Spirit Matters Spring/Summer 2013

A message from the editor

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 Spring-Summer issue?

Spirit Matters - Spring/Summer 2013

3-4 Letter from Nuria, SMIA’s National Representative4 Donations to the Dargah – Azad and Nuria Daly5 Opening speech at Federation Retreat – Pir-o-Murshid Hidayat Inayat Khan6-8 The Elements – Nuria Daly8 A poem by Rabindranath Tagore – offered by Ananda Bernadette Hogan9 Inner Peace – Hazrat Inayat Khan – offered by Nuria Daly9 Quote from Nelson Mandela – offered by Zubin Shore10 Universal Worship on the topic of the Elements – Robyn Hutchison11 Readings for the Universal Worship – Arjuna Ben-Zion Weiss12-13 Spiritual Reading – Spiritual Circulation Through the Veins of Nature – Hazrat Inayat Khan14-16 Baraka!: A pilgrimate of mureeds to Fazal Manzil – Chaman-Afroz17-19 Zikr, Shukr, Fikr, Part 2 of 2 – Nur Al-Alam20-21 The Holy Book of Nature, Part 3 of 3 – Kadir Troelstra22-25 The Frog Princess, Part 5 of 5 – Nuria Daly26 Contacts

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Dear friendsWelcome to the double issue for Spring and Summer 2013. It does feel like a long time since the Winter issue, and I hope you didn’t miss the Spring issue too much. As some of you will know, some difficulties in life intervened in my ability to attend to Spirit Matters in the second half of this year, and I thank you for your forebearance. I also thank Nuria for her loving understanding, as always. We are finishing up some of our series of articles in this issue. It is the final of the five part analysis of the story, ‘The Frog Princess’, by Nuria, and the final of the three part lecture on ‘The Holy book of Nature’ by Kadir Troelstra. I know I have been enjoying these articles and will miss them next year, and I hope you have been enjoying them as much as I have. I’m sure, however, that we will have some more interesting articles and series in 2014 to continue in the same

vein. Nur Al-Alam has also provided his second thoughtful article on ‘Zikr, Shukr and Fikr’; this one on Shukr. It is a very joyful examination of the meaning of gratitude that I found inspiring. I’m sure you will, too—as I am sure you will enjoy Chaman-Afroz’s journey to Fazal Manzil in his article ‘Baraka!’. The Sydney Sufis have given us beautiful Universal Worship readings and sermon on the topic of the Elements—thank you, Robyn and Arjuna—and Nuria has contributed to this theme as well. Thank you also to Azad for his supply of gorgeous flower photos.I hope you enjoy the issue over the Christmas/New Year season. I wish you peace and joy, and a wonderful 2014. Love, Sakina

Beloved Sisters and Brothers

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Letter from Nuria, SMiA’s national representative


Spring is such a lovely time of year with the fragrances of the late winter and early spring flowers and blossoms. We have had good rain down here in Melbourne, so our tanks are full and the garden is green. Spring was also a time of preparation for us – preparation for the Hejirat retreat in Sydney (27th September – 1st October) and for Murshid Nawab’s retreat at our Murshid’s dargah in India. An old teacher of mine once said that a retreat begins as soon as we decide to attend, so I think that these retreats have been going on for some time. The flights were booked early – that was the easy part. The visas were in our passports and our vaccines jabbed! We had also been given some inner preparation for the retreat, so some soul searching had been going on all fronts.

Someone recently asked me how one really listens to another being and I had answered that it meant being really present and to feel or imagine how that other person is feeling, but afterwards as I pondered some more on this I realised that good listening was about hearing what has not been said, as much as what has been said. I had never thought about this before so that was a new insight. Azad had told me a story about a well-known politician from the USA, who always held the other’s hand and looked into their eyes when meeting them, even if it was just for a moment. He said that it had an amazing effect and he felt he was really seen. This reminded me that an African greeting is ‘I see you!’ To really feel seen is a beautiful feeling.

In September there was much happening in the interfaith movement on Peace, so I have included a beautiful teaching of Murshid’s on Inner Peace. Indeed if we do not have inner peace then there can be no outer peace.

In preparation for the Hejirat retreat I had been doing a lot of thinking about the elements and how we are of the elements and are the elements. There is a lovely teaching on this which is included here also. There is often a synchronicity around these sorts of things. As I was thinking about the elements, I found all sorts of ideas about them in the books I was reading. For instance, I read that at the moment of ‘the big bang’ the universe, time

and space came into being – from a single small atom, we evolved towards complexity. We are the stuff of the stars and we are one with the universe, just as the universe is one with us. To think about the elements like this makes the whole process very profound. Before psychology, even our ‘humours’ or types of human nature were said to correspond to an element: earth for melancholic, water for phlegmatic, air for cheerful and fire for choleric.

The Hejirat retreat, held in late September early October, is over, although the fragrance lingers on, as Hamida put it. The retreat was so lovely and the energy really flowed. Working with the elements from early morning meditation till evening was interesting and I think we shared many insights. I have included my notes from some of the sessions so that you can get an idea of what we experienced, and also so that those who attended remember without note taking.

Our next adventure was at the Dargah in India. This was a most amazing and profound experience. Many things have changed and improved both in the Basti (the village where our Dargah is situated) and at the Dargah itself.

We had three complete days of silence during the Retreat, and this had a most powerful effect, allowing us to go more deeply into our own process. The daily practices which we were given were ‘hard work’ and there was really no time to do and be anything other than on the retreat.

There was a process of discovering aspects and qualities of the elements that we would love to have in a Beloved friend. This followed on from the Hejirat retreat most beautifully for me. Of course the Friend was the Beloved and so we built an Ideal Friend that each one of us could relate to, and have a living and loving relationship with.

This practice was profound and for myself I discovered why perhaps I was having specific difficulties. Since then I feel a great yet subtle change; even my dreams are different and don’t really seem to be mine. There was certainly an opening of the heart for me. I wouldn’t have believed it really but had an experience in Singapore which showed me the working of Divine Love. We were going through customs in Singapore after the retreat and I had followed Azad to the counter, when another rather stern looking official waved me over to his counter. As I didn’t want him to think I was avoiding him, I said ‘Oh! I was just following my husband’. He looked at me and smiled and said ‘it is good thing to follow the husband’. I agreed as I appreciated everything that Azad had done in making our stopover happen. The customs official then gave me the most beautiful smile and said, ‘good to follow husband in life, but we must follow the Other One (pointing to the Heavens) in our hearts’. I agreed wholeheartedly and I felt such a connection with this man. Extraordinary isn’t it. And

Participants at the Hejirat retreat. Photo: Nuria Daly.

I think that in ordinary circumstances this would never have happened. I was still carrying with me the afterglow of the retreat and he recognised it. It confirmed my understanding that things had changed!

There is really nothing I can add to that.

With love and blessings,

Nuria


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Letter from Nuria continued.

Participants at the Delhi Dargah retreat. Photos above and below: from Azad Daly.

Donations to the Dargah

Many thanks to the people who have purchased the sets of DVDs (14 sets) and raised a total* of $490.00 for the Dargah. Many thanks to the people who purchased the Sufi Jewellery which raised a total of $240.00 for the Dargah. Many thanks to the Melbourne Group who collectively gave a total of $395.00 from their weekly group collection. Also thanks to all those who gave donations in the last 4 weeks; there was a late flurry which was much appreciated, and this means that Nuria and I took another $1800.00 to give to Murshid Nawab, making a Grand Total, given this year, of $3,800.00 (as we had already given $2,000.00) to Murshid when he was here, for our Summer Retreat in March. This money will be put to very good use in maintaining, and improving, our Murshid’s Dargah and we offer a very big THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed, in any manner, to this very worthwhile cause.

* All materials used in making the DVDs were donated.

Azad & Nuria


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Opening speech at Federation Retreatby Pir-0-Murshid Hidayat Inayat Khan

Beloved Sufi Brothers and Sisters,

From the depth of our hearts, we all welcome each other on this special day. Have we ever realized for one moment, the privilege that we have, when hearing the recorded ‘Call’, which was given at the Radio by our Master of us all, so many years ago? Many years have passed ever since, but the attunement to that call, still becomes like a searchlight, illuminating the path, when humbly following the traces of the footsteps of the bringer of the Message in our time. The followers have, in their way, kept the light burning. Some have been active, and are still so, and others are not active; but just for the fact of having responded to the ‘Call’, as Brother and Sister of the Sufi Message, is in itself, a precious experience of Spiritual Liberty, which has helped thousands to get along harmoniously with their fellowmen. Freedom of thought and word is gradually developing in cultural and scientific activities in this confused world. We do not all see it, but it is gradually unfolding at all levels of society. It is obvious that we are therefore expected to keep the standards high, following the keynote of the Sufi Movement, which is ‘Love, Harmony and Beauty’. Anything done with beauty is harmonious; Anything done with love is beautiful; Anything done with love, harmony and beauty is a humble gift offered to humanity.

How can one spread the Sufi Message if one does not open one’s heart, offering a smile to a friend; offering a smile to a person who one dislikes; offering a smile, even to oneself. Spirituality does not mean sadness, it means happiness. Hazrat Inayat Khan was constantly smiling, and said so often: ‘Never let anyone be in your presence without having a smile on both sides.’ We all know that the word Sufi means wisdom. But what is Wisdom? It is the purification of the mind from preconceived ideas.Wisdom is not a Religion!The Sufi Movement is not a Religion, nor is it a secret school of speculative interpretations of Truth. Wisdom is an open door to the original inspiration felt in all religious beliefs. Wisdom cannot be limited by descriptive terminologies. Wisdom is the art of having understanding for the opinion of others, while freeing oneself from one’s own preconceived ideas. When one is conscious of the heart being the temple of God, which is one of the great mysteries in the esoteric school, one is inspired by the great privilege of becoming awakened to deep feelings of humility, which is the golden key to spirituality. . Among many stories of my childhood, one of them is so very appropriate to be told, when referring to the concept of humility. One day, when my father was going out through the house gate, a workman with muddy clothes and dirty hands was digging a ditch in the street. My Father took off his topi (Indian hat), and offered his hand to the man, saying ‘Bonjour Monsieur’. The man was absolutely flabbergasted. Some Sufis who were waiting in the street, had seen my Father greeting the workman. They said to my Father: ‘But Murshid, you can’t shake hands with a workman! That is not done in the West!‘ On hearing that, my Father was very sad, and only replied: ‘Are we not all the children of God?’ Many years later, while walking up that same street, someone came running in back of me, while pointing to the house, saying, ‘Oh, Monsieur, please tell me, where is the king who was living in that house?’ I told him that he is no more there, but his love is always with us. The man said to me that he could [neither] read nor write, nor [did he] go to church, and he did not believe in God; but when he saw the light coming out of the eyes of that King, it was a great revelation for him, and it had guided him during his whole life. He remembered my Father coming out through the gate while he was digging a ditch in front of the house, and he retold the whole story. We both hugged each other and shed tears, with deepest emotion.


