Inspirations and Creative Thoughts

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Paradox of One | from Ibn Arabi's 'The One Alone'
2009-04-07 23:29:00
I,. you,... he,..... she,.. we ...IN THE GARDEN........OFMYSTIC LOVERS.... THESE......... ARE NOT................... TRUEDISTINCTIONS.- Rumi1.You cannot know your Lord by making yourself nothing. Many a wise man claims that in order to know one’s Lord one must denude oneself of the signs of one’s existence, efface one’s identity, finally rid oneself of one’s self. This is a mistake. How could a
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Sufi Fable on the Cities of the Soul
2009-04-06 12:17:00
.. a Sufi fable in which a mysterious city becomes a metaphor for the layers of the human soul and for the created world, simultaneously.... a Wayfarer journeys inward to the castle at the Center and encounters the Principles, Virtues, and Vices clothed as administrators and members of the population. After passing through the outer domains of the nafs, Ammara, the Imperious City of Freedom and
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Better a cucumber breakfast than a donkey prayer!
2009-04-05 03:14:00
1.Once a merchant, upon entering the mosque for the Subh prayer (prescribed morning prayer), saw a person sitting on the threshold of the mosque eating cucumbers.It was the weekly market day and as he performed his prayer, the merchant considered how much he would offer for a donkey that he wished to buy. When he came out of the mosque he saw the same person still sitting on the threshold eating
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Ishraqiya | Suhrawardi's Philosophy of Illumination
2009-04-04 01:22:00
1.Allahu Nurus Samawati wal Ard. ... Nurun ala Nur.God is The Light of all planes of existence:both terrestrial and celestial,... heaven and earth,....... body and soul.The luminous candle of His Holy Personal Name, 'Allah' suspends in the globe of the heart of a gnostic by the tree of his material body.... Light upon Light,............. Light of Lights.- Non-linear translation of Quranic verses
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secret of why flowers are painted in tints
2009-04-02 15:20:00
when i play with you, my lovei understand why there is such a playof colours on clouds, on water,and why flowers are painted in tints.when i sing to make you dancei know why there is music in leaves,and why waves send their chorus of voicesto the heart of the listening earth.when you whisper sweet things to me,i know why there is honey in the cup of the flower,and why fruits are secretly
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Real Alchemy and The Real Alchemist
2009-04-01 15:17:00
1.Spring is here! We are shown the beautiful glory of spring after gray winter here in many towns and cities of Northern Hemisphere. Few days back i was waiting at a bus stop under the familiar tree which has been my faithful waiting companion all this winter. Her branches were quite naked all these time and no trace of a single leaf could be found. Suddenly this other day i was taken by surprise
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MysticSaint Paintings | Fundraising Sale
2009-03-30 01:37:00
1.Allahu Jamilun, wa Yuhibbul JamalGod is Beauty Divine, and He loves that which is Beautiful.- Sacred tradition of IslamSadaqaat (charity) shall go to the poor, the needy, the workers who collect them, the new believers, to free the slaves, to those burdened by sudden expenses, in the cause of Allah, and to the traveling strangers. Such is God's commandment. God is Omniscient, Knower.- The Quran
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Painting with a Sufi Master | Interview with Denise Sati, student of Bawa M
2009-03-27 00:40:00
Visionary artist, author and teacher Denise Anne Sati recognizing the Divine Design within the fabric of reality, uses art as a direct expression of the inner realities from her experience through introspection, contemplation, and meditation. Growing up aware of her true artistic nature, Denise started studying spiritual philosophies and teachings of the teachers of truth. Through her journey and
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Configuration of Cosmic Romance
2009-03-24 00:17:00
1.God says: "I was a Hidden Treasureand I Longed to be Known, Longed to be Loved,so I Manifested the Entire Creation."............................... ............. - Sacred tradition of Islam2.the wake that originated in the Unknowable Wombwhere the cosmic galaxies dreamt to 'be',where the illusion of time was born,and where all souls of children of Primordial Adamwas honored with divine breath,
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i have died of myself in your love
2009-03-21 13:50:00
aami tor piriter moratui chaiya dekhna ek nazor,bondhu re!oporadhi hoileo aami tori have died of myself in your lovewill you not bless me with your glance?o intimate friend of mine!no matter how much i oppressed my soulforever i am all yours.aamae jodi dao taraiyyaemon jaega naire giyaei ovagar juraitam ontorif you forsake me from you,where else can i take this wretched selfto quench my thirsty
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We are a door that’s never locked
2009-03-21 04:41:00
1.The friends of God are door that is never locked. Those who come in touch with them with a pure heart, with a child like innocent intention, glimpse through that door and if they are blessed enough they are led to walk through that door.Beyond this door are two chambers.First chamber is absolutely dark, darkest than the darkness inside the most grand blackholes of the cosmos. This chamber is
