What is balanced living? From the point of a spiritual search, why is balance important? by Michael Greenstein Much spiritual practice can be defined as an attempt to reach and maintain balance, on a worldly level, so that the spiritual consciousness might awaken and come forward. One of the characteristics of our physical body is the continual effort to maintain…
What is balanced living? From the point of a spiritual search, why is balance important? by Dr. Stewart Bitkoff To a person who is “balanced” this is not a question at all. We do not question the air we breathe, the food we eat, the…
Ramadan kareem! This is always a special time during the year a time to abstract ourselves from our daily routine and remember our Sustainer. I personally have always taken this time to reflect and spend some time alone in meditation. I wish all of you…
Talk with Dr. Yannis Toussulis Author of Sufism and the Way of Blame: Hidden Sources of a Sacred Psychology. By David Paquiot & Dr. Yannis Toussulis (Read Part 1& Part 2)…
Talk with Dr. Yannis Toussulis Author of Sufism and the Way of Blame: Hidden Sources of a Sacred Psychology. By David Paquiot & Dr. Yannis Toussulis (Read Part 1) _____________________ Dr.…
This was published originally by The New Yorker Magazine May 2011 by Elizabeth Minkel When the book was handed to me, I didn’t know where to begin. Its two hundred oversized,…
Dr. Yannis Toussulis and I ‘sat down’ Spring 2011 for this following interview. I would like to take a moment to thank him firstly for taking time from his daily…
Perceptions and ideas around Muslim identity and culture vary widely and too few are aware of the significant works of art and architecture that make up a large part of…
Aluna The Movie Trailer Aluna Trailer from Alan Ereira on Vimeo. ALUNA is being made by and with the KOGI, a genuine lost civilization hidden on an isolated triangular pyramid…
This article was Written by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee PhD is a Sufi teacher who has written many books, His latest work focuses on mysticism & spiritual responsibility in the context of ecological crisis & cultural transition.…
This article was Written by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee PhD is a Sufi teacher who has written many books, His latest work focuses on mysticism & spiritual responsibility in the context of ecological crisis & cultural…
The early Sufis used to live in communities where they would farm together, or work copper together. Some would live within the community until they got married. Suffice it to say that…
One of the cornerstones of my ideology was always that mankind is moving towards some point. The history of mankind, our human story has always shown to me that at…
(I have been grappling with a question for a long time and I would like to share the question as well as some of my thoughts on it. ) Introduction…
“We hear the cry of the world and we respond to that cry.” Creation itself is now calling to us, sending us signs of its imbalance. If we acknowledge…
I never realized how important taking a break was and relaxation. For the last few weeks for my own health I have been enjoying some serious rest and relaxation time.…
Dr Yannis Toussulis in his recent book Sufism and the Way of Blame suggests that due in part to spiritual consumerism and also to the way Sufism has been presented…
Friends, I had the great honor of being asked to review the following book, and I would like to share with you all an experience that happened to me when I was…
Jason Scholder of Reel Change Films interviews Coleman Barks, widely considered the foremost scholar and translator of Rumi’s poetry, for the ongoing spiritual documentary series, Walking the Path. EPBgXgHLuuw
A lot is said in sufism about the relationship between Shaikh as dervish, but very little is said about the relationship between dervishes. So I am going to say something…
I have received many questions both online and offline about Sufism and while I always try to refer to book and citations, sometimes I feel compelled to share my opinion…
I have found that talking to you all about being blocked up and unable to write has really helped. I cannot say how it has helped, but I feel a…
It’s been difficult to write on the caravan. About 1200 posts later I often wonder what of any value or use can I share with you. I’d like to tell…
Mes Amis, You have been missed to say the very least. I had a series of health problems and life calamity which for a while forced a pause in my…
If I can point to something which gave my life meaning it would have to be the pronounced spiritual awareness I carried with me into this party. I always experienced…
This Sunday, Feb 5 at 2:00PM EST join Alex Warden — a Sufi mystic born in Argentina who now oversees the ESSENTIAL ONENESS project in northern California. Its mission: “to foster a…
The following article was written by friend of the blog Allison Brooks. She decided to take me up on my offer and write something to share with all of us.…
