Spirit Matters The Newsletter of the Sufi Movement in Australia, Inc
Volume 14, No. 3 Spring 2010
Greetings
I come from a perfect Source. I am going to a perfect Goal. The light of the perfect Being is kindled in my soul. And in Him I live and move and have my being.
Hazrat Inayat Khan
When the Murshid arrived at the assembly of his disciples, each one greeted the other, saying, ‘Ishq Allah, Ma’bud Allah. God is love and Beloved.
Spirit Matters
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What’s Inside Spirit Matters this season?
Contents 3 Letter from the national representative — Nuria Daly 4 In memoriam to Safa Hull 7 In memoriam to Latifa Jo Maclean 8
Sufi Teaching — Health & Order of Body & Mind: Rhythm — Hazrat Inayat Khan
10 Poetry Page — Rashida Murray 11 Poetry Page — Chamanafroz 12 Images from Melbourne Sufi retreat 13 Upcoming Events 14 Contacts
Editorial Dear friends A tiny editorial this season to fit the lovely foresty springinvoking photo on the right at a suitable size. Thank you to contributors, and mostly to Nuria and Azad, who provided copy and the images found between these pages.
Love, Sakina
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 to affiliation with The International Sufi movement, its teachers & activities. Annual Membership Fees Single—$75 Family—$100 Annual Newsletter Subscription $20 Please contact the Treasurer (see back page for details)
Spring 2010
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Letter from Nuria National Representative of SMiA
Beloved brothers and sisters This has been a very intense few months for us since I last wrote. First of all, the Winter Retreat at the end of June was a truly deep and meaningful experience for many of us. We were back in Amberley again and it was like a home-coming, but also there were some new faces there. Safa came and lead us on Tanpura into a beautiful deep meditation. She also gave a teaching, in spite of her feeling very ill and being in pain. She thought that she had IBS. In the week following the retreat Safa had a scan and was diagnosed with advanced cancer of pancreas, liver and lung. We visited her just before we left for Summer School in Holland, as there were some tasks she wanted me to do for her there. Safa had planned to be at Summer School herself but of course this had to be cancelled. Her last ‗project‘ for the Sufi Movement was to make CDs to sell for the feeding program at the Dargah and for Baroda. The CDs are of poetry from the Divan of Hazrat Inayat Khan and accompanied by Sarasvati De Vries on the harp. We took 100 of these to Summer School and we have 50 to sell here in Australia at our Retreat in March next year. In our last meeting with Safa and Yaqin a few days before we left, we all ‗knew‘ that we would not see her again and were aware of what was ahead for both of them. Safa actually comforted Azad when he broke down in tears, and she was still able to laugh and plan. Summer School was very special this year and was the best ever! Yes, I know that I always say that, but it really was! All my dear Sufi sisters and brothers in Holland were so loving and caring and incredibly supportive during the whole process of ‗connecting‘ with Safa and her preparation for her union with the Beloved. Yaqin kept Murshid Nawab informed and he in turn passed this on to us, so that we all felt part of this unfolding. So many heartfelt prayers were said! For me the wisdom of living your life as if every moment could be your last, or the last of a loved one, really came home to me: it also reinforced the importance of not leaving anything unsaid or undone. While we were in Holland, Nawab also told us of the death of our dear Sufi sister Latifa Jo Maclean after a long battle with cancer. We hold her in our prayers and heart. After Summer School we visited Prague and then Brno, where I was following up on my father‘s ancestry.
I really loved the Czech Republic and its people – they were very ‘real‘ and I liked that. We visited the villages where my ancestors lived and I tried to understand the lives that they lived. It was quite a positive experience in some ways, but it was strange to discover that one of the synagogues had been taken over as a fire station by the communists. It was something to do with the big square open space – perfect for fire trucks! An emotional experience nevertheless. After this we took the train to Vienna where we stayed with my cousin. I must say that after the way the Jewish cemeteries and some of the synagogues were cared for so well in the Czech Republic, I was horrified at the state of the Jewish part of the main cemetery in Vienna. In the end I could not find my grandfather‘s grave as the nettles were higher than I was. The trees and shrubs had self-seeded and grew amongst the graves, with ivy covering many gravestones. Although we came armed with garden shears and we stripped quite a few stones, we could not get at or find the right one. It was worse than a jungle. One of my cousins warned me and said, when you go there you have to leave your heart at the gate. I know now what she meant. Then on to Ireland where I met up with another cousin and a friend I grew up with who I have not seen for 40 years. It was a very nostalgic time. While there I discovered that my son Andre had proposed to his girlfriend and they were getting married soon. This actually means that, having returned home on Friday, we are off again to Greece for the wedding of our son on 11 th September. This will be in a lovely little Greek fishing village, so it may be more relaxing than the previous stint. The Greek Orthodox wedding service is very beautiful and moving, so I look forward to that. I will be back just in time for our retreat in Sydney. So as usual this sounds more like a travelogue at this time of the year. But behind all these experiences and emotions the Sufi spirit was close and I needed to lean on it often.