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The Elementsby Nuria DalyThe elements are entities in nature and so in us. Sa’adi would have us experience these elements as parts of our bodies. Hazrat Inayat Khan has a whole section on this is Spiritual Liberty (vol 5) and the Sufis have said that these elements or entities are living beings.

We use the elements as a concept to construct an inner map or structure of the world and of ourselves / our body, as an awareness through our breathing and experience of our inner world.

Breathing practices elicit greater awareness and interrupt habitual patterns which keep us separate from the breath of nature.

Spiritual means breath or wind.

Pay attention to the sensations which accompany breathing. To walk, breathing, feel the elements as a body awareness.

Raise us from the denseness of the earth: the practice begins as a concentration and gradually deepens into a practice of contemplation as we rise to Ether. Dissolve into the element we are working with.

Bones, ligaments / Earth: grounding. Solid. We feel earth’s magnetism through our feet and into our bones. Bone is as void of sensation as the earth.

Life is intelligence, everywhere and the more one communicates with life, the more one feels that even the rock is not

without life, and that through it pulses the blood of the universe.; that even in a rock one may find the source and goal of all things in that particular form. There is nothing which is not sacred.

Walk on the earth slowly putting your feet on the earth heel to toe and feel the strength and magnetism flowing into your own structure. This is a healing and balancing practice.

Be aware of your bones and your connection with the earth. Breathing in through your nose for 5 beats and out through your nose for 5 beats, in time with our steps. In on right foot and out on left foot.

Muscles, connective tissue / water. Our muscles and connective tissues allow us to flow and move like water. The water element is really about liquidity.

We read in Rumi that God slept in the mineral kingdom,

dreamed in the vegetable, became conscious in the animal, and realised Himself in the human being.

Plants too are responsive to the sympathy of the person who lives with them. Plants breathe and as breath is to be found in plants so too is there intelligence.

Feel your body move and flow like in a Tai Chi movement; wave your hands like clouds. When we are rigid we cannot flow with life.

There is story in the biography of Murshid in which he is walking behind a soldier who was walking rigidly upright. When we flow we can move around all obstacles or even rise above them.

Breathe in through your nose (5) and out through your mouth (5). Keep your knees slightly bent and either walk around slowly flowing or stand and move or sway. Notice and be aware of how you feel and your connection with your muscles and the connections of muscles to the bones.

Heart, lungs, Bloodstream / Fire: Murshid says there is only one life, the source and goal of all things. It is this life which may be called the blood of the universe, circulating through the veins of nature. It may be called either substance or spirit; it is something out of which all that is seen and all intelligence is moulded and kept alive and in working

order. It is life which we know as intelligence. When the blood is disordered everything goes wrong in the universe and in ourselves. The blood circulation depends on the degree of heat.

Just as with the circulation in the physical body, the essence of all we eat is absorbed in the blood, so our every thought, word and action affects the one life.

Let us breathe in through the mouth (5) and feel the breath in our lungs, the blood being oxygenated from the air, circulating in our veins and arteries through the mighty pump of the heart to all the cells of our body. It gives us life and energy. We breathe out through our nose like a dragon (5). To experience this let us stretch out our arms, both hands facing down to the earth, and turn slowly towards the right hand. Feel the energy spiralling through our body like our circulation, with the heart at our centre. It is life giving and energising – like we are winding ourselves up! Notice and be aware of how you feel in your heart, your lungs and your circulation. Do this breathing exercise and then lie down and relax for 1 minute, feeling your heart and blood circulation.


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Skin / Air: Air influences the skin. Our skin breathes in the prana and we exhale toxins through our skin. Our skin reflects the well-being of our bodies and of the universe. Feel the fresh air on our skin –

we might imagine that we are on a mountain and the air is moving about us quite strongly. We could even imagine that we are a great bird with wings and those wings rise us up, like the symbol of the heart with wings. Let the air move through you breathing it in for 5 and out for 5.

Hair / Ether: Hair is the least sensitive; it can be cut or burned and there is no sensation. Our etheric body surrounds us like an egg and can be very large and expansive or close to our body,

depending on how we feel. We can sense the boundary of our etheric body if we are sensitive. Around our head is the halo which is within the etheric egg. So with ether we focus on this part of ourselves that most of us cannot touch or see. We sense its fineness, lightness – it is full of intelligence and colour, so that it has no colour at all. Simply feel and allow yourself to be within the etheric body but outside your physical body. The ether element is really about capacity.

Let yourself drift into a state of meditation – no thought, no image – just nothingness of light and love.

The Elements and emotions

The source of our emotions is our breath, whose impurity brings confusion and whose purity produces radiance. As the breath changes from one to the other element it produces in us an inclination towards a certain emotion. But according to the power of our will we control or give in to its unruly expression.

Every emotion has its colour and its savour. One emotion develops into the other. No emotion is undesirable so long as it is under the power of the will, but when uncontrolled even the least effect of it is a sin.

The nature of the elements is like colours. Light in the colour makes it pale and darkness in the colour makes it deep. So it is with the emotions: the light of intelligence makes them faded, and the lack of intelligence makes them deeply felt.

Fear has the influence of the earth element.

With light, the influence of the earth element produces caution.

Affection has the effect of the water element.

The influence of water with light produces benevolence.

Anger has the effect of the fire element.

The fire element with light produces ardour.

Humour has the effect of the air element

The influence of the air with light produces joy

Sadness has the effect of the ether element.

Ether with light produces peace.

If you give in to an emotion, even only once and awhile, remember that the other emotions, to which you may never wish to give in, will also overpower you. Because it is one energy which assumes, by the influence of the different elements, the garb of different emotions. In fact, it is one emotion. By controlling ourselves we control all things in the world.

‘The brain and the heart are considered the important factors – some think that the brain thinks and some feel that the heart feels. The brain does not think but is the means by which the mind distinguishes thought in its concrete form. Just as a camera does not take a photo, so the brain is a medium just as the camera is. By a disorder in the brain, a doctor might say that the person is of unsound mind. The Sufi holds that nothing is wrong with the mind, it is the instrument through which the mind functions that is out of order.’

‘The same misconception exists among those who believe that the heart feels. The heart, being the centre of the body, partakes of the effect of the feeling from within – which is the real heart, (not the piece of flesh) and it feels suffocated and oppressed. Depression is felt as a heavy load upon the breast; and when the heavy vibrations are cleared, then a person has a feeling of joy and his heart is lighter than usual.’ (Murshid’s words)

When I was in South Africa, the Africans when they were sad would say – ‘my heart is heavy’. ‘This explains the Shaqq-I sadr, the opening of Mohammad’s breast by the angels, when fear, gloom, bitterness and conceit were all cleared away before the manifestation of divine revelation. It is darkness clearing away at the rising of the sun.’

‘The soul with mind is like water with salt. Mind comes from soul as salt from water; and there comes a time when mind is absorbed in soul, as salt dissolves in water. Mind is the outcome of soul, as salt is the outcome of water. Soul can exist without mind, but mind cannot exist without soul. But the soul is purer without mind, and is covered by the mind. The soul becomes happy when there is


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happiness in the heart; the soul rises high with the height of imagination; the soul probes the depths with the depth of thought. The soul is restless with the restlessness of the mind, and it attains peace when the mind is peaceful.’

‘As the brain is the instrument of the mind which is invisible and the heart of flesh is the vehicle of the heart within, so the illumination of the soul whose light is reflected within this physical body.’

‘The soul in itself is no other than consciousness, which is all pervading. But when the same consciousness is caught in limitation through being surrounded by elements, in that state of captivity it is called the soul.’

‘The soul has no birth, no death, no beginning, no end. Sin cannot touch it, nor can virtue exalt it. Wisdom cannot

open it up nor can ignorance darken it. It has always been and always will be. This is the very being of man, and all else is its cover, like the globe around the light. The soul’s unfoldment comes from its own power, which ends up breaking through the ties of the lower planes. It is free by nature, and looks for freedom during its captivity. All holy beings of the world have become so by freeing the soul, its freedom being the only object there is in life.’ (Murshid’s words)

The body is the vehicle of the mind, formed by the mind, just as the mind, which is the vehicle of the soul, is formed by the soul. The soul is the life and personality in both. The mind seems alive, not by its own life, but by the life of the soul. So it is with the body, which appears alive by the contact of the mind and the soul; when both are separated from it, it becomes a corpse.

The Elements continued.

A poemby Rabindranath Tagore

Ananda Bernadette Hogan offered this poem. She writes, ‘This is one of my favourite poems by Rabindranath Tagore, from his book “Gitanjali” (Song Offerings) for which he won the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature.’ When the heart is hard and parched up, come upon me with a shower of mercy.When grace is lost from life, come with a burst of song.When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides, shutting me out from beyond, come to me, my Lord of silence, with thy peace and rest.When my beggarly heart sits crouched, shut up in a corner, break open the door, my king, and come with the ceremony of a king.When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, come, O thou holy one, thou wakeful, with thy light and thy thunder.

Images on this and previous pages taken from Google Images.


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Inner Peace by Hazrat Inayat Khan

The one who has found his peace within himself may be in a cave of the mountain or among the crowd, yet in every place he will experience peace. What generally happens is that in order to get peace we blame the other person who jars upon our nerves. But in reality the true peace can come only by being so firm against all influences around us that nothing can disturb us.

