21 August 2024
Greetings from the South coast of England,
It is lovely to be able to start this Zephyr with the winds of hope after a few weeks of tumult brought on by race riots in the UK. Last night at dinner in a wonderful Afghan restaurant in London, with friends from around the world, we felt both the heartbreak of this world and optimism that so many came out to protest against the hate that had engulfed the streets.
In the middle of dinner my friend mentioned to his friend that I was a student of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s. The face opposite me lit up as we shared our story of how he came into our lives. I was still smiling this morning as I started writing this and thought of how each one of you has your own story about how you found this path.
There is something so heartwarming knowing people from 26 countries (that we know of) are students on this spiritual path of Liberty. In some countries like Nigeria or Japan there may be only one or two of you. In other countries there is a bigger presence, with students in those countries for just over a hundred years. It is amazing to think that one man has bought us all together. His sphere of influence carries on growing and reverberating and will be felt by those of you that gather with Pir Zia at the Sufi Temple in Katwijk this coming weekend which Hazrat Inayat Khan christened as the place of wish fulfillment.
If there is a wish that many of us hope to be fulfilled it is for a ceasefire in Palestine and the return of hostages, especially this week as the negotiators come together. May we feel each other’s presence as we pray, so that the chant of Amaan is louder than it has ever been.
As we think of this work for peace and freedom we will also be honoring Pirzadi Noor-un-Nisa’s presence in September during her Urs on September 13th 2024. Thanks to the German publisher Verlag Heilbronn, Pir Zia will be leading a book tour to celebrate the publication of Dream Flowers in German. One of the stops on that tour will be Dachau which is where Pirzadi Noor was killed. Here are all the details for the event.
Part of the work of the Inayatiyya International Board is to work alongside all the people in the various countries who are supporting the seven activities around the world. May our global interconnectedness continue to flourish and may we serve the Message, for as Hazrat Inayat Khan says:
“The Sufi message is destined to reawaken the world and to be a warning. The power of the inner force is constantly at work and this promises much for what is now formed as a nucleus composed of a few murids under the name of the Sufi Order (now the Inayatiyya) to be the servant of the new era in the path of God and truth.
I wish that my murids who feel in their hearts this trust shall not only receive the sacred message for their own unfoldment but shall feel the privilege of being a nucleus for the coming spiritual reconstruction of the world.”
I look forward to telling you more in November about how we hope to be of service to you in the future.
In friendship,
Deepa Gulrukh Patel
This fall we turn toward what it means to create happiness in life. Over six weeks, Pir Zia will guide us through our own inner happiness landscape, providing simple yet profound teachings from the work of the Sufi mystic, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927). We will explore themes such as cultivating purpose, developing a positive attitude, dealing with life’s struggles, tempering our reactions, and how to find meaning—all leading to greater contentment and happiness. More details and registration.
The Inayatiyya Healing Activity kindly invite you to join us for our annual Sufi Healing Retreat—The Path of the Healer: Transforming the Inner & Outer Life.
This retreat is based on the teachings of the Sufi musician and mystic, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) and is traditionally in two optional parts. This year the first two days, October 17th & 18th, are designed for Inayatiyya Healing Activity Leaders, and the second two days, October 19th & 20th, are held as a general healing retreat open to all. More details and registration.
This program is specifically designed for Inayatiyya Inner School Leaders, Universal Worship Cherags & clergy of all faiths, Suluk graduates, scholars, and all those drawn to exploring the esoteric dimensions of the inner life.
Please join Pir Zia with special guest teachers Omid Safi and Marcia Hermansen in the second installment of our Inner History series where we will survey the seeds planted by illuminated prophets and sages in many parts of the world from the Copper Age to Late Antiquity. We will discern the hand of the Spirit of Guidance in the world’s history, and see how our own awakening is an outgrowth of the revelations brought through the trailblazers of the human journey to the Infinite. More details and registration.
The Zephyr is a monthly newsletter of the Inayatiyya, an interfaith mystical fellowship with branches worldwide. For more information, please visit us at inayatiyya.org.
Inayatiyya
Inayatiyya
112 E. Cary Street
Richmond, VA 23219
804-447-1898
astana@inayatiyya.org
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