With love, Nuria
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In Memoriam to Safa Hull
Memories from Bhakti Parkhurst I have many wonderful memories of Safa. When Safa passed on the baton for Spirit Matters to me, she arranged to visit to acquaint me with Publisher and its many little peccadilloes. I have this lovely memory of her arriving laden with lollies, her car having made the long trip from Canberra to Millbank. Then the laughter began. She played with our then children and feasted with us all on the lollies. And we worked on the next edition of Spirit Matters. Safa had great devotion to Hazrat Inayat Khan ... a perfect Master in her words. The purity of her devotion stays with me. I remember her playing the harmonium and singing at a very early Summer School, but at last year's Summer School it was her devotion and her sublime playing and singing ...her tuning ... that resonated with me. She touched something so deeply beautiful in her singing, that it remains the most everlasting memory ‌ one which has been reinforced by her reading of poetry on CD. Such a loss both to her family and to us in the Sufi Movement. We will miss her greatly.
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Memories from Nuria Daly I first met Safa at the Australian Summer School in Adelaide when she was secretary, and I was very new on the scene. I was very impressed by her dedication and devotion, and her desire to do everything the ‗right‘ way - the way it should be done. Safa gave such a lot personally, both of herself, her time and her finances. When we took over the accounts for the Sufi movement, Safa apologetically gave us a pile of invoices, receipts and bank statement. After I had tried without success to match up transactions, I phoned her and timidly asked how I could reconcile these accounts. It turned out that she had paid most everything out of her own pocket and so nothing or little matched to the Sufi bank account. This amounted to over $2000 in that year alone. We just started afresh with a new bank account! But it did not end there and Safa continued to contribute quietly and in her own way. I also admired Safa‘s way with words – she had the most amazing ability to express herself beautifully in writing. I wish I had this ability. This gift clearly showed in her presentation of our newsletter Spirit Matters, which she started and edited for some years, often without any contribution from others. She had a great love and devotion to Murshid and worked tirelessly in many ways to spread the Sufi message In the last few years Safa and I had become very close, loving friends. We would meet at Ricketts Point about once a month and talk for hours over lunch. Safa loved the sea, so the restaurant at Ricketts Point overlooking the bay and beach, was a perfect place for us to share our views and life‘s experiences. We had a lot in common really, but it took us a while to discover this. I think it was because, in the end, we could be really honest with each other about everything, so out of a mutual respect grew understanding and love. I will miss her terribly but in some ways she is, and always will be, ‗in my head‘ enough for me to continue my loving friendship with her. I am glad that she found peace in her passing.
Memories from Kafia Airey I came down to the winter retreat in Melbourne not knowing Safa had started being ill. I held her in my arms for a long time in greeting for she was my mentor. I asked her how she was. She said that she was not so well and she was having tests on Tuesday. I asked her if she was coming to Holland. She said she was and that she was getting up early to get some sun and walk along the beach, so I said I'd see her on the beach. I blissed out once more with her beautiful session and singing; so close to angels though we did not know how close. I arrived at Katwijk and moved into my caravan on the beach. I looked for her in vain; she was nowhere to be seen. Later I went to a meeting only to hear the distressing news. I went to the beach and set up a healing service in my mind with all the greatest healers that ever existed. The result – Safa shouted in my head – Kafia what are you doing! I said "You can't go, you're needed". Such arrogance on my part. At that point no one had told me she was not wanting healing. Later, all the Australians participated in a private healing for her but I could not hold my emotions in check; I knew she wanted to go and knew she was in pain. This was a great lesson. She made a choice to take the path back to the Beloved and there are times when we healers have to let go of our beloved ones. I took over the yoga for the rest of the retreat as the yoga teacher sprained her knee, and once I had sent a good bye poem to my beloved Safa, I had a lovely retreat. I finished my trip at a Tara dance retreat in Hawaii. The creation of ourselves as Taras. Remarkable energy. Good bye my friend, hello a new angel.
