There is an amazing book I have been waiting to get and read by Michaela Ozelsel. It has been recommended to me by other dervishes and is supposedly a real classic. Here is a brief product description
In this personal account of a spiritual quest Michaela Ozelsel undergoes a traditional Sufi (40-Day Retreat). What she experienced during 40 days of fasting, complete isolation, and constant spiritual practice brought her to the threshold of the Divine and her self. A diary of the 40 days is combined with contemporary research from several disciplines bridging ancient wisdom and scientific investigation. It includes discussions of spirituality and sexuality altered states of consciousness sensory perception and ESP and near death experiences.
There is an interesting quote by Ms. Ozesel that I read in the book Essential Sufism that I thought to share with all of you:
On all paths of spiritual training, the teacher is of central importance. He or she embodies the teaching as a living representation of the tradition. He or she helps the student grow beyond the boundaries of self. Because each person can only by definition operate inside his or her current limits, outside intervention is indispensable to make the “breakthrough.” My Teacher depicted this state of things with the following analogy: “You can give yourself first aid, putting a bandage on a would. But you can’t operate on yourself.”
The fundamental changes that the path requires in the students worldview and behaviour resemble a major operation. The very personality features that the student holds tightest to, with which he or she strongly identifies on this level, are also the ones that prevent the student from fully becoming what he or she potentially is. [Rumi has written:] ” It is necessary to make so great an effort that you are not left standing, in order that you may recognise what it is that will remain.”
I plan on reading this book soon. I wanted to know if anyone would want to read it with me and maybe we can talk about it through posts, share our ideas on it. Let me know!
Dave
I’m always up for a good read. I’ll look for it and start reading.
Sounds interesting – I would be very curious to see what her fasting experiences were as mine… the only place I found a vague resemblance with was a book called ‘Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment’. So, definitely is on my reading list.
So, true!!
And yes I know what you are saying about spiritual teachers, so it happened on my life path that the teachers that come into my life were also removed, by forces above me and in many cases I was left doubting if any teacher is valid or real… then one day I had this extraordinary experience where in deep meditation I was asking about my life purpose what I was supposed to do – from the deep immeasurable abyss come a voice that I knew deep within it was God’s – it said: BE WHO YOU ARE.
I not only heard it, it also went deep within every fibre of my being giving me this deep knowing that no matter how terrible that may be in the world of humans to always obey the call that comes from within – be what I am, what I was made to be – and many times it was the hardest most painful thing to do, having the courage to be a fool and be crazy, going against norm and convention, against all common sense taught by society… many times I caused pain in others and nothing is more painful in me than the bleed that I cause in others, and the hardest to find the forgiveness for myself, for being me, YET all that time I could see the glimpse of a higher plan at work, a plan in which nothing was wasted and everything was a part of a greater transformative process at work – it was as this new ‘observer’ dimension opened up inside …the true teacher was there with me at all times, to open myself to that was one of the most profound things experienced – thus own teachings to propel me into a higher sphere of awareness of personal transformation…only opening up to lessons coming from people I was interacting with.
I have the best teacher that anyone can ever wish for … and it comes through wonderful people such as yourself.
This is one of the best experiential book of the sufi khalwa or Halvet from a modern (though still authentically based), semi-western, grounded in Islam perspective. I use it as a text for my class on sufism and the students love it as they share the journey by reading the journal day by day.