22 May 2026
Dear Ones,
What comes to mind when you think of elephants and tigers? That one doesn’t forget, and the other is ferocious, maybe? Did you see the viral video on Instagram of the elephant helping the tiger cross a river from last year? The most amazing gesture, right? Well, supposedly, the viral video of the generous pachyderm and hapless feline is fake. Even if the appearance of the unlikely encounter isn’t true, is there not some inspiration that we can take from the compassionate-though-constructed moment demonstrated between these two exclusively different though respectfully enormous animals?
The point is not for us to be exactly like animals. We are all sentient beings. Although, the Exalted in Honour, Wisdom, and Majesty made all of us humans just a wee bit more majestic, no?! I am not concerned with how we can be more tigerish in our daily lives or less elephantine in social settings. Instead, I want to urge us to be more. What I call on all of us to do is to be enormous.
Think about it for a moment: Who is your opposite right now, on paper, on screen, or in real life? Maybe it’s because of differing backgrounds, beliefs, spiritual practices, life philosophies, or political leanings perhaps? Who has accosted you lately? Who is it that no one who knows you would ever associate you with? Of course, I am not suggesting that any of us be predatory or domineering. On the contrary, I am urging all of us to be bigger than what is normal, resistant to natural inclinations, and courageous in confronting personal fears. Just breathe deeply, then be boundless, limitless, and mighty in our empathy, concern, and defense of others. Please, let your need be to help those in need.
Regardless of the circumstances, all of us find ourselves battling currents we underestimated at different times. Our journeys can be long and uncertain. Being enormous is just as much about relying on known and unknown communities around us as it is about extending ourselves to help someone, or to engage with anyone we normally would oppose. Let our frenzy for spirituality, the undimmable light from within our souls prevent us from being anything but enormous in what we do for others, whether in small or large acts. Murshid reminds us in Gayan, Boulas, “The service of God means that we each work for all.” So, please be focused on extending grace so much so that others find it, unforgettably, ferociously incomprehensible.
Lovingly,
MP
P.S. Before you go, the Astana has been busy lately. Team members have been preoccupied with Suluk Academy, winding down another program season, coordinating a transition between digital platforms for a new type of engagement, planning for retreats to happen later this year, and supporting Pir Zia on the book tour for Tears from the Mother of the Sun. Lastly, if you haven’t had a chance to read the Inayatiyya North America & Oceania 2025 impact report, check it out here.
Aligning with the Illuminated
w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan
A Day of Teachings, Cambridge MA
May 30, 2026, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
Join us for a full day of teachings with Pir Zia in the Boston area! This event is open to all: seekers, initiates, and anyone curious about developing the capacity of the heart and living a life of spiritual liberty. We will gather on Friday May 29th for a free and public book reading of Pir Zia’s new book, Tears from the Mother of the Sun, and Saturday, May 30th, for Teachings with Pir Zia. More details and registration.
Aligning with the Illuminated
w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan
Berkeley, California
June 6th – 7th, 2026
Join us for a gathering of teachings with Pir Zia Inayat Khan. This weekend is open to all: seekers, initiates, and anyone curious about developing the capacity of the heart and living a life of spiritual liberty.
Our weekend together will connect us with the Diwan, or High Council (mala al-a’la), which consists of the illuminated souls we call on in Sufi prayers. These souls collectively work to guide us toward divinity as the destiny of creation unfolds. The masters, saints, and prophets who compose the Diwan are shining exemplars of the Divine Qualities of love, harmony, and beauty.
When the procession of these illuminated souls is viewed in its planetary entirety, the unity of the Message is seen in full relief. When this vision is experienced directly, human life takes on a profound dedication to the path of service and glorification for which we were all born. More details and registration.
Peace in the Whirlwind
A Gathering of Sufi Teachings & Friendship
With Pir Zia Inayat Khan & Friends
Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York
Sunday, June 21 to Friday, June 26, 2026
Those who walk the path of Sufism are lovers of Reality, ever longing for intimate connection—Communion—with the Divine. At this annual gathering of the Inayatiyya, a Sufi lineage rooted in the teachings of the Indian mystic Hazrat Inayat Khan, we come together to nurture deepening levels of Communion—with one another, and with that which lies beyond time and space: the Oneness of all being.
We will explore states of Communion through meditative practice, spiritual discourse, friendship, sacred music, whirling, and zikr—the remembrance of the Divine. Our guides on this journey will be Pir Zia Inayat Khan, along with our dear friends Omid Safi, Nizam un Nisa Ayeda Husain, Nilufar Maryam Hasnaa, Tarana Jobin, and Shams al Haqq. Whether you are new to Sufism or have long walked this path, you are warmly invited to join us. More details and registration.
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.