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Spirit Matters
In Memoriam to Safa Hull Dear Safa, Little did I ever think that I would ever have to write these words in tribute to you. The last time we met was an emotional one, as I knew that both Nuria and I would never see you again, but as happened before on other occasions, the cruel reality and finality of this still comes as a bitter blow. The work, service and dedication that you gave to the Sufi Message over the last thirty years will never be fully appreciated. The personal and financial sacrifices made by both you, and dear Yaqin, over this time, again, will never be fully known or appreciated. I‘m very glad that, in these last few years, we came closer together and had a better understanding of the complexities of human nature and relationships. I cherish the long discussions we had in our living room about Sufism and its importance on a personal level as well as in the world at large. These talks still linger with me and I hope that I can fulfil some of the promise that they held. I learnt – and for that matter still am learning – quite a lot from you by your repeated assertion (when perhaps my tolerance level wasn‘t all that it should have been): ―Now Azad it‘s all about service to the Message and to the Master‖. Even as I write this, it still brings a wry smile to my lips. My first real memory of you is one of you being all flustered and worried when you asked me to help you count the money and figure out the costs of a Summer School in NSW (I think it was Birrgai) as you/we didn‘t know if we could cover the costs involved – thankfully we did! I can still see the relief on you face, once we had established this, and hear you saying that this was one aspect of Sufism, or more accurately of SMIA, that you weren‘t suited to. I am still find it hard to accept that I won‘t see you anymore, but thankfully my last memories of you will be of your indomitable courage and strength when we last met. They have left an indelible impression on my heart. I have no doubt that you are now in the embrace and caress of Allah and may His light and beauty illuminate you now and forever. I‘ll finish with the last part of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love: for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it in dying that we are born to eternal life. All my love, Azad
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In Memoriam to Latifa Jo Maclean
Memories from Genevieve
In Tribute to Jo Latifa,
To a beautiful woman of colour and light, A woman who lived every moment fully, Who expected and cherished the best of every being she met, Who never let challenges and illness stop her being true to life, and her heart. An amazing human being I have been blessed to call friend and godmother. Thank you for the courage to stay true to myself and my own journey. Thank you for helping me relearn trust. May the next phase of your journey be full of colour, wonder and peace. A remarkable woman. Thank you for sharing your courage, skill and wisdom with so many. Your smile will be missed. Your light and beauty live on. Thank you for the gift of your love.
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Spirit Matters
Sufi Teaching — Health & Order of Body & Mind: Rhythm by Hazrat Inayat Khan Disorder of the tone and irregularity in the rhythm are the principal causes of every illness. The explanation of this disorder of the tone is that there is a certain tone which the breath vibrates throughout the body, through every channel of the body; and this tone is a particular tone, continually vibrating, in every person. And when the mystics have said that every person has his note, it is not necessarily the note of the piano, it is the note which is going on as a tone, as a breath. Now, if a person does not take care of himself and allows himself to be influenced by every wind that blows, he, like the water in the sea, goes up and down disturbed by the air. The normal condition is to be able to stand firm through
Image retrieved from Google Images.
