“Vibrations are of five different aspects … appearing as the five elements: Nur (Light/Ether); Baad (Air); Aatash (Fire); Aab (Water); Khaak (Earth)” – Hazrat Inayat Khan
23 December 2025
Dear Friends,
Some landscapes cannot be found on any map.
There is a terrain more intimate than the cave, more infinite than the ocean, more luminous than the stars. A landscape within the heart vaster than the seven heavens, and more radiant than a thousand suns. It is the inner world of the soul – a kingdom of light and silence that reveals itself not through the senses, but through subtle perception, through stillness, through longing.
This inner world is woven of the fifth element: aether – called nūr in the Sufi tradition, akasha in ancient Indic cosmologies, and quintessence by the mystics of the West. It is the subtlest substance, the light behind light, the breath behind breath. Unlike fire, water, air, or earth, aether has no form, yet it contains all forms. It is what allows spirit to move, meaning to shine, and love to reach across any distance.
In Sufism, the inner journey is a journey through layers of this atmosphere – through veils of the self, through realms of subtle feeling, into the pure clarity of being. It is said that the Sufi does not merely visit this inner land. They begin to live from it.
While mountains and deserts, rivers and caves reveal truths to the outward senses, aether reveals the source of those truths within. It is the element of remembrance, prayer, light, and the transmission of spirit.
In our 2025 Fall Campaign, we have explored the sacred landscapes of the earth. Now, as the year draws to a close, we turn inward – to the landscape that lives within each of us, and to the element that carries the soul’s deepest longing.
The work of the Inayatiyya is to help illuminate this subtle country. To offer teachings, practices, companionship, and space where seekers may come to recognize the radiance within themselves. Not as concepts, but as lived experience. Not as abstraction, but as intimacy with the Real.
Thanks to a recent wave of generous support, we are gathering real momentum in our year-end campaign. By adding your light to this rising current, you help ensure that we finish the year strong and carry this work forward with confidence.
We have raised $161,562 (80.8%) toward our $200,000 goal. With $38,438 left to raise by December 31st, your gift now can help carry us across the threshold. If your soul has been touched by this path – if the breath of spirit has ever passed through your heart – then we humbly ask for your support now so we can cross the finish line.
Together, we hold open this space of light. Together, we serve as its stewards, so that others may find their way home.
With love, light, and reverence,
Josh & Tajalli
on behalf of the Inayatiyya Fall Appeal 2025 Committee
Nazish Riaz, Board Chair | Ambreen Coombs, Treasurer | Nilufar Maryam Hasnaa, Board Member | Mika’il Petin, Executive Director | Tajalli Roselli, Astana Staff | Josh Octaviani, Astana Staff
The Inayatiyya is a non-profit 501(c)3 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 26th to be considered as within 2025. If you would like to make a donation by mail, please send it to Inayatiyya, 112 E Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