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visitation of Sophia
2009-03-19 12:30:00
1.Bimillahir Rahmanir Rahim Wa-s-Samaai wat-tariq wa maa adraka mat-tariq? an najmuth thaqib.*2.at the womb of the nightappeared she,and whispered to meto stand still.still i became,like the stillmost brightest starat the farthest constellation.putting her ear next to my heartshe listen to the whisperings inside.Wa man lahu uzuzan fal yasma'a +"Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear"timelessly
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Experience of The Shekhina-Sophia
2009-03-18 19:44:00
Guest Post by the Tailor, Author of The Good Garment BlogThe Trinity of Eastern Orthodoxy: the Holy Spirit flows from Father eternally. This is in contrast to the Catholic filioque, in which Son and Father are at the same horizontal level, from which the Holy Spirit flows, forming a triangle.Orthodoxy prevails here, for the Trinity is a line, not a triangle.The Father is Love, the Loving Beloved
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Jesus and the Hermit | a sufi story
2009-03-17 14:32:00
1.It is related that Isa or Jesus , peace be upon him (Its preferrable that we call him by his original Aramaic name Isa, rather than Jesus, which is a later latinized name. His true name is Isa, or Eesa as refreshed in Quranic Arabic, also English transliteration of Ancient Aramaic put as Eashoa', as inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, Ruh al-Quddus, to his noble Mother, Maryam and its only
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on being picky in this existence
2009-03-15 18:46:00
1.to dissolveour ideas of fantasies and illusions about our selves,God time to time kick usout and beyond those ideasHu* does so sometime by harshly decliningsomething we dearly wish forand sometime by giving some unexpected gift of sortsto replace our false assumptionswith naked truth,God time to timebecomes a Cosmic Trickster,and make no mistakeits a mercy that Hu plays a Joker!the myriad of
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in such presence, where one always grows
2009-03-14 10:09:00
Why do people stop growing? Unfortunately and unknowingly perhaps at some point in life some people do. You know it when you hear someone, when given an opportunity to speak to an audience, they keep repeating the same thing, over and over and over again. This happens even to people who once possessed a very brilliant mind. You may wonder how come the same person who once was full of brilliant
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what silence said
2009-03-14 08:56:00
all things shall perish,... all things shall perish,....... all things shall perish,except.......... His.............. Face.and to Him,... and to Him,....... and to Him,you shall be broughtback at the end of the journey.in the secret antechamberof your heart,may this contemplation you do:'what perishes,who remains,and who is brought back to Who?'with every breath the human image...... says: Hu!
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The Divine Names : al-Ghafir, al-Ghafur and al-Ghaffar | The Source of Forg
2009-03-13 08:03:00
BismillahirGhafururRahimOne nighta servant of Godwas prayingdeeply from his heart with the following words:"O God make my errors, my mistakes manifest to me, make them known to me so that I may correct and purify myself".Now he has been often praying this prayer with the hope that God by His Grace will enlighten him of his mistakes and errors. This night his state of the heart was so deep that
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Inside this clay jug | Kabir
2009-03-13 01:10:00
Inside this clay jugthere are canyons andpine mountains,and the maker of canyonsand pine mountains!All seven oceans are inside,and hundreds of millions of stars.The acid that tests gold is here,and the one who judges jewels.And the musicthat comes from the stringsthat no one touches,and the source of all water.If you want the truth, I will tell you the truth:Friend, listen: the God whom I love is
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hiatus of forty days
2009-02-01 08:00:00
1.Hiatus Hi*a"tus, n. [Latin]an opening;an aperture;an interruption in continuity;a gap;a chasm;a space where something is wanting;a break.2.Will be away from updating this space for forty days (and nights) Insha'Llah. Please have me in your prayers and du'a if I happen to pass by, in your remembrance. As-Salaamu 'Alikum wa Rahmatu'Llah. Divine Peace and blessings be with you and thank you.With love and light,Sadiq Salim
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Soulology | Sagesse de l'âme du Coran
2009-01-31 03:29:00
In the Name of Allah, the Universally Merciful,the Singularly CompassionateBy the soul and That which shaped it.And inspired it (both) to lasciviousnessand to consciousness of Allah.Successful is one who purifies it.and failed is the one who buries it (in sins).- The Qur'an 91:7-10Your creation and your resurrection (from the dead) are only like (that of) a single soul. Surely Allah is Hearing, Seeing.- 31:28There is no soul but that it has a guardian over it.- 86:4To Allah belongs (all) that is in the heavens and (all) that is on the earth. And if you make known what is in your soul, or hide it, still you are held accountable for it by Allah. And He shall forgive whom He will and punish whom He will. And Allah has power over all things.- 2:284Allah does not burden any soul except with what it can bear. To its account is what it has merited (by way of goodness), and against it what it has earned (by way of the evil it did). (Pray thus) "Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or u...
