A selection of sohbets taken from the monthly Sunday meditations.
With Difficulty Comes Ease
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski share some comforting wisdom at the start of the global pandemic. Camille shares Surah Inshirah from the blessed Quran that arrived in a moment of difficulty for the Prophet Muhammed and his community. Kabir reminds us that spirituality is not isolated from sorrow, but something that helps to maintain a connection with what is Real through all states of existence.
[Originally offered 29th Mar 2020]
Being with An-Nur & Ar-Razzaq
Shaikh Kabir Helminski reminds us that the essence of fasting is meditation of the body and opening up the heart. He reflects on his grandparents and their footsteps on the path of human dignity, and what it meant to enter the sanctuary of his heart. He shares newly translated Rumi ghazal 322 discovered by Leila Bhr and shares further verses from Mevlana, encouraging us to search for the sovereign with the whole of ourselves.
[Originally offered 26th Apr 2020]
The Metaphysics of Envy
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski suggest spiritual maintenance to clear our hearts from the knots of negative thinking and emotions by reciting Surah Iklas, Surah Falaq, and Surah Nas thirty-three times. Kabir reminds us that we live in a telepathic reality where every thought matters, and recommends the practice of ho‘oponopono. Camille shares from Mevlana Rumi with the beautiful recommendation of “little by little.”
[Originally offered 14th Jun 2020]
Moving Beyond the Inner Chatter
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski take us into the theme “Silence is the beginning of worship,” reminding us that ritual or ceremony without that state of being are mere form. Kabir encourages us to connect with the context or our existence to help witness the content of our psyche and our inner conversations, with sharings by Thomas Merton and Mevlana Rumi. Camille shares the miracle of the cicadas and their voice of praise, with some reflections from the Quran. She also shares from Amma Syncletica and Mevlana Rumi.
[Originally offered 6th Jun 2021]
Silence is the Beginning of Worship
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski explore silence as a state of being and our original food being Light. Kabir brings us Prophet Muhammad’s “Light Prayer” and the story of Uthman mounting the pulpit of Muhammad and delivering a silent transmission. Camille shares selections from the Wird and Rumi’s Sun, reminding us that communing with God is the doorway to be liberated from grief.
[Originally offered 20th Jun 2021]
Sincerity, Intentions & Actions
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski take us into the layers of sincerity in the heart. Kabir shares sayings of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Sadiq, and Mevlana Rumi’s discourse “Our daily bread is seeking us,” and also explores Surah Ikhlas. Camille refers to Rabia Al-Adiwaya and brings us prayers from Prophet Joseph, the Mevlevi Wird, and the Mathnawi. She contemplates Hazrati Shams’ wisdom on emigrating from cramped dark houses to large spaces with gardens, the security found in la illaha ilallah, and the potential of humankind to be paradise itself.
[Originally offered 1st Aug 2021]
Truth Brings Tranquillity
Shaikh Kabir Helminski brings us sayings from the Prophet Muhammad, from Mevlana, the Quran, and Ibn Arabi. He shares metaphysics, stresses the importance of cultivating the witnessing presence, and poetry from Yunus Emre.
[Originally offered 15th Aug 2021]
12 Fruits of Love
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski take us into a deeper understanding on the Sufi path, described as a path to Truth/Reality, using Love as the vehicle. Kabir brings us the 12 fruits of Love (qualities for the soul to deepen in). Camille shares about the communion between the prophets guiding our hearts, and brings us teachings from Shams of Tabriz, reminding us not to get involved with untangling knots but to remember where we have come from and to where we will return, and a prayer from the Mevlevi Wird (page 45).
[Originally offered 19th Sep 2021]
Aligning with Haqq
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski offer reflections on the Quranic injunction to “do the work of reconciliation, healing, and wholeness.” Also wisdom from the late professor Abdul Aziz Said on how “the ecological function of the human being is love.” Camille brings selections from Hasan Shushud, encouraging perseverance and focus on God, and from Mevlana, who reminds us of the fire of Love. She offers selections from Surah Yasin with the humble reminder to keep aware of where we will return.
[Originally offered 5th Sep 2021]
Heal with Presence
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski bring us strong medicine from Hazrati Shams, the Lightholder and North Star of our tradition. Kabir explains the secret of Shams written in the Mevlevi banner, shares passages from ‘Rumi’s Sun: The Teachings of Shams of Tabriz’ and delves into the story of Majnun and Laila. Camille shares from Shams, Mevlana, and the Prayer of Abraham, taking us deeper to witness the rays of that Sun within our hearts and find new healing.
[Originally offered 7th Nov 2021]
Solve Your Problems with Love
Camille Helminski explores the challenges arriving with Love and stretching our capacities to Love. Camille brings us a prayer from the Cherokee Native Americans and takes us deeper into remembrance so that difficulties may melt in the Light. She shares voice recordings from Suleyman Dede and Hasan Shashud, with guidance on the workshop of non-existence, focusing on realignment and remembrance.
[Originally offered 6th Nov 2022]