Message from the National Representative

Beloved Sisters & Brothers Summer 2022

Spring has not felt like spring at all here in Melbourne. It has been mostly cold and wet – I think we only had one week of spring weather. Not only have I struggled with this, but I think the plants and bird life have as well. I have been feeding some very bedraggled parrots. However, the garden has loved the rain, and Azad has only had to water the pots.

I have been struggling with the transition from writing to something else. This has been very difficult for me, and I find myself quite depressed sometimes. However, it does look like my book on Gilgamesh will also be published, and I am very excited about this.

In the meantime, our financial year end has come about (30th September), and we are in the midst of having our AGM virtually. The meeting itself will be on the 5th of December via Zoom. Our new process of sending out requests for SMIA fees and sending receipts is working very well, and we have more members than ever. We have also increased our fees from $75 per annum to $100 per annum. This has increased our income which is good. Last year's finances have not been good, but this year will hopefully be better.

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Our retreat with Pir Nawab is going ahead in 2023. Our retreat will be from the 14th to the 20th of April 2023 at Amberley. Amberley costs have risen steeply, but we all (including Nawab) want this retreat to go ahead. We must continue to meet and practice with Pir Nawab. We are determined to keep the retreat cost down, so we have decided that SMIA will cover overhead costs such as Nawab's airfare and retreat stay, printing and other overheads from our SMIA savings account. These costs have always been factored into the cost of individual retreats in the past. We want as many people to attend this retreat as possible. Thus we are happy to allow full payment of the retreat to be paid in instalments - even after the retreat is over. I have been very involved in understanding a series I watched on Netflix (The Sandman), which has profoundly affected me. The writer has been influenced by Jung. I thus began to investigate ‘Hope in Hell’ and have used this in our Zoom meetings over the last few weeks. In addition, I found myself partaking in a course on Unveiling the Soul by Dr David Tacey, which fed into my understanding of Hope in Hell. Synchronicity again!

As a result of Dr Tacey’s reference to evil in Jung’s Answer to Job, I am now in the process of preparing my own Answer to Job. Another long article in process.

There has been a fascinating talk on ‘A Dialogue between Sufism (Ibn Arabi) & Jungian Psychology - ‘The Way Up and the Way Down are One and the Same’. This demonstrates that Jungian structure is a step toward understanding Sufism. There seems to be growing interest in Sufism in the Jung Society, which I would like to get involved in.

So as you can see, I seem to be diverted into other channels and am enjoying the process.

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Summer and holiday season.

Love, Nuria

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