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Ibn Arabi and Quranic Experience in Alam al-Mithal
2008-09-06 04:10:00
Ibn Arabi (Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Al-Arabi), one of the greatest philosopher, mystic and scholar in islamic and world history was born in Murcia, in the southeast Spain on 17th Ramadan, 560 Islamic Calendar (July 28, 1165).As he grew in adolescence, he entered into marriage to a girl of whom he speaks in terms of respectful devotion, and who seems to have influence him in his orientation towards Mystical Core of Islam or Sufism.SURA YASIN IN ALAM AL-MITHALIt was at this time that Ibn Arabi's visionary aptitudes became apparent. He fell gravely ill; his fever brought on a state of profound lethargy. While those about him thought him dead, he in his inward universe was beseiged by a troop of menacing, diabolic figures. But then there arose a marvelously beautiful being, exhaling a sweet perfume, who with invincible force drove away the demonic figures."Who are you?" Ibn Arabi asked him."I am Sura Yasin."Ibn Arabi's anguished father at his bedside was indeed reciting that sura which i...
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The Atheist Fish meets the Natural Fish
2008-09-04 21:30:00
1.One evening there was a small incident in the ocean. The sun had set and just a moment before, a fish had been very happy and joyous dancing in the sun rays in the infinite vastness of the ocean. She was dancing, swimming. The fish was so natural and innocent. There was not a slightest trace of doubt in her mind.But a moment later she met an atheist fish who said to her: "What are you dancing for? Why are you so happy? Why are you celebrating? It seems you are also a blind believer like those other ordinary fish. There is no joy and this ocean that you think you are in - where you are dancing and swimming and enjoying in - there is no such thing. Have you ever seen an Ocean?"The young fish became afraid. She had heard of this Ocean but she had never seen it.When someone is born in the Ocean, when someone grows in Ocean and has never gone out of the Ocean, then there is no way to see the Ocean. To see, some distance is needed, some separation, some gap is needed.The fish had heard ...
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unrealized and realized states
2008-09-03 06:15:00
1.Until it is realized,there is nothing but 'else'.When it is realized,there is no 'else'.The mantra which is the cornerstone of Universal Submission is 'la ilaha illa Llaha'. It is the formula that points towards the realization of Truth, the Ultimate Reality.la ilaha is the witnessing that, there is no 'else', no 'other', nothing worthy to point, nothing worthy to 'bow down', nothing worthy of worship, no other 'reality to turn to'.illa Llah, 'except the All Encompassing Reality', except what manifests Itself here by the Name Allah and It is The Reality that is beyond all names and concepts.Question is, if there is nothing, no other reality but One Reality (Ahad), The Divine and Ultimate Reality (Haqq), then what are all these 'else' that we see and experience?Answer is, they are all infinite manifestations of the One Indivisible Reality. These all apparent 'else's exist as long as 'a temporal viewer' and 'point of view' exist. All these apparent are signpo...
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Wingmaker Prayer
2008-09-01 18:55:00
1..O Wingmaker!......givewings of sparks.......toevery particle.......ofthis dust being.2.Praise be to God, creator of every planes of existence, Who made the angels, message bearers with wings, two, or three, or four: He adds to Creation as He wills: for God has power over all things.- The Quran 35:1... above stood the Seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.' - Isaiah 6At the Lote-tree of the Farthest Limit the Prophet saw Gabriel in one of his angelic form, who had six hundred wings. Every single wing could cover the entire firmament ... - BukhariGod has supernumerary angels who rove about seeking out gatherings in which God's Name is being invoked: they sit with them and fold their wings of mercy round each other, filling that which is between them and between the lowest heaven. When [the ...
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Ramadan Mubarak | Blessed Ramadan to all
2008-09-01 07:21:00
The most eagerly awaited month in Islamic calendar is Ramadan and this year, 2008 this will be Ramadan of 1429 Hijri Year. Exactly 1441 years ago (12 year prior of the Hijra), during his annual retreat and seclusion in the small cave called Hira on Jabal al-Nur (the Mountain of Light), Holy Prophet Muhammad, blessed be his soul, received the first divine revelation of the Quran.This year Ramadan begins in most part of the world on 1st of September. According to my teacher, Sidi Said al-Jamal, may God be pleased with him, the Head of the Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land and teacher at the Masjid al-Aqsa (the Dome of the Rock); and also according to the Moon Sighting site: "The holy fasting month of Ramadan will start Monday, September 1, in most Arab and Gulf countries as well as North America and European countries.August 31, will be the last day of the month of Sha'ban and Ramadan will fall on Monday, September 1, added the council. Based on calculations, more than 35 c...