Now the question is how this can be gained. As I have said, the first thing needed is to accomplish the object which is standing before one immediately. However small

it is, it does not matter. It is by accomplishing it that one gains power. As one goes further in this way through one’s life, always seeking for the real, one will at the end come to reality. Truth is attained by the love of truth. When a person runs away from truth, truth runs away from him. If he does not run away, then truth is nearer to him than that which is without truth. There is nothing more precious in life than truth itself. And in loving truth and in attaining to the truth one attains to that religion which is the religion of all Churches and of all people. It does not matter then to what Church a man belongs, what religion he professes, to what race or nation he belongs. When once he realizes the truth he is all, because he is with all. The obstacle is the disagreement and the misunderstanding before he has attained to the truth. When once he has attained to the truth, there is no more misunderstanding. It is among those who have learned only the outer knowledge that disputes arise, but those who have attained to the truth, whether they come from the North or the South, from whatever country, it does not matter; for when they have understood the truth they are in at-one-ment.

It is this thought that we should keep before us in order to unite the divided sections of humanity, for the real happiness of humanity is in that unity which can be gained by rising above the barriers which divide men.

Taken from Volume 6. Offered by Nuria Daly.

I am offering the small quote below as an acknowlegment of the optimism of Nelson Mandela and his special comment on the role of the pen in the context of our beautiful Spirit Matters newsletter. It is from Conversations with Myself (p. 229) and was written to his daughter Zindzi in response to an anthology of poems. He particularly quoted one on a tree she had written at age 16; it’s beautiful. Zubin Shore.

‘A good pen can remind us of the happiest moment in our lives, bring noble ideas into our dens, our blood and our souls.

It can turn tragedy into hope and victory.’

In memory of Nelson Mandela

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Universal Worship on the topic of the Elementsby Robyn Hutchison

The Life Absolute, from which has sprung all that is felt, seen, and perceived, and into which all again merges in time, is a silent, motionless and eternal life, which among the Sufis is called Zat.

Every motion that springs forth from this silent life is a vibration and a creator of vibrations; and it is the grade of activity of these vibrations that account for the various planes of existence—such as sound, light, sun, planets etc. and the material, vegetable, animal and human kingdoms. (Vol.2 page 13)

There are two aspects of vibrations, fine and gross, containing varied degrees; some are perceived by the soul, some by the mind and some by the eyes.

What the soul perceives are the vibrations of the feelings.

What the mind conceives are the vibrations of the thoughts.

What the eyes see are the vibrations solidified from their ethereal state and turned into atoms which appear in the physical world, passing through five distinct phases while changing from fine to gross, constitute the five elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth. (Vol.2 page 13/14 & 17/18)

And this is how Hazrat Inayat Khan describes them:

As well as various aspects of beauty, the earth has a variety in sound. Its pitch is on the surface, its form is a crescent, its colour yellow, and its sound is dim and dull, It produces activity and movement in the body. All instruments of wire and gut, as well as instruments of percussion, such as the drum, cymbals etc., represent the sound of the earth.

The sound of water is deep, its form serpent-like, its colour green, and it is best heard in the roaring of the sea. The sound of running water, of mountain streams, the drizzling and pattering of rain, the sound of water running from a jug into a jar, from a tap into a tub, from a bottle into a glass, all have a smooth and lively effect, and a tendency to produce imagination, fancy, dream, affection -- and have a touching affect upon the emotions of the heart.

The sound of fire is high-pitched, its form is curled, and its colour red. It is heard in the falling of a thunderbolt and in a volcano eruption, in the sound of fire when blazing, in the noise of fireworks, rifles, guns and cannons. All these have a tendency to produce fright and fear.

The sound of air is wavering, its form zigzag, and its colour blue. Its voice is heard in storms, when the wind blows, and in the whisper of the morning breeze. Its effect is

breaking, sweeping and piercing. The sound of air finds expression in all wind instruments made of wood, brass, and bamboo; and it has a tendency to kindle the fire if the heart. (Vol.2 page 15)

The sound of ether is self-continued, and it holds all forms and colours. It is the basis of all sounds, and is the undertone which is continuous. Its instrument is the human body, because it can be audible through it; although it is all-pervading, yet it is unheard. (Vol.2 page 16)

Hazrat Inayat Khan explains that the conception of the five elements, which the mystics have always had, cannot be explained in scientific terms, because the mystics have their own peculiar meaning. Although the elements may be called earth, water, fire, air and ether, this must not be taken literally; their nature and character, according to the mystics, are different; but as words are few, one cannot give other names to these elements; although in Sanskrit we have distinctive words for them.

Ether is not ether in the scientific sense; it is capacity.

Water is not water as we understand it in everyday language; it is liquidity.

Fire is understood differently; it means glow or heat, dryness, radiance, all that is living.

All these words suggest something more than is ordinarily meant by them. (Vol.2 page 124)

Also – Man(kind) not only shows in his nature, in his qualities, in his body, in his thoughts and feelings, the heritage of this earth, but also that of heaven. Man is subject to the influence of the planets, of the sun, of the moon, of heat and cold, of air and water and fire, and all the different elements of which the whole cosmic system is composed. All these elements are to be found in his thoughts, in his feelings, in his body. One can find a person with warmth representing fire; another person who is cold represents water. There are human beings, who in their thoughts and feelings represent the air element; their quickness, their restlessness, show the air element. (Vol.8 page 125)

Hazrat Inayat Khan reminds us that one reads in the Masnavi of Rumi that the earth, water, fire and air, seem to us like things or objects; but before God they are living beings. (Vol. 2 page 85)

And there is much, much more to be found and perceived in The Sufi Message, the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Knan, for which we are very blessed.

Amen


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Readings for the Universal Worship by Arjuna Ben Zion-Weiss

This is from the Hindu scripture, the Rig Veda:

May Heaven and Earth, the Mighty Pair, bedew for us our sacrifice, And feed us full with nourishments.

14 Their water rich with fatness, there in the Gandharva’s steadfast place,

The singers taste through sacred songs.

15 Thornless be thou, O Earth, spread wide before us for a dwelling-place: Vouchsafe us shelter broad and sure.

16 The Gods be gracious unto us even from the place whence Viṣṇu strode Through the seven regions of the earth!

‘Impart to us those vitalizing forces that come, O earth, from deep within your body, your central point, your navel. Purify us wholly. The earth is Mother.’

We offer to the omniscient God our reverence, our homage and our gratitude for the light of the Divine Wisdom.

This is from the Buddhist scripture, the Diamond Sutra:

‘This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world: Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream; Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud, or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.’

We offer to the omniscient God our reverence, our homage and our gratitude for the light of the Divine Compassion.

This quote is from Zoroastrian scripture, the Gathas:

‘We worship Ahura Mazda, the Creator, The maker of all good things; The Good mind, and of Asha, Immortality, and the Holy Fire of Ahura Mazda; the holy ones who think good Thoughts and perform good Deeds that Asha, Immortality, may come near unto us with Good minds, and that our souls may prosper in all that which is Good.’

We offer to the omniscient God our reverence, our homage and our gratitude for the light of the divine purity.

This is from the Judaic scripture, Genesis:

‘Jacob lay down to sleep, and dreamed that a staircase reached from earth to heaven, and he saw the angels of God going up and down upon it. At the top of the stairs stood the Lord, “I am Yud He Vuv He, “ he said, “the God of Abraham, and of your father Isaac. The ground you are lying on is yours. I will give it to you and to your descendants. For you will have descendants as many as dust. They will cover the land from east to west and from north to south, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more,

I am with you, and will protect you wherever you go.

Jacob vowed this vow to God: If God will help and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothes and will bring me back safely to my father, then I will choose Yud He Vuv He as my God and I will give you back a tenth of everything you give me!’

We offer to the omniscient God our reverence our homage and our gratitude for the light of the Divine Covenant.

This is from the Christian scripture:

The Salt of the Earth

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

The Light of the World

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

We offer to the Omniscient God our reverence, our homage and our gratitude for the light of the divine self-sacrifice.

This is from the Islamic scripture:

The Koran enjoins us to ‘Contemplate life as fresh rain showered abundantly on receptive ground from the Ever Present source, who is like the vast sky. This pure rainwater, mingling with the earth, causes the boundless variety of seeds to sprout and flourish, providing ample nourishment for all creatures.’

We offer to the omniscient God our reverence, our homage, and our gratitude for the light of the Divine Unity.

This is from Hazrat Inayat Khan:

‘Beloved, Thou makest me fuller every day. Thou diggest into my heart deeper than the depths of the earth. Thou raisest my soul higher than the highest heaven, making me more empty every day and yet fuller. Thou makest me wider than the ends of the world: Thou stretchest my two arms across the land and the sea, giving into my enfoldment the East and the West. Thou changest my flesh into fertile soil. Thou turnest my blood into streams of water. Thou kneadest my clay, I know, to make a new universe.’

We offer to the omniscient God our reverence, our homage and our gratitude for the light of the Divine Truth.


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Spiritual Reading - Spiritual Circulation Through the Veins of Nature - Volume VIIIa, Sufi Teachingsby Hazrat Inayat Khan

WHEN ONE observes keenly the nature of this life of variety, one finds that behind the veil of variety there is only one life, the source and goal of all things. It is this life which may be called the blood of the universe, circulating through the veins of nature. It may be called either substance or spirit, it is something out of which all that is seen and all intelligence is moulded and kept alive and in working order. It is this life which we know as intelligence.

Intelligence, which is often confused with intellect, is something which is to be found even in the lower creation. It can be traced in plant life, and sensed even in the heart of the rock. People often think that the intellect is a development which manifests as mind in the life of man, and that the lower animals have no mind, that mind is a development of matter depending upon the brain. But the mystics of all times, the prophets and all meditative souls, say that what was is and will be, and that as it is all the same substance life is not subject to change, nor does it develop. It is a different grade of evolution which makes us capable of understanding, and which gives us the feeling that mind is a development proceeding from matter. The great ones, the meditative souls who dwelt in the wilderness and the forests and communicated with the life around them, realized this truth; and very often they experienced a greater harmony and peace and upliftment where there was no visible life. Life is intelligence, everywhere, and the more one communicates with life, the more one feels that even the rock is not without life, that through it pulses the blood of the universe. And when we look at life from this point of view, we see that there is no place, no object which is not sacred; that even in a rock one may find the source and goal of all things in that particular form.

Many who are experienced in plant life know how responsive plants are to the sympathy of the person who lives with them and looks after them. It has been proved that plants breathe; and if breath is to be found in plant life, certainly there is intelligence too. I once happened to see a stone whose owner called it a magic stone, but in reality it was quite ordinary; only it often changed its color and shade, especially when a particular person held it. So even a stone can respond to a person›s mind, and this teaches us that there is a great deal to explore in the mineral kingdom. This is not a discovery of today; it was known to the people of ancient times. We read in the Persian poems of Jalaluddin Rumi that God slept in the mineral kingdom, dreamed in the vegetable, became conscious in the animal, and realized Himself in the human being.

