spirit is behind nature, and that their knowledge of the world and the gods came to them by connecting with it. They knew that life in its essence is one.

Perhaps one could say that over the centuries this idea of the Divine Being as expressed in creation was known, only it has faded in modern western culture. We heard Prof Dr Matthijs Schouten* talk about the two paradigms: the first

which is a differentiating, a labeling approach, studying through the rational capacity, and in which nature is considered a thing, a commodity; and the second, the unifying approach of the poet and mystic, in which nature is approached through metaphors and imagination, and which sees nature as a whole, and holy. Both approaches probably always existed, but the first paradigm, the more analytical and labeling look at life became more prominent in our modern Western culture. It affected the way how we see nature.

This lecture will be continued in the Winter issue of Spirit Matters.

Thank you to Talibah Lolicato for contributing this lecture.

* Prof. Dr. Matthijs Schouten gave a lecture at the Summer School on the same topic an few days earlier. He is professor at the Wageningen University (Netherlands) and Cork University (Ireland).

INTERNATIONAL SUFI MOVEMENT

International Summer SchoolUniversel Murad Hassil

July 13 – 28, 2013

OPEN OUR HEARTSLove is a torch that illuminates all that comes within its light,

but it is the knowledge of God which is the key that opens the hearts of men.Hazrat Inayat Khan, Philosophy, The knowledge of Truth

The Summer School will emphasise personal work toward the opening of the heart. The program will include a wide range of activities, such as sacred readings, breathing practices, musical

attunements, meditative exercises and the singing Zikar.

For more information, contact Nuria Daly in Australia, or the Sufi Headquarters in the Netherlands. Email: [email protected]

Registrations through the General Secretariat of the Sufi Movement. Website: www.sufimovement.org/summerschool


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The Frog Princess ... part 3 of 5 retold by Nuria Daly

This interpretation continues from issue 16.4 of Spirit Matters (Summer, 2012-13).

In Part 2, the family had just assembled for a banquet in the King’s palace, and the frog princess had arrived in a little box, symbolising the feminine principle of ‘containing’. Her arrival is heralded by a loud thunderous ‘clap’.

A gilded carriage drawn by six white horses drew up at the Tsar’s front door, and the wise Princess Vassilisa stepped out. She was wearing an azure gown studded with stars; on her head was a shining chaplet; she was so beautiful the guests just sat and stared. She took Prince Ivan by the hand and he led her to the oaken table. That the table is of oak is important. Oak is a masculine symbol of strength and protection, but it also represents the sky and Fertility Gods and is associated with thunder and the thunder Gods. Given that thunder precedes the arrival of the Princess, this is significant. In Greek mythology the oak is the emblem of conjugal devotion and happiness.

Princess Vassilisa’s carriage is gilded or covered with gold which represents solar energy, and it is drawn by six white horses. Six is the number of harmony and equilibrium and of the union of opposites or polarity male and female; it is the perfect and most productive number: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. It also symbolises creation as in the six days of creation. The white horses again seem to represent the solar power, as a symbol of light and life, as well as wisdom and the mind.

There is so much detail in this scene and so it is important to analyse this properly. Princess Vassilisa wears a gown of azure blue which is the colour of the Great Mother, Queen of Heaven, and indeed the name Vassilisa means Queen. Stars are attributes of all Queens of Heaven. She wears a shining chaplet or crown often made of flowers. It is interesting to note that in the veneration of Mary in the Russian Orthodox Church she is often seen on Icons with her head pressed against the head of the baby Jesus.

Prince Ivan finally sees his soul without the ugly cover; he sees the soul in her full glory, as the perfection of beauty. It is like a first realisation of the inner world.

The guests began to make merry but the wise Vassilisa only takes one sip from her glass, and pours the rest into her left sleeve. She is treating the meal as a sacred sacrament in only taking a sip. The left side is the side of the feminine or inner, so she takes in and transforms the sacred wine into her own self – integrating spirit into her feminine essence.

There is much to be said about being embodied and the immanence of the Divine: it is something that the

feminine understands. We are so often looking towards a transcendent God ‘out there’, rather than feeling and being the embodiment of an imminent God.

