Articles

Claim Nothing, Let the Divine Do

This theme is an advanced teaching. It presumes that we have to some extent developed a healthy capacity for will. By will we mean the capacity to choose consciously; and will power is the capacity to follow through on what we have consciously chosen. Only then can we glimpse the meaning of “Claim nothing, let the Divine do.” A healthy will is a will that more often than not chooses what is good for the soul and is independent of the whims and desires of the lower self. It is at this stage that this theme becomes applicable.

The Invisible Rain of Ramadan

Ramadan has so many dimensions: purification, sacrifice, community, the still and subtle emptiness of the heart. It reorients us in so many ways. Ramadan is less something that we do—instead it is a force field we enter and are transformed by. But it does take intention and effort on our part. If we can, we participate in the fast. Perhaps we also find other intentions, new aspects of awareness that become part of this sacred time. I’d like to share something I’ve learned.

How Experience Imbues our Essence

Every human soul is in the process of acquiring experience. Does it matter that we acquire experience? Does it serve any purpose? Yes, the Divine has sent souls into the world in order to share in its ecstasy and love. If we go through life relatively unconscious, numb, unappreciative, ungrateful, and absorbed with our petty desires, we are forfeiting our chance to share in God’s ecstasy and love.

Reflections on Snowmass

In mid-June of 2011, I was a guest of Camille at the Snowmass Inter-Spiritual Dialog, held in the lovely setting of St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado. The Dialog is an on-going process with more than a 25 year history in seeking to promote communication and exchange among many of the world’s spiritual or contemplative traditions and to identify “points of agreement” among them. Each of the core members or “mentors” of the group, of which Camille is the current Islamic/Sufi representative, invited several guests.

Being a Person of Paradise

We are living in the midst of very challenging times. Shams and Mevlana also lived in the midst of very challenging times, yet what a possibility opened with the example of being they unveiled. They invite us into the garden of seeing God’s beauty and abundance in the midst of everything, seeing the Unity, and encouraging souls to be people of Paradise now, here.

Islam and Human Values

Islam and Human Values by Kabir Helminski (with input from leading scholars) was written to address the urgent questions, misunderstandings, and distortions of Islam that are all too prevalent today. The need for a document like this seems to grow daily in the face of Islamophobic propaganda and extremist versions of Islam. Islam and Human Values makes the case that there is an intrinsic Islam with the Qur’an as its reference point that stands for religious pluralism, freedom of conscience, human dignity, social justice, and the spiritual transformation of human beings.

The Living Tradition of the Mevlevi Path

It has been a privilege and an honor to be associated with this Mevlevi tradition. It has shaped our thoughts, values, perceptions, and prayers. We draw upon the inspiration of Hazrati Mevlana and we are also grateful for the centuries of wisdom and beauty that true Mevlevis have left as a legacy. We have been following the Mevlevi Path since we took hand with Suleyman Dede in 1980 and he gave us permission to teach and lead zhikrs. In 1990 the honorable Celaletttin Celebi gave us permission to wear the Mevlevi Destar and specifically to “teach the mystic path of the Mevlevis.” Our journey on this path continued with the kind support of the noble and generous Celebi family, and along the way was strengthened by many friendships with beautiful Mevlevis, including the faithful and humble Sefik Can Efendi.

Personal Reflections from Turkey

Konya! Mevlana! Ashk! For the past thirty years or more a current has run through my life, our lives, sometimes as a subtle guidance, sometimes as a sense of meaningful coherence, and sometimes as an upwelling force that makes the eyes glisten, if not overflow with tears.

Rumi on Hard Times

We send you our warmest greetings, just a few days after the end of Ramadan and Mevlana's birthday (September 30th). The Wednesday night before (9/24), in the midst of the current financial crisis, we were gathered to read Mevlana's Mathnawi, III, 1721. . . The reasons Pharaoh's magicians had the courage to suffer the amputation of their hands and feet. It's interesting how Mevlana addresses worldly concerns from the perspective of the deepest spiritual understanding. Pharaoh is, of course, the archetype or symbol of the blind, worldly power that tries to strike fear into everyone's hearts, while the magicians are those who have developed a high degree of spiritual perception and realization

Hold to the Rope of God

If you feel as if you are living through uncertain, disturbing, hopeful, chaotic times, you're not alone. Given the harsh economic demands, the frenzy of everyday life, the delusions of the prevailing culture, keeping our spiritual life alive requires not just intention but a passion for the Truth. It is that passion that will bring the consistent and deep practice, the deep remembrance and trust that will guide us to the Truth. Recently, a national group of activists held a conference here in Santa Cruz on the theme of a Truth Emergency. Given the national corporate media, not only is reporting distorted, there is virtually a black-out of the major issues that should concern us. There seems to be a tragic failure of leadership.