fear, joy, and anxiety; not to let every wind blow one hither and thither like a scrap of paper, but to endure it all and to stand firm and steady through all such influences. One might say that even water is subject to influences if not the rock. Man is made to be neither rock nor water; he has all in him; he is the fruit of the whole creation; he ought to be able to show his evolution in his balance. A person who is likely to rejoice in a moment and to become depressed in a moment, and who changes his moods, cannot keep that tone which gives him equilibrium and which is the secret of health. How few know
Spring 2010
that it is not pleasure and merrymaking that give one good health! On the contrary, social life, as it is known today, is merrymaking for one day and afterwards one may be ill for ten days, for that kind of life does not take care of equilibrium. When a person becomes sensitive to every little thing that he comes across, it changes the note of the tone; it becomes a different note to which his body is not accustomed; and that causes an illness. Too much despair or too much joy, everything that is too much should be avoided, although there are natures who always seek extremes; they must have so much joy and amusement that they get tired of it, and then they have a collapse with sorrow and despair. It is among these people that you will find continual illness. If an instrument is not kept in proper tune, if it is knocked about by everyone who comes and handled by everyone, then it gets out of order. The body is an instrument, the most sacred instrument, an instrument which God Himself has made for His divine purpose. If it is kept in tune and the strings are not allowed to become loose, then this instrument becomes the means of that harmony for which God created man. How must this instrument be kept in tune? In the first place strings of gut and wires of steel both require cleaning. The lungs and veins in the body also require cleaning; it is that which keeps them ready for their work. And how should we clean them? By carefulness in diet, by sobriety, and by breathing properly and correctly, because it is not only water and earth that are used for cleansing, the best means of cleansing is the air and the property that is in the air, the property that we breathe in; and if we knew how by the help of breathing to keep these channels clean, then we should know how to secure health. It is this which maintains the tone, the proper note of each person, without being disturbed. When a person is vibrating his own note which is according to his particular evolution, then he is himself, then he is tuned to the pitch for which he is made, the pitch in which he ought to be and in which he naturally feels comfortable. And now we come to the rhythm; there is a rhythm of pulsation, the beating of the pulse in the head and in the heart; and whenever the rhythm of this beating is disturbed it causes illness because it disturbs the whole mechanism which is going on, the order of which depends upon the regularity of rhythm. If a person sudden-
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ly hears of something causing fear the rhythm is broken, the pulsation changes. Every shock given to a person breaks his rhythm. We very often notice that, however successful an operation, it leaves a mark, even for the rest of one‘s life. Once the rhythm is broken, it is most difficult to get it right. If the rhythm has been lost, it must be brought back with great wisdom, because a sudden effort to regain the rhythm may make one lose it still more. If the rhythm has gone too slow or too fast, by trying to bring it to its regular speed one may break the rhythm, and by breaking the rhythm one may break oneself. This should be a gradual process; it must be wisely done. If the rhythm has gone too fast, it must be brought gradually to its proper condition; if it is too slow, it must be gradually made quicker. It requires patience and strength to do it. For instance, someone who tunes the violin wisely does not at once move the peg and bring it to the proper tone, because in the first place it is impossible, and then he always risks breaking the string. However minute may be the difference in the tone, one can bring it to its proper place by gradual tuning; in this way effort is spared and the thing is accomplished. Gentleness which is taught morally is a different thing, but even gentleness in action and movement is also necessary. In every movement one makes, in every step one takes there must be rhythm. For instance you will find many examples if you look for them of the awkward movements people make; they can never keep well because their rhythm is not right; and that is why illness continues. It may be that no illness can be traced in these people, and yet the very fact of their movements not being in rhythm will keep them out of order. Regularity in habits, in action, in repose, in eating, in drinking, in sitting, in walking, in everything, gives one that rhythm which is necessary and which completes the music of life.
Taken from The Sufi Message Vol. IV, pages 17, 18 & 19
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Poetry Pages The Work Dancing with shadows in and out To avoid, to hide, to seek, found out. To see, embrace, to free, let-go. An ending flow. There is light in the distance, It draws near. It is my Beloved, Coming closer to me. I surrender to Thee. My Beloved’s face illuminates my heart. Shadows fade to sit this one out. In ecstatic Joy we dance through the night. Until resting in the One’s embrace until light. It is a beginning but an end just the same, When shadows are lurking to dance once again.
Grief The fractured heart, its aching pain. No cure remain. To wait, to yearn, it will heal again So slow the pace, the One’s embrace. Come union with the One within, The deepest longing win. The spark of love ignited, The goal to be united. The heart now healed, I now am whole, In deep peace, Safe to move towards the goal.
Seasonal Soul Nafs falling like Autumn leaves before the snow. Winter’s dark night in shadows are low. The rebirth of Spring brings new life to be living. The Summer heat of the phoenix is rising. And so the seasonal soul keeps on turning.
Poetry by Rashida Murray
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Poetry Pages A lesson (for a young plant) The good gardener takes great care of the ripening seed. The good gardener then helps the seed to open further. To unfold its own memory. She then kindly and gently guides the little seedling, waters it, makes sure that the roots are growing well and strong. With this care, the small yearning plant becomes more confident, grows shoot after shoot, leaf after leaf. Stretching out towards the light of the One. The light is outside and inside. Expanding. Then the gardener realises that the young plant is growing well. She does not possess it with pride, nor jealously hide it away. Instead the gardener takes one step aside and gives the plant a bit more space when the time is right. In this way she is teaching the aspiring plant a lesson in humility and overcoming falseness.