But this one life is to be seen in a more pronounced form in human beings, in the intellect they show, in the work they do, in the magnetizing of the atmosphere, in the thought-

power they exercise, in the influence of healing. Although one person is separated from another, although there may be no outer connection, yet even at a distance the influence of thoughts and feelings is felt. There were many instances of this during the war when mothers and wives of soldiers, in times of pain, illness, or death, were conscious of their distress without any other source of communication. How often when people are in close touch do they perceive each other›s condition, not only by thought-waves, but in the realm of feeling also; this shows that there is one body, and that in that body there is one life which continually circulates as the blood does in our veins.

This gives a logical explanation of the law of cause and effect. A wrongdoer may escape earthly witnesses, but he cannot escape this one life in which he lives and moves and has his being. A person who has done good to another may never see that other again; yet the good must return to him as there is only one body and one life. Just as with the circulation in the physical body the essence of all we eat is absorbed in the blood, so our every thought, word, and action affects the one life.

Often people question or ridicule certain superstitions; they ask for instance how past, present, and future can be read from cards. But this, and also the science of astrology and crystal-gazing, may be explained by the fact that there is one life in which the circulation is always pulsing; one music, one rhythm; a person only needs to be acquainted with the theme of the music to be able to read and understand it.

Not only by cards and crystal-gazing can one read the past, present, and future, but by many other means; if we are able to communicate with even one vein of this one life, then we are in touch with all the veins of the universe. Some means are better, some are worse, but through any medium we can reach understanding, thus proving that there is one life behind all. Man may be taught to do good, he may learn righteousness, but this is virtue forced upon him as the result of a certain teaching; real virtue only comes by understanding the oneness of life, thus binding man to friend and enemy alike. Jesus Christ teaches, ‘Love your enemies’, and while it is often difficult to love our friends, we are not able to love our enemies unless we


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realize the secret of the one life behind everything, in spite of the world of variety which is continually creating illusion.

If by religion, philosophy, or mysticism this realization is attained, then one touches the secret of life, and a mighty power is gained without any wonder-working. This lesson is easy to learn intellectually, this truth can be consumed like food in a moment, but this is not enough; to digest it the whole of one›s life is not sufficient, for truth is mixed with facts, and when truth becomes a fact it loses its importance. Absorbed in the world of variety we are apt to forget truth, for we are always engrossed in facts. That is why people who spend much time in meditation try to think of the oneness of being, and try to meditate on the ultimate truth of being. It works like the winding of a clock: it only takes a minute to wind but it goes on all day long. So in meditation the same thought goes on, and in everything one does or says one uses the same truth.

How much harm is caused by the lack of understanding of this truth! All such disasters as wars, floods, earthquakes, famines, all the dire events that cannot be controlled by man, come from disorder in the body of the universe; when the blood is disordered everything goes wrong, and though sometimes it seems that what is harmful to one part is helpful to another, yet in the long run one sees that every part suffers. The after-effect is felt by the whole world as strain and pain and all kinds of suffering.

If one raised one›s eyes from this world of illusion and looked up, and asked God to tell one the secret and the mystery of His creation, one would hear in answer that every thing and being is put in its own place, and each is busy carrying out that work which has to be done in the whole scheme of nature. Life is a symphony; and the action of every person in this symphony is the playing of his particular part in the music.

When the war was going on all the people were called to arms, and were placed, regardless of their profession, qualifications, or moral standards, where they were most needed; the reason was that the ‹call of the purpose› was to be the first consideration. If there is anything which will bring peace to the thinker, it is the understanding of this idea. The thought that one is suffering now because of one›s sins in a past life may bring an answer to the enquiring and reasoning of the mind and stop it from rebelling for the moment, but will it take away the irritation that the misery is causing in the heart? Will that mind ever excuse God for having judged him so severely? He may own to his past mistakes, but will he ever believe in God as a God of love and compassion, as a God of mercy, or as a God of forgiveness?

If God were separate from man, and if He rejoiced in the suffering of man, then one might blame Him. But as the Sufi realizes, He is the sufferer and the suffering; yet at the same time He is beyond all suffering. This fact can be understood by not merely believing in God, but by knowing Him. Suppose our hands dropped a heavy weight

on our feet and hurt them, are our hands to be blamed? No, for they share the pain with the feet, and although the feet seem to be hurt, yet that which feels the hurt is our being, our absolute being, and therefore the hand shares the hurt with the foot.

So it is with God: all our lives are His and He takes part in every feeling of joy and pain which we feel, but at the same time His perfect being keeps Him above all earthly joys and pains, where as our imperfection limits us, so that we become subject to all joys and pains, however small they are.

People often ask why should man suffer and make sacrifices for God. When his suffering and sacrifice is over he will find that though he began to do so for God, in the end it proved to be for himself. It is the foolishly selfish man who is selfish; the wisely selfish man proves to be selfless. This consciousness is attained by self-realization; first man must realize himself and find out of what he is composed. He is composed of spirit and matter. He consists, in himself, of the mineral, vegetable, and animal worlds, the jinn and the angel; and it is his task to balance all these, knowing that he has been created neither to be as spiritual as an angel, nor to be as material as an animal. When he strikes the happy medium he will certainly tread the path which is meant for a human being to tread, the path which leads straight to the goal. ‘Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way’, narrow because any step taken on either side will lead to some other path. Balance is the keynote of spiritual attainment.

The soul of the whole of creation is one, the life behind all these ever-moving phantoms is one. Meditation on this truth and the awakening to it will harmonize the condition of the world. And when the soul begins to see the truth it is born again; to such a soul all that seems truth to an average person appears false, and what seems truth to this soul means nothing to the average person; all that seems to the average person to be important and precious in life, has no value nor importance at all for this soul. Thus he naturally finds himself alone in a crowd which lives in a world quite different from that in which he lives. Imagine living in a world where nobody speaks our language! Yet he can live in the world, for he knows its language, although life in the world is as unprofitable to him as the world of children playing with their toys is to a grown-up person.

Prophets and great mystics have come to the world from time to time, as the physician comes to help the patient whose health is disordered; and when the great ones have come they have brought a new life to the world, given to the organism of the universe to help it to run smoothly. The Sufis have always existed as mystics, and their lives have been devoted to meditation and spiritual practices. What have they learnt from these meditations? They have learnt the essence of everything, the oneness or unity; and it is by thinking about unity, by realizing it, and by living it that man fulfils the purpose of life.


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Baraka!: A pilgrimage of mureeds to Fazal Manzilby Chaman-Afroz

‘Truth comes to man’s soul, and yet truth is not the exclusive property of creed, caste, or race. We are all the

children of God, the Father-Mother Spirit of all that exists. And we ought to have such a feeling of brotherhood that

we exchange helpful thoughts with one another all the time. We can take love and guidance from one another.

Speech is not as great a help as contact; but the privilege of meeting one another is great. When souls meet, what truth they can exchange! It is uttered in silence, yet surely

always reaches its goal.’

Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

This pilgrimage and retreat took place between April 26th and April 28th.

It was organised by the Kinship Council of the Sufi Order International and the aim of this pilgrimage was to bring together mureeds of all the Inayati Sufi Orders in the surroundings of Fazal Manzil, Suresnes, where up to the year 1939 the Summer Schools took place. A lot of the land belonging to the house was confiscated and built up by the local authorities after World War 2. The orchards and the lecture hall are gone. But still, Suresnes has still a more rural, calm atmosphere compared to the buzz of Paris and its hectic pace. Yet, it is very close to Paris.

Around 85 mureeds from Holland, France, Germany, England, Scotland, Belgium and Ireland followed the Invitation. They were mostly of the Sufi Movement or the Sufi Order International. Some of the mureeds from Germany also were Turkish or half Indian and Turkish. One mureed from England actually was an Iranian. And the one mureed from Ireland is actually German. This is a reflection of the patterns of people coming from a birthplace and moving to different places in the stages of their lives. So you can truly say that it was wonderful to be in the company of all these mureeds of all the different nations and races and different ages and different orders. But of course we all had one thing in common: We are all on the same path and all have the same Master. And of course all of us belong to the entire human family.

1

The Journey

“Sleep is comfortable, but awakening is interesting”

Bowl of Saki April 25th

“Full moon, where will you be going from here? –Into a retreat. Why do you take a retreat after fullness? –To

make myself an empty vessel in order to be filled again”

Tanas

My journey actually started on Thursday when I made my way to the airport in Dublin, which is a long way from the West Coast of Ireland. Though it has to be said that the inner preparation started well before that, as you all know, and I found this quite hard and challenging sometimes. I felt overwhelmed by family issues and getting myself to a point with my work so that I could go away. There was a guilty feeling that I would leave my family to deal with a very stressful week while I go to a retreat. But my wife actually said that there was no way back: I had to go. At times I almost forgot that I was going to go on this pilgrimage. But as soon as my bus was leaving the station I felt calm and knew that it was the right thing to do. Ahead of me was a five hour bus journey through the midlands and a full moon was shining in the night sky. I passed through areas where I used to travel through in my twenties and thirties and a lot of nice memories came up. I got to Dublin Airport at midnight and spend the night at the airport to catch my flight early in the morning. I did not get any sleep but I felt good regardless. There was a definite feeling of being guided which continued all the way to Fazal Manzil. I sat next to a kind French businessman who helped me to work out my way through Paris on public transport and who gave me his Metro map. Many kind strangers of all colours and gender—black and white, men and women—helped me with the direction of the trains. I speak a little French, but not very good. The Metro is like a kaleidoscope of the French society: Europeans, West Africans, North Africans and also some Asians.

Suresnes, I discovered, is actually not part of Paris, but a town in itself and it also, as I mentioned in the beginning, has its own atmosphere. As soon as I passed the Bois de Bologne, a big woodland separating Paris from Suresnes, on the bus, and saw the Horse Chestnut and Cherry trees in bloom, I understood Murshid’s nature poetry in the Gayan, Vadan and Nirtan even more clearly. It was in the presence of the elements and the trees. There was a peace radiating off them all and it reached me inside.