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I Am you, more than you yourself are
2009-01-29 16:20:00
Thosewho realizetrue wisdomrapt withinthis clear awarenesssee Me asthe universe's origin:Imperishable.All their words and all their actionsissue from the depths of worship,held in my embrace they know Meas a woman knows her lover.Creatures rise and creatures vanish;I alone Am Real, Arjuna,looking out, amused, from deepwithin the eyes of every creature.I Am the object of all knowledge,Father of the world, its Mother,Source of all things, of impure andpure, of holiness and horror.I Am the goal, the root, the witness,home and refuge, dearest friend,creation and annihilation,everlasting seed and treasure.I Am the radiance of the sun,I open or withhold the rainclouds,I Am immortality anddeath, Am being and non-being.I Am the Self, Arjuna, seatedin the heart of every creature.I Am the Origin, the Middle,And the End that all must come to.Those who worship Me sincerelywith their minds and bodies, givingup their whole lives in devotion,find in Me their heart?s fulfillment.Even those who do...
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a discourse on ecstatic possibility of true happiness
2009-01-28 02:04:00
Under the chosen tree in garden, the master and his disciple, Mumtahina is sitting facing each other. They have been sitting in silence for such long that the disciple has lost track of time. Only sound of deep breathing. Even the birds in the garden are also observing a mysterious silence at this hour.The masters glance is now withdrawn, his eyes closed. Following the trail of the silence of the master, the student observe the same. No permission in this path to speak before the master. The master always teaches, 'those who don't know adab or proper manner with people, shall be deprived of the holy vision in the court of the Most Majestic King which requires observing and embodying the greatest impeccable manner'. 'Adab is the beginning and adab is the end of the journey' as taught in this school of love.From the dervish quarters a faint voice appear to the garden space. someone is reciting the Quran. "O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor...
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on the nature and experience of true peace
2009-01-25 15:41:00
Salamun!qawlan min Rabbin Raheemi.Peace !a Word from a Merciful Lord.- The Quran 36:581.True peace is a gift from the Source of Mercy and Peace. At this time of our peak materialistic civilization many has come to realize that peace is neither a function of hoarding and piling up materials, nor the vanishing pleasures, nor it is a commodity on the side who owns the most. True peace is a wholeness by itself and realized contentment is one of the pathway to that. Peace brings contentment and thus contains the wholeness within.The classical text of Indian spirituality, Isa Upanishad's Peace Chant invokes peace in this way:OM! That (the Invisible-Absolute) is whole; whole is this (the visible phenomenal); from the Invisible Whole comes forth the visible whole. Though the visible whole has come out from that Invisible Whole, yet the Whole remains unaltered.OM! Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!Remembrance of One! Peace! Peace! Peace!2.True Peace is not limited to any race, follower of this reli...
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praise song for the day | inauguration poem
2009-01-24 13:37:00
Each day we go about our business,walking past each other, catching each other?s eyes or not,about to speak or speaking.All about us is noise. All about us isnoise and bramble, thorn and din, eachone of our ancestors on our tongues.Someone is stitching up a hem, darninga hole in a uniform, patching a tire,repairing the things in need of repair.Someone is trying to make music somewhere,with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum,with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.A woman and her son wait for the bus.A farmer considers the changing sky.A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin.We encounter each other in words, wordsspiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed,words to consider, reconsider.We cross dirt roads and highways that markthe will of some one and then others, who saidI need to see what?s on the other side.I know there?s something better down the road.We need to find a place where we are safe.We walk into that which we cannot yet see.Say it plain: that many have died for this...
