A Six-Week Course w/ Amida Cary & Jacob Miraj Dominicus
Thursdays, October 12th – November 16th, 2023
Zikr may be called the finest thought expressed in the finest material form with the highest spiritual purpose. It becomes the perfection of the sounds uttered by the tongue. -Hazrat Inayat Khan
Zikr, meaning remembrance, is the most essential practice in Sufism. This sentiment is as true for the Inayatiyya as for all other Sufi paths.
From the mystical point of view, all of life, the universe, and existence is One. The source, goal, and substance of all beings is The One, The Eternal, The Infinite, Divine Being. And yet, we may forget this essential reality, believing throughout our lives that we are only this limited set of sensations, memories, thoughts, roles, and self-identities. Fortunately, the soul’s desire to remember its true being cannot be ignored.
Throughout the millennia, mystics in all traditions have developed practices aimed at recovering and remembering that vast, boundless aspect of our being. For the Sufis, that central practice is called zikr, its primary formulation, La ilaha illa’llah (Nothing exists but The One).
Through an in-depth introduction to this ancient practice, we will experience the Inayatiyya approach to zikr. Working with sound, movement, breath, and concentration, week by week, we will build through the stages of the zikr to experience a taste of Divine Remembrance.
This six-week series is led by Inner School Vice Presidents Amida Cary & Jacob Miraj Dominicus.
Classes are on Thursdays, October 12th, 19th, 26th, November 2nd, 9th and 16th from 11:00 -12:15 pm New York Time, 5:00 – 6:15 pm Central Europe Time.
Swimming in Divine Remembrance is open to ashiqs, murids and anyone with sincere interest.
This course requires advanced registration and provides video recordings if you are unable to attend every class. A suggested tuition of $72 ($12 per class) is recommended for the whole course. There is also a limited income/student tuition rate of $48 ($8 per class). Attending all sessions is recommended, yet all are welcome to join at any time throughout the course. Please see the sidebar to register.
If you have questions about the content of the course, please email innerschool@inayatiyya.org. Questions about registration, payments, and logistical details may be sent to astana@inayatiyya.org.
Speakers
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Amida CaryAmida Cary is co-Madar-ul-Muham of the Inner School of the Inayatiyya in North America and Oceania. She was first initiated in 1975, and studied deeply with Pir Vilayat until his passing and now supports Pir Zia and his work. She has presented several teaching and training programs in the Inayatiyya Inner School in person and online. Amida directs the Inayatiyya’s Retreat Concentration and Retreat Guide Training Program. In that capacity she works with an international network of experienced retreat guides and mentors. She has served in many capacities within the Inayatiyya over the 50 years, including as a founder of Suluk Academy. Currently she is designing programs for Coordinator and Representative training, and for the Sophic Whorl/Spagyric Gyre as retreat. Her professional background is in education. She has taught in progressive independent schools in Maryland and California. She now lives in the high southwestern desert, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Jacob Miraj DominicusJacob Miraj Dominicus, co-Madar-ul-Maham of the Inner School of the Inayatiyya, helps people deepen their meditative practice. Jacob has been a murid of the Inayatiyya since 1997, served on the Inayati Order Board of Trustees under Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and Pir Zia Inayat Khan, and helped start Suluk Academy serving as its inaugural administrator. In 2007, he graduated from Suluk’s Kafur class. Since 2015 Jacob has co-led retreats with Gulrukh Patel at the Zenith Institute in Switzerland. He currently serves as the co-Madar-ul-Muham of Inayatiyya Inner School (Oceania and North America). Professionally, he consults with corporate teams and teaches meditation. Jacob holds a B.A. from NYU in Organizational Behavior, Narrative Theory, and Mysticism and has been a Visiting Scholar at NYU Tisch’s Interactive Communications Program (ITP). He lives in Los Angeles, where he studies the Chinese martial arts of Xingyi and Bagua and lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats.
