Contents Editorial
3
Message from the National Representative
5
In Memoriam Murshid Karimbakhsh
6
In Memoriam Ananda
7
The Secret of Life by Hazrat Inayat Khan
8
Homily ‘Awakening to Beauty’ by Sabura Allen
9
Readings from the Universal Worship
14
Photos of Amberley
16
Celebrating 20 Years of Australian Sufi Retreats
17
Facets of Unity by Karim
23
Beauty by Zubin & poem by Thamir
26
Poems by Karim & Romeena
27
Poem by Kafia
28
Review by Carole Voss of The Witch as Teacher in Fairy Tales
29
Contacts
30
Photo credits: Royalty-free photos from pixabay.com & unsplash.com Cover photo by Yaqin Page 3: Photo by Marc Wilnauer on Unsplash Page 6: Photo by Salima Page 9: Sunset by Yaqin Page 11: Homeless man: Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash (image matt-collamer-555626-unsplash) Page 13: Sunlight streaming through trees: Photo by Magnus Jonasson on Unsplash (image magnus-jonasson-1056352-unsplash) Page 15: Lotus flower: Photo by Pexels from Pixabay (image flora-1839558_1920) Page 23: Kaleidoscope image: pixabay.com contributor Dmitri Posudin (image artskop-1723697_1280) Eye image: Photo by Daniil Kuželev on Unsplash (image daniil-kuzelev-327645-unsplash) Page 26: The Flying Carpet 1880 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov (in the public domain) Illustrations by Hannah Baek Wha Page 2 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
Editorial This newsletter continues the theme Awakening to Beauty that we explored in our recent Australian Sufi Retreat. Once again we are profoundly grateful for Pir Nawab’s spiritual guidance during the retreat and for travelling half way around the globe to visit us in Melbourne, and for his continual service to the Message in Australia and around the world. We also remember two Sufis who passed away recently, Murshid Karimbakhsh, who worked tirelessly for many years for the International Sufi Movement, and Ananda who was a member of the Melbourne group for many years. See pages 5, 6 & 7. An excerpt from one of the many inspiring readings from the retreat is on page 8. Sabura’s touching homily given at the Universal Worship during the retreat follows on page 9. On pages 16-22 we look back on our retreats with a collection of photos from the last twenty years. Karim’s thoughtful and insightful article Facets of Unity is on page 23, followed by contributions by Zubin, Thamir, Karim, Romeena and Kafia. Yaqin
I am a field that the wind blows over On its way to heaven And on one day it will scoop me up And take me with it. Ananda 10 March 2006
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Beloved Sisters and Brothers Winter 2019 The retreat we have just had, Awakening to Beauty, has had a profound effect on many of us. It led us to places which were surprising, as we considered where we see beauty and the affect that beauty has on us. When are we aware of harmony? Sometimes only when we realise that there is disharmony around. As we practiced letting beauty fill our consciousness, we reflected on beauty’s effect on each of us. There were individual daily practices to lead us towards our goal, and there was a ‘lucky dip’ where we could pick out a vow for every day. These vows were more difficult than I had imagined, with the realisation that it was not about how well we could fulfil the particular vow, but rather to examine what it was in our own attitude, that prevented this from happening. We are continuing with this exercise in our group meetings. I will give you an example of some vows, so you can practice them yourself if you wish: ‘I will not say anything of anyone that I would not say in his or her presence.’ ‘I will say no hurtful truth.’ ‘I will keep myself above all emotions and passions.’ ‘I will look for beauty in every name and form.’
