Spirit Matters Winter 2011

Spirit Matters

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SUFI MOVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA, INC.

Volume 15, No. 2 ~ Winter 2011

All light is for us, inspiration is for us; why not use it as long as we know how to use it to make the best of life?

Hazrat Inayat Khan

Spirit Matters ... Winter 2011

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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)

Page

3-4 Letter from Nuria, the national representative of the Sufi Movement in Australia4 The passing of two beloveds5 Poem - ‘She who is God’s presence’ - by Talibah Josephine Lolicato6 Book Review of The Unknown She by Hilary Hart - review by Rashida Judith Murray7 Poem - ‘Winter Breaths’ - by Nuria Irene Daly8 Film Review of Al-Ghazali: The Alchemist of Happiness - review by Rashida Judith Murray9 Sufi Reading - Conscience - by Hazrat Inayat Khan10 Poem - ‘The Day with a White Mask’ - by C.S. Lewis11-13 Universal Worship - Homily on ‘The Unity of Religious Ideals’ - Nuria Irene Daly14 Universal Worship - Sacred Readings on the topic of ‘The Unity of Religious Ideals’15-17 ‘The Fairy of the Dawn’ : A Roumanian fairy tale with a Sufi/Jungian interpretation - Nuria Irene Daly 18 A retreat in the west19 Upcoming events - The Sufi Message of Remembrance retreat - September, Sydney20 Upcoming events - The Hidden Desire retreat - November, India21 Contacts

WHAT’S IN SPIRIT MATTERS THIS SEASON?

Front cover image from Rashida Judith Murray. Quote from “Will Power”, In an Eastern Rose Garden, vol vii.

A note from the editor

For those of you who have been waiting and wonder-ing what has happened to the Winter issue of Spirit Matters, I do apologise. The more mundane aspects of life have been taking up more of my time lately, and I’m afraid the newsletter has been slipping behind.

You may notice that this issue looks a little different. Yes – a new format. I’ve been experimenting with a new program so you may see more changes over time as I learn new skills. I hope you like the new look. Feedback is, of course, welcome.

Don’t forget that you are always welcome to contribute, so if you have something in mind for Spring, please warm up your typing fingers and get started soon!

Happy reading.

Love, Sakina


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LETTER FROM NURIA, the national representative,Sufi Movement in Australia

Beloved Sisters and BrothersWe are already into a Melbourne winter proper this year. It has been cold and wet and there has been some snow in the Alps already, and we have even had the first dusting of snow in the Dandenong mountains – very early for us. I am writing this on the Queen’s Birthday weekend which is traditionally the opening of the ski season. This year the snow bunnies are having a ball! Every morning lately we wake to a dense fog and what could be the ash plume from the Chilean volcano. Azad is a bit worried about his flight on Friday, as he is off to visit his family in Ireland leaving on 17th June. I will be here on my own this winter and I plan to make a journey inward and be on a ‘retreat’ of sorts while he is away.

Quite a lot had happened here in Melbourne. First of all I took part in a ‘conversation with leading religious and spiritual representatives’ in Melbourne on the topic of ‘Faith Development. It was organised by Rev Helen Somers of the Interfaith Centre of Melbourne. Other speakers were:• H.H. Vishwaguru Mahamandaleshwar

Paramhans Swami Maheshwaranda, Founder of Yoga in Daily Life

• The Right Reverend Philip Huggins, Bishop of the Northern and Western Region, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne

• Freeman Trebilcock, Tibetan Buddhist, Founder of InterAction

• Moderator: Dr Nicholas Coleman, Head of Religious Education, Wesley College

We had a really interesting, deep and meaningful discussion in which all of us were really talking about the same thing – it was a wonderful example of ‘The Unity of Religious Ideals’ in action. At the end we dealt with some more interesting questions. Some time ago I had been in a forum with Swami Maheshwaranda, so I was a little apprehensive at my being on stage with him again. This time I was able to stay focussed and concentrated and found the Swami absolutely delightful. It turned out that he has founded an Ashram in Vienna and taught there for over 30 years. He has also taught in Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic where my father’s family originally came from. We had a great talk and a sharing of the heart.

We were also asked to take part again this year in the Buddhist festival for light at Federation Square in the city. This was organized partly by the Interfaith Centre in Melbourne. The topic was Peace, Harmony, and the environment. The order of the event was as follows:• Venerables chant «Ode to the Triple Gems»• Venerable Jue Yao, Buddhist Tradition• Shaykh Hazem Omran, Islamic Tradition

(Naqshbandi Sufi Order)• Alka Khare, Jain Tradition• Dr Nicholas Coleman, Christian Tradition• Dr Visier Sanyu, Naga Indigenous Tradition• Brother Tim Whiting, Brahma Kumaris World

Spiritual Tradition,• And ourselves (The International Sufi Movement

in Australia), of course.

It was interesting that both Shaykh Hazem Omran and I said Hazrat Inayat Khan’s prayer for peace. We also spoke on the environment as part of creation, in a very similar way. We had a good laugh about this synchronicity and the Shaykh invited me to his group to do Zikar with them. Unfortunately I was unable to attend as it was on the other side of town, quite a distance away.

We mourned the death of our Sufi sister Ghazal (Desiree van den Berg) who died very suddenly on Easter Monday. Quite a few of us attended a memorial service for her on 4th May. We set up the Universal Worship altar in the funeral home chapel at the request of her family. Sufia and I both gave eulogies. It was a very moving service.

continued on page 4


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For me it was very sad occasion especially as I had not yet got to know Ghazal very well. She had attended Safa’s group in St Kilda with Sufia and had only just joined our group in Sandringham. She told Sufia that she was looking forward to participating in the group more and getting closer to us.