“The secret that nobody is saying is that the ecological crisis is founded upon a very deep spiritual crisis in creation. It comes from a very foundational attitude that we…
We are not in pursuit of formalities or fake religious laws. For through the stairway of existence we have come to God’s door. – Hafiz originally taken from here
We are unripe fruits in the radiance of Your sunlight, but what a dance we are throwing as You do the ripening.” ~Rumi This is one of my favorite lines…
A sufi was wandering the world. One night he came as a guest to a community of sufis. He tied up his donkey in the stable and then was welcomed…
As some of you know before I ventured into Sufism I followed the teachings and practices of Kriya Yoga through the Sefl realization Fellowship. From very young I was always…
Hola Friends, Lately I have felt the onus of the blog shifting greatly and I wanted to reiterating something that came to me a few weeks ago when I was…
Lately I have managed to have some time off and a significant amount of that time has been spent in reflection about my life, and the usual where I want…
All my moments I spend with You, my Companion, the tranquility of the entire world. Light and joy, refuge and sanctuary: All are You. You are my sorrows´ Confidant, Source…
The Significance of this Moment in Time: 3 min video clip from the Science and Nonduality event, 2011. _________ Introduction We live in a culture caught in the illusion of…
If anyone should come to his house, whether known or unknown to him, he used to come and meet him with a smiling face and to the utmost of his…
I was reading this and started thinking about how we often times get what we deserve and the role our inner attitude plays in the shaping of things. ____________________ Self-deception…
Though the title of this is about Discovering the essence of Sufism or Islam, I think this applies to any particular tradition. I write a post about mostly sufism here…
Humanity must grow up from Sacred Resonance on Vimeo. _________ I met Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee during his spiritual ecology seminar in San Francisco. I’ve been following his teachings for…
This follow selection was taken from Dr Michaela Ozelsel Book 40 days. It is very poignant for a few reasons. The reason why I have liked this essay and the…
One of the best posts I read in a while written by a dear friend over at the Chronicle of a Lone Sheep Blog. In my early days when I…
Obviously the title is a misnomer. Who can dare to speak and say with a definitive gesture that this is what a mystical tradition is for. That would be a…
Reader Comments Elemental changes in our being seem to reveal a person we must yet come to know, while discarding an old self that now seems absurd and incongruous. Whether…
I had the great opportunity today to talk to an old friend who first met me when I was a bit lost and rough around the edges. The aphorism still…
I was standing at the checkout counter in the supermarket packing my bags while keeping one eye on my Thanksgiving food items getting rung up on the register. The numbers…
There is a point past where approaching a certain way becomes outdated. As time goes on societies change people change, means of expression change as well. More importantly the science…
We’re prisoners in the shackles of an immense passion Afflicted and tormented with manacles on our ankles we are the miserable ones in the deserts o love skilled in the…
I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love,…
Sufism for Western Seekers By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff For many western spiritual seekers, Sufism is often misunderstood and viewed as an Islamic mystical tradition presented through various Sufi orders. Yet…
The message has always been the same. We are the ones who have forgotten. The religion is one and humanity has a common source. Over time, messengers and religious forms…
The Cult of the Self As I have said before, neither Islam, nor Sufism discourage self-improvement or the enhancement of oneself. Where such enhancement ENDS, however, is when it impinges…
Problems are placed before you so you can overcome them. A. Hussain ____________ When life is kicking your butt and things seem out of control; and you are worn down…
Spiritual discrimination is learning where to use your energy. We each have a certain amount of energy, and we need this energy to fulfill our daily life and go to…
“Say ye: ‘we believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that…
(taken from the Seven PIllars of Wisdom article resource) This introduction was originally published in Steps of Meditation by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, O.W. Barth Verlag Weilheim, 1962. Translated from the German…
Locked Out of Life by Rumi Again it happens in my sleep. A core of wakefulness opens. But I have ways of ignoring that. You say, How long will…