I processed the outcome of the retreat, for a few weeks after it was over and this brought up some deep issues for me. As a consequence I now feel the healing and am energised again, and better able to deal with life. This retreat was the twentieth anniversary of Pir Nawab’s visits to Australia. The first was in Adelaide in January 1999 followed by retreats in NSW, ACT and Victoria. This has been an interesting, profound, and in some ways a difficult Autumn. In the last newsletter, we reflected on the death of our beloved brother Kabir, and in this edition we are remembering our beloved sister Ananda. Ananda first came to our group, in Melbourne, some 18 years ago. She loved poetry – all poetry, but she especially loved Rumi and Hafiz. She always used to chuckle when we read from ‘I heard God Laughing – Renderings of Hafiz’ by Daniel Ladinsky, at the Friday meetings. She often submitted her favourite poems to this newsletter. Ananda was brought up as a devout Catholic and she used to tell her closest friends that one could be a Catholic Sufi. If there is such a thing, she was it! She understood the Sufi teachings through the framework of Catholicism. Ananda had suffered from cancer for many years, overcoming two different bouts of it and being cleared each time, but this last time, things were different. We were not aware that this time it was terminal, and I am not sure if she fully knew it either, but she died peacefully a week after our retreat ended. She loved her garden and nature, and she loved to sing Wazifas with us, usually taking the soprano part. We visited her in palliative care just before she died and Azad was able to recite two of her favourite poems. We said the prayers Nabi and Rasul, gave her the blessing and wished her a good journey to the Beloved. She could no longer speak at that stage, but she knew we were there and understood. She was so peaceful. Go in peace and love, dear sister. With love to you all, Nuria Page 4 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
In Memoriam Murshid Karimbakhsh Hendrikus Johannes Witteveen
Murshid Karimbakhsh was born in Zeist in the Netherlands on 12 June 1921. He was a prominent economist and politician, serving as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 1973 until 1978, and as Minister of Economic Affairs for the Netherlands in 1970. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance from 1967 until 1971. Sadly, Murshid Karimbakhsh passed away on 23 April 2019 at the age of 97.
Minister of Finance, 1968.
Construction of Universel Murad Hassil.
Murshid Karimbakhsh meeting with Pir-o-Murshid Musharaff Khan.
He came from a Sufi family and was initiated as a Sufi at the age of eighteen and served an important role as a mureed and murshid and generous supporter of the work of the International Sufi Movement in the world, and was instrumental in organising the funding and construction of the Dargah for Hazrat Inayat Khan in New Delhi and the Universel Murad Hassil Sufi Temple at Katwijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. Murshid Karimbakhsh also wrote books about Sufism.
The Dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan in New Delhi.
Murshid Karimbakhsh will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered as a noble, kind and generous man who served humanity and the Sufi message in the West. Page 5 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
A Tribute of Gratitude to Murshid Karimbakhsh Witteveen who left the earthly plane 23 April 2019
In 2010 I went to the Summer School in Katwijk. I was very happy, as my dear friend Safa who had shifted from New Zealand to Melbourne, was also going and we would be together again. Safa and I were co-leaders of the Sufi Movement New Zealand. When I arrived word came that Safa was unwell and her doctor advised her to cancel her travel. A few days later an update came that the diagnosis was a severe form of cancer. Naturally I was shocked and devastated. There came an opportunity for me to have an interview with Murshid Karimbakhsh. We sat together for lunch at the mureeds’ house. We were surrounded by mureeds at other tables. We hardly spoke. He lifted me into a very deep silence and a deep calm came over my being. I felt an inner strength and a realisation that I couldn’t have been in a better place at this time. As the Summer School proceeded I gained more calm and peace and felt uplifted by the teachings we had. Safa had asked me to conduct her funeral service in Melbourne. She had put down all the plans she wished me to carry out. She left the earthly plane on 5 August 2010. As I took the service I felt her presence and joy. Beautiful tributes were given for this lovely and dedicated mureed who loved our Sufi message very dearly and who served it wholeheartedly. Thank you Murshid Karimbakhsh for your deep understanding of my needs and for the strength you gave me at that time. The memory of your silence is still very clear and treasured in my heart. Salima Marie Love 29 April 2019
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In Memoriam Ananda Bernadette Hogan
Ananda passed away quite suddenly from cancer on 3 April 2019. I remember a discussion we had about poetry and her love of one particular poem by Tagore that she had learnt by heart and had on her computer so that she could read it every day:
