~ Camille Hamilton Adams Helminski

Shaikh Kabir and Camille Ana at Galata Mevlevihane, Istanbul

Remember Me, I will remember you.
Give ear, listen to the words: “Keep My covenant,”
so that “I will keep your covenant” may come to you from the Friend.
What is our covenant and loan, O sorrowful one?
It is like sowing a dry seed in the earth. . . .
Bury deep, then, the dry prayer of words, O fortunate one,
for a tree requires the sowing of seed.

Even if you have no seed, God will bestow on you a palm tree,
because of your prayer, saying, “How well did she labor!”
Like Mary: she had heartfelt pain, but no seed:
the Artful One made green that withered palm tree for her sake;
because that noble Lady was devoted to God,
without desire on her part, God fulfilled for her a hundred desires.
[Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi V: 1182–84; 1189–92]

Remember Me —I remember you [Surah al-Baqarah 2:152]. It is thus encouraged that in the wholehearted loving remembrance of our Divine Source, we are re-membered, restored, found. In the Quran, Beloved Mary, blessed mother of Jesus, is alone during the throes of labor, and reaches out to a palm tree for support; this gentle woman is tested to the edge of endurance, both physically and emotionally as, unsure of what is to come, she struggles, alone, and yet supported by the emerging strength of the palm. The Quranic and Biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus differ in their details, but both recount the event with honor and sensitivity as resplendent with God’s Grace and attendance by angels. Within the Islamic tradition, it is understood that it was an angel who calls to her to look down and see the spring that has surfaced beneath her. Whether she was alone or in the company of her betrothed, she was reliant upon her Lord, even in the midst of difficulty, trusting in the Breath of knowingness through which she had matured, now witnessing the fulfillment of the Word. Through her most intimate surrender, great blessing poured.

By the sun of July, old winter’s chill transforms to heat;
by Mary’s burning sighs a dry branch becomes a fruitful palm tree.
[Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi VI: 1290]

Hold fast to the rope of God.
[Surah al-‘Imran 3:103]

For Muslims, Beloved Mary is a pre-eminent example of one who stayed true to her original, pure nature, through prayer and sacrifice, “making sacred” every act and word, devoted, surrendered in Love. Through her example we, also, can learn to turn to be with the “breath” of God in every moment, aligned, surrendered, within Truth, as we were created, bil Haqq.

May the voice of Justice be uplifted by the power of Love.

We welcome your reflections on this theme.

~ Rex Spear [Montana, USA]

I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to share some reflections on the above hadith. While this saying from the Prophet (PBUH) holds a treasure trove of meaning and can be approached from a wide range of perspectives and interpretations, for myself the three key words are Goal, Pleasure, and Aim. Upon reflection, I was reminded of a summer job I had in high school. I worked on a very large farm and learned how to drive a tractor. The farmer taught me that the way to plow a furrow and harvest a field was to keep both a far aim or target while simultaneously being aware of the near field, or what is immediately in front of the tractor. If I simply focused on what was nearby, the plowed rows would end up being twisted and deformed. Yet, if only the far target was considered, then it would be easy to run over various obstacles hidden in the stalks and high grass. Both the far aim and the near aim need be held in alignment in order to have straight rows.

So too, on the Spiritual Journey our far or ultimate goal of being in union with Allah (tawhid) needs to be held in sight, all the while being present to what is happening right before us in our everyday lives, under our noses—moment by moment. If either the far or the near is neglected, we will not remain on the straight, direct path. Holding both in proper alignment is one description of taqwa, vigilant heartfulness of Allah. Moreover, abiding in this proper attunement and sight alignment is pleasing to the Holy One. The noblest, most honorable of you in the sight of God is the one most advanced in taqwa (Qur’an, 49:13). As Shaikh Kabir notes, “A person living in taqwa actually has the pleasure of a good conscience and the assurance that God is pleased with him or her” (The Book of Language).

The critical question that arises for myself is how do I know if my far aim/goal is indeed in attunement with ar-Rabb and hence truly pleasing to the Holy One. For as Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman put it so well, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and, in fact, you are the easiest person to fool”. More simply put, my nafs is quite masterful at disguising my infantile and self-serving cravings as what theologian Paul Tillich called “That of Ultimate Concern”.

With regards to achieving this appropriate far aim, a sustained and healthy application of self-observation and self-criticism is essential. In Living Presence, Shaikh Kabir writes,

One of the first aims is to acquire more knowledge of ourselves—to know what kind of people we habitually are. Self-knowledge is gained by observing ourselves in light of the Work.

For this Work, the cornerstone quality that I need to cultivate and inhabit is humility.

Humility is one of the great and most precious gifts of being human. The word ‘humility’ is built right into our species’ name, human. Humility comes from the Latin humilitas which means “being on the ground or from the earth (humus)”. When I am close to the ground, as in the posture of sujud during salah, I recognize my complete dependency upon and connection to the earth and, more importantly, to ar-Rabb, the Creator and Sustainer of all. Being “grounded” in this sense constitutes a deeply embedded self-sense that seeks neither acclaim nor recognition. As Yannis Toussulis notes, the Khwajagan Sufi Masters:

…could best be entitled “Meetings with Unremarkable Men.” Their ‘secret’ is that you might never notice them unless you are acutely attentive and emptied of spiritual ambitions and pretensions. . . . One of the early Khwajagan, Bistami, was asked how a Sufi could draw nearer to God. His answer was through . . . “humility and indigence.” Another great Sufi, Qushayri, once said, “the hero is he who smashes idols, and the idol of every man is his ego.”
[Sufism and the Way of Blame]

To that end, I have found it critical to set my intention each morning by remembering and cultivating this inner posture of humility. One dua I find especially helpful comes from a prayer by Thomas Merton, the twentieth-century mystic, in Thoughts in Solitude:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please You does, in fact, please You.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore, I will trust You always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

In summary, this capacity to hold both near and far in our visual field is not within the realm of our physical eyes. Attempting to do so only results in a disconjugate gaze. I find myself too easily distracted, seduced, and mesmerized by the myriad objects in my near field. Worse yet, I can justify such myopia as being aligned with the Divine. Humility is the requisite curative and discipline that corrects to an appropriate sight picture, thus establishing true taqwa.