So far as the United States seems to be concerned, it is only a slight overstatement to say that Moslems and Arabs are essentially seen as either oil suppliers or…
We speak of the ecological oneness of nature, but there is a deeper oneness that nature embodies. The oneness of nature is a reflection of His oneness. Nature instinctively knows…
Our investigations seem to have led us to a schema of spiritual experience in which, far from excluding one another, the one is interpreted through the other. Let us recapitulate…
I have said in a few posts now that in the West that we have sanitized love and fixated alot the personal fulfillment aspects of love. I felt this has been occurring since medieval times when the Troubadours…
I opened my late night reading Ibn Arabi Heir to the Prophet by Wiliam Chittick and came to the following which in many ways supports my previous posting The unknown face…
The “creed of love” is not a free-floating, universalistic form of mysticism. Sufism is a complex phenomenon that includes a number of irreducible cultural, political and psychological elements as well…
The “creed of love” is not a free-floating, universalistic form of mysticism. Sufism is a complex phenomenon that includes a number of irreducible cultural, political and psychological elements as well…
In my posting Just Some thoughts, I thought to give a voice to another aspect of the path that is not discussed much if at all out in the open…
Sometimes I wonder if its possible to talk to someone nowadays. It is quite the feat if it happens. Every statement or not is intended to be a political statement.…
One of the most painful part of being a dervish is watching all your ideas and expectations get ripped to shreds. One cannot as Shah Nimatullah has said hold an…
The “creed of love” is not a free-floating, universalistic form of mysticism. Sufism is a complex phenomenon that includes a number of irreducible cultural, political and psychological elements as well…
Most travelers make religion and spirituality too complicated of a thing. The following is the Path of the Spiritual Traveler in Every Day Life. Follow these 5 steps and you…
But spiritual affection is for God‘s sake, which is why this kind this kind of affection is called love of God’s sake. Those whose affection is for God, Exalted is…
I came across this passage from the Upanishads on The Alone with the Alone page adn I thought to add another germane quote. Enjoy Dave The world is the wheel…
Hello Friends, from time to time I like to share some thing with you all. Personal anecdotes from my life. Lessons from the path and other things. In part to…
Even from the scientific point of view, various approaches to investigating the connection between spirituality and erotic experience are increasingly being explored. Arya points out that physiological conenctions with the…
Nasruddin had an ox with horns shaped like a bow. He had always wanted to sit between the horns and ride the ox but he was too afraid. One day…
I have been fortunate in that I have not received too many negative comments on the blog. But today I received the following comment from someone called simply ‘no important’…
Now to those who lay claim to love I address these questions: How often have you wiped away the tears of a lover weeping for love of God Have you…
The goblet of love is the lover’s heart, not his reason or his sense perception. For the heart fluctuates from state to state, just as God—who is the Beloved—is each…
Affection makes a person forget about hunger and thirst and keeps him on the road of love. All creatures have taken their alloted share of affection. Even animals when they…
A friend of God must have affection like the Sun. Because when it rises, it is beneficial to all irrespective of whether they are Muslim, Christian, or Hindu. A friend…
Walking out of the Subway station at St. Mark’s Place, I was excited. I had been anticipating this Saturday morning meeting with Amoun all week. When I entered the bookstore…
Someone may be clairvoyant, able to see the future, and yet have very little wisdom. Like the man who saw water in his dream, and began leading everyone toward the…
Fana in Sufism has been defined as the extinction of the Self. It has also been described as the experience where One realises One’s own NonBeing and God‘s Existence as…
The following story was taken from Sadiq Alam’s blog, The Technology of the Heart, post entitled: More Dreams Sent Our Way. I love this story because it testifies to the meeting…
It was a clear, fall morning and Amoun wanted to go for a walk. Entering Washington Square Park, Amoun pointed to a bench, in the sunlight, overlooking the large cement…
1) Show-Off Grasshopper felt proud of helping turtle in his hour of need. Full of glee and self-importance, grasshopper twirled around before the others singing: ‘Look at me, look at…
“You may follow one stream. Know that it leads to the Ocean, but do not mistake the stream for the Ocean.“ Jan-Fishan Q: To study Sufism, do I need to become…
