EYE of the HEART
THRESHOLD SOCIETY NEWSLETTER ~ DEC 2020

SUNDAY 20th DEC 2020, 12PM EST / 5PM GMT

We are delighted to bring you Rumi's Urs 2020 - online! The unique circumstances of this year have allowed us to organise a global Urs gathering with our international community.

Celebrate Mevlana Rumi’s union with the Beloved – the anniversary of his passing into the Unseen – with an online gathering of remembrance. Join Shaikh Kabir & Camille Helminski and Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes for zhikr, music, and poetry on the theme of The Heart of Stillness.

Join us on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/435138208
Zoom passcode: threshold

Please note this takes the place of the regular Sunday meditation.

More details: rumiscircle.com

In the House of Remembering by Kabir Helminski

4 minutes to bring you inside this book... In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching by Kabir Helminski

The 30 chapters of this book are transcriptions of talks and dialogs from within a private circle of spiritual practitioners. This collection explores subjects such as developing intention, will, awareness, awakening our capacities for love, reducing the domination of ego, honoring the masters, saints, and prophets that have gone before. As the saying goes, “The body is fed through the mouth; the soul is feed through the ear.” Available from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle: https://amzn.to/35XvqQG

December Theme

Sorrow is my friend; knowledge is my weapon; patience is my provision; contentment is my wealth; powerlessness is my pride; detachment is my trade; certainty is my strength, striving is my character, and prayer is my comfort. ~Muhammad (a.s.)

We welcome your reflections on this theme.

Reflection on November's theme: Gnosis is my stock-in-trade; intellect is the basis of my religion; love is my foundation; longing is my vehicle; remembrance of God is my comfort; trust is my treasure. ~Muhammad (a.s.)

~ Shaikh Kabir Helminski

Watch the video reflection below, taken from the last Sunday meditation.

Bringers of Light

Gurcu Hatun, Radiant Sun & Lady Jacoba of the Seven Suns

Rumi and His Friends brings us stories of several women of deep spirit, as well as men, who gathered in the circles of remembrance around Mevlana. One of his closest friends and supporters was Gurcu Hatun, the Georgian wife of Kaykhusraw II, the Seljuk Sultan of Konya. Some of her story is incorporated into a forthcoming book of stories of our grandmothers, still in process, Tree of Grace: Troubadors, Patriots, Mystics, and Lovers; accompanying the story of Gurcu Hatun is the story of another grandmother of Spirit, Lady Jacoba, close friend of St. Francis. That chapter excerpt from the forthcoming book is included here in honor of the Urs (Wedding-night) of Hazrati Mevlana approaching on the 17th December and in remembrance of Beloved Mary giving birth to Jesus, the Christ (masîḥ, “the Anointed”), all such bringers of Light.

Excerpt from Tree of Grace: Troubadors, Patriots, Mystics, and Lovers, offered by Camille, Chapter 18:

Gurcu Hatun, the “Georgian Lady” [1227-1286], christened in her native land as “Tamar” Bagrationi, was only 13 when she was brought to Konya, in 1240, to marry the Seljuk Sultan, Kaykhusraw II, Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Kaykhusraw bin Kayqubād. Her betrothal, as were many in those eras, was a peace-keeping political alliance between her mother, the ruling Queen Rusudan of Georgia, and the young Seljuk Sultan, as they sought a balance of power in the face of Mongol aggression. Tamar was of the Bagratid dynasty, one of the oldest of royal lineages, reputed to be descendants of the Prophet David, and named in remembrance of his ancestral grandmother, “Tamar,” the “fertile palm.” Cultured and well-educated, though Eastern Orthodox Christian, Tamar soon won the heart of her Muslim husband. He fell deeply in love with her, and it seems that love was happily returned…

[Read more…]

Blessed Maryam

Remembering Blessed Maryam with Camille Helminski. Weaving together stories from the Quran and the Bible...

Threshold Books COVID-19 Care Package

(USA shipping only)

Choose any three items from this list of paperback books and CD’s
and receive all three at the discounted price of $25 including shipping.
Or choose one hardcover book and two of any of the others for $30 including shipping.
Ship to yourself or to cheer a friend.
(See our bookstore pages for item descriptions)

Hardcover books:
Jewels of Remembrance; The Rumi Collection.

Paperback book options:
Unseen Rain; Love Is a Stranger; The Light of Dawn; Inspirations on the Path of Blame; Happiness without Death.

CD’s
Praise by Ahmet Tijani and friends; Embracing Both Worlds (Music of Sema)

ORDER HERE

Sunday Meditation: 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month

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 EST / 4pm GMT.

 

Join us on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/435138208
Passcode: threshold

 

[If you have not used Zoom before, please allow time to install and test the software before the meeting time. Click the above link and you will be prompted to download.]

 

Watch all the previous meditations on our YouTube channel.

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: Lessons in the School of Love: The Adab of Sacred Space.

Sufi training is accomplished, above all, in the Sufi lodge and the network of relationships cultivated there. Sometimes the Sufi lodge is an actual tekkye or dergah, a private home, a rented hall, and sometimes it may even be a “tekkye on wheels,” as when we travel to a foreign country together. What is most important is the intention and an understanding of why we come together. We are seeking to create and sustain an environment where spiritual realization can be optimized, where the influence of egoism can be minimized, and where the values and knowledge of the tradition can be preserved.

When we step over the threshold of the Sufi tekkye (lodge) we are leaving one world and entering another. We are leaving the environment of the mundane and entering sacred space. We do this, above all, with our intention. Our intention is to be present, courteous, and aware of our own self (nafs).

[Read more…]

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 will now be transitioning over to Medium in the coming months.

Recent Articles:

"How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep" by Daniel Thomas Dyer

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

 

***

Find out how to support the work of Threshold Society

***

You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up at sufism.org

Modify your subscription    |    View online
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
Threshold Society
1288 Cherokee Rd Louisville, KY 40204
© Threshold Society. All rights reserved.