18 December 2024
Greetings friends,
I am writing from my home in England, where the light of day is being enveloped by the dark of night as we arrive at the shortest day this week in the northern hemisphere.
My room is filled with celebration in remembrance of our beloved Rumi, whose Urs was on 17th December (751 years ago), at the same time as mourning the passing of the tabla maestro, Pandit Zakir Hussain, who died on 15th December 2024. Their mastery and devotion are a true inspiration and reflection of Murshid’s words: “Love creates beauty by her own hands, to worship.”
These words also echo what we have been doing within the Inayatiyya family over the last month. During this time, the Inayatiyya International Board facilitated 14 conversations inviting thoughts on the future of the Inayatiyya. Along with Pir Zia, national board members, heads of the Seven Activities and staff in the 23 countries where the Inayatiyya is present, as well as those representing various affinity groups and senior teachers, have been gathering to talk about what we feel most passionate about when we think about the role of the Message for this time. We are excited to share more of this work and hear about your inspirations and passions in the coming months.
While it is easy to talk about these things and not take action or feel hopeless, especially in a world ravaged by war and climate disasters, it is often when we see the fruits of our actions that this beauty comes alive. So, I wanted to take this moment to share some positive responses within the Inayatiyya that are a reflection of the awakened justice that is expressed in the 5th Sufi thought: “There is One Law, the law of reciprocity, which can be observed by a selfless conscience, together with a sense of awakened justice.”
I would like to start by sharing a response from Pir Zia’s earthly reflections on Murshid’s chivalric rules. These new reflections relate to the Copper Rules. Here are his comments on the Iron Rules shared previously.
The next response is from our friends Malika and Akbar Appels from Belgium, who have been working on the Nayaz-Sister-Brotherhood project since 2014 where participants give their attention twice a week to a list of 10 people fighting injustice worldwide. Members who want to join them with their prayers and meditations receive the list (of 10 people) and the briefing (the newsletter with good news) from the team every month.
In Delhi, our friends at the Hope Project (our main service project) have been dealing with the devastation caused by floods. The good news is that the project is back up and running through the support of donors and the team’s dedication. They have shared the good news in this newsletter. They even have a new logo that is more representative of them, as there are so many Hope Projects in the world! Unfortunately, Delhi is not the only place that has suffered the effects of climate change, but it is so heartening that people show up to help each other in times of crisis.
It has been a privilege to be part of a collaboration led by Kinship North America with some of the other activities called Earth Responders, which was developed due to the ecological crisis of our time. The others involved in the design include Rabia Povich, Wali Via, Amida Cary, Shams Kairys, and Sharifa Oppenheimer. A core group of sympathetic hearts helped refine the pilot program.
The program provides insights, approaches, and tools for those called to bring deep presence to this most immediate need of our time. You can still do this course in your own time. It is lovely that the program is mentioned in a new report called Engaging Faith Groups in Land Restoration that came out as part of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference Of Parties (COP16), which just finished in Riyadh. Our friend Tariq Al-Olaimy has written about the growing role of faith and faith groups across all the recent UN conferences on climate change.
I hope you find some beauty and inspiration in these few examples. Please feel free to share more responses or your passions concerning the Message with me at iib@inayatiyya.org
As this is the last Zephyr of the year, I wish that your soul’s desire is fulfilled in the coming year, for as Murshid says, “The desire of the soul is the wish of God”.
I hope to see you at the New Year retreat on Saturday, January 4th.
In friendship,
Deepa Gulrukh Patel
This time every year, we appeal for financial contributions to support the Inayatiyya in spreading Murshid’s message far and wide. As we were planning our appeal, we found inspiration through the practice “Forest of Memory” shared by Pir Zia at the Astana earlier this year. Read more…
As we enter the new year, we will gather for a mini-retreat, preparing us for what may come in 2025. Our theme is what it means to Reorient to Life. How do we synthesize, digest, and find ground within the complexity that we face on a daily basis via news, social media, work, friends, and family? More details and registration.
Our annual Inner School Leaders Training is designed for leaders within the Inayatiyya’s Inner School, including Coordinators, Representatives, and Retreat Guides, as well as those in training. Please only register if you fit one of these categories. All Inner School leaders are encouraged to attend and to participate in real time, or to watch the video which comes with registration. More details and registration.
This month, we have some news to share from the Caravan about recent passings into and out of this earthly realm. 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.
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