Now Vassilisa nibbles at her plate of swan meat, and then drops the bones into her right sleeve. In Christian mythology the swan represents purity and grace and can also represent the Virgin Mary, whereas elsewhere the swan is seen as solar, the dawn of the day and the bird of life. It can also be seen as a sacrament like the body of Christ, but with a feminine essence. Literally to be embodied with Grace. The bones that she has dropped into her sleeve could represent the indestructible life principle, but it can also indicate resurrection. The right side symbolises the outer life or the manifest. Note that roast swan with saffron was on the menu at the wedding feast of Tsar Alexei in 1670.

The two older brothers’ wives notice what she is doing and once again they follow her example without understanding what she is really about. How often do we also do this – follow the example of someone whom we admire – someone more evolved than us on the spiritual path, and blindly copy what they do without us having understood and integrated the experiences. This integration can take years of inner ‘work’.

After eating and drinking there was then time for dancing. The wise Vassilisa took Prince Ivan’s hand and they danced together, and she danced so beautifully and so marvellously that all the guests were amazed. I was fascinated that it was the wise Vassilisa who took the lead in this dance, which does again show that this is a story of and for the feminine. It is the feminine which has to take the lead in the inner journey – she is the soul or ‘The inner Beloved’ of man. As women, we also have to take the lead without sometimes seeming to. It is subtle. Sometimes women need to lead from behind.

Then while she is dancing the dance of life, she waved her left sleeve and suddenly a lake was formed in the hall. This lake is the dwelling place of magical feminine powers like in the story of the lady of the lake. A very old folk myth


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tells of a sacred city that was hidden underneath a lake (Svetloyar). The earliest oral versions of the legend went back to the days of Mongol rule and could well contain the remnants of a Sufi teaching tale relating to the inner journey to wholeness and Unity. Many ‘old believers’ of early Christian Russian Orthodox beliefs fled to the lakes and forests after persecution by the newer Orthodoxy which merged with the Greek Church and came under the auspices of the Tsar, who used the Church to administer to the people. The lake and the forest then became symbols of a very sacred place, a natural church where they worshipped. These were communities with no hierarchy – it was a communal life with lay teachers. Many pagan rituals were merged with the practice of this community.

When Princess Vassilisa waved her right sleeve, white swans floated on the lake. So Vassilisa had manifested or perhaps resurrected this purity and grace of the Divine feminine principle. It is of course the swan or goose that laid the golden egg from which the Self is born.

The Tsar and his guests were filled with astonishment. The elder brothers’ wives also danced and when they danced they waved one sleeve, just as the wise Vassilisa had done, but they only sprinkled the guests with wine. This is what happens when we have not integrated the spiritual teachings, and simply emulate the ritual practices without having ‘cooked’ the inner nourishment. It comes out unabsorbed and is destructive or at the very least messy. When they waved the other sleeve – i.e. the outer manifestation of the ‘teachings’ – only the bones flew out, and one bone hit the tsar in the eye. He was so angry that he drove the wives out of the palace. This time the ritual was destructive and actually hit the Tsar in the eye. The eye is a very important organ here. We are not told which eye, so this indicates simply the symbol of the sun gods

and the life giving power fertilization by the sun. Their power is incarnated in the God-King – in this case the Tsar. There is an eye of the soul by which Truth is seen. So for the Tsar to be hit in the eye is indeed a destructive and devious thing to do even if it was done unconsciously. The evolved soul, which is the Princess Vassilisa, is creative of and has access to the inner realms of love, harmony and beauty, whereas those who simply try to copy her achieve destruction and dissolution.

The story so far has been within the realm of the Tsar: in other words it has taken place in the outer life, the secular life which we all live. The first part of our life is taken up with establishing ourselves in the world, then in mid life we begin the next part of our journey.

Meanwhile Prince Ivan quietly slipped out of the hall, and hurried home. He found the frog-skin lying on the veranda and threw it into the stove, where it burnt in the fire.

Without knowing why, this seemed to me to be a horrifying and destructive act. However fire is creative and purifying as well as destructive. Having seen his beloved, his soul without the ugly cover, Prince Ivan wants to rid the soul from the veils and be always in union with her. To do this he burned the frog skin, the outer garment of her ‘frogginess’.