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Philosophy of Ramadhan | Sayed Jawwad Naqvi
2008-09-01 06:00:00
Holy month of Ramadhan is called Rabi-ul-Quloob. Rabi-ul Quloob means the month of spring for the hearts. The way spring comes to the earth, same way the heart also experiences spring. This means heart, not that heart which is in our chests, not the heart behind the ribs of our chest, but instead that heart which is of our soul, that which is the true sensational heart of human being. Even this heart of soul, it passes through different seasons. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.You have seen the land during winter, when cold air blows, water get frozen, snow falls; soft things become frozen, becomes hard. The same way the human heart acts as well, there is a particular human state when the human heart also becomes frozen, just like ice, it freezes. Then the remembrance of Allah is not possible for such a heart.Sometimes the heart becomes dead like the vegetation in the Autumn season, now it cannot accept any guidance. In order to freshen up this heart, make it blossom, make it gree...
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The Secret of Spiritual Heart | Fauozi Skali
2008-08-30 22:10:00
My Lord,Let my breast have a heart that is aware;I am but dust, set me afire with the light of David's song;Give, to every particle of my being, wings of sparks.- Iqbal, from his work, Kulliyat-i-IqbalFollowing text is The Four "(Spiritual , Inner) Heart s" of The Human Heart / taken from Chapter VII of Faouzi Skali's (French) LA VOIE SOUFIE (The Sufy Way). English translation: Khalil ibn Walad.A. On The Breast : As-SadrThe "Sadr" (breast - chest) represents an image of the most exterior part of the being. In Qur'anic language, a distinction is made between the breast and the depth of the breasts (Dhat Asoudur), and this latter represents, in a certain manner, the antechamber - one in which thoughts remain hidden. "Does not God know what they hide? He knows the contents of the depths of their hearts." (Qur'an , XI , 5).It is into the breast that flow-florth (Yasduru) thoughts into immediate consciousness and this occurs at a level where these thoughts present themselves in their m...
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Samadhi and Fana | Ramakrishna's experience with Islamic Sadhana
2008-08-30 08:18:00
I am not asking you to give up all of the I. You should give up only the "unripe I." the "unripe I" makes one feel: "I am the doer, these are my wife and children. I am a teacher."Renounce this "unripe I" and keep the "ripe I" which will make you feel that you are God's servant, His devotee, and that God is the doer and you are His instrument.- Sri Ramakrishna, may God be pleased with him"I received initiation and instruction from the Sufi Master Govinda Rai. He transmitted to my heart the beautiful Divine Name Allah, which I then repeated with every breath. I visited the small mosque behind the Temple Garden, learnign to make the Call to Prayer and to perform namaz, the graceful cycle of prostration and praise offered by devout Muslims five times every day.My practice of Islam was crowned by a vision of the noble Prophet Muhammad - a robed, dignified, bearded figure of supreme sanctity - who merged intimately with my being, pervading my body with rose fragrance and lifting my awa...
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All things are originally from His Hand
2008-08-29 17:22:00
I spoke once with Rumi who was feasting with friends in the shade of a rose bower. I was permitted to approach him and for a moment allowed to speak.I said, "I am a mimic of you. I am a pale copy and counterfeit, though I never intended to steal stories from your mouth."Rumi laughed and was in good spirits. He said, "Those stories are no more my property than the clothes of my youth or the tables at which I ate. We kept company together awhile. When I died, God scattered those words like diamonds over the earth.Pick them up and set them in brilliant settings and you will have eulogize me and my teachers and will have given three fine gifts to the Lord of Glory, though no gift can ever befit Him."He said, "Remember the words I borrowed from my friend Attar; and those words he and I both borrowed from Sanai. Those stories that belonged to us we also borrowed. All things are originally from His Hand .If you give more than you have taken, God will forgive you."- The End of Reason, Da'u...