Many of us here in Australia took part in a simultaneous anniversary of Universal Worship timed so that all countries partaking would perform the service at the same time as the first one in London 90 years ago on the 7th May. For us in Melbourne it was at 8pm. This was a very special experience.

We have also just started up a small group once a month at Arif ’s house, so that those in the northern suburbs can attend.

We plan to have a one day winter retreat on Sunday 10th July with the topic being ‘Sufism in everyday life’ or how to live out your practices in both action and

life, as well as being able to experience Murshid as our Friend and Teacher in our everyday life.

Please don’t forget our Hejirat retreat in September, 23rd – 27th. It promises to be a truly lovely and inspiring retreat. We already have one person registered!

Finally we are hoping to upgrade our web-site and make it more beautiful, dynamic and user friendly. Azad is also updating the International Sufi Movement’s database with information on birthdays, addresses and such like detail.

Finally in closing we wish you all a very peaceful and en-lightened winter solstice!

With love, Nuria and Azad

continued from page 3

THE PASSING OF TWO BELOVEDS

Two beloved members of the international Sufi community passed away recently: Clair or Khairunnissa Khan, and Kabir Sen Gupta.

Clair is the youngest daughter of Hazrat Inayat Khan and the sister of Pir-o-Murshid Hidayat Khan, who notified the community of his sister’s passing on 4 June. He wrote that she passed peacefully, and that she “has left us a precious documentation consisting of her memories of the historical years experienced at Fazal Manzil, the old Family home in Suresnes, with reference to the golden years when her Father was among us”.

Kabir Sen Gupta, pictured with Karima, his wife of more than 40 years, passed away in early July. Kabir lived in Switzerland and was well loved by his Sufi community.

We give our deepest sympathies to their families and friends who have been left behind, and we offer our heartfelt blessings to Clair and Kabir for the next stage of their souls’ journeys.


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POETRY

She Who Is God’s Presenceby

Talibah Josephine Lolicato

Prayer Full Ramblings

Inspirer of my Mind

Consoler of my Heart

Healer of my Spirit

In Thee I Feel Abundance of Blessing

A decade of Unlearning resistance to prayer

Tolerance towards antiquated salutations

Acceptance of Anthropomorphism

Acquiescent to the unnameable

Mind puzzling over words

Form dissolves

Words inspire

Life vibrates in the sounds

Light breathes beyond the thought

Love pervades

Remembrance remembered

Of a path to the Divine Source

To the Holy

Carried on the stream

Of the Master’s vibrations

Words bring harmony

Experiences expose beauty

Feelings of peace and joy are stirred

Om Ah Hung

Emotions dissolve

The dissolution of Form

Witness to the Perceived

Thoughts Released

Consciousness becomes vast, spacious

Willingly enter the mystery

The doorway to the inner realms

Stay a while in the silence, the stillness

Allow the vibrations to integrate

To speak and be heard

Drink from the stillness and feed the soul


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BOOK REVIEW

The Unknown She: Eight Faces of an Emerging Consciousness

By: Hilary Hart

This book is a collection of stories; an eclectic mix offered by eight contemporary mystics from various spiritual traditions. Sufi, West-African Shamanism, Lakota Sioux and Buddhism are among those presented. Seven women and one man share their individual story; their personal experience of the presence of the divine feminine in their lives. An open door invites the reader to experience the rich tapestry contained within these pages. The experiences shared are of open-hearted intimacy.

“Love is the divine Mother’s arms; when those arms are spread, every soul falls into them.” Hazrat Inayat Khan

Hilary Hart introduces each story with a vivid description of the physical environment where the interview is to take place as well as a short profile of each contributor. In a couple of instances difficulties had to be overcome to enable the interview to be successful. Difficulties highlight the human side of being a mystic in a contemporary world.

The reader is gradually and gently drawn in to the sacred space within each story and becoming part of it. The stories are for the most part, experiential. There are moments of recognition as well as chartering in unfamiliar terrain. The stories provide a delicious

banquet of what’s possible. Collectively stories weave an elemental fabric from feeling one’s feet in the earth to ascending to loftier heights, at times surreal. Unexpectedly there are times when the reader is taken to a much deeper sacred space where the Beloved is experienced in a new way and then returned again to the present moment.

These stories are refreshing. There is humour amongst the pages as well, especially within Andrew Harvey’s account of how he experiences the divine feminine in his life. Difficulties on the path are shared, enabling the reader to identify with similar events. The reader can experience a wide range of feelings and emotions as there is light and shadow throughout the book that speaks to the reader at a personal and deep level.

The divine feminine is mirrored to the reader providing the opportunity to seek her within regardless of gender or spiritual tradition. The stories support and encourage the reader to continue on the path and to remember the benefits of doing so. That we are all connected especially during these changing times, the reader can envision the need for the divine feminine and can recognise the continual circle of inherent feminine wisdom; the drawing in and moving out; being grounded in the heart and at the same time being open-hearted to the world around us. This book is a beautiful companion on the path and broadens the reader’s spiritual horizon. To read it enhances one’s awareness of interconnectedness.

Publisher: The Golden Sufi Centre ISBN: 1-890350-06-0

Review by Rashida Judith Murray


POETRY

Winter Breathsby

Nuria Irene Daly

Earth – birds calling and shrieking! Children calling and shrieking in the schoolyard!