In one salutation to thee, my God, let all my senses spread out and touch this world at thy feet. Like a rain-cloud of July hung low with its burden of unshed showers let all my mind bend down at thy door in one salutation to thee. Let all my songs gather together their diverse strains into a single current and flow to a sea of silence in one salutation to thee. Like a flock of homesick cranes flying night and day back to their mountain nests let all my life take its voyage to its eternal home in one salutation to thee. Rabindranath Tagore Contributed by Yaqin Page 7 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
The Secret of Life Hazrat Inayat Khan The end and the sum total of all mysticism, philosophy, and meditation, of everything one learns and develops, is to be a better servant to humanity. Everything from the beginning to the end in the spiritual path is a training to be able to serve mankind better, and if one does not do it with that intention, one will find in the end that one has accomplished nothing. There are many, who seek wonder-working or great power to accomplish things. They may perhaps try and gain some power or other; but their soul will never be satisfied. The true satisfaction of the soul is in honest, humble service to another. If there were two people before me, one with great power of wonder-working who could perform miracles, and another humble and kind and gentle and willing to do anything he could for his fellow men, I would prefer this last man. I would say: the first is wonderful; but the other is a sage. The soul of man is goodness itself, if only he begins to love goodness. This is not something which is acquired. It springs up of itself. Right attitude towards God is a direct response to God. For His voice is continually coming as an answer to every call. The ears of the heart should be open and focused on that source whence the voice is coming. When that is done then the teacher within is found. Then there is continual guidance, and one is guided to the extent that one keeps close to it. Then one needs no other guidance. But first the guidance of a spiritual teacher is necessary in order to come nearer to it. Attitude forms a channel for an effort, and a right attitude makes a channel for a right effort. The world is the place of tests and trials. If one did not live in the world one would have no chance of doing good or bad. And even if one lived a very spiritual life in the wilderness it would do no good to anybody, not even to oneself. For one would not have gone through the tests and trials of the world. One can neither praise the life of a hermit, nor can one condemn it. If he is happy it is good. Everyone knows his own life, and if he is happy he will give happiness to others also. Sometimes a man is born to live a hermit's life. In living that life he will not find any torture or trouble. Let him live it. In that way he will prove to be his own friend. At the second step he takes he will be the friend of another. If someone asked me if the hermit's life is ideal, I would say it may be ideal for him, but you need not follow it. Is a hermit's life selfish then? If we observe life it is very difficult to say who is selfish and who is not. The life of a hermit is not a life for which one should sacrifice everything in order to follow it. I would be the last to recommend it to anyone. But if one followed it for one's own pleasure and found happiness in it, I would not prevent it. For a Sufi maintains from first to last the freedom of the soul. Excerpt from The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Volume VI - The Alchemy of Happiness. Part of a reading given at the Australian Sufi Retreat March 2019. Page 8 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
Amberley Retreat Awakening to Beauty
Beloved Ones of God, How wonderful for us to be together in this beautiful place. Although I have come a long way, I feel so at home in this place with you all. I have taken the phrase from the Gayan upon which to base this homily: Love develops into harmony, and of harmony is born beauty. For me, this coincidence grew into a contemplation on the relationship among the core concepts of the Message – Love, Harmony, and Beauty. These concepts are expressed in the Invocation of Inayat Kahn as a recognition and description of the Divine - O Thou, who art the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty. Our Teacher has placed these qualities – for lack of a better word - at the centre of the expression of the Divine. In contrast, other scriptures do not feature these three qualities at the center of the expression of the Divine or Universal Truth. Still, the readings today have expressed themes of recognition and appreciation of these qualities which I would like to highlight. Four of the Scriptures indicate that our relationship with the Divine or Universal Truth is strengthened when we express appreciation. In the Hindu Scriptures, Arjuna is told that the Divine is present in all beings and whatever Arjuna does or offers in charity and kindness to others is an offering to the Divine. And for those acts, Arjuna is pulled closer and is
