Beloved Family,
Sending my deepest prayers and aspiration for each of you, your families and relations, and all beings for well-being, outer and inner, in this time of crisis for humanity.
Having temporarily lost the ability to meet together, dance together, be together physically, I am so grateful that in this period of history we have the tools of virtual meeting available to us. I am particularly enjoying our bi-weekly Saturday Ruhaniat Family ZOOM Gatherings, Holding Hands in Virtual Space across the globe, and hope you will continue to join us for those gatherings (recordings of previous gatherings in the link). The next one is Saturday, May 2, at 11:00AM PDT.
It gives me joy to know that as people in Delhi experience what it is to live in a place without smothering smog, it will be more difficult for them to go back to “life as it was,” now that they have seen the possibilities. And the same is true the world over. We have seen the possible and it is time to investigate how to change.
Six months ago, the Shift Network, likely the largest “online” school on our planet reaching over 170 countries, asked me to teach a course for them. And now with the current circumstances, I feel so grateful to the Spirit of Guidance for making it happen!
Many of you have attended the free events that led up to my course which begins Tuesday, April 28th at 11:00 AM PDT, which does cost money but is also available for free on scholarship for those who need it. Just apply! This past Tuesday I did a free Q & A to lead up to the course and so far, it has been viewed by 9241 people! May the Message of God Spread Far and Wide!
Naturally, our local Zikr Circle is suspended until further notice and the same is true for retreats and camps in general. I would imagine this to be the case until we have a vaccine.
A few weeks ago, we instituted a Ruhaniat Pandemic Relief Fund, funded by mureeds for mureeds. Just go to the SRI Website and follow the prompts to either request support or make a donation. As of a few days ago, we had raised over $25,000. and giving it away as the requests come in.
Meanwhile let us strengthen our practice, increase our service where possible and keep manifesting Loving Kindness and Compassion in all our relations and to ourselves.
The text for this period is Murshid Sam’s Ten Lessons on Walk. These include some of the greatest lessons he gave for our everyday life. Likely, many of you have already made them an integral part of your being but let this be a good reminder and also provide you with the text for sharing with others.
Much love,
Shabda
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Upcoming and Previously Recorded Virtual Events and Teachings
7 Tuesdays starting April 28 Shift Network: Mystical Power Sufi Breath
Ruhaniat Family Holding Hands in Virtual Space
Previous Letters can be found in Pir Shabda's Blog
See Pir Shabda's calendar for more information.
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Wazifa Practice
Recite 101x
YA WAHHAB ~ YA RAZZAQ ~ YA FATTAH
16. Ya Wahhab (yaa wah-HAAB)
Al-Wahhab gives divine blessings continually and universally. It is a flow that is without disruption and which is freely given without any expectation of return. It is the one who constantly refreshes. There is no restraint based on scarcity, as its source is super-abundant. A form from the same root, mawhibah, is a cloud that rains freely on everything. Another form, mawhoob, is a child or any blessing given to you by God.
By invoking Ya Wahhab you become identified with a stream flowing continuously from the divine source, and everything you need in life is already fully present and flowing in that stream. It is closely related to Ya Razzaq (17) and Ya Fattah (18). In the sound code of the Arabic language, all three share a form that conveys continuous activity.
There is a developmental aspect in considering these three Names together. Al-Wahhab is the free rain that is given to all. Ar-Razzaq is the water that flows into irrigation ditches. Al-Fattah is all the fruit you harvest from all the trees you've irrigated. In other words, Al-Wahhab is a free gift; ar-Razzaq offers the means for achieving abundance; al-Fattah is the continuing action of all that will be accomplished.
17. Ya Razzaq (yaa raz-ZAAḲ)
Ar-Razzaq is the one who continuously provides the means for each of us to get what we need for our daily sustenance, our bread, and butter. The noun rizq, formed from its root, means a gift of blessing from which all can benefit. The adage "The bounty of the dates can be seen at the bottom of the well" illustrates the meaning of ar-Razzaq. If you make use of the water of the well and draw it up and irrigate your palm trees every day, you will get the dates.
There are endless opportunities to benefit from the divine gifts that are offered by ar-Razzaq, and endless ways to make them available to others. Ar-Razzaq is also seen in a person's openness to receive divine provenance. The word al-arzaaq means "endless gifts." The truly endless gifts are the gifts of rahma: compassion, mercy, and love. The one who always gives these gifts has an infinite supply in treasure houses of infinite love.
18. Ya Fattah (yaa fat-TAAḤ)
Al-Fattah means both to begin and to open. Through it you begin to open your heart to the infinite possibilities of the divine presence. With al-Fattah, the opening is continuous. It is an enlightenment that keeps happening. Al-Fattah brings great power to clear the way of obstacles and open the path of your life for success. It is the one who opens the heart to love and ecstasy.
Al-Fattah means to open something with something else, a key. It is the key to opening the heart to Allah, the key to finding the God within. Reciting Ya Fattah is a very powerful practice because, even in the midst of despair, it brings the possibility of awakening to love and ecstasy. Its activity in us is opening up the veils of darkness over the heart to uncover the light within. Al-Fattah is the continuous action of all that will be accomplished. The invocation of Ya Fattah sets up the dynamic of going deeper and deeper in the process of opening.
To hear the pronunciation: Ya Wahhab ~ Ya Razzaq ~ Ya Fattah
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Text and Commentary to Study
This month we read and practice Murshid Samuel Lewis', Ten Lessons on Walk
Click to download
Ten Lessons on Walk
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LOCAL BIRDS
California Quail
Female Golden Orile at our backyard feeder
Male Golden Oriole
Raven
American White Pelican
Acorn Woodpeckers at our backyard feeder
Canadian Geese Family
Black-neck Stilts
Forster's Tern
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier
Trumpeter Swan and her eggs
Swan cygnets already hatched from another pair
Our roses are displaying their beauty