Why do the most beautiful parrots have such a raucous cry?Magpies and butcherbirds carolling - now warbling for the evening meaty leftovers.What a glorious melodic song!Each is part of a beautiful amber whole.Peony roots in the dark earth growing – small buds already showing.The sound of water rushing and bubbling over stones and logs. The stream almost dry for years now cascading over the flat, smooth altar-stone, in a crescent curtain to the creek below.

A deep red beam of light through drawn curtains, points back to the winter sun rising. Sun painted blood red by plumes of ash from Chile’s volcano. Red morning mist in the emerald rainforest. Strange how pollution colours sunrise! The fire of the volcano from so far away adding to the fire of the sun – rising!And on the mountain top the air gusts cold and misty,Lifting great wings – not white like the wings of the angel Earl in Saving Grace,But smoky, soft grey and Pearly. They lift up into the Ether – higher and higher until

“I’’ am no longer!

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FILM REVIEW

Al-Ghazali: The Alchemist of Happiness

This 80 minute documentary drama presents the life of Al-Ghazali, a renowned Sufi known for his many writings on theology, philosophy and metaphysics. His beliefs and views have influenced theologians up to the present day to include some of the earlier Christian writers as well as contemporary Islamic scholars world wide. The film contains both dialogue and narrative. The past and present are interchanged as enacted scenes of Al-Ghazali’s life are portrayed as well as scenes of present day Iran. The birth and burial places of Al-Ghazali are also visited. Islamic scholars of both eastern and western cultures present their findings and points of view throughout this film.

Al-Ghazali was born in 1058 in Tus, Khorasan, present day Iran. The film portrays the life of Al-Ghazali from his boyhood years to the end of his life. He shared a close relationship with his younger brother although they were different in temperament. His brother experienced more of the mystical states whereas Al-Ghazali embraced the more intellectual side of life. Whilst their father lay dying, he summoned the local sheikh and the two boys were entrusted to him so that they could learn the path of knowledge. The story continues showing significant events throughout the two boys’ lives.

At one point in his life Al-Ghazali was made the head of the Nizamiyya College in Baghdad but as time passed and his work developed his ego took reign. He used his position to accuse the hierarchy of Islam of hypocrisy. He also learned that he wasn’t practicing what he preached. This was the beginning of his spiritual crisis. Al-Ghazali, whose work meant talking at length, was forced into silence. He became speechless and motionless and illness of the soul was determined by his physicians.

The story in the film is one that a Sufi can relate to even today. In the words of Hazrat Inayat Khan “It always means that you must sacrifice something very dear to you when His call comes.” Like Buddha and

other prominent spiritual persons throughout history Al-Ghazali left his home, his family and his wealth. He gave his clothes to the poor and ventured into the wilderness alone in search for the truth. For the next ten years he became incognito. This was a time of solitude and listening within, where purification of the heart, meditation and spiritual practices would determine his ways of living and being. He believed that Sufis were the ones who walked on the road of God and had the best methods. Al-Ghazali eventually returned home to his family and friends as well as orthodox Islam, but with a new vision.

The film ends with Al-Ghazali asking his brother to bring his burial shroud as he prepares to leave this world. The death scene is one of simplicity and the viewer is then taken across the sandy desert into the sun. Matmedia Production ISBN 978-1-901383-23-2

Review by Rashida Judith Murray

Image of film cover from Amazon.com


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SUFI READING

Part VII Tasawwuf: MetaphysicsGATHA III

Conscience is not only a record of one’s experiences and impressions gained in life, but it is a living voice of the heart which makes all that is in the heart, so to speak, dance in the light of justice. Therefore conscience is a world in man, a world as living as the world in which we live. And even more living than this, for the world of conscience is durable, whereas the outer world is subject to destruction. The word ‘hiding’ or ‘covering’ of a certain thing is for our limited understanding. In point of fact nothing can be covered, nothing can be hidden, since the nature of life is action and reaction. Every outer experience has a reaction within; every inner experience has its reaction in the outside of the life. In the Quran it is said, ‘Their hands and feet will give evidence of their action.’ The idea, from the point of view of metaphysics, may be thus explained, that there is no action which has not a reaction. Every outer action has a reaction inwardly and every inner action has a reaction outwardly.

The finer the person the finer his conscience, and grossness makes the conscience gross. It is therefore that one person is more conscientious about his doings than the other person, one person repents more for his mistakes and failures than another person. But the most interesting thing in the law of life which one might watch is that the scheme of nature is so made that a conscientious person is taken to task more seriously by the scheme of nature for his evil-doing than an ordinary person who never thinks what he says or does. It might seem as if even God did not take notice of his wrongdoing. According to the metaphysical point of view in the soul of the conscientious God is more awake. In the soul of the other person God slumbers, He does not take serious notice of things. If one were to watch one’s own conscience one

would no longer have a thirst for phenomena, for there is no greater phenomenon than what is going on within oneself and the action and reaction of every experience in life which materializes and manifest to one’s view in various ways and forms. A clear conscience gives the strength of a lion, but the guilty conscience might turn a lion into a rabbit. But who is it in the conscience who judges? In the spheres of conscience the soul of man and the spirit of God both meet and become one. Therefore to a soul wide-awakened judgment Day does not come after death, for him every day is judgment Day.

No doubt the sense of right and wrong is different in every mind. The right of one may be wrong to another, and for another the wrong of one may be right. The law of action is too complex to be put in words. For every step advanced gives a certain amount of freedom of action, and as one goes along further and further in the path of truth his freedom is greater and greater at every step. And yet no individual lives a life between the four walls of his individual self, every person is related and connected with a thousand ties with the others, known and unknown even to himself. Therefore the souls do not need regard for themselves only, but for the whole being, since every soul is a part in the whole scheme of nature. And conscience is the test which can voice that inner harmony in everything one thinks, says or does, thus keeping the soul tuned to its proper note.

