August 2020 Message

Beloved Family,

Sitting this morning, the following melody and words washed through my heart, "The storm is passing over, the storm is passing over, the storm is passing over, Hallelujah! “ For likely 25 years Deborah Thomson has led a Gospel Choir at the Annual Mendocino Sufi Camp and this was one of the songs we all loved.

Making prayers and aspirations for excellent health for each of you, your extended families and our Ruhaniat Family!

Jelaluddin Rumi’s words, “Be like melting snow, Wash yourself of yourself,” have been guiding me. With no-self, where can the dust alight!

Here it is so clearly expressed by H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

The everyday practice is simply to develop a complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions, and to all people, experiencing everything totally without mental reservations and blockages, so that one never withdraws or centralizes into oneself.
This produces tremendous energy which is usually locked up in the process of mental evasion and a general running away from life experiences.

What powerful guidance for our entire lives.

While I miss sharing the Message as I travel from country to country, from one precious circle to another, Tamam and I are walking 4 miles a day, tending to our garden and harvest, enjoying the birds and the early morning practice time.

Walking in a glen of trees we came upon a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk, and then there were two hawks. We walked for about an hour and when we returned to the same area we looked for them in the trees. They flew to us, probably 10 feet away and shared their Darshan! The very next day, during my early morning practices, another Coopers Hawk came for a visit. What a delight! Naturally, pictures to follow!

I was inspired by the song Maitreya Jon Stevens shared on our recent Ruhaniat Family ZOOM, YA MUJIB, and have been practicing it daily ever since and now ask us to do the same.

Much love,

Shabda

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Wazifa Practice

Recite 101x

YA MUJIB

44. Ya Mujib (yaa mu-JEEB)

Al-Mujib is the one who answers all prayers. This response to prayer matches the genuineness of the asking. The Qur'an says, “Call to me and I will answer you.” The imperative here is to act. Not knowing the time, manner, and place in which al-Mujib answers is actually a protection from getting trapped by our limited expectations.

A physical form of its root means to dig into a rock to reach water. Another form means to penetrate the blackness of the night like the light of the moon that, when it rises, renders clear what has been obscured. These physical meanings of the root of al-Mujib suggest that the act of asking in prayer is a light that penetrates your inner darkness of confusion and shines upon your own self, and in this way reveals what you are really asking for. This addresses the often-repeated question of why we should pray when God already knows what we need.

Invoking Ya Mujib is not simply seeking an answer; it means to pay attention and listen. If we are not listening, or are distant in our feeling, we may not be near enough to al-Mujib to receive the answer that is always there. Its repetition allows us to listen with our heart and hear God’s answers.

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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 2: Numbers 4-10(A), pages 32-45

Click to download

Githa Dhyana: Meditation

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PHOTOS

Coopers Hawk