How deep the stillness when I call the Name. Going inward frees me from myself and I am home again. Into that realm that is truly me and has been…
Excitedly grasshopper came hopping up to turtle. “A crowd of young turtles are down by the Pond and making fun of young turtle. Publicly, young turtle is trying to capture…
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love. Kahlil Gibran Looking Back As…
From Dr Bitkoff’s Going and Doing “It is emotion, expectation, wanting, loving, going and doing, that helps make life a more complete experience. Momentary pleasure and accomplishment, without them, in…
Hesitantly, the Traveler told the Blindman about his dream. “Last night as I slept I was uncertain if I was awake or asleep? I found myself in a Throne Room…
Let us suppose for a moment, everything we see about us is an illusion and the things we come in contact with will no longer be there when we awake…
Know that which you have been Given Is enough for the Journey. ______________ O spiritual traveler, there are many worlds left to travel. Do you really believe that your loved…
O my God, what irony it is That we are at the bottom of hell, And yet are afraid of immortality. – Rumi Introduction Recently, I had a conversation with…
And Jesus was a sailor When he walked upon the water And he spent a long time watching From His lonely wooden tower And when he knew for certain Only…
Poetry is the best art there is, for besides everything else it is also drawing or painting with words. The mission of poetry is the same as the mission of…
O my God, what irony it is That we are at the bottom of hell, And yet are afraid of immortality. Rumi * * When the end is in sight,…
The sight of someone eating will not appease your hunger. The spiritual experiences of others cannot satisfy your yearning. Traditional _______ Q: Daily, I pray, regularly give to charity, do good works, and…
The following excerpt is taken from, Light On The Mountain, an unpublished manuscript. This section offers part of the teaching encounter between the Ancient One and the people of the city…
Thank you for this clear and perceptive article. As you hint at, I also believe that the evolution of humanity is closely linked with the evolution of consciousness. Part of…
My previous article, Witnessing the End of an Era, received so many comments and questions, there was a need to write a second article responding to some of these questions.…
I had the good fortune when I was 18 I studied architecture. I studied with Keith Critchlow and he kind of introduced us to the idea there was a civilization…
This is a 10 min clip recorded in London, January 2011. I have decided for to transcribe it so that all fo you can read as well as listen to…
Read the original article here Part1 Part 2 At various periods, different light has come through in our Western civilization that gave it meaning and purpose. That light has disappeared…
Original Article posted here: http://www.ecobuddhism.org/wisdom/psyche_and_spirit/lvl1 When we talk about ecological crisis, be it climate change or depletion of species or sustainability, we know as mystics that the outer world is…
Is the Garland Gathered by the Sufi or for the Sufi? by David Paquiot, Edited by Jim Luce Originally Published at the Daily Kos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/947103/index Also Available at: http://www.stewardshipreport.com/index.php/is-the-garland-gathered-by-the-sufi-or-for-the-sufi.html New…
Walking the Path: A book Review of Deserts and Mountain By Yilmaz Alimoglu More than just being Yilmaz Alimoglu’s debut novel, I have come to see Deserts and Mountains as…
Hello Friends, How are you? I am really enamoured by this book. I have been reading it often, off and on like I read poetry books, when I want to…
Hello Everyone, A Nimatullahi Darvish has said in an interview that Sufism is- a “major mystical path” that originated 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, is connected to all religions while…
Hey Friends, One of the bad ass books I read recently was The last Barrier : A Journey into the Essence of Sufi Teachings By Reshad Fields. As you can…
Hello Friends, I have read and re-read a slew of books over the last few weeks and there are many I would like to recommend. I would like to start…
NY Nimatullahi Sufi Center News The Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order, Dr. Alireza Nurbakhsh, will visit the New York Sufi Center from December 24 through December 27. Anyone who is…
There is a quote by J Krishnamurthi that has been coming to my mind frequently. He says something to the effect that it is no sign of good health to…
The marketplace always stuck out to me as a very important image in both Sufi oral histories as well as writing. It symbolized for me all the complexities of daily…
Sheikh Roger Frager’s latest book Sufi Talks: Teaching of an American Sufi Sheikh is a beautifully woven tapestry that illustrates how the threads of both the spiritual aspects of life…