Conscienceby

Hazrat Inayat Khan


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POETRY

The Day with a White Maskby

C. S. Lewis (and offered by Ananda Bernadette Hogan)

All day I have been tossed and whirled in a preposterous happiness;

Was it an elf in the blood ? Or a bird in the brain ? Or even part

Of the cloudily-crested, fifty-league-long, loud uplifted wave

Of a journeying angel’s transit roaring over and through my heart ?

My garden’s spoiled, my holidays are cancelled, the omens harden;

The planned and unplanned miseries deepen; the knots draw tight.

Reason kept telling me all day my mood was out of season.

It was too. In the dark ahead the breakers only are white.

Yet I – I could have kissed the very scullery taps. The colour of

my day was like a peacock’s chest. In at each sense there stole

ripplings and dewy sprinkles of delight that with them drew

fine threads of memory through the vibrant thickness of the soul.

As though there were transparent earths and luminous trees should grow there,

And shining roots worked visibly far below one’s feet,

So everything, the tick of the clock, the cock crowing in the yard

Probing my soil, woke diverse buried hearts of mine to beat,

Recalling either adolescent heights and the inaccessible

Longings and ice-sharp joys that shook my body and turned me pale,

Or humbler pleasures, chuckling as it were, in the ear, mumbling

Of glee, as kindly animals talk in a children’s tale.

Who knows if ever it will come again, now the day closes ?

No one can give me, or take away, that key. All depends

On the elf, the bird, or the angel. I doubt if the angel himself

Is free to choose when sudden heaven in man begins or ends.

Image also provided by Ananda


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UNIVERSAL WORSHIP

Homily on ‘The Unity of Religious Ideals’by

Nuria Irene Daly

continued on page 12

In the early days of the Sufi Movement in London, the Mureeds or students of Hazrat Inayat Khan would study scriptures of various religions which interested them, and then on Sundays, these scriptures would be read out and Murshid would comment on or talk about the readings. This eventually became formalised into this form of Universal Worship. Sufism as Murshid taught it, was about rising above the aspects of religion which were different – perhaps because of the culture, language or the age when the religions were being taught, and he believed that we should try and understand the same core experience which lie behind all religions. Eventually Murshid spoke about Sufism being a mystical path rather than a religion. As Pir O Murshid Hidayat has said the Unity of Religious Ideals does not mean the unity of religions, but a unity of the ideal behind all religions. This ideal could be called the God Ideal, or the ideal of God or the One being.

So this talk is really about what this concept of the One or Allah, or Jehovah, or Yahweh or Ahura Mazda is and how we can attain this understanding and experience of what we call God.

In the Bhagavad Gita (the Hindu scripture) we heard in its poetic language, what this Divine Being or God is – everything and its own opposite. The Ritual and the sacrifice, the healing herb and the transcendental chant, as well as the Father / mother of the universe, the origin of all, Lord of all beings, the beginning and end and middle of all creation. The entire cosmic manifestations, moving and non-moving are manifested by different activities of Krishna’s energy. Every being, or entity in the world – our father, mother, are nothing but Krishna. This is the Supreme Absolute Truth which has to be realised, and this realisation comes from the Supreme Personality of the Godhead.

In our prayer Salat we say:

Thou art the First Cause and the Last Effect, the Divine Light and the Spirit of Guidance,

Alpha and Omega. Thy Light is in all forms, Thy Love in all beings:

in a loving mother, in a kind father, in an innocent child, in a helpful friend, in an inspiring teacher.

Allow us to recognize Thee in all Thy holy names and forms; as Rama, as Krishna, as Shiva, as Buddha.

Let us know Thee as Abraham, as Solomon, as Zarathushtra, as Moses, as Jesus, as Muhammad,

and in many other names and forms, known and unknown to the world.

This reflects the very same sentiments; A concept which is so hard to express and yet simple once we ‘get it’. In a sense also this Ideal can be thought of as the Supreme Consciousness, or Krishna consciousness, which is that all encompassing sense of the Divine in the Bhagavad Gita.

In Buddhism there is no concept of a God as such, but there is an idea of unity or the One. The Tathagata is the name that Buddha uses when referring to himself, and means paradoxically, both ‘one who has thus gone and one who has thus come. So Tathagata is really beyond all coming and going – beyond all transitory phenomena. There is a sense that Tathagata is one who has transcended the human condition, beyond life and death, so one could say, that he is part of the One, or has been united with the One, has been illuminated or enlightened. So in the Buddhist reading we heard that the Tathagata sees the universe face to face and understands its nature. He can show the way to the Truth. The Tathagata lets his mind pervade the four quarters of the world with thoughts of love, and thus the whole wide world , above, below and everywhere will continue to be filled with love. He who walks the eightfold noble path with unswerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana. Notice that this path is one that is taken which needs determination – work. It is not easy. On the other hand we are told that the Tathagata watches


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over his children with loving care. So there is not a personal Being but the timeless Truth of Nirvana as well as the temporary illusion of samsara – the transitory realm of ordinary phenomenal existence which we think is reality. All that really exists is Nirvana – samsara is an illusion which comes from ignorance, so Samsara is what Nirvana looks like to the unenlightened person.

Nirvana is realised in direct mystical experience, but is beyond that timeless conception and expression. This experience is the same mystical experience of seeing the Truth that mystics of all religions experience – the words for that inner realm of unity are different. Perhaps we could say that Nirvana is the experience of the Mind of God? The Void of Buddhism is not empty but filled with intelligence and love. A friend has put it this way: Life is suffering or dissatisfaction.