Poetry by Chamanafroz
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Winter Sufi Retreat ~ Melbourne, 2010
Some images Aquila, Arif & Ananda
The Labyrinth
Participants at the retreat Nuria and Sabura
Nuria and Azad
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The Oil Which Keeps the Light Burning November 1-8, 2010 An eight-day retreat at the Dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan, New Delhi, India
Upcoming Events
Under the guidance of Murshid Nawab Pasnak My heart, hold closely the oil which keeps the light burning. —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 €575, 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. 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
‘The Secret of the Message’ The religions, the mystics, and the philosophers of all ages have given the key to unlock the secret of life; this key the Sufi message offers to humanity.
Australian Sufi Summer Retreat 14th – 19th March 2011 Edmund Rice Centre ‘Amberley’ 7 Amberley Way Lower Plenty VIC 3093
Contacts
International Sufi Movement Contacts
NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE Nuria Daly Ph: 03 9561 4861 16 Petronella Ave Email: irenenuriadaly@iprimus.com.au Wheelers Hill. VIC. 3150
GENERAL REPRESENTATIVES 24 Banstraat Ph: +31 70 3657 664 2517 GJ The Hague Email: sufihq@sx4all.nl Netherlands
VICE-PRESIDENT Celia Genn 2524 Old Gympie Rd Beerwah. QLD. 4519
GENERAL SECRETARIAT 78 Anna Pulownastraat 2518 BJ The Hague Netherlands
SECRETARIES Sabura Allen 19 D’Arcy Ave Sandringham. VIC. 3191 Devaki Muller 62 Marshall Ave Clayton. VIC. 3168 TREASURER Azad Daly 16 Petronella Ave Wheelers Hill. VIC. 3150
Ph: 07 5494 0724 Email: cgenn@bigpond.com
Ph: 03 9533 4658 Email: sabura.allen@med.monash.edu.au Ph: 03 9515 9660 Email: vernon103@optus.com.au
Ph: 03 9561 4861 Email: rdaly@iprimus.com.au
Ph: +31 70 346 1594 Fax: +31 70 361 4864 Email: sufiap@hetnet.nl
Sufi Movement Web Sites International Sufi Movement www.sufimovement.org Sufi Movement in Australia www.smia.com.au Melbourne City Sufi Circle www.suficircle.websyte.com.au For more related links, please go to http://www.sufimovement.org/links.htm
Regional Contacts and Representatives ACT
Talibah Josephine Lolicato 1 Sorrel Place Queanbeyan. ACT. 2620
Ph: 02 6297 5107 Email: loliavec@ozemail.com.au
ACT—ROSE GARDEN
Zubin Shore 849 Lake Rd Bungendore. ACT. 2621
Ph: 0438 550247 Email: leonieshore@hotmail.com
NSW—GRAYS POINT
Kafia Airey 98 Grays Point Rd Grays Point. NSW. 2232
Ph: 02 9525 0137 Email: kafia@optusnet.com.au
NSW—NEW ENGLAND
Karim and Bhakti Parkhurst Sitara Manzil, 30 Bridge St Uralla. NSW. 2358
Ph: 02 6778 4701 Email: sitaramanzil@bigpond.com
NSW—SYDNEY
Hamida Janice PO Box 3371 Tamarama. NSW. 2026
Ph: 02 9387 5263 Email: hamida@tpg.com.au
QLD—GLASSHOUSE MOUNTAINS
Celia Genn 2524 Old Gympie Rd Beerwah. QLD. 4519
Ph: 07 5494 0724 Email: cgenn@bigpond. Com
TASMANIA
Habiba Aubert 82 Princes St Sandy Bay. TAS. 7005
Ph: 03 6223 6085
VICTORIA—MELBOURNE
Nuria Daly 16 Petronella Ave Wheelers Hill. VIC. 3150
Ph: 03 9561 4861 Email: irenenuriadaly@iprimus.com.au
EDITOR, Spirit Matters
Sakina Jacob
Ph: 0448 839641 Email: k.jacob@ecu.edu.au