Dear Companions on the Path,

I hope this finds you well. I have just returned from two weeks in France. In Épernon we convened the final session of the Jabarsa class of the Suluk Academy. The members of Jabarsa hail from France, Germany, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey. The graduation ceremony took place in the Oriental Room and Khanqah of Fazal Manzil. As their class projects, Jabarsa created a song and tapestry, planted flowers in the garden of the Universel, and organized a pilgrimage to Dachau in honor of Pirzadi-Shahida Noor, to take place on September 13, 2019. It was a joyous culmination to the preceding two years of study and companionship. 

The wonderful Kadir Troelstra and Gulrukh Patel organized the course with great care and thoughtfulness, and are now passing the baton. The administrators for the new European class, due to commence in January 2020, are Rabia Deplanche and Isa Sophia Haberer—both Suluk graduates. To enquire about the coming class, please write to sulukeurope@gmail.com.

After Suluk, the Worldwide Message Council met at Fazal Manzil for our annual three-day retreat. Subjects included the representation of the tradition of the Divine Mother in the Universal Worship, climate change, the Urs of Pirzadi-Shahida Noor, the language of the Ten Sufi Thoughts, and the ethical guidelines and protocols of the Order. The WWMC plans to publish a report on the meeting soon.

This year, our special invited guests were Mehmet and Zehra Kasim (pioneering Representatives in Turkey), Mellen Kennedy (U.S. Board Chair), Latifa Mancinelli (organizer of Pirzadi-Shahida Noor’s annual Urs in Dachau), and Latifa Pasquier (General Secretary for France and Chair of the Egeling Foundation, responsible for Fazal Manzil). The conversation was rich and deep, and a memorable highlight was this paper movingly presented by Firos Holterman, the European Vice President of Ziraat:“Ten Sufi Thoughts on Climate Change”.

After the WWMC retreat, leaders from across Europe gathered for a two-day training on the nature of embodiment and the methods that have come down to us for working with the various subtle centers in the body. On Saturday evening we honored Zamir and Alima for their decades of generous dedicated service to Fazal Manzil, the Universel, and the Order as resident stewards of Sufi Suresnes. Zamir and Alima will soon be retiring to the countryside, and will be succeeded in their position by Hind Wakach (a member of the Jabarsa class) and Majid Bery, whom I hope you will join me in warmly welcoming.

I wish you a blessed Visalat Day tomorrow! May Murshid’s spirit remind us of all that is possible when the heart is awake.

Yours ever,

Sarafil Bawa

Jabarsa Graduation at Fazal Manzil

The Way of Illumination: An Introduction to the Sufi Path

The Astana, Richmond, Virginia and Online
5-7 April 2019

All are invited to this weekend overview of the life and teachings of the Sufi mystic, Hazrat Inayat Khan. Over 48 hours, Pir Zia will orient us to themes including “An Introduction to Sufism,” “The Ten Sufi Thoughts,” “The Path of Initiation,”  “Prayer and Wazifa,” and “Remembrance.” A perfect introduction to Sufism and also to Suluk Academy. Join us in person or online worldwide!

Register Today

Artwork by the Swedish abstract painter and mystic Hilma af Klint, now on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Altarpiece, No. 1, Group X, 1915.

Vadan Commentary

Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Vadan

“My errors do not lull me to sleep, but they open my eyes to a deeper vision of life.”

To err is human. Becoming a complete human being does not mean becoming infallible. It means, instead, extracting wisdom from all experiences, including the experience of erring.

There are three principal conditions of the self: the imperious self, the self-critical self, and the tranquil self. Each responds to errors differently. Continued

See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.

Pir-o-Murshid
Inayat Khan Urs 2019

Tuesday, February 5, 2019, 7-8:30 pm EST
The Astana or Online Worldwide

Sufi Teachings Webcast Series

Join those of us at the Astana in Richmond, Virginia for Sunday afternoon classes with Pir Zia, in-person or online worldwide. Dates and details can be found here.

Our Worldwide Calendar

NORTH AMERICA

Practices of the Chishtiyya
Jamiat Khas Retreat 2019
Richmond, Virginia & Online
19-21 March 2019

Anatomy of Illumination
Inayati Leadership Training 2019
Richmond, Virginia & Online
21-24 March 2019

Way of Illumination: An Introduction to the Sufi Path
w/ Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
Richmond, Virginia & Online
5-7 April 2019

Season of the Rose: Essentials of the Sufi Path
Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon
26 June – 1 July 2019

Labor Day Silent Retreat
w/ Pir Zia Inayat-Khan & Friends
The Abode of the Message, New Lebanon, New York
Labor Day Weekend, 30 August – 2 September 2019
Registration Opens April 2019!

EUROPE

German Easter Retreat
Gersfeld, Germany
18-21 April 2019

Zenith Institute
Olivone, Switzerland
22 July – 5 August 2019

Pir Zia Seminar in The Netherlands
Katwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands
23-25 August 2019

Pir Zia Seminar in Paris
Paris, France
22-24 November 2019

Suluk Academy will soon accept applications for Suluk Europe’s new class to begin January 2020, and then this fall for North America’s new class to begin September 2020. Sign up for updates. For a worldwide calendar featuring many Inayati Order teachers and programs, please visit our Inayati Worldwide Programs Calendar.