It is caused by ego or small self – greed, desire.There is a way to Nirvana, which is the Eightfold Path.

So we are saved from suffering to Nirvana. It is a dynamic process, and all religions have a process like this. Christianity speaks of being saved from sin and received into the Kingdom of God.

In the Zoroastrian scripture we read something very similar which reflects the concept of the Mind or Thought of God which the Zoroastrians call Ahura Mazda. The reading speaks of the Ahura Mazda’s first thought blazing into myriads of light and filling the entire heavens with His creation. Thus was born the physical world and the mental world. He is the creator of Truth which upholds the Supreme Mind. We get a sense of the indestructible life essence of Ahura, the living One, and Ahura Mazda the Living Lord of Life and Wisdom. He has neither a beginning nor an end, and lives in everlasting Light. This teaching goes on to say that ‘when I hold you in my mind’s eye, I realised You, O Mazda’ We realise God by holding the ideal in our mind. And then this scripture also says of Mazda that He is the first and last of Eternity and as the Father of the Good Mind, the true creator of Truth. Almost the same words which the other scriptures use. The Good Mind Ahura Mazda is also our Good Mind and the Truth is the same truth that we can experience by striving for it.

Again the God of the Torah – the Jewish scripture, and our ‘old testament’ uses the same words – ‘I am

the First and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.’ There is no other Rock. We read further on that God says:I have made you and I will carry you.I will sustain you and I will rescue you.To whom will you compare me or count me equal?To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? –Remember this, fix it in mind – I am God and there is no other.I am God and there is none like me.I have made known the end from the beginning.

Isaiah in this chapter is preaching against idols, as opposed to the one God. He is explaining to his people what this God is and how their belief and acceptance of the One will help and support them, where previous beliefs and worship of idols would not help them at all. Humans were made in the image of God, so our attributes are reflections of God’s attributes in a sense. So he explains how it is ridiculous to worship idols we have made from wood, when we should be worshipping a Divine Being which is the source of all – a creator / parent. He hints that there is nothing but God in existence.

And in the New testament, Jesus prays for all who believe in him, that they may be One. He says ‘Just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.’ So as Jesus experiences the love of God, so can we all have this experience of Unity with our Father and the love that this gives. Jesus personalises this for us – God is in us as we are in God.

There is a lovely Rumi poem which illustrates this:Say, I Am You

I am dust particles in sunlight. I am the round sun. To the bits of dust I say, Stay. To the sun, Keep moving. I am morning mist, and the breathing of evening. I am wind in the top of a grove, and surf on the cliff. Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel, I am also the coral reef they founder on.


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I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches. Silence, thought, and voice. The musical air coming through a flute, a spark of stone, a flickering in metal. Both candle and the moth crazy around it. Rose, and the nightingale lost in the fragrance. I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy, the evolutionary intelligence, the lift, and the falling away. What is, and what isn’t. You who know, Jelaluddin, You the one in all, say who I am. Say I am you.

The beautiful sura in the Koran which is called Baraka or grace / blessing, or the verse of the Throne, shows Allah as the fount of all beings, ever living and self subsistent. The attributes of God are so different from anything we know in our present world that we have to be content with understanding that the only fit word by which we can name Him is ‘He’ – the pronoun standing for His name. He lives but His life is self-subsisting and eternal; it does not depend upon other beings and is not limited to time and space. The word used in Arabic includes not only the idea of ‘self-subsisting’ but also the idea of ‘keeping up and maintaining all life.’ His life being the source and constant support of all derived forms of life. We get the sense of an imminent and transcendent being which is ever present in the eternal now and at the same time intelligent, creative and loving – caring for all beings. Commentary on this sura says that the pantheist places the wrong accent when he says that everything is He. The truth is better expressed when we say that everything is His.

There is also the idea that Allah sees the creation with our eyes, and that we see Allah with those same eyes. There is no duality when we experience in this way. Meister Eckhart, the great Christian mystic declares personally: ‘The eye with which I see God is exactly the same eye with which God sees me.’

Rumi illustrates this by saying:I Am and I Am Not

Not having played the game of chess I’m already the checkmate Not having tasted

a single cup of your wine I’m already drunk Rumi says: I no longer know the difference between image and reality Like the shadow I amAndI am not

Here Rumi is talking about the same thing as the Buddhists are – the illusion of Samsara and the reality of Nirvana.

We can say that Life, the universe and everything exists as thoughts in the mind of God. God thinks and it is so. The world is created by spiritual reality. If everywhere came from God then there is no such thing as a Godless space. It is like the Sufi story of the little fish which wanted to know where the ocean was. Of course it was in the ocean all the time. Thus are we all in God or Allah or Nirvana – we just have to understand and have experience of it. It is another way of seeing. Sikhism says: ‘If you don’t see God everywhere, you don’t see God anywhere.’

So when we read in the Gayan that the person who tries to prove his belief superior to the faith of another, does not know the meaning of religion. All come from the same Source and have the same core experience behind them.

As we said at the beginning, we have to make an Ideal of God so Murshid says One cannot praise God unless one makes of Him an Ideal. And finally Murshid also says that the God who is intelligible to man is made by man himself, but what is beyond his intelligence is the reality. In other words we cannot contain the concept of God in our thinking, this limits God (to conceptualise God, is to dethrone God) but we can experience God by expanding our awareness through spiritual practices, mastering our egos and ‘being’ in our heart.

The final lines of the prayer Khatum are:

Raise us above the distinctions and differences which divide;

Send us the Peace of Thy Divine Spirit, And unite us all in Thy Perfect Being.