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I didn't come here of my own accord, and I can't leave that way. Whoever br
2009-01-23 19:27:00
All dayI think about it,then at nightI say it."Where did I come from,and what am I supposedto be doing?"I have no idea.My soul is from elsewhere,I'm sure of that,and I intend to end up there.This drunkennessbegan in some other tavern.When I get back around to that place,I'll be completely sober.Meanwhile, I'm like a birdfrom another continent, siting in this aviary.The day is coming when I fly off,but who is it now in my ear, who hears my voice?Who says words with my mouth?Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul?I cannot stop asking.If I could taste one sip of an answer,I could break out of this prison for drunks.I didn't come here of my own accord, and I can't leave that way.Whoever brought me here will have to take me Home.This poetry. I never know what I'm going to say.I don't plan it.When I'm outside the saying of it,I get very quiet and rarely speak at all.Shams Tabriz, if you would show your face to me againI could flee, the imposition of this life.- Rumi, version...
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Mystical Pointillist Paintings of Renée Tay
2009-01-21 08:02:00
All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness. - Eckhart TolleThe measure of the artist is to have the eye to see the spirit underlying the particulars, and the skill to capture both in paint. - Marney WardThe relation between spirituality, creativity and expression of art is undeniable. They are so intermingled that in many ancient societies with conscious regard for sacredness, there were no separate name for artist or art. Everyone was artist and every action was an action of sacred creativity. And it should not be surprising as John O?Donohue reminds us, "The heart of human identity is the capacity and desire for birthing. To be is to become creative and bring forth the beautiful."Spirituality and Creative ArtIn one sense, spirituality is the sacred ground to be aware of the relationship to mystery. Human quest for meaning leads to a longing for something that is beyond the limits of our capacity to fully describe in langua...
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Sufi Zen Koan from Alice in Wonderland
2009-01-19 17:45:00
1.Bewhat youwould seem to be --or,if you'd like it put more simply --Never imagine yourself not to be otherwisethan what it might appear to others,that what you were or might have beenwas not otherwise than what you had been would have appearedto them to be otherwise.- Dialogue of the Duchess, Alice in WonderlandThis statement from Alice in Wonderland written by Charles Dodgson under the pen name Lewis Carroll is such a zen-like koan that's pregnant with inner message on the mystical path, specially about the sufi adab (spiritual etiquette) or manner of living in the world, among common folk.The sufi way doesn't recommend going away from people or living an ascetic life away from society, but to be exactly in the society, being useful to others yet living a life of complete turning towards One. To be among people, yet to be not caught with the people. To be in the world yet to be above it and this quote points exactly how to be in the world, with no pretension or egoic imaginatio...
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Blessed Glance as Sacred Practice
2009-01-17 08:04:00
1.contemplatethe Archetypeof Whichyou are the image.dis-cover yourselfin an otheryour selfin whom you are the object.- Vilayat Khan* Note: This post is a continuation of the previous post: Blessed Glance , please click here to read it first for a brief introduction to what it means by Blessed Glance.2.Bismi'Llah al-Latif, al-KhabirThe blessed glance is not an abstract concept in sufi mystic path but 'conscious glance' is a method given to aspirants in special cases as sacred practice. The Chishti sufi practices incorporate this esoteric practice.In one hand, the blessed glance happen through the source of a God-realized person, usually an adept master who has perfected his human-ness with the divine attributes by grace. On the other hand the aspirant, one who has an ardent and sincere longing to arrive at the door of realization can also do his or her part of conscious practice of glance.In the sufi path there is an adab (spiritual etiquette) that one must NOT avoid any glance fr...
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Blessed Glance | Chaap Tilak by Amir Khusro
2009-01-16 03:10:00
1.You've taken awaymy looks,my identity,by just a Glance .By making me drinkthe wine of love-potion,You've intoxicated meby just a Glance.My fair, delicate wristswith green bangles in them,Have been held tightly by You with just a Glance.I give my life to You,Oh my cloth-dyer,You've dyed me in Yourself,by just a Glance.I give my whole life to you Oh, Nizam,You've made me your bride,by just a Glance.2.Chaap tilak sab cheeni raymosay naina milaikayPrem bhatee ka madhva pilaikayMatvali kar leeni raymosay naina milaikayGori gori bayyan, hari hari churiyanBayyan pakar dhar leeni raymosay naina milaikayBal bal jaaon mein toray rang rajwaApni see kar leeni raymosay naina milaikayKhusrau Nijaam kay bal bal jayyiyeMohay Suhaagan keeni raymosay naina milaikay- Hazrat Amir Khusro (1253-1325) sufi mystic, Indian musician, scholar and a poet (Tajik). He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent who is also called the "father of qawwali", the devotional music of I...
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