When Princess Vassilisa returned home she saw that the frog skin was gone. She sat down on the bench and said to her husband sorrowfully: ‘Ah Prince Ivan, what have you done? If you had waited only another three days I would have been yours for ever. But now I must say goodbye. You can look for me in the thirtieth kingdom beyond three times nine lands. There you will find me with Kashchey the Deathless.’

The Princess does not understand what Prince Ivan has done and says that she only had another three days to go till she was free, but the number three is the first number of multiplicity, and is also symbolic of wholeness and the soul. Three days is a long time in reality, so she is talking in symbolic language. This is the next stage in her journey of completeness. She must leave and say goodbye. In the process of feminine spirituality there is always a time when the feminine must withdraw into herself, away from the world and continue with her evolution – the process of completing herself. However for the masculine, the hero has to find her and win her back. It is the hero’s journey. He has been the instrument of burning her outer frog skin, and this pushes her into the next stage of evolution – it is the masculine which must take this step. Prince Ivan has not yet done the work on himself, he has not conquered his nafs or small self. He needs to start on the spiritual journey.

For this journey the Princess Vassilisa gives him plenty of hints, all of which contain the number of completeness – three. In Slavic mythology the moon god is triple headed. She says she will be in the thirtieth kingdom beyond three times nine lands – a realm very, very far away in the depths


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of the feminine principle. Thirty symbolically is three times ten, and ten is the number of the cosmos – the paradigm of creation. The decad contains all numbers and therefore all things and possibilities. It is interesting to note that ten is the perfect number and a return to unity. Thus this realm is central and fundamental to life and is present as well as so very far away in terms of reaching it. The three times nine land beyond which the thirtieth kingdom is to be found are further multiples of three, the nine is composed of the powerful 3 x 3 triple triad meaning completion, fulfilment and attainment – the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.

So the Princess is to be found with Kashchey the Deathless. In other myths he is an evil, ugly, bony old wizard, who menaced principally young women. It is said that Kashchey cannot be killed by conventional means targeting his body. His soul is said to be hidden separate from his body inside a needle, which is in an egg, which is in a duck, which is in a hare, which is in an iron chest (sometimes the chest is crystal and/or gold), which is buried under a green oak tree, which is on the island of Buyan, in the ocean. As long as his soul is safe, he cannot die. If the chest is dug up and opened, the hare will bolt away. If it is killed, the duck will emerge and try to fly off. Anyone possessing the egg has Koschei in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses the use of his magic.

Kashchey the deathless is, in reality, the Prince’s egoic self – he represents avarice. He sits on the riches which he accumulates and does not share them with anybody. He wants us to believe that he is deathless and unconquerable, the ruler of the whole world. But he can be conquered by the one who conquers himself.

At this point the princess turned into a grey cuckoo and flew out of the window. Grey is the colour of wisdom, but can also be about the death of the body and the immortality

of the soul whereas a Cuckoo usually heralds spring, so it seems to indicate death and rebirth. In other versions of the story Princess Vassilisa turns into a swan rather than a cuckoo and it is really more fitting that she would turn into a beautiful noble swan given her connection with the swan in the story. The cuckoo is not well regarded in Russian folklore. Nirtan says ‘that the cuckoo tells you the number of years you are going to live: when you go into the forest you count the number of cuckoo calls and guess how long your life is going to be.’

The prince wept bitterly, but then bowing to all four points of the compass he went off into the world to seek his soul / wife. What does it mean to bow in the four directions?

In the Lakota tradition the Great Spirit comes into manifestation through seven directions: Grandfather (the heavens above), Grandmother (the earth below), to the west we seek wisdom, to the north we walk a path of seeking health, of balancing mind, body and spirit. The east represents kindness and generosity to ourselves and others, and to the south is purification. Grandfather and Grandmother represent the ways of masculine and feminine energy – always in balance with each other and always equally important. The seventh direction is that which you will find when you live all six. That is your centre, your path, your path to the spirit world. (Quote from ‘The unknown She: Eight Faces of an emerging Consciousness’ by Hilary Hart, cited on pp. 71-2 in In Relation by Pansy Hawk Wing).