‘In the swinging of the branches, in the flying of the birds, and in the running of the water, Beloved, I see Thy waving hand, bidding me good-bye. In the cooing of the wind, in the roaring of the sea, and in the crashing of the thunder, Beloved, I see Thee weep and I hear Thy cry. In the promise of the dawn, in the breaking of the morn, in the smiles of the rose, Beloved, I see Thy joy at my homecoming.’

I always loved these words of Murshid’s. It was a homecoming. I had left the busy city and there was the beautiful presence of nature with the trees and water. And I was on my last stretch of the journey. Later on at the retreat, Alim from Holland would sing these words and play the harmonium for us.


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2

The Retreat

The first day of my arrival taught me an interesting thing about expectations. The actual program started on Saturday and that was the day when most mureeds arrived. But for the ones who arrived on Friday there was already a chance to meditate in silence in the Oriental Room.

Of course I was looking forward very much to this. To meditate in the room where Murshid and the Brothers would have sat, talked and meditated themselves. All the beautifully carved furniture is still there, including an old two seater leather couch, statues and objects of eastern and classical western culture. The room had a lovely old smell, woody and fragrant. I was looking forward to this powerful experience to meditate in the atmosphere of the room. But it was not as powerful as I had expected it to be! It felt peaceful inside, but not much different as if I would feel meditating at home. How could this be? Was I not in tune?

The answer to me was that we are only bringing our own inner self to the room. It was a most beautiful frame, but the picture inside is our own.

Later on Saturday, and even stronger on Sunday during the inner preparation and attuning for the flower ceremony for Noor, when all our hearts were open in meditation and prayer, when we all gathered, there I felt the strong presence of the Divine Spirit working through all of us and the overwhelming gift of this amazing Blessing and Grace. Only the Heart and Soul can fully experience it.

Saturday started off with a welcome by the Kinship Council and Dances of Universal Peace, followed by a sobhet (teaching) and a meditation with Shaikh ul Mashaikh Mahmood Khan. As always it was so lovely to be in his presence and to listen to the words, which so much sum up Murshid’s teachings simply and yet so touchingly.

He talked about the steps of initiation in Murshid’s teachings: the Wazifa, the Divine Names, a practice of the Heart; Zikr and its different forms, but especially the ‘in-static’ Zikr of Murshid, compared to the ecstatic form of Zikr of popular Sufism; and that of course is followed by Fikr.

He also stressed a few times over the weekend the importance of becoming completely absorbed in the contemplation and experience of Harmony and Beauty in Nature, as well as Art. And he also talked about the importance of having these practices firmly embedded in an ethical and moral context of our dealings in every day life. This would be the Code of Chivalry practised from the early days of classical Sufism. Needless to say, it is all about the Nafs again. Especially in the context of a spiritual organisation. He stressed the point how important ethical evolvement is in order to attain spiritual evolvement.

There was a break for lunch and further opportunities for meditation in the Oriental

Room. In the afternoon, we had a Zikr with Ali and Mehmet Ungan and their beautiful Turkish Sufi Music.

In the Evening we had a simple shared Indian vegetarian meal and the day finished with an evening program of shared songs, music, stories, poetry and laughter.

On Sunday morning mureeds had the opportunity to meditate in the Oriental Room again. We all came together after that for a meditation attunement in the Kanqah. It was for our own inner preparation for the Flower Ceremony for Noor. Originally the plan was to have a ceremony with the community of Suresnes, but that had been postponed. In spite of this we held a small reflection and ceremony ourselves.

We shared prayers, pearls of wisdom from all the different religions and sat in silence. Someone read the Buddhist story ‘The Goose with the golden feathers’, which Noor had once illustrated herself.

During this inner attunement, the realisation of the amazing grace and blessing of the guidance of the Divine Spirit became clear: His, Allah’s, guidance that lead me there. I was not prepared for this moment and the beauty of it.

Then Shaikh ul Mashaikh Mahmood Khan spoke about Noor. He spoke of her beautiful gifted personality. The

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theme that ran through all her life that she spent in this transient world: the quest for Liberty of the Soul. He pointed out the link between the title of her father’s first publication, “A Message of Spiritual Liberty”, published first in Russian. Her last word was, as we know, Liberté. This path of Spiritual Liberty requires Sacrifice: ‘Fana’ as in moving on. But it is also a word for the different stages of the spiritual path. We must move on.

Sacrifice was another theme that ran through Noor’s life, sacrifice inspired by the Liberty of the Soul. She sacrificed her youth to take on the role of the mother after Murshid’s passing. Begum was not able to carry out this role anymore, she was so heartbroken by this tragic event. With the events of World War 2 she chose to put the inner aspect of the Liberty of the Soul into a practical context. In all of this she showed great ‘Chivalry of Character’ to use Pir Zia’s words. Later when she was prisoner of the Germans, she escaped a few times but was recaptured. They asked her to give her word not to escape any more. Noor refused. What struck me was how strong the yearning for the ideal of freedom ran through her life.

It is like the story Shaikh ul Mashaikh told us where the sculpture says to the sculptor: ‘Drink this cup of poison if you want to give me life. If you want to live in my life.’ The sculpture stands for our ideal and we are the sculptor. Noor drank the cup of poison and I ask myself, if I would have had her courage. This was all very touching. But there was also laughter and lighter moments. Shaikh ul Mashaikh spoke in English and that was translated by a mureed into French. But in the middle of his reflections on Noor he started a sentence in French and the French translator then had to translate this into English.

Flower ceremony for Noor

The actual flower ceremony was simple but very moving. Flowers surrounded a picture of Noor and a candle was burning. In front of the picture were two bowls filled with Rose petals. We sat in silence and three or four of us would

quietly step forward at the time, spreading a handful of petals and say silent prayers for Noor and reflect on which aspect of her life touched us the most.

The Universel in the Garden of Fazal Manzil

After that there was time for mureeds to mingle or go out to lunch. In the afternoon we ended the retreat with an informal Universal Worship.

After that people started to leave and that felt sad to see our circle of mureeds breaking up. But we all had been given this amazing gift to come together and share this weekend in the spirit of Murshid’s home, where he and his family had lived and the first Summer Schools took place. One could feel the historic importance of this place for our Sufi Orders. In that way it linked with this tradition, even if it was only for a weekend.

So what did this retreat mean to me? We mureeds are still human beings and therefore limited and our Nafs peek their little noses through; it taught us to overlook these shortcomings with kindness.

But, most important for me was the experience to communicate through our hearts when sometimes language was not sufficient enough—the language of the heart being the true language.

With this I will finish this article. Thank you for your patience to read all of this, dear fellow travellers on the Path.

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Bowl of Saki for 25 December

Love is as the water of the Ganges;it is in itself a purification .

Baraka! continued.


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Zikr, Shukr, Zikr (part 2): Efficacy of these very powerful Sufi practices

by Nur Al-Alam

‘I was complaining that I had no shoes, till I met a man who had no feet’ Confucius

‘Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.’

John Milton

In these quotations above, two great men in two different eras wanted us to consider the wisdom of ‘Gratitude’ i.e. Shukr in our life.

In Part One (published in the previous issue of Spirit Matters), I provided a brief definition on each of these three Sufi practices: Zikr, Shukr and Fikr, but I have repeated the definition of ‘Shukr’ below, so that we can refresh our mind on the topic I would like to discuss this in Part Two.

Shukr

The Arabic word Shukr or Shukar (ركش) means ‘thankfulness’ or ‘gratitude’. It is a practice of expressing gratitude to Allah, the most exalted, through our feelings and emotions, by reflecting on the food we eat, and the bounty or gifts we use from the Universe in our day-to-day life. While Zikr is a chanting or singing or incantation practice, Shukr is an expressive practice of self reminders by the Sufis. The 12th century Sufi Al-Ghazali said, ‘Know that God the exalted united thankfulness (Shukar) with remembrance (Zikr) in His holy book, al-Qur’an. Although He said, ‘God’s remembrance is greater’1, He said, ‘so remember Me, and I will remember you; and be thankful to Me and be not ungrateful2’.

According to our Pir-O-Murshid, Hazrat Inayat Khan, the practice of constant ‘Shukr’ or ‘thankfulness’ makes us humble before Allah, the most Glorious. Once we are humble, all other virtues pour upon us like showers of rain.

Shukr is a prescription to achieve nearness to God

In the book titled, The Way of Illumination (Vol I), Section II - The Inner Life, Chapter III, FULFILLMENT OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF HUMAN LIFE, Hazrat Inayat Khan said, ‘The first aspect of prayer is giving thanks to God for all the numberless blessings that are bestowed upon us at every moment of the day and night, and of which we are mostly unconscious… If one asks why God should create beings in order that they should sing His own praise, the answer is that God does not wish to receive praise. The praise of God is a prescription for man, in order that by this prescription man can come to that understanding which brings him nearer to God. In other words, by praising God man completes the action in which lies the fulfilment of the soul’s purpose in coming on earth. … In thanking God for

all that He has given us, we develop the very thankfulness which man usually forgets. If we could only reflect upon the many things in our life for which we should be thankful and appreciative! … But what a beautiful thought it is to say grace before even a humble dinner! When thanks have been given to God, however simple the dinner may be it becomes delicious because of the feeling of thankfulness, the feeling that this is a gift that has been bestowed upon us… Then there is the mystical meaning of thankfulness. The one who is always grudging is so much the more in need of prayer. If he prays he will prepare influences which will remove the miseries and wretchedness in his mind, for all this misery is created by his mind during the act of grumbling and while he nurses a grudge. The person who is thankful and contented, and appreciative of all that befalls him in life develops the sense of goodness. The more appreciative he is, the more thankful he becomes and the more he receives. Thankfulness and appreciation inevitably attract more of their like to themselves. All that we give is also given to us.’3

As you will find, Hazrat Inayat Khan said it all about Shukr in the few lines quoted above. He said Shukr is the ‘Way of Illumination’, Shukr is ‘a prescription for a human being’ to achieve nearness to God, Shukr is a prayer, Shukr is humbleness. He also said that by constant Shukr, one can remove unhappiness, anxieties from his/her life. He also said that by praising God (i.e. doing Shukr) man completes the action in which lies the fulfilment of the soul’s purpose in coming on earth. A very powerful act, indeed!