~ Rex Spear is a retired physician who, with this wife Karyn, has lived in Bozeman, Montana for over 30 years. They have two adult sons.

SUNDAY 15th DEC 2024, 12pm ET / 5pm GMT

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 Court of Truth.

This is an interactive experience. We welcome all friends who may wish to whirl, whether you have robes or not, to join in. You may wish to create some space for turning, perhaps light some candles and have some red roses or rose incense/oil.

~ Daniel Thomas Dyer

I probably first came across Keats’ poetry at school, but it wasn’t until my thirties when I was immersed in Sufism that a real appreciation of it began. Picking up Saimma’s schoolgirl copy of some of his poems, I was moved by the beauty of his language as if for the first time. I could now see the mystical insights he was intuiting (and also half-doubting) in the rich, subtle imagery of his poems. At times I wanted to cry out, ‘Yes! Trust your heart!’ as he dramatized that push and pull the heart undergoes with the head, a tussle most of us on this Path will recognise.

When, in the opening line of ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, Keats writes, ‘Thou still unravished bride of quietness’, I sensed he was addressing not only the urn but his own receptive soul; and when, in ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, he writes, ‘While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad / In such an ecstasy’, I knew he was addressing his own higher self in this nightingale, a self in constant communion with the Divine Beloved. ‘Love is my religion,’ wrote Keats in a letter, and so too is Rumi’s of course. ‘What the imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth,’ he insisted, and I had discovered through Rumi a path devoted to that Divine Beauty he was encountering in his own unique and poignant way. ‘If only he’d had a Rumi at his side, or belonged to some mystical tradition that could make sense of his experiences!’

The Source of Abundance

with Khadim Chishti
Wisconsin USA, January 31st - February 2nd 2025
Holy Wisdom Monastery, Middleton, WI

In the Name of God, the Infinitely Compassionate, the Continually Merciful
We have bestowed on you the Source of Abundance (the Spring of Paradise).
So to your Sustainer turn in prayer and sacrifice (acknowledge from where your life flows).
Surely, the one who rejects you will be cut off (from that Source of Abundant Life).
[Surah al-Kawthar, 108:1-3, translation by Camille Helminski]

God’s Abundance continually flows into creation. What are the ways we are guided to know and trust this Source of Abundance? During the weekend we will explore and deepen our knowledge and connection to “The Source of Abundance” through the Qur’an, Rumi’s teachings, zikr, silence, prayer, and conversation.

$365 Single room
$285 Double room
$175 Commuter

Residential ensuite room for 2 nights includes six meals
Commuter rate includes four meals
Arrival at 4:00 pm on Friday, departing 2:00 Sunday afternoon

Las Palmas Garden 2025 Calendar
An offering with love from Camille Hamilton Adams Helminski
Designed with Matthew Helminski for Sweet Lady Press

2025 calendar containing vibrant photographs of flowers of the month, from the garden beyond the door of Camille’s home. Each month is also accompanied by a verse from Mevlana Rumi or sacred text, lunar phases, religious holidays honored from multiple faiths, and select USA & global remembrance days.

Mark your way through the year with beauty and grace.

Whoever is sitting with friends
Is in the midst of a flower garden.
[Rumi, Mathnawi IV:1976]

April: Orange blossoms         June: Munstead Wood Rose      August: Guava Blossom

Dec 1st

Join us for a monthly online meditation and sohbet with Shaikh Kabir and special guests from the Threshold community. Held on the 1st Sunday of every month at 12pm Eastern Time (5pm UK).

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

Watch last month's meeting below and see all our videos here.

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. You can find our core articles here. We encourage our community to read and reread these regularly.

Each month we intend to highlight an article about our lineage and its principles. This month we offer: Love in Islam.

***

Love in Islam
by Mahmoud Mostafa

Dear brothers and sisters, the guidance of Islam is the guidance of love. The innate, natural and ancient religion that is Islam is the religion of love. The Prophet (puh) came to guide us to love and to make clear the love that is at the core of all religion. Our purpose as human beings is to consciously manifest Allah’s love in our lives. This is the most significant meaning of Khilafa and Ibada that can bring purpose to us and transform our lives. When we reflect upon the history of the Prophet (puh) and the spread of his message we will realize that Islam could not have taken root in the world without the love that filled the heart of the Prophet and was clearly manifest in his way of relating and interacting with people that brought out their own deep and profound love for him. Without this mutual and abiding love, none of us would be here today. Without this love Islam would not have been possible.

[Read more...]

Dec 15: Rumi's Urs Online, more details  (KC)

Jan 31 - Feb 2, 2025: Madison Retreat with Khadim Chishti, more details

Sep 26-29, 2025: UK Annual Retreat at The Vedanta, Lincolnshire

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

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