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Soul-fish swimming in God-Ocean
2008-08-28 08:03:00
this soul-fish swimsin the God-Ocean and keeps wondering:'where is thisancient, nostalgicthirst of watercoming from?!'the lover dogs of Godare howling all alongfrom the time of separation.remain unseenthe ancient lovers'ever flowing tears,becausesince aeonthey're cryinginside thisvast God-Ocean.(c) MysticSaint August 24, 2008 | Boulder, Colorado #Related. The Primordal Calling | the longing of the heart. Will ye laugh and not weep?. Laughing Buddha, Weeping Sufi. Love Dogs by Rumi
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Fast of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary
2008-08-28 03:34:00
1."My seasoning is hunger ..."- Jesus , son of Mary 2.While pregnant with Jesus, Mary was inspired by God to take vows of silence, as an act of fasting from speaking."The Voice said: So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent Lord, and may not speak this day to any mortal."- The Quran 19:263.The Gospel of Matthew records that Jesus "fasted forty days and forty nights" (Matthew 4:21). The Gospel of Luke adds the detail that "in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered" (Luke 4:2).The disciples were unable to drive out a negative energy from a boy, but Jesus drove it out. When the disciples asked how he did it, he said that this kind can be driven out only "by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29).The early followers of Christ practiced fasting sincerely: "they had fasted and prayed" (Acts 13:3), and again they had "prayed with fasting" (Acts 14:23). The Bible mentions fasting as one ...
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Preparation for Ramadan | the quintessential month of fasting
2008-08-27 08:00:00
Ramadan (also pronounced as Ramzan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the blessed month in which the Quranic revelation started. This month is the hallmark of special blessing and a quintessential month of fasting (sawm). The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. This year 2008 the start of Ramadan is expected to begin on 1st of September.During this month it's recommended in Quranic principle to fast from all food and drink from sunrise till sunset for the whole lunar month uninterrupted. It is not just an Islamic practice but a universal spiritual practice that was recommended to all other communities in the past including the earlier Prophets and Apostles. The Final Testament testifies: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint." - The Quran 2:183Fasting is very much a spiritual reality in the Judeo-Christian tradition su...
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Everyday Divinity | Stewart Bitkoff on Sedona Talk Radio
2008-08-26 09:04:00
1.Sedona Talk Radio , one of the top spiritual and personal growth internet radio station will be hosting Dr. Stewart Bitkoff on the topic: 'Got Traffic? The Divinity of the Daily Commute'.The show will appear live on Tuesday Night, 8/26/08, 9 pm EST.Show: Everyday DivinityHost: Idara E. BasseyInternet Station: Sedona Talk Radio Among different topics Dr. Bitkoff will be discussing: every day spirituality, commuting, his book: 'A Commuter's Guide to Enlightenment,' and experiences along the Sufi Path. If you miss it live, the show audio will be available online one hour after broadcast. Visit the site here. Past shows are also available for listening at the archive.Dr. Bitkoff holds a doctorate degree in education and is an expert in therapeutic recreation, psychiatric rehabilitation and treatment. He is author of A Commuter?s Guide to Enlightenment (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2008) which chronicled his musings and spiritual insights received during a near daily commute from his home ...

You have the same Seed | Osho
2008-08-25 23:30:00
What happens when a seedbecomes a tree?The seed has to die,only then does itbecome a tree.... Don't cling to the seed,because the seed is a bridge.Help it to die, dissolve,so that the inner lifeand the seed becomes a great tree.I don't want youto become Christians- that is useless,that's a lie.I would like youto become Christs.And you can become,because you have the same seed.- Osho, The Mustard Seed The disciples said to Jesus:Tell us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.He said to them: It is like a mustard seed -smaller than all seeds,but when it falls on the tilled earthit produces a large treeand becomes a shelter for all the birds of heaven.- Gospel of Apostle Thomas. 2 Christian Zen Kong-Ans. the Threshold

'women are not worthy of life' - Simon Peter
2008-08-24 21:21:00
Simon Peter said to them:'Let Mary go out from among us,because women are not worthy of life.'Jesus said:'See, I shall lead herso that I will make her male,that she too may become a living spiritresembling your males.For every woman who makes herself malewill enter the Kingdom.'- Gospel of Apostle Thomas1.The statement of Peter is exactly what the christian church has embodied for the last two millennium. The church has remained anti-women - because through unnatural view point, woman is painted to be the root cause of evil starting from the distorted interpretation of the genesis. The narrow mindedness is portrayed here when Peter says, 'women are not worthy of life'. It should not surprise one who knows the cultural and social context of the time of Christ but it definitely quite mind-boggline to think how the same sentiment still exist in our time in the attitude of church.Peter is the founder of Christian Church from whom the tradition of Pope is inspired. Ironic is that ...