In European mythology, north is related to coldness, and darkness – the land of the dead – with south representing the noonday sun, fire, warmth, and the masculine principle. These are the opposites. West is autumn, the dying sun, and is associated with dying. The Isles of the west are where the Celtic warriors go when they die. East is the rising sun, dawn, spring and hope. It is the direction of worship for all the solar gods, so again east and west are opposites of birth and death.

Prince Ivan, by bowing to all four directions, is honouring all aspects of the great journey he is about to start.

‘The Frog Princess’ will continue in the Winter issue of Spirit Matters.

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COOKING WITH THE FIRE OF DEVOTION October 26-November 2, 2013

An eight-day retreat at the Dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan,

New Delhi, India UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MURSHID NAWAB PASNAK

Mysticism without devotion is like uncooked food; it can never be assimilated.

— The fire of devotion purifies the heart of the devotee, and leads to spiritual freedom

. —HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN—

This retreat on the theme of spiritual devotion is for mureeds of Hazrat Inayat Khan; some experience with the retreat guide is recommended. Each day involves both group practice and suggested individual exercises. During some portions of the retreat, the discipline of silence will be observed. The retreat is limited to fifteen places.

Cost, Deposit and Accommodation: The retreat fee is INR42,000/-, or the equivalent, payable upon arrival at the Dargah. To ensure a place in the retreat, participants must either provide a deposit or proof of ticket purchase. The fee includes food and accommodation for ten days (the retreat plus two days extra) staff gratuities, a contribution to the Staff Welfare Fund, and a donation to the Dargah. Additional contributions and donations are of course welcome. Extra days of accommodation can be arranged at a modest cost. Accommodation will be either in the Dargah retreat house or a nearby guest-house. Food and lodging are simple, Indian style, but most rooms have western style toilets. Please note that during the retreat, accommodation can only be provided for retreat participants; those thinking of further travel in India with friends or family should arrange to join them either before or after the retreat.

Arrival: When planning your travel, please be aware that because of staff holidays we will not be able to accept guests at the Dargah before October 23rd.

Health and Visas: When planning your trip, remember that all foreigners require a visa to enter India; a simple tourist visa is usually the easiest to obtain. Also, you may wish to discuss your trip with a doctor or travel clinic.

Registration and Information: To avoid unnecessary bank charges, deposits may be remitted personally, or proof of ticket purchase may be provided by email. Please check with us to see if places are available before buying your ticket. To register, or to request further information about the retreat, please contact Nirtan Ekaterina Pasnak at [email protected] .

REGIONAL CONTACTS AND REPRESENTATIVES

ACTTalibah Josephine LolicatoPhone: 02 6297 5107Email: [email protected]

NSW – NEW ENGLANDKarim and Bahkti ParkhurstPhone: 0429 996950Email: [email protected]

NSW – SYDNEY Hamida JanicePhone: 02 9387 5263Email: [email protected]

NSW – ROCK VALLEYZubin ShorePhone: 0478 679 533Email: [email protected]

QLD – GLASSHOUSE MOUNTAINSCelia GennPhone: 07 5494 0724Email: [email protected]

TASMANIAHabiba AubertPhone: 03 6223 6085

VICTORIA – MELBOURNENuria Daly (details above)

EDITOR, Spirit MattersSakina Kara JacobPhone: 0448 839641Email: [email protected]

NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVENuria DalyPhone: 03 9561 4861Email: [email protected]

VICE-PRESIDENTCelia GennPhone: 07 5494 0724Email: [email protected]

SECRETARYSabura AllenPhone: 08 9533 4658Email: [email protected]

TREASURERAzad DalyPhone: 03 9561 4861Email: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL SUFI MOVEMENT CONTACTS

GENERAL REPRESENTATIVES24 Banstraat, 2517 GJ The Hague, NetherlandsPhone: +31 70 3657 664Email: [email protected]

GENERAL SECRETARIAT78 Anna Pulownastraat, 2518 BJ The Hague, NetherlandsPhone: +31 70 346 1594Email: [email protected]

SUFI MOVEMENT WEB SITESInternational: www.sufimovement.orgAustralia: www.smia.com.au

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Spirit Matters Autumn 2013

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