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even “released” from Karma. In the Koran, Allah recognizes the kindness and forgiveness offered to soldiers who had experienced war. These acts allow harmony to be created among the ranks so that they can continue the battle. Their renewed trust in Allah is responded to with love. The Buddhist scriptures indicate that following the teachings of the Buddha leads the devotee away from the temptations of sinful pleasures to the experience of a beauty “that will not fade” – peace. In the Zorastrian scriptures, the devotion to the Truth leads to knowledge and blessings that benefit both the individual and all of humanity. Yet, the scriptures gave examples of a lack of appreciation of the expression of beauty. In the Christian scriptures, a woman recognized the Beloved on earth – Jesus – and became inspired to anoint him with an expensive perfume. This act – a beautiful one – is an expression of her appreciation of the embodiment of the Beloved. This harmonious act between the woman and Jesus is not experienced by the group. The woman - focused on her inner journey - is not appreciated by those focused on outer ideals – being practical and feeding the poor. In the Jewish Scriptures, Ezekial’s teachings are identified as being of God, however, the people do not put God’s teachings into practice. Ezekial becomes just a singer of love songs despite the Beauty of the Message. He is not appreciated and becomes background music which they might hum along with but disregard as they pursue their own desires. These scriptures are relevant to us today. The concepts of “beauty” of the creation given to us by the Creator are relatively easy to appreciate when we are looking out the window here at Amberley, or taking a hike through the forest back home, or walking along the beach. When I think of the Beauty of the Divine, a rousing hymn of great feeling rises up from my childhood. For your sake, I won’t sing it now, but here are the lyrics …
For the beauty of the earth For the beauty of the skies For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies For the beauty of the hour Of the day and of the night Hill and vale And tree and flower Sun and moon and stars of light For the joy of human love Brother, sister, parent, child Friends on earth And friends above For all gentle thoughts and mild Lord of all to thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise Text: Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917 (not all verses included here)
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I sang this hymn with much gusto as a child and adolescent. I really felt close to the Divine singing about all these beauties of life. Yet, we are called to find the beauty in all things, particularly on this retreat which we are sharing. In the Gayan, Inayat Kahn is calling us to see the Beloved’s beauty in all colours and in all forms. This can be a considerable challenge as we look around at the distinctions and differences that arise in the political and social fabric of our communities. I want to share a story that is very close to my heart that I feel is an example of finding the Beauty of the Divine in someone not so beautiful through the creation of harmony. A few years ago, I was leading a team of mental health peers. When I began there, we often had conversations that began with “Sabura, I need to talk to you about Michael.” Michael was a homeless man that we were serving in our clinic in Eugene; and he was a client of the assertive outreach team. Michael spent a lot of time – 4-5 hours per day - in our open area for clients which consisted of tables, a few computers, a small library, and classes. Michael smelled bad, his clothes were dirty, he didn’t change his adult nappies often enough, he didn’t obey most of the rules, and in general was very annoying. My team of mental health peers found him extremely annoying and worried he would frighten away other clients. However, we were stuck with Michael.
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So we, as a team, had to develop a strategy and so, we developed the “Michael strategy”. We decided we were going to love Michael and we were in it for the long haul. This strategy was openly based on love – that’s how we talked about it. Michael needed love, because he had been rejected by the community and his family, evicted from apartments, taken advantage of by meth addicts. He didn’t look anyone in the eye and he hardly spoke. We accepted that he wouldn’t, possibly couldn’t, keep to any rules. We accepted that he didn’t know when he smelled bad and needed some help with that. And we decided – no matter what – we were not going to join those who had rejected him so many times in the past. So we went to work… quietly. We said “Good Morning” to him and smiled. One of my staff helped him wash his clothes in the centre’s washing machine. We would ask his case manager who he trusted to tell him when he needed to change his nappy to reduce embarrassment. We would give him a bit of food when we had some to share. We didn’t notice when he didn’t keep to the rules. And we kept asking him to join in to