Threshold Society Theme for December 1998 We who trust in God, and are truly thankful, should leave behind a smile on the faces of people we meet. The way of God is happiness. Shams of Tabriz said: "The steps of the people of God are subtle and light. They walk like a leaf on the [...]
Threshold Society Theme for October 1998 Look at how the porters struggle to carry the load; Such effort is the way of those who can see the truth of things. When you were younger, you put your whole heart and soul into certain quests. For the dervish each day is an education of the heart. [...]
Threshold Society Theme for September 1998 The treasury of timelessness offers this gift. . . this moment, this moment so often veiled by senseless thought. When we live in imaginary time, in the archives of the ego, we are deaf and blind to the divine signs that are revealed in each moment, on the farthest [...]
Threshold Society Theme for August 1998 Work purifies the soul, that is, when it is an expression of humbleness, gratitude, and love. Work purifies the soul, when it is free of any resentment, when it is an expression of being fully in the moment. It is a fact of our human condition that we each [...]
Threshold Society Theme for June 1998 These two words occur in proximity to each other in the Holy Quran. It is possible to silently breathe inYa Quddus, and breathe out Ya Salaam. Each human being can receive the support of this Holiness and radiate this Peace. In doing this consciously we can develop our connection [...]
Threshold Society Theme for April 1998 Faith is different from belief. Beliefs are relative and vary from religion to religion, culture to culture. But faith is universal: the same everywhere. In the Quran, the term faith is often coupled with salahaati, or beneficent actions. Such actions are the evidence of faith, as well as the [...]
Threshold Society Theme for March 1998 One form of remembering is to remember that we have given our selves to a tradition and that The Tradition is a source of energy and strength. Of course, in English tradition can mean as a little as accepted practice. But here we mean something sacred, and beyond forms--a [...]
The heart is always seeking contentment. Discontent arises from the attractions and distractions of the world, many of which are just bait in a trap we may not see. If you are a seeker of the rose, do not be content with just its fragrance, let alone heresay about the rose. The fragrance is perceptible as long as the rose is somewhere near. Real Contentment is to become the rose, and so become a source of the fragrance in this world. We should not be content with just a shadow of God's grace.
Threshold Society Theme for February 1998 Consider these words of Mevlanas from Signs of the Unseen: If you speak well of another, the good will return to you. The good and praise you speak of another you speak in reality of yourself. A parallel would be when someone plants a garden and herb bed around [...]
The month of Ramadan began on December 31 and will continue through most of January. Ramadan is much more than a time of fasting; this is a time of spiritual intensification...