The Way of Mary Book Launch
THRESHOLD SOCIETY NEWSLETTER ~ NOV 2021
The Way of Mary, Maryam, Beloved of God

Online book launch Nov 28, 2pm EST, 7pm GMT

The Way of Mary, Maryam, Beloved of God, is a weaving of strands from ancient sources, traditional stories, poetry and prayers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism (and beyond) to reveal through the illuminated being and life stations of Beloved Mary, the palpable Oneness of all Creation, our Oneness in Spirit.

Join Camille and friends for an online book launch on Sunday Nov 28 at 2pm EST, 7pm GMT.

Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/435138208
Zoom passcode: threshold

The Way of Mary is out Nov 30th. Pre-order your copy now for pre-Christmas delivery.

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I would like to thank Camille Hanim for bringing us Hazreti Meryem’s fragrance full of patience, compassion, mercy, and knowing. Camille Hanim has done a great service to humanity by writing this book—the fact that she quotes from the Bible, the Quran and the Masnavi is very important in terms of realizing that all paths lead to the One. Even though the paths are different, the destination is the same.
    ~ Esin Celebi Bayru, 22nd generation granddaughter of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Vice President, International Mevlana Foundation

What beautiful blessedness: the wise and gentle heart of Mary mirrored in the wise and gentle heart of Camille Helminski.
    ~ The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault, author of The Wisdom Jesus and The Meaning of Mary Magdalene

Camille Helminski’s The Way of Mary is far more than an exquisitely written, profoundly researched exploration of Mary’s presence and power in the Abrahamic traditions. It is nothing less than a sustained act of adoration by a great mystic who knows the Mother from years of deep devotion. This is an indispensable book for all lovers of the divine feminine, especially those who love Mary and want to enter her subtle and ever available grace and love. Read it, treasure it, follow the stages so beautifully set out that lead you into the depth of who Mary is and who you can be if you allow yourself to be permeated, sustained and ennobled by her grace. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
    ~ Andrew Harvey, author of Return of the Mother and The Hope

I have read numerous books on the Holy Mother in Her many guises: Kali, Chochma, Sarada Devi, Shechinah, Avalokiteshvara, and of course Mary, but none was as striking, profound, and potentially heart-transforming as Camille Helminski’s The Way of Mary. This book, steeped in wisdom, is a book to be savored. I cannot recommend it more highly.
    ~ Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of The Divine Feminine in Biblical Wisdom Literature

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW

Nov 7th & 21st

NOTE: Dec 19 (Rumi’s Urs) will be at the later time of 1pm EST, 6pm GMT.

Join us for an online meditation with Shaikh Kabir Helminski, Camille, and other members of the Threshold community. Held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month at 11am Eastern Time (4pm UK).

Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/435138208
Zoom passcode: threshold

Watch the previous meditations here.

November Theme

Heal with Presence.
~Shaikh Kabir Helminski

We welcome your reflections on this theme.

Reflection on October theme: Two believers that lend support to each other are like a pair of hands that wash each other clean. ~Muhammad (a.s.)

~ Amina Hadi [Canada]

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful and Most Compassionate.  

We were asked to incorporate additional prayers to the ritual ones for the moment this humanity was living in 2020. Many of us had already started doing it, perhaps because of a inherent empathy human beings have. When I started doing the specific wasifa suggested by two of our sisters, for healing, I was trying to visualize a specific image, and as it was not possible to do so, I put aside the images and my intention was directed to a certain group of people, hospitals, schools, neighbours, family, brothers and sisters in the path, leaders, animals, the whole planet. Wishing that my prayers could reach the one in most need, I asked Allah Almighty to guide me.

An image of a huge basket collecting prayers from everybody in the world came, and I thought that this collected energy would reach someone in need, like petals of flowers falling on their pain. As days and months passed, the news of the need for healing from people close to me started to come and it has increased as days go by. So now I had an image and a connection, a warm feeling started to grow in this heart, alhamdulillah!

As it is said in the Holy Qur’an:

He who spends in wealth for increase in self-purification,
And who has no favour from anyone to be paid back
Except to seek the Countenance of his lord, the Most High.

[Surah al-Layl 92:18–20, trans. by Dr Muhammad Taqui-Ud-Din Al-Hilali]

One of those in need was my oldest sister, who has been living challenging days regarding her health for a year. We started having conversations by phone more often, and one day I suggested we change the subject of our conversations, which were turning into an endless circle of complaints. Then I invited her to do zhikr. Next we were doing maghrib prayer (we do this by phone, as she has some limitations to hear and to see well). I received a call from my niece, her daughter, saying that she was improving her attitude, alhamdulillah.