Shukr is an expression out of the Hidden Root

A practising Sufi always does Shukr. In every action of his/her daily life, especially in eating, walking, seeing, observing, or in enjoying whatever gifts of life he/she has been given, he/she contemplates on it and expresses her thankfulness and gratitude to Allah. It’s an expression which touches his/her heart, the hidden root, the invisible soul of everything. Even when a Sufi sees a beautiful flower in the jungle, he/she says, ‘Thank You O Lord, for sending me the token of Your love an grace.’ and then he/she exclaims, ‘What a majestic work of weaving fragrance, colours and petals in a magical designs of flower greeting me with a smile!’

We can see that kind of ‘Shukr Gujar’ (i.e. thankfulness practice) in the life of a great Sufi named Baha’uddin Walad (1152-1231), father of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi. Here is an excerpt from a diary-like record of his inner life, titled Ma’arif (a collection of his writings):

‘Eating a Piece of Bread- While eating a piece of bread, try to recall the events that collaborated to let this take place. The oven’s heat that baked the bread, the ploughed


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earth before that, sunlight, rain, harvest, the winnowing, the being carried to and from the mill, the complex idea and building the mill itself. The many motions of weather in the turning of four seasons. And don’t forget the knife that cuts the bread, the metallurgy and the skill of forging that blade, and your teeth, those original grinding devices. Then there’s your stomach digesting the crust and there’s the rest of your body being nourished, each part in unique ways. Two hundred and forty-eight bones, five hundred and thirty muscles, three hundred arteries, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, your organs and limbs, your brain. As the bread dissolves much intelligence within you are deciding and peacefully agreeing on how to divide the benefits. If there were discord, you would feel pain and cry out, but you don’t…

I was thinking about the piece of bread I have just eaten and the drink of water I have taken. This revelation came: each bit of bread and taste of fruit has a tongue and a language of praise that gets released when it enters human body.’4

Shukr is spreading gratitude rocks around to enjoy life

According to Al Ghazali, Shukr or gratitude is the constant attitude of thankfulness and appreciation for the gift of every moment as it unfolds in our life. Living in the moment, we are open to abundance around us and within us. By doing the practice of Shukr, we express our appreciation freely. We contemplate the richness of our life. We notice small graces and are thankful for daily gifts. By practicing Shukr, we enjoy the essence of happiness. It’s a virtue we can never have too much of. Shukr is a continual celebration of life as we enjoy it.

Drinking a cup of tea: This thought of ‘celebration of life’ triggered an insight from two years ago when a friend sent me the picture5 on the side from Sylhet, a hilly suburb

of Bangladesh, where hundreds of tea gardens are cultivated for tea harvesting. So when I was enjoying a cup of tea, I was wondering about how many people contributed to my cup of tea. Initially I thought, for the two bags of tea leaves extract that I used for making my cup of tea alone, I might had to thank at least 100+ people. That may include (but is not limited to) the following list of contributors:

1. People who prepared the ground and planted the tea plants

2. People who watered it and who nurtured it

3. People who kept the plants secured from insects or other pest/ invaders

4. People who guarded the place from human invaders/ security guard

5. People who paid those other people (owners, managers) who worked in the tea garden

6. People who collected/ harvested the tea leaves (like the lady in the above picture)

7. Then of course, the whole cycle of tea trade begins: people who processed the tea leaves—drying, grinding, cleaning, filtering, watering, preserving, bagging, packing, packaging—the entire industrial cycle.

8. Then it landed in our supermarket; so all the people who put those beautiful tea packets onto the shelf

Yes, for tea bags, 100+ people to thank. Then I thought what about the people who made the cup, who made the kettle, who made the machineries, who made the stove. What about the gas, gas line, etc? Does it end there?

Even then I forgot to include the most important contributor to ‘my cup of tea’. That is other natural forces: like ‘rays of the sun’, ‘waves of the air’, ‘water of the rain’ and most importantly ‘all pervading life in space’: i.e. Allah, the life in the plants and in all of us.

Similar to ‘cups of tea’ if we consider our clothes, our car, our home, the bed we sleep in, we have to thank millions of human and non-human beings. So finally all thanks belong to Allah, the creator of us and everything.

Virtues of Shukr according to the scriptures and why?

In the Qur’an Allah, the most Glorious, said, ‘And [remember the time] when your Sustainer made [this promise] known: “If you are grateful [to Me], I shall most certainly give you more and more; but if you are ungrateful, verily, My chastisement will be severe indeed!”’ [14:7]

In another verse, Allah said, ‘O you who have attained to faith! Partake of the good things which We have provided for you as sustenance, and render thanks unto God, if it is [truly] Him that you worship.’ [2:172], [16:114]

In the Bible God said, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’ [Psalm 136:1, Psalm 107:1]6.

In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna said, ‘Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart—a leaf, a flower, fruit or water—I accept with joy’7

Also the Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, ‘man lam yaskurin nasa lam yasskuril allah—He who cannot show gratitude to a human being, he can’t show gratitude to his lord Allah’

From all these quotes, it is clear that Shukr is a great virtue to be adorned with. We are showered with the graces of God every moment of our life. Just in the way earth could not live without the light of the sun, we cannot live without the grace of God for a single moment. It comes in so many forms and shapes. Let’s think how everything we enjoy in every moment of our life is contributed to by every one of us. If we are not able to thank every human being who constantly contributes to our life, then how can we thank


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Allah? This is why the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, ‘How can you give thanks to Allah, if you cannot give thanks to a human being?’

So it is God’s desire that we give Him back something in the form of praises and thanks. Our Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan said, ‘Does God needs our praises? The answer is, No. Then why, He did he ask us to praise Him? We do it for ourselves’. By praising Him, we can get closer to Him, i.e. achieve the nearness to Him, earn His Love and become his beloved and enjoy the blissful peace we need.

Shukr and living with Mindfulness

‘Can you cleanse your inner vision until you see nothing but the light?... Can you step back from your own mind and thus understand all things’? Tao Te Ching

While for centuries Sufis and saints practised and lived the concept ‘Solitude in the Crowd’ (Khalwa ther Anjuman) by living in the moment in a state of connectedness, in modern day, it is called ‘living in the moment with mindfulness’. Shukr and ‘mindfulness living’ go hand-in-hand. You cannot live in an all-aware ecstatic mindful state unless your heart is in a humble, calm and fully surrendered state.

According to Kabat-Zinn (2003), ‘Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.’8

So mindfulness involves observation rather than controlling one’s present experience. Shukr practice requires every day activities to be experienced through observation of bodily sensations, thoughts and feelings. Thus becoming humble, expressing gratitude for and praising every miraculous gift in our life in this earthly plane.

In the Al-Qur’an Allah said, ‘fal yanjuril insan-u ila twaami-hi—meaning ‘let a human being reflect on the food he eats’. Mindful eating is exactly what Allah has asked us to do. Looking deeply at the food we eat, we see that it contains the earth, the air, the rain, the sunshine, and the hard work of farmers and all those who process, transport, and sell us the food. When we eat with full awareness, we become increasingly mindful of all the elements and effort needed to make our meals a reality, and this in turn fosters our appreciation of the constant support we get from others and from nature.

A meditation on eating an apple: The Buddist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh9 gave a very excellent account of mindful eating which illustrates the Shukr practice recorded by Mevlana Rumi’s father in 12th century. Hanh said, ‘Mindful eating allows us to fully appreciate the sensory delight of eating and to be more conscious of the amount and nature of all that we eat and drink. When practiced to its fullest, mindful eating turns a simple meal into a spiritual experience, giving us a deep appreciation of all that went into the meal’s creation as well a deep understanding of the relationship between the food on our table, our own health, and our planet’s health. ...

Mindful eating sees each meal as representative of the whole cosmos. Look closely at an apple and you can see a cloud floating in it, as well as the rain, the earth, and the sunshine that made the apple tree flower and fruit. Recognize that this apple contains the universe. When you bite into the apple, can you be fully aware that this is a miracle from the universe that you have just put into your mouth? Notice that there is nothing else in your mouth as you chew, no worries or anxiety. When you chew the apple, just chew the apple, not your future plans or anger. You must chew very consciously and with focus. When you are able to be there for the apple 100 percent, you will feel connected to the earth, to the farmer who grew the apple, and also to the person who brought it to your table. Eating this way, you feel that strength, freedom, and pleasure are attainable. This meal nourished not only your body but also your mind your whole being.’

Shukr practice is a universal practice

In conclusion, we can say that Shukr is not only a Sufi practice, but also it’s a universal practice. People of all caste, creed and colour do this Shukr as a spiritual practice. Let’s practice Shukr to achieve nearness to God, to bring happiness to our life and enjoy life to the fullest by living in the moment. Let’s make the simple act of eating our food (i.e. an apple, a piece of bread or drinking a cup of tea) a profound spiritual experience. Develop the awareness that our food is a manifestation of our own world and that it cannot come into being in isolation. Our food (i.e. an apple) is dependent on everything else for its existence, reminding us that we, too, are constantly supported by the effort of many beings so that we can enjoy the apple, and thus be thankful to God all the time.

References

1 Quran, 29:45, cited in Al Ghazali on Patience and Thankfulness – Kitab al-sabr wa’l-Shukar; book XXXII of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, translated by H.T. LittleJohn, Islamic Text Society 2011

2 Al-Qur’an, verse 2:152

3 The Way of Illumination, Volume I, Hazrat Inayat Khan, 1920; from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/I/I_II_3.htm and from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/IX/IX_7.htm

4 Out of Hidden Root, Baha’uddin Walad, Parabola Volume 29.2, Web of Life, re-printed on P-35, as ‘The Inner Journey’ Views from the Islamic Tradition –Edited by William Chttick, Parabola Anthology Series, Morning Light Press, 2007

5 http://www.flickr.com/photos/65037287@N02/8193403656/in/contacts/

6 Source of Bible Quote, is http://www.openbible.info/topics/gratitude

7 Bhagavad Gita source is from http://www.quotesmessages.com/Gratitude

8 Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 144–156; Source paper: Mevlana Jalal-ad-Dın Rumi and Mindfulness by Gretty M. Mirdal

9 Savor: mindful eating, mindful life, Thich Nhat Hanh with Dr Lillian Cheung, Harper Collins, 2011


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The Holy Book of Nature, part 3 by Kadir Troelstra

This lecture was given at the 2012 Sufi Summer School in Katwijk, The Netherlands, and is continued from the Autumn and Winter issues of Spirit Matters.