classes – over and over again. After a couple of months, we noticed that Michael starting looking us in the eye and even saying hello. He would ask us if he could wash his clothes. He even waved to me one day when he saw me on the street. And then one day – a miraculous thing happened – I walked into the centre and two of my staff excitedly motioned me over. They showed me the most lovely and delicate water colour and said “Guess who painted this.” We had several artistic clients, so I guessed their names, but no – they said “Michael, it was Michael.” I, like them, found it hard to believe that this tender painting could emerge from the rough and rugged homeless man. This was the beginning of a real turnaround in Michael’s life. After another year, with the help of his case manager, he was able to get permanent housing and continues to have connections with our staff and even other clients. Last year, I attended a fund raiser for the clinic. I bought one of Michael’s paintings – a delicate water colour in a gold frame. I have hung it in my meditation room, next to my paintings of Inayat Kahn and Mary Magdelene. Whenever I look at it, it reminds of how love and appreciation of Michael – just where he was – enabled a revelation of a hidden beauty. Michael is one of those individuals – like all of us – in which God is present. He was easy not to appreciate, yet, he is part of the manifestation – a creation of the Creator. Our team, without knowing it, enacted the essence of the phrase which inspired this homily. “Love develops into harmony, and of harmony is born beauty.” Harmony was the solid ground of our strategy. We harmonized as a group to love Michael and from that stable ground our love enabled him to join with us and give an outlet to the expression of his inner beauty expressed in the watercolour, but also expressed in his mental health recovery. Page 12 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
While at the same time, benefitting each member of the team by allowing them to see how they could make a difference in Michael’s life. This is a beautiful story, but we all don’t have teams of people to respond to the “Michaels” of our own lives. However, this simple and beautiful phrase of our Master can be our support. We can mindfully consider how we can create and use the solid base of harmony to love and thereby allow the beauty to emerge. Taking this approach to situations to appreciate beauty is not easy, however, it is likely to bring many rewards to others and to ourselves. Further, it is a practical application of very high ideals of the qualities of the Divine. To respond to life’s challenges in this way puts into practice the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Over the next few days, we might sit and reflect upon our own lives. Think of a situation or individual that needs the beauty to be revealed. Maybe you might even make a vow to meet this call to find beauty. Sabura Allen
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Readings from the Universal Worship: Hindu Scriptures: Bhagavada-Gita, Texts 9.26-9.29 Whosoever offers Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water with devotion; I accept and eat the offering of devotion by the pure-hearted. O Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever charity you give, whatever austerity you perform, do all that as an offering unto Me. You shall become free from the bondage - good and bad - of Karma and come to Me by this attitude of complete renunciation. The Self is present equally in all beings. There is no one hateful or dear to Me. But, those who worship Me with love and devotion are very close to Me, and I am also very close to them. Buddhist Scriptures: LXXX, Vasavadatta The charms of a lovely form are treacherous, and quickly lead into temptations, which have proved too strong for thee. But there is a beauty which will not fade, and if thou wilt but listen to the doctrines of our Lord, the Buddha, thou will find that peace which thou wouldst have found in the restless world of sinful pleasures. Zoroastrian Scriptures, Yasna 28, v. 1 & 2 With hands outstretched in reverence, O Mazda I pray for the abiding support of your ever-expanding Spirit of Benediction. All my actions I dedicate to Truth. May the wisdom of the Good Mind guide me. So I may gladden Gaush Urva. O Ahura Mazda, may I reach You, In fullness of knowledge that comes from the Good Mind. Let the dual life of my body and mind receive the blessings of Your Truth through which You lead all mankind into the light. Jewish Scriptures: Ezekiel 33: 30-32 As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, “Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.� My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Page 14 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. Christian Scriptures: Mark 14: 3-6 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Koran: 3: 159 It is by Allah’s mercy that you are gentle to them; and had you been harsh and hardhearted, surely they would have scattered from around you. So excuse them, and plead for forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who trust in Him. Gayan I see the Beloved’s beauty in all colours and in all forms.