It seems that if one gives a hand to someone in need the consequent movement is to receive a hand back, almost immediately. As for this heart, doing prayer or zhikr along with someone has been a blessing; there is a different feeling now while performing the prayer—one of gratitude. And some ayats from the Quran made more sense to me:

And when it is said to them: “Spend of that which Allah has provided you…”

[Surah Ya Sin 36:47, trans. by Dr Muhammad Taqui-Ud-Din Al-Hilali]

This support a person can receive from someone, our beloved Prophet tells us, is easy to be seen in different groups of “believers” in common areas of our human lives. For example, one group of people has found one way to live in ecological houses with the option of living in groups or individually, trying to respect nature. In one of their presentations, they quote the following words from anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

If we surrender to the belief that everything happens because the Divine wants it that way, and He allows us to open our hearts, we are able to see this principle our dear Prophet is talking about: “Two believers that lend support to each other are like a pair of hands that wash other clean.”

We could see this truth reflected in different ways…

There was this group of embroidering ladies from different parts of the world, joining their stitches to make trees, a forest of hope for this humanity to change for the better. That was their proposal which they brought to Glasgow. Embroidery itself shows us how things are interconnected and dependant, one on the other, in a harmonious movement of the needle, to create a whole, in concordance, each one in its colour and style. Like trees that are connected by their roots and give each other support.

If we were to go on watching carefully, we would find more of these beautiful manifestations. Recently a dear sister asked for this one’s support to accomplish a certain task. I accepted, but in reality she was the one giving me a hand, as I had the chance to discover and use those latent talents Allah the Almighty, al-Khaliq, al-Bari, al-Musawwir, has given us. God bless her for asking me, because in fact she was helping me. May my contribution to her reach success.

May Allah inspire us to give support to one another and join our stitches for a common task, to serve and to love, and may this become a sincere community. May peace be with all of you. Let’s bring together our hands in prayer.

Wa alhadulillahi rabbil alamin.

~ Amina Hadi lives in one corner of the world named Canada, toddler, as the toddlers she works with, in the path of loving Allah.

ARCHIVES: Sufism & Our Hearts

An interview with Kabir Helminski by Benedict Just who is working on a documentary about The Heart.

Watch here.

Threshold's collaborative blog channel The Living Tradition on Patheos.com has been reaching new audiences and sharing the experiences of our community in a unique and vibrant way for nearly four years. We are now transitioning over to Medium in the coming months, and will be writing under our new publication, Awakening with Rumi.

Recent articles:

The Feminine Power Supporting the Prophets by Saimma Dyer

The Threshold Society

The Threshold Society, rooted within the traditions of Sufism and inspired by the life and work of Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi, is a non-profit educational foundation with the purpose of facilitating the experience of Divine Unity, Love, and Truth in the world. Sufism is a living tradition of human transformation through love and higher consciousness. Our fundamental framework is classical Sufism and the Qur’an as it has been understood over the centuries by the great Sufis. The Society is affiliated with the Mevlevi Order, and offers training programs, seminars and retreats around the world.

Each month we intend to highlight an article about our lineage and its principles. This month we offer: Adab; The Courtesy of the Path

The Sufis created a system of human development grounded in love and using the power of love to awaken and transform human beings. Rumi taught that it is everyone’s potential to master the art of loving. Love is the answer to the problem of human existence.

The way to God passes through servanthood. The point is to love and be connected with others in that love. The form of Sufi work is typically a group, or spiritual family. The Sufis created a milieu in which human love was so strong that it naturally elevated itself to the level of cosmic love. All forms of love eventually lead to spiritual love. “Ashq olsun,” they say. “May it become love.” They cultivated a kindness and refinement in which love fermented into a fine wine. They encouraged service to humanity as an expression of the love they felt. They accepted a rigorous discipline in order to keep the fire of love burning strongly.

[Read more…]

Calendar

1st & 3rd Sunday: Online Meditation, more details    (KC)

Nov 28: The Way of Mary Book Launch, more details   (C)
 
Dec 19: Rumi's Urs, more details    (KC)

 

Events with Kabir (K) & Camille (C)

We’d love to hear from you — get in touch at eyeoftheheart@sufism.org

 

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