Discussing Spiritual Bypass
At the recent San Francisco retreat, "The Alchemy of Character," Dr. Sara Winter spoke about the tendency to avoid ego development needs and the messier issues of our lives through spiritual bypass, i.e. a state of premature transcendence, trying to circumvent the developmental issues of the self in the name of spirituality. Unresolved emotional issues and wounds can sabotage spiritual practice, interfering with our meditation and zhikr.
RUMI ALIVE, THE NEW YEAR, Camille Adams Helminski
A talk by Camille from a weekend of “Rumi Alive” with friends gathering in Alabama in remembrance in 2007. It opens with Mevlana’s prayer offering from Book IV of the Mathnawi which seems a wonderful prayer to offer in remembrance as we begin a New Year.
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CYCLES OF WITNESSING, TREE OF LIFE, Camille Adams Helminski
My ancestry led back directly, I discovered, through Deacon John Dyer and his wife, Freelove Williams, and further back to such a strong woman of Spirit whose story I had never known—Mary Dyer, the only woman in the history of the United States of America to be martyred for religious freedom. It was 1660 when she was hung on Boston Common by the Puritans, for promoting freedom of religious conscience. She went to her death with joy, witnessing to Truth, determined to honor the freedom of each soul to discover and relate to the Truth as he or she felt moved by the “Inner Light.” She was a Quaker.
GRATITUDE, Kabir Helminski
We can be grateful for the possibilities of service that life presents us with. The more we serve the better we feel, especially about ourselves. The mature character does not need, nor expect, to be thanked by others. The chance to serve, which is so good for ourselves, is itself a gift and is its own reward. Maturity is to serve without any expectation, and to be grateful to simply be.
The Balance between Doing and Being
A beloved dervish asks: I wonder how I can deal with the resistance in me to do my zhikr. I haven’t been able to find the core of this resisting part and what it is [...]
Introducing the Mevlevi Ceremony at the Vatican
September 2014 ~Celal Celebi
Your Eminence, Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen. Since Turkey is a part of Anatolia we know that we are also former citizens of the Great Roman Empire. We are aware that, Tutte le strade portano a Roma. Tonight, as the 23rd generation descendant of Jelaleddin Rumi and a representative of the 800 year old tradition, I am glad to be with the distinguished and honored members of your great society.
Embodying Grace (Interview & Meditation with Shaikh Kabir)
This interview is part of the Summer of Peace 2014 Summit, a free online event featuring 70+ of the world’s top peacebuilders, social change leaders, indigenous elders and spiritual mentors offering inspiration, skills training and powerful solutions [...]
Sufism: A Hidden Treasure
"Sufism: A Hidden Treasure" -- a talk by Shaikh Kabir Helminski at City Circle, London on Friday 14th March, 2014. Many British Muslims today suffer a double alienation: on one side from a dogmatic expression [...]
Self and Selflessness
In considering how the human being can embody both self and selflessness, let's begin with a metaphysical perspective on the position that human consciousness occupies in cosmic existence. The human consciousness is a presence suspended between the Divine Absolute and a Cosmic-Life-Force that is associated with our intention, thoughts, and feelings. That's a mouthful, I know. It's meaning will become clearer, I hope, through the course of this article.
Nights in Damascus with Asad Ali
The following excerpt is from the forthcoming book, Civilization of Paradise, Revelation Poems (Fons Vitae 2014), by Asad Ali. The book contains 90 poems, each associated with a Surah of the Qur'an, as well as 60 pages of introductory materials, including transcripts of three nights during which Kabir and Mahmoud Mostafa visited Dr. Ali's home in 2005. This long awaited book completes the cycle of 114 Poems that began with Happiness without Death (Threshold Books, 1991), by Asad Ali. Annemarie Schimmel, one of the greatest scholars of Sufism of the 20th Century, wrote of Asad Ali's poetry: "if carefully read as it deserves, it can help Westerners understand the grandeur and power of pristine Islam."
Mirrors ~ Camille Speaking at The Circle of Love, Atlanta
Catch the fragrance of the Garden with Camille's inspired talk touching on Mevlana, Hadith, and the Qur'an.
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A Day with Nur Artiran
On a recent trip to Turkey led by Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski, our group was lucky enough to be invited to the Sefik Can Foundation, under the direction of Nur Artiran, one of Turkey's most respected spiritual teachers. It gave us a valuable insight into Sufism as practised by modern Mevlevis in Turkey.