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Sacred (and Secret) Marriage of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene
2008-08-23 08:34:00
1.Cana, Galilee, 23 A. D.'They have no wine', said Mary to Jesus .And on the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus and his disciples were called to the marriage.And when they wanted wine, Mary, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.'Mary immediately ordered the servants to do whatever Jesus instructed. And Jesus told them to fill the pots with water up to the brim. He then asked them to draw wine from them and to serve the governor of the feast.The servants served the wine. When the ruler of the feast tasted the water that had been made into wine, the governor called the bridegroom and said to him that most people serve the good wine first the lower grade wine later. The bridegroom, on the other hand, had done the reverse.His mother, Mary, had clearly been in charge. She was the hostess without doubt.And the bridegroom had been Jesus.- The Christ Conspiracy: The Marriage of Jesus by Rhawn Joseph.2.Mary a...
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Mystery of Sexual Ecstasy and Union
2008-08-22 08:28:00
1.if anyone asks you,'how the perfect satisfactionof all our sexual wanting will look?'lift your face and say,like this!if anyone wonders,'how Jesus raised the dead!'don't try to explain the miracle.kiss me on the lips,like this!when some one asks,'what it means to die for love?'point here!when lovers moan,they are telling our story.like this!- Embracing the Mystery - Rumi, version by Coleman Barks2.And the companion of [the saviour was] Mary Magdalene. [Christ loved] her more than [all] the disciples, [and used to] kiss her [often]. - Gospel of PhilipThe Nag Hammadi texts also spoke of the intimate relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, even referring to her as his "beloved."3.The Baal Shem Tov asked why people love children so much. His answer was that a child is a human being who is still very close to his or her conception, and since there was so much ecstasy in the conception, it still shows in the child. As the child grows older, the ecstasy slowly evaporates. ...
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Aphorisms of Rabbi Baal Shem Tov
2008-08-22 06:07:00
Your fellow is your mirror. If your own face is clean, so will be the image you perceive. But should you look upon your fellow and see a blemish, it is your own imperfection that you are encountering - you are being shown what it is that you must correct within yourself."G-d is your shadow" (Psalms 121:5) - Just as a person's shadow entirely mimics his actions, so does G-d, as it were, entirely reciprocate our deeds."Love your fellow as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) is an interpretation of and commentary on "Love the L-rd, your G-d" (Deuteronomy 6:5).Everything is by Divine Providence. If a leaf is turned over by a breeze, it is only because this has been specifically ordained by G-d to serve a particular function within the purpose of creation.Every single thing that a person sees or hears, is an instruction to him in his conduct in the service of G-d.Cleaving to G-d is the master-key that opens all locks.The Baal Shem Tov was very fond of light, and said, "Or (light) is the numeric...
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Why Religious Renewal is Necessary? | Reb Zalman Scachter-Shalomi
2008-08-21 08:39:00
Father of the Neo-Hasidic Jewish Renewal movement, Reb Zalman Scachter-Shalomi is widely considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Hasidism and Jewish mysticism, a leading spiritual elder of our time and recognized as a pioneer in ecumenical dialogue. This interview with Reb Zalman was conducted in early August 2008.[>] Read the first part of this interview if you haven't1.As part of the Interview I asked Reb Zalman to illuminate the question, Why Religious Renewal is Necessary?Following is what came through Reb Zalman, may G-d always bless him:'There is a teaching of a religion, the teaching of a tradition, of a silsila, there always is the core of the teaching, which has to do with the relationship of the divine and the human. In order to bring the teaching down, our sages have said, "Dibrah Torah d'sham b'nei Adam", "The Torah speaks in the language of human being".So if the language of human being was early and primitive, and engraved on stone, then its simple....

darshan
2008-08-20 08:00:00
it's midnight here,and your forehead shineswith a new dawn's mystery.in your intimate garden as you take delightlooking at beauty stamped upon the flowers,each flower sighs with strange longingwhile upon your facethey're gazing.the Presence that's both inside and outside of usreward the ones who long for it.darshan!the garden bee shouts in ecstasy.every moment your generositygives birth to a new kind of beauty.call it nazar, darshan or the blessed glance -the flowers, the garden beeand this insignificant me,now we all sharea common mystery.- Sadiq,Boulder, CO on dear heart friend Carolyn's Birthday.Happy Birthday Carolyn!Blessings upon Blessings.