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Photos of Amberley Retreat Centre by Yaqin & Irene Feuz & Romeena
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Celebrating 20 years of Australian Sufi Retreats with Pir Nawab January 1999 - March 2019
Birrigai 2001
Otford 2002 Page 17 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
Otford 2002
Otford 2002 Page 18 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
Amberley 2004 & 2008 Page 19 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
Amberley 2011
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Amberley 2017
Amberley 2017
Please send us your photos if you have any group photos of our Summer Schools taken in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015. Please email any photos you have to yaqin.hull@gmail.com or post your photos to us and we will scan them and return your photos safely to you. Here is a list of our retreats since 1999: 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Adelaide Birrigai Otford Lake Burnbrae Amberley Potts Point Lake Burnbrae Camp Fletcher
2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019
Amberley St Joseph’s Spirituality Centre Amberley Amberley Amberley Amberley Amberley Amberley
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Amberley 2019
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Facets of Unity ‘Through the Eye of Another’ by Karim
If one could see through the eye of another, actually, what would one see? According to scientists the Mantis Shrimp has the best eye of all the animal kingdom. It has thousands of lenses and is able to see depth with only one eye. Its eyes move independently of each other and can perceive a far greater range of colours than the human eye. What could it mean for us, to be able to ‘see’ in such a manner? Recently I had a dream/experience of being able to ‘see’ through the ‘pink-diamond’ eye on a broach in the shape of a shrimp. If this ‘eye’ was bought up very close to my own eye I could experience its vision as if it were my own. Puzzled and fascinated by this experience (this only a fragment of a much longer event), and its ‘inner meaning,’ one statement stayed with me as I awoke, and it was the enigmatic expression, “Dispositional Equivalence”. In the dream I was being ‘instructed’ on how to ‘see’ in the manner just described. This ‘dispositional equivalence’ meant – in context - that one must be instructed in how to find union with another through this process, and – in so doing – to ‘see’ like them (thus dispositionally equivalent). We neither ‘see’ nor ‘know’ the world in exactly the same way as another yet we are all connected to one another (and everything else), like it or not. To be able to see this fact is to understand this process as one of ‘Unity’ as it really exists (in this world through this linked diversity) and thereby live in accord with it…and this knowledge changes us ‘dispositionally’, each to the other. As Ibn Arabi was told, everyone’s path is unique! But when he asked where all these ‘paths’ were, he was told that they ‘come into being in the process of living’ (in the ‘walking’ of them). The value of all this is bought to the fore when one considers the question of ‘Truth’. Is it not One, Undivided, Without a second? Or is it multi-faceted, as in the dream/experience spoken of above and the Ibn Arabi quote? Indeed, it may be clearly seen from the foregoing, that it is One, and yet also both at one and the same time, with all the difficulties that such a statement posits. This is dangerous ground indeed, because it seems to contradict some of the unequivocal statements to the contrary (Muhammad, Shankara, et al) in relation to the Oneness of all things. Others have sought to find a way to express this paradoxical situation and thereby allow for this fact to be somewhat less challenging (Ramanuja, Saint Augustine, et al), eg. Unity in diversity. Page 23 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
How then can both of these statements be ‘true’ at one and the same time? If one can indeed see through the ‘eye’ of another, one would – must – see as that other, and – in-so-doing – become what they themselves are at that moment! Jiddu Krishnamurti, the great South Indian sage/philosopher, spoke of just such an experience that he himself had, when he was walking along a road in India. Ahead of him he saw a village woman walking along, following her husband, head bowed, never looking up from the ground; “Her face, he said, was dark and there was about her a great sadness… And you felt it immediately; it was an irremediable sadness, there was no way out, no way to soften it, no way to bring about change. It was there and would be there…” Suddenly he found himself as that woman! “It was, he said, not an identification with her, nor overwhelming sympathy and affection. These were there but they were not the cause of the phenomenon that was occurring. She was the only human being that existed on that road. The other (JK himself) was not ... It was, he said, not a fancy or an illusion; it was simply fact and no amount of clever reasoning and subtle explanation could alter that fact.” (Krishnamurti’s Notebook; J. Krishnamurti; Victor Gollancz, Ltd, London, 1976, pp167/8). This was, then, not some form of identification through some subtle machinations of thought, of the mind, but a real lived experience of the kind spoken of earlier. When we ‘see’ with the eye of another, there is no difference, no separation between us and them. Only when we ‘recover’ ourselves, does this separation, this distance, begin again. Many years