July 2020 Message

Beloved Mureeds and family,

Breathe in and breathe out!

I imagine that this is a rocky time for many of you just as it is for me. There is a settling and then there are more waves and more settling. Certainly, previous life blows have given me a capacity to weather storms, which it feels like we are in. I am hopeful that we will come through this even more resilient and better able to serve the Message.

Naturally, we can apply my favorite mantra: “This is how it is right now!” And apply it not only to our Ruhaniat family storm but also to dealing with Covid-19, Black Lives Matter, and the potential devastation to the environment of the planet that provides us life and sustenance. As I have been taught, the Dharma is forever!

On a very positive note, not traveling, constantly passing through airports and planes has allowed me to walk 4 miles a day, work from home, have more time for spiritual practice and enjoy the daily cycles of nature right here in my own backyard. Watching the baby quail grow up, the vegetables unfold their cycles, the thrill of our avocado trees having close to 25 avocados growing bigger by the day, the hawks visiting, all of this is a bright light in my daily life!

It is very heartwarming to meet with so many of you on our every other Saturday Ruhaniat Family ZOOM Gatherings, from Russia to South Africa, to Europe, to New Zealand, to Europe and even Asia!

It seems natural to call on the first two names of Loving Kindness and Compassion, Ya Rahman, Ya Raheem, as a remedy for all that is arising and as guidance for us to do our best to practice them in all our actions and thoughts.

Sending prayers for excellent health for you all, for your families and all beings in all realms,

Shabda

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Wazifa Practice

Recite 101x

YA RAHMAN ~ YA RAHIM

1. Ya Rahman (yaa raḥ-MAAN)

Ar-Rahman is endless love. It is the infinite, unconditional reality of love. This is the Name said in the Qur'an to be inscribed on the heart of Allah.4 In other words, God’s essence necessarily includes this quality of love. Ar-Rahman might be imagined as the inner self of God, an infinite container that is incredibly compassionate, kind, and tender. It is the sun of loving compassion that is endlessly shining. Ar-Rahman includes all the other divine Names. It is the source of all; it is the gate that opens onto all
God’s qualities, and an inner secret of each one.

The root meaning comes from the word rahm, “womb.” In human beings, this quality is naturally felt in relation to pregnancy. Allah provides human beings a womb to be born into and through which to have the realization of the love that is at the very foundation of all that exists. Invocation of Ya Rahman is a healing remedy for all who feel disconnected from God and for those marked by a wound of self-loathing.

2. Ya Rahim (yaa ra-ḤEEM)

Ar-Rahim is the embodiment of loving mercy, and it brings the gentle touch of divine mercy. Nothing other than ar-Rahim possesses the mercy that pours forth freely and fully reaches all beings and all things, without exception. It is an all-pervading infinite presence that is manifesting into a boundless number of finite things.

Its root meaning, like that of Ya Rahman (1), comes from the Arabic word for womb, rahm. It carries an inner feeling that is naturally connected with childhood. Ar-Rahim actively brings divine love into human relationships. It enables each and every being to more fully manifest loving mercy. Recitation of Ya Rahim is an antidote for all who feel abandoned by God and who need to experience the healing activity of divine love reaching deeply within them.

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Text and Commentary to Study

This month we continue reading and practicing the lessons on meditation from the Githa Dhyana: Meditation, by Murshid Samuel Lewis

Finish reading Series 1: Numbers 9-10(A) and begin reading Series 2: Numbers 1-3(A), pages 22-31

Click to download

Githa Dhyana: Meditation

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PHOTOS

Papa and baby quail in our back yard