19 August 2026
Dear Ones,
Have you ever been angry at birds? Peacocks? Nightingales? Finches? Cardinals? Ravens? Eagles? Hoopoes? Pigeons, perhaps? How is it possible when they seem to be so free? Or maybe it’s because of that? It’s easy to be jealous of a bird for being striking. Or is it? Their morning songs are so beautiful. Divine Wisdom never intended their singing to be any less elegant, or their flights from perch to perch to be any less daring. Their presence means something.
Birds on any continent are hyper-aware, and at the same time, mostly unphased by us. Have you ever held a bird in your hands? Their wings are so delicate, and yet, seem so strong. So much so that when we see a bird fly to unimaginable heights above it gives the impression they can touch the Sun. They have an ability that encourages our anger or jealousy. But if we pause, they are teaching us something. It’s as if they know already that Greatness supports them, effortlessly holds them in the air, and provides for them.
There is a reason why Divine Wisdom surely guided Abraham, peace be upon him, toward the avian world to reassure his faith. God the Highest instructed him to cut four birds into pieces, then place portions of them atop separate hills. Abraham did as he was instructed, called out to the birds, and they flew to him perfectly reassembled. Through their prompt flight he found solace for his conviction. What is it that sets your heart at ease?
Have you ever been angry at birds? Well, maybe I have been angry with hawks and doves. Both symbolize infinite poles when the truest reality is engagement. It’s not the steeliness of hawks or the gentleness of doves, but the binary of perpetual strife or calm evokes something: Any fixation on opposing the other can transform ideals of liberty into cages. Murshid reminds us, “The ideal must not be turned into the idol.” With that, how can the dove truly soar if the hawk is not free?
Have you ever been angry at birds? Seekers also have wings. The Most Merciful portions us, calls out to us, and provides for us. Each of us, just like birds, is indeed beautiful, daring, and free. We are delicate, and yet seem strong. All of us have the capacity to do things that are unimaginable. However, can the aspirant truly ascend while the neighbor remains bound? Allow your heart to soar to the truest Reality, who is the Opener, and liberates those who feel constrained.
Lovingly,
MP
Composing a Song of Deeds:
A One-Day Retreat on Purifying Action
w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan
Sunday, September 6, 2026 via Zoom
11:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT (New York)
To be in this world is to be an active agent in the reordering of the life of the planet. Whether at rest or in motion, we are always participating in this larger reordering; the question is only whether we do so consciously. Our hands are always doing something – building, breaking, tending, taking – and what they do becomes, in time, indistinguishable from who we are. When we depart from the physical world, we will leave behind a “song of deeds.” How is action purified of selfishness and attachment?
In this one-day retreat, we will follow ten clues from Khwaja ‘Abdullah Ansari: care, watchfulness, sanctification, sincerity, refinement, steadfastness, reliance, delegation, confidence, and submission. Each clue points toward a subtly different way that the ego can enter into even our most well-intentioned acts, and a subtly different discipline for honing it.
Through reflection, meditation, and the intonation of Divine Names, we will rededicate the work of our hands to the One who has brought these hands into being. More details and registration.
The Inner Pilgrimage
w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan & Cheikha Fawzia Al-Rawi
Fazal Manzil, Suresnes, France & Online
Saturday, September 19 & Sunday, September 20, 2026
Pir Zia Inayat Khan will welcome his guest Cheikha Fawzia Al-Rawi for a special weekend on Saturday, September 19th, and Sunday, September 20th, at Fazal Manzil in Suresnes, France, with online participation also available.
Set in the historical “House of Blessings” this gathering invites us into a space of deep presence, sacred music, and shared spiritual practices.
Pir Zia Inayat Khan and Cheikha Fawzia Al-Rawi, drawing inspiration from Rawaja Abdulal Ansari’s work on the spiritual stations (maqamat), will explore the theme of roots during this seminar. Indeed, it is essential to have a firm footing on the path. The pilgrim’s feet must be like the roots of trees planted deep within reality. Walking whilst remaining rooted is a paradoxical imperative. The essential elements are fulfilment, aspiration, determination, willpower, courtesy, certainty, intimacy, remembrance, poverty, wealth and being loved. More details and registration.
Descending into Light: A Pilgrimage to the Center of the Earth
Meditations Guided by Pir Zia, with Music by Yuz Ata
Sundays, October 11 – November 22, 2026
2:00 – 3:30 pm ET (New York)
In this series of meditations, instead of ascending through the heavens, we will descend into the depths of the Earth — only to discover that, as the legendary sage Hermes Trismegistus says, “the high is from the low and the low is from the high.” The descent is gradual and cumulative: each week’s meditation carries forward what came before, so that the series as a whole becomes a single sustained movement inward.
Along the way, the Earth Spirit — known to philosophy as the Active Intelligence (al-‘aql al-fa’al) — will reveal to us its nature, nurturance, and future. By the journey’s end, you will have met the Earth as a living intelligence, an angelic being that is intimately and reciprocally linked to our flourishing individually and collectively. More details and registration.
Photos from Pir Zia’s Retreat in Türkiye
Here are some impressions from the 12th Sufi Gathering & Pilgrimage with Pir Zia, from July 18th – 25th in Selçuk-İzmir and Beykoz-İstanbul, Türkiye.
Toward the One – New Anniversary Edition
Sulūk Press is proud to announce that it will soon release a new anniversary edition of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan’s classic Toward the One. In the mid-1970s, a dedicated group of devotees gathered in the Bay Area to create Toward the One, a collection of the teachings of Pir Vilayat illuminated by hand-drawn and classical images. (Interestingly, this was the same group that produced the original edition of Be Here Now by Ram Dass.) We have updated the original with new images and a sleek design in a celebratory, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition. This new edition makes Pir Vilayat’s teachings on a wide range of subjects available both to students who have long cherished its wisdom and to new generations on the Sufi path. Look for pre-orders to open soon.
News from the Caravan
This month, we have news to share from the Caravan. Read more…
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.