⭐ Inayatiyya Fall Appeal 2024—The Serpent 🐍 ⭐

I came out from [my self] as a snake from its skin. Then I looked. I saw that lover, Beloved, and love are one because in that state of unification, all are one. — Bâyezîd Bistâmî 

19 November 2024

Dear Friends,

On our journey within the Forest of Memory, the first animal encountered is the serpent. The serpent is often a symbol of underground mysteries and represents the sacredness of the earth beneath our feet. As Bawa poetically says, “the snake is a tendril of the earth.”

In more temperate locales, the serpent’s wisdom is best expressed in its connection to the seasons. It possesses the extraordinary power of hibernation—it knows when to return to the secret depths of the earth and within itself. In warmer months, it emerges from the thawing earth and basks in the sun’s rays. The serpent can spend long hours in stillness but is also capable of astonishing speed and beautiful, sinuous motion.

Like the earth it represents, the snake is sometimes misunderstood and even feared. But our path recognizes the snake as a teacher deserving of consideration and respect, just as we recognize the earth is as sacred as the sky above and as purifying as flowing water.

Indeed, what better symbol could there be for living a grounded life, rooted and connected to the earth than the serpent, which moves across the earth with its entire body?

It can be easy not to notice or consider the earth, to pass over it without consciously appreciating the firm foundation it provides. It quietly supports the unfoldment of all life on this planet and is a symbol of stability, resiliency, and humility. And, if one knows where to look, it holds many secret treasures.

The Inayatiyya as the organizational form of the Message always seeks to send a taproot into the depths of the earth and learn the lessons it has to offer. Our goal is to provide a firm foundation for the Message and our spiritual community, and to do so with stability, resiliency, and humility. And, like the snake, we aspire to understand when to be still and when to move quickly—in short, to move with humility in beauty and wisdom.

To this end, we humbly ask for your financial support. Your contributions are a key component of our ability to provide this firm foundation, as well as our ability to continue investing in organizational development and infrastructure essential to our mission of spreading the message far and wide.

Our goal this year is to raise $160,000 by the end of the year. So far we have raised $70,283 toward this amount. Please help us raise another $89,717 by Friday, December 27th, 2025.

With love and appreciation,
Josh & Tajalli on behalf of The Inayatiyya Fall Appeal 2024 Campaign Committee
Noor Amina Peterson, Board Chair, Ambreen Coombs, Treasurer, Nilufar Hasnaa, Board Member, Jennifer Alia Wittman, Executive Director, Tajalli Roselli, Astana Staff, & Josh Octaviani, Astana Staff 

PS—Interested in exploring the symbolism of the snake within the Forest of Memory practice further? As our gift to you, here is the link to Bawa’s teaching:

The Serpent Meditation Recording

The Inayatiyya is a non-profit 501c3 organization, Tax ID #23-7159641. Your donation may be fully deductible for tax purposes per United States IRS guidelines. Please note that donations made by check must be received by Friday, December 27th to be considered as within 2024. If you would like to make a donation by mail, please send it to Inayatiyya, 112 E Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Thank you! 

Image Credit: Ondrej Prosicky | Dreamstime.com