We are all sisters and brothers in God or Allah.



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SACRED READINGS FOR THE UNIVERSAL WORSHIP

We read form the Hindu ScripturesBhagavid Gita 10

Text 15 Indeed, You alone know Yourself by Your own internal potency, O Supreme Person, origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of Gods, Lord of the universe!Text 32 Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth.

We read from the Buddhist ScripturesXLIX The Two Brahmans

And the Buddha said: ‘The Tathagata sees the universe face to face and understands its nature. He proclaims the truth both in its letter and in its spirit, and his doctrine is glorious in its progress, glorious in its consummation. The Tathagata reveals the higher life in its purity and perfection. He can show you the way to that which is contrary to the five great hindrances.‘He who walks in the eightfold noble path with un swerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana. The Tathagata anxiously watches over his children and with loving care helps them to see the light.’

We read from the Zoroastrian scripturesThe Gathas Yasna 31

7 Ahura Mazda’s First Thought Blazed into myriads of sparks of light And filled the entire heavens. He Himself, in His Wisdom, Is the Creator of Truth which Upholds His Supreme Mind. O Ahura Mazda, You who are eternally the same, Further these Powers through Your Truth.

We read from the Jewish ScripturesIsaiah 44 6-8

This is what the Lord says –Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:I am the first and I am the last;Apart from me there is no God.Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.Let him declare and lay out before what has happened since I established my ancient people, and

what is yet to come –Yes, let him foretell what will come.Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?No, there is no other Rock, I know not one.

We read from the Christian scriptures.John 17

My prayer is not for them alone.I pray also for those who will believein me through their message , that allof them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. Maythey also be in us so that the worldmay believe that you have sent me.I have given them the glory that yougave me, that they may be one as weare one: I, in them and you in me.

We read from the Scriptures of IslamSura 2 Baraka / The Cow or Verse of the Throne

255 Allah there is no deity save HimThe ever living, the Self-Subsistent,Fount of All Beings.Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him.His is all that is in the Heavens and all that is on the Earth,Who is there, that could intercede with Him, unless it is by His Leave?He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to know his knowledge, save that which he wills them (to attain).His eternal power over-spreads the Heavens and the Earth and their upholding wearies Him not.And He alone is truly exalted, tremendous.

We read from the GayanThe God who is intelligible to man is made by man himself, but what is beyond his intelligence is the reality. The closer one approaches reality, the nearer one comes to unity.

One cannot praise God unless one makes of Him an ideal.

We read from the sacred texts on ‘The Unity of Religious Ideals’


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THE FAIRY OF THE DAWN

This story begins with the usual ‘Once upon a time’ which immediately puts it in the realm of myth, but it also has one of those cryptic comments which makes it real and indicates that the story did happen, – in some mythological realm, (perhaps outside of time and space).

The setting or cast of this story begins with an emperor who is very great and mighty and whose realm was so large that no one knew where it began and where it ended. This tells us that the emperor’s realm is more inner than outer – the realm of consciousness whose boundaries we do not know. He is a sort of father figure a bit like a childhood concept of God. However in Sufi stories the king or emperor often represents the heart. But everyone knew that the emperor’s right eye laughed, while his left eye wept. So outwardly he was seen as laughing but on the inner the left side he wept. Nobody knew why this was so and although one or two (note not many) brave men had asked the emperor, he only laughed at the question.

This motif of the King who has one eye that laughs and one that weeps, is more famously known from Prophet Mohammed’s flight to heaven, where he saw Adam looking to one side and smiling, and looking to the other side and weeping. I think that this might be something to do with our inner side or God’s reaction to the good and evil of mankind.

This emperor had three sons – like morning stars in the sky – which is another hint that this tale is ‘otherworldly’. The first, eldest son Florea was tall and broad shouldered, the second Costan was small of stature, slightly built but had strong arms and a stronger wrist. The third and youngest son Petru was tall and thin, more like a girl than a boy, spoke little but laughed and sang all day long. That he sang and laughed all day would mean that he is balanced (left and right side brain if you like), but also balanced in feelings and connected to soul and the feminine. As POM Hidayat says – the soul is happy, and music is the way to the soul. Jungians would say that the soul is feminine and the spirit masculine. Petru was seldom serious but had a way of stroking his hair over his forehead when he was thinking which made him look old and wise enough to sit on his father’s council. So I would say that Petru our hero has a well integrated feminine side and that he has a degree of wisdom when he wants to ‘go there’.

Petru wants to know the secret of why his father’s one eye weeps and the other laughs. He asks his brothers to ask their father but they are afraid, so he asks the emperor himself. ‘May you go blind!’ exclaimed the emperor in wrath ‘what business is it of yours?’ and boxed Petru’s ears soundly.

Petru tells his brothers what had befallen him, but he had noticed that his father’s left eye seemed to weep less and his right eye to laugh more, since he had asked his question. He decided to try again, after all what did two boxes on the ears matter. He did not mind the pain and discomfort if it helped his father.

So he put his question a second time and had the same answer, but now the left eye only wept now and again and the right eye looked ten years younger. Petru knew that this was so true and he wanted to continue to ask the question till both his father’s eyes laughed together. This he did, so that

A Roumanian Fairy Tale with a Sufi/Jungian interpretationby

Nuria Irene Daly



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the emperor’s eyes were now both laughing and so he told Petru his secret! His right eye laughs when he looks at his three sons and sees how strong and handsome they all are, the other eye weeps because he fears that after he dies the sons will not be able to keep the empire together and to protect it from its enemies. ‘If you can bring me water from the spring of the Fairy of the Dawn, to bathe my eyes, then they will laugh for evermore, for I shall know that my sons are brave enough to overcome any foe.’ So here is the quest which was given only after Petru passed an initial test of accepting the boxed ears to make the emperors eyes laugh.