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

(Rumi)

This brings us to the next aspect of our theme, and that is beauty. Creation consists of many different forms, its shows itself in variety, but the One Being is behind it. We cannot see the One Being; we can see and experience creation, but as the One Being has no opposite, it remains hidden. As Rumi says: ‘God’s light has no opposite in the range of creation whereby it may be manifested to view.’ But still, we can sense unity through the variety in creation, because we can see beauty. The beauty of creation itself proves the oneness behind it. It is like a composition, as parts of a perfect whole, as a complete picture which gives us an impression of supreme beauty. A single note does not create a melody: it is a certain combination of notes which creates a beautiful song. As Murshid says: ‘harmony is a combination of colours, harmony in the drawing of a design or a line is called beauty…’ This is the case in creation as a whole, but it is also true for human effort. ‘…and a word, a thought, a feeling, an action that creates harmony is productive of beauty.’

As nature is a perfect composition, it is beautiful. And we can only really experience it when our heart is open. Then life begins to speak. This belongs to the ‘second paradigm’ that of the poet and mystic, seeing the whole, not only the detail. And this whole includes everyone, also the one who is looking. ‘There is One Object of Praise, the beauty which uplifts the heart of its worshippers through all aspects from the seen to the unseen,’ as the 8th Sufi-thought reads. Murshid says somewhere else: ‘Now coming to a still greater secret of life I want to answer the question: how can we grow to read and understand the message that life speaks through all its names and forms? The answer is that, as by the opening of the eyes you can see things, so by the opening of the heart you can understand things. As long as the heart is closed you cannot understand things. The secret is that, when the ears and eyes of the heart are open, all planes of the world are open, all names are open, all secrets, all mysteries are unfolded.’ We can ask ourselves: how can we open our hearts so that we see this beauty? From the lecture of Matthijs Schouten we can perhaps conclude that in each paradigm there is a different way of gaining knowledge and insight. In the first paradigm it is by analyzing, by gathering information and facts, by reasoning, by logical thinking, by detailed

o b s e r v a t i o n , by learning. In this way we can discover the laws of nature, through science. To put it in another way: it means studying the expression of the life force: matter, at the surface of creation, which can be experienced through the senses, measured, calculated. In the second paradigm it is almost the other way around, it is by emptying oneself of ideas and knowledge, by making space, by clearing the mind, by unlearning, having a more receptive mode. It means connecting with the source, to transcend matter, going back to the Source of creation. Insights in this mode can come instantaneously. In this way, you can’t really speak of two paradigms, because this suggests that they exclude each other: that one has to choose, it polarizes. Perhaps one can look at it as two modes, two directions, which complete the circle. And I think they can be combined. Our physical senses are connected to our heart and heart and mind are not separate.

As in the 17th century, scientists and philosophers were very much interested in making lenses, looking with the eye, grinding lenses for their microscopes and telescopes (the first mode), Sufis were always interested in polishing the inner lens, which is the heart, in order to be able to be really receptive and see beyond and hear the song of the Divine in creation. Being receptive, being open is making a connection—a link, opening oneself, listening.

And when we go on polishing, and polish and polish, the reflection of the creator becomes clearer, we see creation at work. The image Sufi’s often used is the mirror of the heart which has to be polished. Rumi says: ‘When the mirror of your heart becomes clear and pure, you will behold images from beyond this realm of earth and water. You will see both the images and the image-Maker; both the carpet of spiritual existence and the carpet-Spreader.’ We can ask ourselves how to do this. In short one could perhaps say: be present; to be really present, in the now. Being in the present involves slowing down, holding one’s pace. Life’s rhythm tends to accelerate, but we sometimes need to slow down. Forget for a while one’s worries, one’s perceived needs, one’s ideas about what is important in life, even if we have spiritual ideas. Just holding one’s pace is most difficult, because all our wants, needs, worries and ideas can blind us and make us hasty. Thinking we need to take care of ourselves, that we are independent creatures who need to satisfy our needs constantly. Perhaps we can be inspired by the attitude of the ‘dervish’. A dervish lives in the present, appreciating


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what is there, an attitude of thankfulness for what life has provided for us, so that you can become aware of what you can be thankful for. A dervish honours and glorifies the Divine Being, also in creation – not just take what is there for granted. This kind of attitude might seem out of date, from a past era. But perhaps it is also important for the future. The Divine Being is withdrawing from our collective consciousness, creation shows up as soulless, as the materialistic worldview is predominant in our culture. From a spiritual point of view that is one of the reasons of the current crisis. It is important to bring that awareness back, realizing the One in this world of variety, looking at nature, at creation through the heart.

Another characteristic of a dervish is an attitude of faith and trust: trust in oneself and trust in what life will provide for us, trust in what will come. Being present means that you can see what is possible, what is potentially there. A dervish knows that needs—be it material or spiritual—are provided for in one way or the other, and also that one person can provide for another.

Being in the present means really seeing beauty, it causes the heart to sing. We then can become part of the creative force, which shows in everything we do. As Murshid says: ‘Everything becomes spiritual once this door of the chamber of the heart is open. If a man is a musician, then his music is celestial. If he is a poet, then his poetry is spiritual. If he is an artist, then his art is a spiritual work. Whatever he may do in life that divine spirit manifests. He need not be a religious person, he need not be a philosopher, he need not be a mystic. It is simply that what was hidden in him and thereby was keeping his life incomplete begins to manifest to view, and that makes his life perfect.’ All our spiritual practices are directed to tune and purify the heart. Prayer and devotion have a tremendous effect on the heart: the fire of devotion can purify the ego. That is why Murshid emphasizes the development of the God-Ideal, because the love for our Ideal makes the heart alive, and the Ideal comes to life within us. Of course, most spiritual practices we do in our Sufi-school are directed to tune and purify the heart. Practices like Zikar and Wazifa have this effect. In Zikar we almost literally knock on the door of our heart. Meditations are meant for clearing the mind and diving into the stillness of the depth of the ocean, as Matthijs Schouten described it in his lecture. Diving within ourselves, drawing the attention back from the world can make the voice within audible. But besides this, our conduct and attitude in the world can also be seen as a practice which polishes the heart. Murshid talks a lot about having a respectful and friendly attitude: being tolerant, being understanding and seeing through the eyes of another. This conduct is like a double-edged sword: it creates harmony around you and it purifies the heart. It purifies the heart because you have to keep back your first impulse, you have to master yourself, know yourself in order to be able to have this kind of

attitude. It means refinement and purification of the human ego. I won’t go into this now, it is a subject in itself. Perhaps the most obvious and important thing one can do is: go out in nature, slow down your rhythm, keeping your pace, watch your breath, watch your steps, and just be in nature. Our tempo is high and our mind preoccupied. Go into nature, leave daily affairs behind you, and enjoy. It gives rest and inspiration. See what is around you, listen, smell, feel the wind, listen to the symphony of nature. And do this regularly. It can be helpful to do this alone, so your attention is really on where you are. It might sound strange but to really see nature, one has to have an open heart in order to really see the beauty. And to really see the beauty of life, one has to go to nature every now and then. It is a joyful experience!

Rumi:

‘Go to the workshop where the universe was made, and see the Worker. But since the work has become a veil between you and the Worker, you can only see Him in His work. And since the workshop is His dwelling-place, those on the outside cannot see Him. So enter the workshop – that is, non-existence – and see the work and the Worker together.’

* 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).

* ‘Geef zicht aan de blinden’, Constantijn Huygens, René Descartes en het Boek der Natuur. By Eric Jorink (Primavera Pers, Leiden, 2007).

This installment is the final part of the lecture.

Thank you to Talibah Lolicato for contributing this lecture.

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The Frog Princess, part 5 by Nuria Daly

This interpretation continues from issue 17.2 of Spirit Matters (Winter, 2013). It is the final installment of this five-part series.

In Part 4, Baba Yaga has just told Prince Ivan that Princess Vassilisa is with Kashchey the Deathless, and has given him advice on how to get her away from him.

Prince Ivan spent the night in the old witch’s hut, and next morning she told him how to get to the spot where the lofty oak was growing. The prince found the spot, and saw the oak standing, rustling its leaves; in its crown was a stone chest, so high that it was very difficult to get at. Spending the night in Baba Yaga’s hut would indicate a time spent in the ‘underworld’ as in the night world of deep meditation. He was being taught practices and ways of finding the great oak tree, and learning how to use what he has previously learned and experienced with the animals.

Let us look at the very complex symbolism of this scene. First of all who is Kashchey the Deathless? As we have said before Kashchey represents our own egoic self, the small self which is greedy; it wants the richness and power

of the world and does not want to share it with anyone. It is the egoic self which captures the soul. This small self is very much part of the patriarchy which took over the role of the feminine in our culture so long ago. It appears that in Siberia and the Slavic cultures the matriarchy survived longer than it did in other parts of Europe, so that the Baba Yaga is a remnant of the times where the wise old women teaches and

shamans guided the ways of the villages and the people of the forests.

The Komi region in the north, just west of the Ural Mountains, was a meeting point between Christianity and the old shamanistic paganism of the Asiatic tribes. ‘It was a “wonderland” where “The people’s action is accompanied by secret magic rituals”’ (p 358, Natasha’s Dance, by Orlando Figes). There were tales of shamans who flew off on their horse-sticks to the spirit world. This would certainly explain the stories of the Baba Yaga flying off on her ‘broomstick’. The Komi believe in a ‘living soul’ which shadows people throughout their lives, and prayed to the spirits of the water and the wind, and spoke to fire as to another person. These people are said to be descendents of Mongols from the time of Genghis Khan, and the Turkic peoples of northern and central Asia, as well as Slavic Russian.

Kashchey is that patriarchal ego which steals away the real powerful and magical being of the feminine. He holds the souls of wise women such as the princess. This is still happening of course. And it is indeed difficult to get away from him. The egotistic small self, too of course thinks that it is separate and unconquerable – ruler of the whole world and of ourselves. It can only be conquered by the one who conquers his or her self. Even though the patriarchy is on the surface dominant in Russia and Eastern Europe, behind the facade , the society remains matriarchal: most work is done by the women; they rule the family life, they hold their families together and support their men and children.

The lofty oak tree is symbolic of the world centre (axis mundi) which is really the whole of manifestation and the synthesis of heaven, earth and water. The tree also symbolises the feminine principle, the nourishing, sheltering, protecting, supporting aspect of the Great Mother. In a way the house on chicken legs with the Baba Yaga lying on top of the stove is a reflection or representation of life in this tree.

