21 September 2022 Dear Companions on the Path, Equinoctial greetings! May these lines find you well. Next month Shambhala releases its new edition of Murshid’s The Mysticism of Sound and Music. Among the many sentences that leap off the page of that timeless book is this one: “Some day music will be the means of expressing universal religion.” What did Murshid mean by this? Music plays an important role in the rituals of nearly all of the world’s great spiritual traditions. Within the civilization of Islam, music has had both its detractors and its champions. Among the latter was al-Ghazali, who famously declared that banning music made as little sense as censoring nightingales. The Sufis of Chisht went further, asserting that, “There are discoveries in musical audition not to be found in a hundred years of canonical worship.” Music is the seventh Activity of the Inayatiyya, and I am always struck by the way in which music elevates the tenor of our gatherings. This summer in Turkey we listened with sheer elation as murids who have formed a musical ensemble offered songs in Turkish, Arabic, and Hindi. They even played melodies that Ravan had composed, and that after only hearing them once or twice! In Switzerland we were swept away by the ney and bansuri of Sinan Arat, the singing of Ruhiya (whose beautiful evocation of the spirit of the Philippines, Ginhawa, has just been released), the Indic Sophic zikr of Fereshta Bechtloff, and Ravan’s ilahis on tar and rawap. John Coltrane is said to have been inspired by Murshid’s The Mysticism of Sound and Music. At the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church in San Francisco, the weekly Sunday service consists of listening to the artist’s saxophonic exploration of ‘ishq, A Love Supreme. I plan to attend the Coltrane Church in November when visiting the Bay Area for The Journey of the Soul. Friends on the U.S. West Coast, I look forward to seeing you then. The following week, God willing, I will join with John Coltrane’s biographer and the founders of the Coltrane Church in an online dialogue for Coltrane & the Mysticism of Sound. When Murshid spoke of music expressing universal religion, did he have in mind the transformative power of ecstatic pieces like A Love Supreme, Bach’s B-Minor Mass, and the soaring ragas of Narada, Tumburu, and Tansen? I think he did – and I think he had something else in mind as well. What was that something else? He spelled it out when he said, “Every religion strikes a note, a note which answers the demand of humanity in a certain epoch. Yet the source of every note is the same music which manifests when the notes are arranged harmoniously together. All the different religions are the different notes, and when they are thus arranged together they make music.” In just a few day’s time, in Richmond and online, we will investigate the symphony of the Message by means of an interfaith Convocation. The leadership of the Universal Worship, the Astana, and local clergy have worked together to make this special gathering possible. I anticipate a unique experience, a contemplative conversation rooted in the history of Richmond and with fruitful, visionary branches spreading out in many directions. I hope you will join us. There is much to worry and sadden us in the world. The war in the Ukraine continues, as do armed conflicts and systemic injustices in many places. Meanwhile, the signs of our planet’s fever are everywhere to be seen. As I write, a third of the country of Pakistan is underwater, an incredible humanitarian disaster. There is no denying it: the song of our species is faltering in rhythm and tone, and has been for some time. The only possible solution is a musical one. It is time to harmonize – with ourselves, with each other, with the Earth, and most essentially, with the music of the One’s endless Word. Yours ever, The Whorl & The World As a continuation of our spring Sophic Whorl series, we turn from inner exploration to outer realization. How do the Seven Stations of the Whorl apply to the World? While the Spring Series set the stage, focusing on teachings and practices, the Fall Series will be more experimental, featuring various special guests and more discussion. Creating a Beautiful Mind We invite you to this unique six week series to explore the Sufi perspective on the nature of the mind. A beautiful mind makes a wonderful servant. A troubled, confused mind makes a terrible master. How, then, might we create a beautiful mind? Join us to explore aspects of mind, including sensation, memory, imagination, will and identity through breath work, concentration, sacred sound, and contemplation. This six-week series is led by Jacob Miraj and Amida Cary, new Vice Presidents (North America) of the Inner School of the Inayatiyya. Universal Kinship Convocation Over the course of four days, we will gather those who have committed part or all of their life’s work to the message of unity. Ministers in the Universal Worship, called Cherags (lamplighters), will gather worldwide online via Zoom, and also in-person at Roslyn Retreat Center in Richmond, Virginia. If you are not yet a Cherag and have an interest in learning more about the Universal Worship, please join us. All are welcome and encouraged to join. The Inayatiyya’s Call of the Earth Initiative, galvanized by the climate needs of our collective moment, unites us all in spirit and action through the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan. This month we hear from the Inner School: “My deep sigh rises above as a cry of the earth, and an answer comes from within as a message”… Read more The Zephyr is a monthly newsletter of Inayatiyya, an interfaith mystical fellowship with branches worldwide. For more gatherings, please visit our Inayatiyya Digital Programs Calendar for Spring 2022.
Pir Zia
w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan & friends
Seven Sundays, September 18th – October 30th
A Six-Week Daily Practice w/ Amida Cary & Jacob Miraj Ellenberg
September 26th – November 4th
The Roslyn Retreat Center, Richmond, VA & Online
September 29th – October 2nd