Interview with Reb Zalman | on Mystic Experience and Mysticism for a New Hu
2008-08-19 08:35:00
Father of the Neo-Hasidic Jewish Renewal movement, Reb Zalman Scachter-Shalomi is widely considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Hasidism and Jewish mysticism, a leading spiritual elder of our time and recognized as a pioneer in ecumenical dialogue. This interview with Reb Zalman was conducted early August 2008.I opened up the interview by sharing how all the major enlightened beings, for example Moses, Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad, peace be upon them all, each has gone through initial mystical experiences at their time of enlightenment breakthrough. Sometime such experiences are perceived as outside experience (Burning Bush for Moses, mystical encounter with Archangel Garbriel for Prophet Muhammad) and sometime as inner experience (such as Buddha's awakening or receiving Quranic revelation in a lucid state for Muhammad). So we find mystical experiences very much at the heart of all tradition and thats where they started from.Now after encountering these inner experienc...
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Genesis of Man | Meditative Quranic Verses
2008-08-18 01:15:00
Falyanthuri al-insanu mimma khuliqa!Now let man meditate upon what he is created from!- The Quran, chapter 86, verse 5 -Awa lam yara al-insanu anna khalaqnahu min nutfatin - fa-itha huwa khaseemun mubeenun!Does not human being see that We created him from a drop of seed - yet lo! he is an open disputant!- The Quran, chapter 36, verse 77 -AAala an nubaddila amthalakum wanunshi-akum fee ma la taAAlamoona.Walaqad AAalimtumu alnnash-ata al-oola, falawla tazakkaroona?We shall transfigure you and make you grow again in a mysterious way you cannot know.Certainly you have known the first genesis, then why do you not reflect?- The Quran, chapter 56, verse 61,62 -. Related post: Reminder from the Final Testament
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Grace of Realized Masters
2008-08-17 09:37:00
whoeveris initiated by us,and followed us,and loves us,whether he is near or far,wherever he is;even if he isin the East andwe are in the West,we nourish fromthe stream of loveand give him light inhis daily life.- Bahauddin Naqshbandmay God bless his noble soulIhdina as Sirata al Mustaqeema, Sirata allajeena an Aamta Aalayhim.Guide us, O God, on the path of perfect harmony,The path of those whom You have blessed with the gifts of Your grace.- The Quran 1:6,7
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Qalandar | The Wandering Sufis
2008-08-16 10:04:00
Qalandar (Persian origin, also written as Qalander) is a title given to sufi holy men especially in South Asia. Some famous Sufis with the title Qalandar include Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalander and Bu Ali Shah Qalandar. The Qalandariyah also refer to the name of a sect of roaming Sufi dervishes.The Qalandariyah, Qalandaris or "kalandars" are wanderering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized. One was founded by Qalandar Yusuf al-Andalusi of Andalusia, Spain. Some kalandars practiced asceticism and often used hashish, alcohol, and other intoxicants.Starting in the early 12th century, the movement gained popularity in Greater Khorasan and neighbouring regions. The first references are found in 11th century prose text Qalandarname (The Tale of the Kalandar) attributed to Ansar? Haraw?. The term Qalandariyyat (the Qalandar condition) appears to be first applied by Sanai Ghaznavi (d 1131) in seminal poetic works where diverse practices are described. Part...
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Dama Dam Mast Qalandar | Translation of Sufi Qawwali
2008-08-16 08:45:00
O laal meri pat rakhio bala jhoole laalan, Sindri da Sehvan da, sakhi Shabaaz kalandar, Dama dam mast Qalandar, Ali dam dam de andar.O the red robed, may I always have your benign protection, Jhulelal (as he was affectionately called). O master, friend and Sire of Sindh and Sehwan (or Serwan), The red robed God-intoxicated Qalandar, The Lord in every breath of mine, glory unto to you.Chaar charaag tere baran hamesha, Panjwa mein baaran aayi bala jhoole laalan O panjwa mein baaran, O panjwa mein baaran aayi bala jhoole laalan, Sindri da Sehvan da, sakhi Shabaaz Qalandar, Dama dam mast Qalandar, Ali dam dam de andar.Your shrine is always lighted with four lamps, And here I come to light a fifth lamp in your honor. Here I come with fifth O master, friend and Sire of Sindh and Sehwan (or Serwan), The red robed God-intoxicated Qalandar, The Lord in every breath of mine, glory unto to you.Hind Sind (some also sing Ghanan ghanan) peera teri naubat vaaje, Naal vaje ghadiyaal bala jhoole laa...