‘Throughout the major cultures of Europe the oak tree has been held in high esteem. To the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Slavs and Teutonic tribes the oak was foremost amongst venerated trees, and in each case associated with the supreme god in their pantheon, oak being sacred to Zeus, Jupiter, Dagda, Perun and Thor, respectively. Each of these gods also had dominion over rain, thunder and lightning, and it is surely no coincidence that oak trees appear to be more prone to lightning strikes than other trees, whether because of their wood’s low electrical resistance or the fact that they were frequently the largest, tallest living things in the landscape.’

The trees were known as the scenes of pilgrimages, ritual ambulation, and the recital of prayers, as well as places of healing.

With its branches reaching up into the sky, and roots deep into the earth, the oak can be seen to dwell in three worlds—a link between heaven, the earth, and the underworld, uniting above and below. The tree itself could be an allegory to our own structure of the world and to our inner chakra system. The tree of life.

The crown of the great oak is the highest place to be; it is like being in the heavens. And here is found the stone chest.

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The stone chest is static and is the opposite of dynamic life; it is an aberration and does not belong in the tree at all. The axis mundi or tree is in the midst of everything, joining the three worlds and making communication between them possible, and it also gives access to solar power as it rises to the sunlight. This is what Kashchey wants and guards jealously. In Roman mythology the oak is primarily the tree of the sky God Zeus or Jupiter and in Celtic mythology the oak also symbolises the masculine power of the Druids which is paired with the feminine mistletoe. In the oak of this story there is no feminine and this is the point and issue here. The feminine has been relegated to the deep forests with the Baba Yaga.

The stone chest could be seen as an omphalosi, a point of communication between God and man, and also a point where man can regain paradise or find enlightenment. This stone chest is hollow. It holds something important and sacred. It holds esoteric treasures of hidden knowledge. It holds the life of the phoenix.

The crown chakra is of course the highest point of our inner tree system, and it takes time and practice to open this point. We need a teacher to show us how to get to that opening.

Earlier in the story, Prince Ivan spared the bear, so that this is the first animal which comes to help the Prince. The bear runs up and tears the oak up by its roots. This bear is hugely powerful and can upset / uproot the whole realm and structure of our outer life, of our ego—how we see life and the manifestation of life. Everything is uprooted in the process. There is always destruction before transformation, a death before rebirth. This is a dangerous space to be in. Without proper preparation and teaching, we would possibly not survive the uprooting of our inner world tree. It is the masculine bear as part of the earth element which can bring this necessary upheaval about. The egoic structure sees ourselves as being separate, rather than part of the whole universe. To suddenly see that we are no longer separate is a huge upheaval—we know that we are the ‘drop in the ocean’, or part of the mind of God.

Next the heart has to be broken, broken open that is, before we can have access to its wisdom. This is painful! The chest is like the heart which contains a treasure which is to be attained. The chest falls and is smashed to pieces. So, with the rigidity of stone, the heart of the seeker is smashed to allow life, growth and

death. Often when something is rigid rather than flexible or flowing it is easily smashed.

Now a hare leaps out of the chest and flees at top speed. Life, light and fire in the form of a hare were encased in the

stone chest. A second hare chases after it, overtakes it, and tears it to pieces. A hare, representing the feminine qualities, is very fast and it is only another hare that can catch it and tear this ‘creature’ or inner level to pieces. At each level of our inner structure something important has to be destroyed. Only like can destroy or create like, so it is the hare which Prince Ivan the seeker has understood and released earlier in the story, which now can destroy the hare which was held in the stone chest of his heart. In destroying the original hare which was held in the stone case, a transformation can happen. First the tree was uprooted, now the captive hare must be torn to pieces. The whole structure of the ego must be annihilated, but not the ego itself. In the chakra system, alternate chakras are masculine and feminine, as the Kundalini rises. In this analogy the masculine bear, which uprooted the tree and the feminine hare contained in the chest, were destroyed by the liberated hare. When we reach this level of mastery this all happens in a flash of intuition, without thought, which is why this part of the story is over so very quickly.

A duck then manifests out of the pieces of the hare, and flies right up into the sky. The duck is the mediator between water and sky, so we have gone from the feminine fire symbol of hare to a female duck who carries an egg—a mediator between sea and sky. The transformed hare, now a duck, carries the egg within it.

However as the prince watches, a drake flies at the duck; and as he strikes her she lets fall the egg, and the egg drops into the azure sea. Note that a duck egg is also blue. The duck and drake together depict the union of lovers, but in this case as we see, the drake had to strike the duck to release the egg. The egg is the cosmic egg—the life principle and potentiality of everything—the germ of creation. It is the hidden origin and mystery of being. So this egg is the life force within us which is released. This gives us the energy and power to continue the process.

The cosmic tree is sometimes depicted as growing from the cosmic egg. Sometimes the egg is depicted as floating on the waters of chaos. In this case the egg is dropped back into the ocean of the unconscious or chaos.

At the sight of the egg being dropped into the ocean, Prince Ivan sheds bitter tears: how can he ever find that egg in the sea? This is the stage where we find ourselves


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disheartened, just as Prince Ivan is. How can we ever find the egg in the vastness of the deep unconscious, which is the ‘Collective Unconscious’; the realm of the Gods and the Archetypes.

But suddenly a pike swims up to the shore with the egg in its mouth. When we spend time in contemplation or meditation we find ourselves floating in the ocean of the inner realm, and often we find insight and discovery. So the old wise pike is that part of us

which inhabits the watery realm, grants our wishes and brings us the treasure—the cosmic egg.

So the great wise fish of the ocean finds the egg and brings it to the prince. Once we have practice and understanding at that level of the deep unconscious, there is a part of us that can then find the egg easily. These are related to levels of initiation or depth of practice, as well as the chakras.

This time it is the prince who breaks the egg, takes out the needle, and sets to work to snap its point. At each stage the perception of a ‘normal’ level of understanding of the world has to be overturned. First the tree is uprooted by the bear, then the stone chest crashes to the ground and breaks open, the hare runs out and is torn to pieces by the other companion hare and transforms into a duck, which flies up into the sky. The drake strikes the duck to release the egg, which falls into the ocean and this egg is found by the wise old pike, and broken by the Prince. The cosmic egg contains the needle or point which in turn must be broken. Sometimes we can get to the level of finding the cosmic egg, the source of all life and creation, but we can go no further. To break the point of the needle is the most difficult task of all, but what does this mean? The point of a needle is the smallest point that can be imagined. The smallest dot is a small circle from which a bigger one grows. There was once much speculation about the number of angels which could dance on the head of a pin, or how many universes were manifest on the head of a pin. These were deep philosophical questions about reality—about the hidden and the manifest. In the story it says that Prince Ivan set to work to snap its point. I imagine that the ultimate task does indeed take a lot of inner work, as I think this is about the ultimate control of the ego, but not the destruction of it. It is about one-pointedness—total concentration and presence on the work. To quote David Tacey, ‘I like the mystical description of God as a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. God is radically present with us and closer even than our own breath, a presence that is nearer to us than is comfortable to admit…. Eventually we have had to realise that the conventional image of God has to be destroyed so that the deeper reality of God can be experienced.’ This is the point that has to be broken.

The inner work is about being conscious of the nafs or small self to the point where they can be transcended. A bridge has been made between the Self and the ego. The point where there is only the One. At this stage the small self does not have a hold on us anymore and the soul is free. Kashchey is dead!

Then the prince goes to Kashchey’s white stone palace to find his princess soul. It is interesting to note that the prince or the masculine principle still has to go to Kashchey’s white stone palace to unite with his Beloved. Stone is the basic material which signifies the imperishability of Supreme Reality. Ultimately it is indestructible and returns to the Source. The white palace is the dwelling place of perfection, simplicity, light, sun, purity, chastity. Very early Russian churches were built of white stone, where the peasant’s houses and those of the nobility were of wood, so the white stone palace was symbolic of the pure dwelling place of the sacred. In this respect the scene reminds me of the Grail legend, with Percival arrives at the Grail castle. There he knocks on the door and gains admittance. But before he is allowed to drink from the Holy Grail he must answer the riddle of the Grail ‘Whom does the Grail serve?’ The Grail is the source of all—the cup that is never empty. It also represents the soul.

When the Prince arrives in this sacred space, the wise Princess Vassilisa runs out to meet him, and kisses him on his lips. She of course has always been aware of what was happening to him and so ran out to meet him and give him that kiss on the lips denoting a true meeting of lover and beloved, a meeting and joining of opposites. As Robert Johnston says—the masculine principle must find the grail castle, but the soul, the female principle already lives in the castle.

Once the masculine and feminine unite in this way, the One Being within us can return home, which is everywhere and nowhere. So Prince Ivan and Princess Vassilisa return home, and they live happily to a ripe old age.

After this great opus or journey within, we return to the world and live happily ever after, as the stories say. We are in the world but not of it.


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Sometime after I had finished this exposition, I was still wondering what it meant for the feminine herself. What is the spiritual process for women in finding their Soul?

Then I had a very profound dream which I think explains the next step.

In the dream I was with a man who had been the love of my life in a way. I think I had projected all my inner Beloved onto him, and indeed he had very much made me a complete woman, after I had lost myself in a heart-breaking divorce. He had shown me love and made me feel loved and lovable. So there I was in the dream and I knew this was the last time I would ever see him.

He said ‘I loved you!’ I felt surprised—I was never sure that he really had loved me.

He also said ‘You lied!’ I answered ‘I lied to myself—I believed it too’.

Then we hugged and he was gone.

Then there appeared a young girl of about 6 or 7 years old. She was beautiful but not in conventional way. She was also very wise and very mystical. She was mine but she really lived with another couple that I could not quite see.

I realise that in giving up and letting go of my image of ‘my lover’, I was able to see and get to know my soul. I also realise now that she looked a lot like me when I was that age.

So perhaps, for women, once we have had this meeting with our soul mate, there is another stage of evolution, where we, as complete Beings, recognise our soul—know that she has always been there with us— but she does not affect or have any influence on us in our outer life. This is the endgame.

Bowl of Saki for 31 December

Happiness lies in thinking or doingthat which one considers beautiful .

Flow

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ad D

aly.

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Spirit Matters Spring/Summer 2013

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