That it is the left eye of the emperor that weeps is very significant. The left is the sinister, dark side. ‘Sinestre’ means left in French, but it is also the feminine, receptive, inner side of us, the intuitive side.

I have been wondering about the meaning of these symbols. The God of our childhood certainly presents as a good God – in fact the English word for God comes from the German word gut which means good. This is the first issue we come across because if God is all good, then how come he lets all the bad things happen in the world – how come there is evil in the world? If evil is a lack of good and God is everywhere how come there is evil? So when God or our higher self, or heart, sees all that is bad in the world then perhaps his left eye weeps? We have free choice after all – a choice to follow our conscience or inner voice, or give in to our ego and follow our small self. Greed, a quest for power, a desire to look good, and many such things are ego and these are the things that we have to see in ourselves in order to combat them and become the best possible human being we can. When we see these negative parts of ourselves our ‘higher Self ’ weeps. This really is our quest. The first step is our realisation of this, so when the emperor sees that his son is pondering these things and looking inward, he is happy and weeps no longer because he knows his son will follow the quest. His other sons were not able to get that far, so although the older two sons take up the quest it was really given to Petru because he was able to understand his father. The emperor wants to leave his kingdom in safe and strong hands.

There are always three sons in these fairy tales and it is always the youngest that takes up the task properly. In this story the youngest has already proved himself equal to the task that he has been

given, but it is first discussed with his older brothers. First the oldest one leaves on the quest riding the best horse in the stables. Perhaps three symbolises the many or multiplicity of people in the world. Only one is really called out of the many. Not everyone is a mystic or even wants to be one.

The first brother Florea rides for three days and nights – a long time indeed; like a spirit his horse flew over mountains and valleys and finally came to the borders of the empire. The story here gives us a clue that this journey is like spirit.

Here was a deep, deep trench that girdled it the whole way round and there was only a single bridge by which the trench could be crossed. This bridge can be seen as a crossing between the conscious world of the emperor to the unconscious unknown realm. Florea headed for the bridge and there he pulled up to look around him once more, to take leave of his native land. I think that this was his first mistake – he stopped and looked back! Once we are on the path we should never stop and look back. It is a bit like the story of Lot’s wife, who looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.

When he turned back there was a dragon, a huge and horrible monster with three heads and three horrible faces, all with their mouths wide open – one jaw reaching to heaven and the other to earth.Florea did not wait to give battle but spurred his horse and fled he knew not where. The dragon heaved a sigh and vanished without leaving a trace behind him.

Dragons as monsters like this are said to be ‘masters of the ground’ against which heroes, as conquerors and creators must fight for mastery of the land; they are guardians of treasures and of the portals of esoteric knowledge. Florea was afraid and did not even take the dragon on and the dragon was not happy about this, which is why I think he sighed and disappeared. When we first go into silence or meditation, it is very difficult and uncomfortable,




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and for some people even frightening, so frightening that they never try again. It can feel like death or that they are dying.

After the year and a day, Costan took off on the same journey. This time the dragon was even more fearful and the three heads more terrible than before. Costan took off and rode away even faster than his brother. This often happens when we don’t fight or overcome a particular issue – it comes back even more horrendous than before.

Petru was now alone and so one day he told his father that he must go after his brothers. His father gave his blessing. Note that Petru told his father, while his brothers did not. There was a connection to his emperor/heart.

This time when Petru came to the bridge the dragon was even more dreadful than the one Florea and Costan had seen, for this one had seven heads instead of only three. Three is the first number which indicates multiplicity – overcoming duality, but seven is the number of the cosmos and completeness. With the three of the heavens and the soul, and the four of the earth, seven is the first number which contains both spiritual and temporal. It is perfection – and it is also the number of the Great Mother. The numbers are very significant in these stories or myths. Also remember that there is no feminine in the story so far.

Petru only stops for a moment when he sees the dragon, but then ‘finds his voice’ and yells at the dragon to get out of his way. The dragon does not move, so Petru draws his sword and charges the dragon. In an instant he is surrounded by fire; all around him the seven heads spew flames. It is the struggle with the dragon which symbolises

the difficulties that have to be overcome in gaining the treasures of inner knowledge, and overcoming the dragon really means attaining self-mastery. The dragon can be seen as the ego or small self in reality. Yelling or commanding the dragon with the mind does not work – quite the opposite. We can’t will our inner dragons by tricks of the mind to disappear and let us into the realm of silence and meditation. Neither does fighting it even if it is with the sword of discrimination. The horse neighs and rears at the horrible sight and Petru can not use his sword, so he dismounts and, holding the bridle and grasping his sword, he still can not overcome the dragon. Petru holds the bridle in his left hand (inner control) and the sword in his right hand (action). He cannot see because of the fire and the smoke – the dragon is solar (fire), so our first obstacle is fiery and energetic but also transforming. He decides that he has to go back and get a better horse.

The horse here I think symbolises the intellect, wisdom, mind, reason and nobility, so Petru does not have the stability of a sufficiently developed wisdom or mind (or practice) so that he can use the sword of discrimination to overcome his ego.

THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF A FIVE PART SERIES. THIS STORY WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW ISSUES.



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A RETREAT IN THE WEST

Above: Participants at the retreat in May led by Murshida Tasnim Fernandez (centre chair) from the Sufi Order in the United States.