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A Commuter's Guide to Enlightenment | Stewart Bitkoff
2008-08-15 07:20:00
During the days of your life,divine breeze will blow,so watch out for them.- Mohammed.'Spirituality' as labeled by the general mass, in the past used to be seeked through austere practices, in the cave of Himalaya or in total seclusion from the samsara (worldly drama). But there is another kind of spirituality that has always been present and available, another kind of 'reality map of understanding what is spiritual' that pervades the ordinary, every day life. Sometime this is called 'Spirituality of the Market place'. A Commuter's Guide to Enlightenment by Dr. Stewart Bitkoff is a book of that genre which helps transform repeated daily activity, experiences of market place into daily meditation of purpose.The author who himself has walked the sufi path, captures this in the book in his quoting a famous sufi saying, "The apparent is the bridge to the real."On the nature of enlightenment the books speaks quite importantly: "In some traditions, enlightenment is attained in one ...

Prayer of mid-Shaban
2008-08-14 19:41:00
>> O God, Tireless Owner of Bounty. O Owner of Sublimity, Honor, Power, and Blessings. There is no divine reality except You, the Support of refugees and Neighbor of those who seek nearness, Guardian of the fearful. O God, if you have written in Your Book that I be abject, deprived, banished, and tight-fisted, then erase O God, through Your bounty, my misery, deprivation, banishment, and stinginess and establish me with You as happy, provided with blessings, for surely You have said, and Your Word is True - in Your Revealed Book on the tongue of Your Messenger, "God effaces or confirms what He pleases, and with Him is the source of ordinance." (13:39)My God, by the Great Manifestation of the Night of the middle of the Noble Month of Sha'ban "in which every affair of wisdom is made distinct and authorized," (44:4) remove from us calamities - those we know and those we do not know, and Thou knowest best - for surely You are the Most Mighty, the Most Generous. May God bless Muhammad a...
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Peter Murphy | Portrait of a Sufi Artist from West
2008-08-13 19:44:00
Everybody's born surrenderedEverybody from the same placeHe picked you out of the mudEverybody's born surrendered.Everybody got a mother womanMaybe you treat her like a foolHeaven under the feet of herEveryone comes in place.We all got problemsAnd that's good tooThey can turn you inside outIt's Hayy, that's Hu.- lyrics of Surrendered by Peter Murphy , in sufi influenced album Dust.. the song is a tribute to Sufi Saint, Sen Ahmedi Mahmudu Muhammedsin Efendim, may God sanctify his Sirr. Peter John Murphy (born 11 July 1957, near Northampton, England), is the vocalist of the rock group Bauhaus who later went on to release a number of solo albums, such as Deep and Love Hysteria. Thin, with prominent cheekbones, a rich voice, and a penchant for gloomy poetics, Murphy is often called the "Godfather of Goth."Although he had grown up in an Irish-Catholic household, Murphy embraced Islam in the 1990s, eventually moving to Turkey with his wife. A subsequent Middle Eastern influence can be...
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Every Creature is Full of God
2008-08-12 19:29:00
"Every creature is full of God,and is a book about God.Every creature is a word of God.If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature, even a caterpillar, I would never have to prepare a sermon. So full of God is every creature."- Meister Eckhart, one of the most brilliant mystic ever born, from 13th century. may God be pleased with him and unite us with their blessed stations. - via Becoming Awakened Blog.Don't speak of your suffering - He's speaking.Don't look for Him everywhere - He's looking for you.An ant's foot touches a leaf, He senses it;A pebble shifts in a streambed, He knows it.If there's worm hidden deep in a rock,He'll know its body, tiny like an atom,The sound of its praise, its secret esctasy -All this He knows by divine knowing.He has given the tiniest worm its food;He has opened to you the Way of the Holy Ones.- Sanai, Persian Sufi Poet of 12th century
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Perfume of the Desert | a Sufi Story
2008-08-11 09:04:00
1. The Fragrance of NothingnessAndrew Harvey in his book, Perfume of the Desert describe a sufi story from memory. It goes like this: A group of wild young Bedouins were riding in the desert with their chief, who was a religious man as well as a great leader. They came in the course of their wanderings to a vast ruined palace.The young men rode through the deserted rooms, breaking off bits of the plaster and bricks to smell what had gone into their making. One cried out, "In this clay are mixed the oils of rose and orange-blossom." Another exclaimed, "In this dirt I smell Jasmine! How beautiful!"The chief stood apart and said nothing. Towards the end when the young men finished smelling various fragrance in the clay of the ruined place, turned to the chief and ask, "And what is your favorite perfume?"He smiled and leaned as far as he could out of one of the palace windows into the empty desert wind. He reached out his hands and cupped them. Then he held out his cupped hands to the y...
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