Dear Companions on the Path, Greetings from Turkey! Three weeks ago we celebrated my father’s 14th ‘Urs at his Dargah in Delhi. We listened to a recital of rudra vina, carried a consecrated chadar (brocade sheet) in procession from Murshid’s tomb to Pir Vilayat’s, and recited the Silsila and prayers. Afterward we convened at the Hope Project and […]
“Hail to my exile from the Garden of Eden to earth; if I had not fallen I would not have probed the depths of life.” The story of the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden describes the descent of the soul from heaven to earth. The soul first experienced life in […]
Dear Companions on the Path, Greetings of peace to you in these last days of spring, and last days of Ramadan, the month of “hot stones and cleansing rains.” In May the Astana hosted the first of a series of gatherings for new leaders in the Esoteric School. Many were graduates of the Suluk Academy, […]
I regard every failure as a stepping-stone toward a success. The journey of life is one of trial and error. One learns by doing. Whatever the result of one’s endeavors, no experience is wasted if one learns from it and moves on, determined to go further. Seen from the surface, success is rewarding and failure […]
Dear Companions on the Path, I hope this finds you well. All is well here in Richmond, where we are still soaking up the numinous vibrations of the Wisdom of the Prophets gathering that took place here a few days ago. It was a marvelous culmination to the series of symposia we hosted over the […]
There is nothing else in life which pleases me more than pleasing others, but it is difficult to please everybody. There are three reasons a person may have for trying to please another. The first is strategic: one wishes to win, or keep, a friend, and avoid making an enemy. Keeping the people around one […]
Dear Companions on the Path, Greetings! I’ve just returned from the Easter Retreat in the Rhön Mountains in Germany, where in the Name of the One we commemorated the feast of the archangel Eostre, story of the Exodus, and the fana and baqa of Jesus. This year our gathering had a bittersweet aspect as we lovingly remembered the spirit […]
I feel myself when I am by myself. There are two selves, the self and the I. Physical and social characteristics define the self. It was born on a certain day and will die one day. Meanwhile, it has eyes with which to see. The I, by contrast, has no name or form. Birth did […]
Dear Companions on the Path, Greetings from Richmond, where, as I write, the dogwood trees are trumpeting the arrival of spring! I last wrote from Fazal Manzil on the occasion of the Urs, when I issued the Declaration announcing Pirzadi-Shahida Noor-un-nisa’s place in the Silsila. I am thankful for all of the supportive messages I have […]
I work simply, not troubling about results. My satisfaction is in accomplishing the work which is given to me to my best ability, and I leave the effect to the Cause. Lord Krishna said, “Be intent on action, not on the fruits of action.” Do what is to be done, without attachment to the outcome. […]
