16 December 2019

Dear Friends,

Greetings! I hope this finds you very well.

Last week the Naubahar Suluk class again convened at the Astana, this time to go deeper into Meditation (mushahada), the third stage in the inner life. There was joyful companionship and numinous silence, and we observed together the ‘Urs of Ghaws al-A‘zam, the Great Protector (God sanctify his secret), whose lineage flows into the Inayatiyya.

Two weeks earlier I traveled to Suresnes to guide a retreat on the Anatomy of Illumination. It was a happy reunion with ashiqs and murids from several countries. As we undertook the renovation of our subtle bodies, the Khankah in which we gathered—Fazal Manzil, Murshid’s hallowed home—was undergoing renovation, a large-scale project that will continue over the next two years, God willing. The first fruits of this renovation can be seen in this glimpse of the Oriental Room.

After the holidays I will be back in France again for the annual leadership meetings in Suresnes and the commencement of the new European Suluk class. Not long thereafter, in February, we will gather in Mustang Island, Texas, for a 5-day intensive retreat that is open to all. I look forward to being with many of you.

In 2020, the Esoteric School and Sufi Healing worldwide will offer synchronized study of The Centennial Edition of The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Vol. 4: Health, Mental Purification, and The Mind World, which is due for publication shortly. I encourage everyone to obtain this important volume and to join in the exploration of its transformational wisdom.

Closely related to mental purification is the subject of alchemy, which as you may know is foundational to the Esoteric School generally, and to the Retreat Concentration specifically. The alchemical process, also known as the Great Work, will be a central theme in our gatherings over the next two years. Notably, it will form the subject matter of a specialized course for Suluk graduates scheduled to begin next fall. As a foretaste of things soon to come, a selection of alchemical sayings will go out from the Astana beginning tomorrow, day by day.

Dear Friends, I wish you a luminous Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, and New Year! May the Divine presence enfold your days and nights in the purest mercy and deepest communion. I look forward to seeing you in the coming year, God willing.

Yours ever,

Pir Zia

Inayati Fall Appeal 2019 Alchemical Contemplations 

Beginning tomorrow we will share daily Alchemical Contemplations foreshadowing activities to come in 2020. This is all part of our Inayati Fall Appeal, inviting you to support the transformation we individually and collectively experience as wayfarers on this endless path. Any donation received by Saturday, December 21st will receive a special audio gift from Pir Zia. Thank you for donating today!