ago now I myself had an experience of a different but related kind of knowing in the context of living in an extremely remote Aboriginal Community (Kintore) in the NT. I had met a fully initiated Aboriginal man in the circumstances of attending a child’s funeral. We had travelled to the cemetery together in the local Pastors car. I was introduced to him by the minister as my skin-brother. His ‘whitefella name’ was Adrian. Something about him intrigued me. The first time I had seen him we had acknowledged each other with a nod of the head, but I had ‘felt’ there was something different about him. When I had the opportunity to speak with Ken Hansen (the Pastor) later I remarked on this sense that I had had and asked him if he knew any more about him. Indeed he did. He told me that Adrian was a truly remarkable young man, a ‘Bush’ Aboriginal, (by which he meant that he had been bought up entirely ‘traditionally’ in the Bush), never having even seen white people as he grew to manhood, living as all his kin had for thousands upon thousands of years in a small family group that roamed the country West of Alice Springs, amongst the last of the ‘Desert People’. Starvation had forced his family into contact with other groups and the administration in Papunya when he was still quite young. Like many before him alcohol became the poison that saw him plummet into its grip (50% of the Pintupi that ‘came-in’ died as a result of illness, alcoholism and other causes). Ken told me that, to his (Adrian’s) enormous credit, he had pulled himself out the other side of alcoholism, to become the fine man that he was. What I had witnessed therefore was a glimpse of this underlying strength, which was part and parcel of the early life of the desert nomad, that was - and is - the Western Desert people (the Pintupi). Sometime after this meeting, I took my family on a trip that saw us travel south of Kintore through some extremely remote country to a place called Docker River, thence we were to travel Eastwards again, to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). Because of the remoteness of this intended journey, we asked for instructions in relation to the track and to announce our Page 24 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
intention to travel, it was then we were told that really the only place we could go wrong was at a junction some hundreds of kilometres south, which led off into the (then) new Aboriginal community called Tjukula. There, we should travel straight on. Of course, we took this left tending track, by mistake. I had not seen Adrian again since the funeral, some time before, and this journey was more of a spontaneous one than anything planned, so what happened next was a surprise indeed. As we pulled in to the little settlement, I saw an Aboriginal man who looked vaguely familiar. As we pulled up he was walking alongside the car looking into the driver’s window smiling, and waving. Of course it was Adrian. No one knew we were coming. Indeed we hadn’t known or intended it ourselves. Yet, there he was. He ‘knew’ we were coming. How? According to the Australian anthropologist A.P. Elkin (See ‘Aboriginal Men of High Degree’, in Inner Knowing, Ed. Helen Palmer; Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York, 1998, pp68-75), speaking in relation to Men of High Degree amongst traditional Aboriginal people, ‘…[A]… way of meeting life’s problems leads to the realm of psychic powers… hypnotism, clairvoyance, mediumship, telepathy, telesthesia, and the conquest of space and time…All persons can, and indeed do, possess to a degree some of these powers…’ . For the Men of High Degree, however, a display of [a] power had the benefit of letting others know that they possessed such ability, for instance by positioning themselves at the entrance of their encampment to await the arrival of an unannounced visitor in order to show them that they ‘knew’ that they were coming, despite no notification having been given. As Elkin says, ‘…After a time, [such a man] … becomes satisfied that such and such a person in the prescribed relationship will arrive before long. The information has “come” to him…’ (ibid, p69). ‘To the Aborigines, [he continues], there is nothing extraordinary about gaining information in these ways. Anyone can do so. However, for these Men of High Degree, to display such power, was a power in itself. In my view, this was Adrian’s intention on that memorable day so long ago now. We were ‘connected’ such that he knew that we were coming despite no other form of notification being given. When we speak of ‘walking in the shoes of another’ these are some of the real implications behind such statements, and other, similar ones, not the often trite explanations tied to some kind of semantic understanding we may gain, but real world implications with real world results. For the average person in this modern world this seems of little import. For the mystic however, this makes all the difference. It is this ‘seeing with the eyes of another,’ ‘walking in the shoes of another’, not as two independent beings but as one and the same being, that enables us to know that Unity is One, but also to understand that each and every one of us is truly also, at one and the same time, unique, utterly (if not irredeemably) unique, walking his or her own path home whilst at the same time never, ever, totally alone: We are all hewn from the same rock, shaped and chiselled by the One Hand, moved by the same call, always in our own uniqueness, both connected to, and separate from, all others. And therein lies the beauty of it.