Here at Milmeray, on ancient Aboriginal land near Perth in Western Australia, we enjoyed five deeply inspiring days of teachings, practice and sharing with Tasnim, Sitara and Sufi friends from across

Australia. My heartfelt thanks to the Perth Sufi group for the warm welcome you gave us all, and especially to organisers Nirtana Vivienne Robertson, Hilal Olive Mason and Wadud Anne Hovane for making the retreat happen, and flow so smoothly.

Below: Early morning practices led by Sitara

Retreat with Murshida Tasnim FernandezWords and pictures from Shakti Celia Genn


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UPCOMING EVENTS

THE SUFI MESSAGE OF REMEMBRANCE

A celebration of 101 years of the Sufi Message of Love, Harmony and Beauty in the west.

“when a person rises above all the things of the world such as power, wealth, possessions, there comes a

desire in the heart, a remembrance of our origin, of the perfection of love and peace” .”

4pm Fri 23th to 12 noon Tuesday 27th September, 2011

At The Chevalier Resource Centre1 Roma Ave, Kensington, Sydney NSW 2033 (Parking onsite).

The retreat will be guided by experienced leaders of the

Sufi Movement in Australia and will include a special focus on zikar practice.

Cost: $440 includes retreat, meals, accommodation, linen and parking.

For further information please contact:Hamida - 02 9387 5263 m 0420 302 739, [email protected]

REGISTRATION

To register, please email participant name and phone to [email protected] and you will receive program, map, dietary needs & next of kin contact forms.Please deposit $50 by 5th August, full payment by Friday 9th September 2011 to

Commonwealth Bank, Brandon Park Branch, Sufi Movement in Australia Inc, BSB 063 587 Account number 10251994,

Payee Reference: Your name.

We look forward to celebrating 101 years of the Sufi Message in the west.

mailto:[email protected]


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UPCOMING EVENTS

THE HIDDEN DESIRE

November 10-17, 2011 An eight-day retreat at the Dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan,

New Delhi, India UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MURSHID NAWAB PASNAK

The hidden desire of the Creator is the secret of the whole creation. —

As is the nature of the creatures, so is the nature of the Creator. His satisfaction also lies in the realization of perfection. It was to this end that

everything was created; by going through this entire process His nature was perfected, wherein lies the fulfillment of His own desire.

—HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN—

This retreat is for mureeds of Hazrat Inayat Khan; some experience with the teaching style of the retreat guide is recommended. Each day involves both group practice and suggested individual exercises. The retreat is limited to fifteen places. Cost, Deposit and Accommodation: The retreat fee is €600, or the equivalent, with 50% due upon registration, and the balance payable upon arrival at the Dargah. The fee includes food and accommodation for ten days (the retreat plus two days extra) staff gratuities, a contribution to the Staff Welfare Fund, and a donation to the Dargah. Additional contributions and donations are of course welcome. Extra days of accommodation can be arranged at a modest cost. Accommodation will be either in the Dargah retreat house or a nearby guest-house. Food and lodging are simple, Indian style, but most rooms have western style toilets. Please note that during the retreat, accommodation can only be provided for retreat participants; those planning on further travel in India with friends or family should arrange to meet them before or after the retreat. Arrival: When planning your travel, please be aware that this year the days of November 6 & 7 are a special Muslim holiday, and out of consideration for our staff, we request that participants arrive no sooner than November 8th. Health and Visas: When planning your trip, remember that all foreigners require a visa to enter India; a simple tourist visa is usually the easiest to obtain. Also, you may wish to discuss your trip with a doctor or travel clinic. Registration and Information: To register, or to request further information, please contact Nirtan Ekaterina Pasnak at [email protected].

ContactsNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVENuria Daly16 Petronella Ave, Wheelers Hill. Vic. 3150Phone: 03 9561 4861Email: [email protected]

VICE-PRESIDENTCelia Genn2524 Old Gympie Rd, Beerwah. Qld. 4519Phone: 07 5494 0724Email: [email protected]

SECRETARYSabura Allen19 D’Arcy Ave, Sandringham. Vic. 3191Phone: 03 9533 4658Email: [email protected]

TREASURERAzad Daly16 Petronella Ave, Wheelers Hill. Vic. 3150Phone: 03 9561 4861Email: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL SUFI MOVEMENT CONTACTS

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

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

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

REGIONAL CONTACTS AND REPRESENTATIVES

ACTTalibah Josephine Lolicato1 Sorrel Place, Queanbeyan. ACT. 2620Phone: 02 6297 5107Email: [email protected]

NSW – GRAY’S POINTKafia Airey98 Grays Point Rd, Grays Point. NSW. 2232Phone: 02 9525 0137Email: [email protected]

NSW – NEW ENGLANDKarim and Bahkti ParkhurstSitara Manzil, 30 Bridge St, Uralla. NSW. 2358Phone: 02 6778 4701Email: [email protected]

NSW – SYDNEY Hamida JanicePO Box 3371, Tamarama. NSW. 2026Phone: 02 9387 5263Email: [email protected]

QLD – GLASSHOUSE MOUNTAINSCelia Genn2524 Old Gympie Rd, Beerwah. Qld. 4519Phone: 07 5494 0724Email: [email protected]

TASMANIAHabiba Aubert82 Princes St, Sandy Bay. Tas. 7005Phone: 03 6223 6085

VICTORIA – MELBOURNENuria Daly (details above)

EDITOR, Spirit MattersSakina Kara JacobPO Box 678, Sandgate. Qld. 4107.Phone: 0448 839641Email: [email protected]

Volume 15, No. 2 ~ Winter 2011Spirit Matters

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Spirit Matters Winter 2011

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