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Beauty by Zubin
A special moment. What is the wine of the Sufi? All beauty: in form, line and colour, in imagination, in sentiment, in manners - in all this the Sufi sees the one beauty. (Vol 2) A few months ago, after dinner, a children’s game involved the sale of a Turkish carpet. For the purchaser, the carpet had to be a particular size, in which the rug-seller offered two. A lovely patterned carpet, or a flying carpet! Who wouldn’t want to buy a flying carpet? However the rug-seller warned that the flying carpet had no pattern and was in fact, plain brown. Nevertheless a plain brown flying carpet was very attractive. The price was good. Just before agreeing to purchase, I asked ‘what type of fuel does the flying carpet use?’ ‘Happiness!’ the one metre high, curly haired, fair and freckled rug-seller tested, and seeing the joy that brought, he affirmed, ‘Yes happiness.’ And so the sale was sealed.
I saw within the full moon’s light
You may think it fanciful
I saw within the full moon’s light A pure reflection of Your face Did my mind imagine this? Did the moon reveal your grace?
To my heart it felt just right So I look for You each time I gaze Upon the full moon’s light
by Thamir
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Everything is One by Karim
Every particle, every atom of light, and shade, Every trembling leaf and blade of grass, Dew glistening as it slides down its razor edge. Every rising star and setting moon, Every bird wing flashing gold in flight, Sudden, startled, swift, falling, climbing, High into still morning sunlight and shadow, Every worm that makes its way, blind, beneath our feet, Blind in all but life, Pulsing through its body, Every spade that rips-open the earth, Breaking fragile bodies, unseen, tilling the soil, Every great gleaming structure thrusting skyward From our bursting cities sky-scraped canyons, Clawing at light, and shadow. Every “new” discovery of science, or distant galaxies Spinning endlessly in the farthest reaches of space, All, All, All is One. And peace, peace, peace-upon-peace descends quietly on those who know This…
Free at last in passing time by Romeena This time slides by and away I glance out the window the sunshine streams in the snow is falling softly and autumn leaves flying Free at last in passing time Thinking and feeling reliving and daydreaming of the day I reunite with my Beloved Now, cleaning out the suitcase I carry with me in this life I will randomly wear the tattered coverings for now Later, I will discard them and smile Free at last in passing time
Options spread before me like sunflowers in a field bright and plentiful The choice will have no detriment to our hearts and no sacrifice can be big enough Free at last in passing time Page 27 Spirit Matters Volume 23 Issue 2 June 2019
Love Tears
by Kafia Doris Airey Swim Beloved in the unshed tears behind my swollen eyes They form when my heart has to shield You from disrespect and war Then see Beloved the streaming tears of joy They flow when I see You in strangers healing strangers. Walk Beloved with my feet on this slippery path of life For without your guidance and support I would surely bleed Heal Beloved my body, heart and soul That every move, breath and thought is thine alone Sample Beloved with my nose and all my senses The mystic fragrance of your roses far and wide Glance Beloved with my mind and with my eyes The glorious colours here are such a lovely sight Feel Beloved with my skin and with my heart The gentle warming sun and joy of a new dawn Sing Beloved with my voice and with my life For my kindled Heart is glowing as an orb of unsung songs Hear Beloved with my ears and with my soul The sweetest harmonies of nature’s orchestral might Clear Beloved all the blocks to our joining That we might merge and dance one heart, one love, one song Come Beloved into a yearning heart of light Where peace awaits You and dawn is bright Come Beloved supreme winner of my joyous heart For there is nothing left there but thee, but thee and thee Taste Beloved Love Tears cascading from fissures in that heart They are Yours---Indescribable Shimmering dew drops—the exquisite Love Supreme
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Review by Carole Voss of The Witch as Teacher in Fairy Tales www.goodreads.com
This beautiful treasure “The Witch as Teacher in Fairy Tales” by Nuria Daly seems sprung from the heart of wisdom herself. Importantly it is a lovely resource for lovers of Baba Yaga, The Frog Princess and The Fairy of the Dawn! The author explores many hidden mysteries embedded in these stories and others that reach into the language of the region of the heart. It’s a responsible and serious fusion of Ancient folk cultures, Esoteric mysticism, Alchemy, Sufism and Jungian psychology with an endearing and uplifting perspective about the Witch Archetype. Importantly there is a prompt in understanding the subtle differences and yet unique spiritual journey for women. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is on the soul’s journey, story tellers who would like the opportunity to gain greater depth into the stories they may tell and anyone who studies about or feels an intimate connection to the mysterious divine feminine.
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