September 2020 Message

Beloved Family,

Greetings and Salutations to all of you around the world from California!

I know many of you have been watching the news of the devastating fires along the West Coast of the US, California, Oregon, and Washington. Prayers for protection go out to all affected, those who lost their homes and belongings, all living beings, and especially to the first responders and firefighters on the front lines.

Speaking for those of us in the Bay Area, we were stuck indoors for a week with super bad air quality and now the sky is clear blue, and air quality excellent. Hoping Oregon and Washington will follow very soon and also have clean air. Having been homebound, going out for a walk brings a new appreciation and gratitude.

There is no doubt that as we gradually recognize our True Nature as Primordial Wisdom beyond any separation of a separate self, joy will be extended to every corner of our life, the world, and to all those we touch. With self comes self-interest! Naturally, we want to treat our suffering with kindness and wisdom. In all cases, we want to bring as much warm-heartedness to bear as we are capable of.

As I wrote to the list serves today, Tamam and I were recently enriched by a new Netflix documentary called “The Social Dilemma” which I feel gave us an important understanding of the workings, blessings, pitfalls, and dangers of social media, of news and fake news today. Hope you can all take the time to study it.

As a special treat our dear friend and colleague, Netanel Miles-Yépez, Pir of the Inayati-Maimuni Order founded by Reb Zalman Schacter-Shalomi, has sent us the link to Living from the Heart: Universalist Sufism in America)his 2018 film which is now free to view on YouTube.

Blessings to all of you in this time of social distancing and little or no singing and dancing in person together. May you have excellent health and the prosperity you need to get through these challenging times. My hope is that by late spring we may begin to move to a new normalcy.

And HAPPY JEWISH NEW YEAR 5780!

Much love,
Shabda

<><><><>

Wazifa Practice

Recite 101x

YA HASIB ~ YA TAWWAB

40. Ya Hasib (yaa ḥa-SEEB)

Al-Hasib is the action of accounting for the full meaning of everything. Nothing goes unrecorded and nothing is ever lost. It means taking full responsibility for one's actions, words, and even one's thoughts. To become completely accountable allows for a new beginning of what is possible. It brings realization. A root meaning of al-Hasib is to record a business transaction in an account book with exactitude and honesty. An advanced Sufi technique called muhasibah is an honest taking account of oneself while never forgetting that you are within the ocean of divine mercy.

79. Ya Tawwab (yaa tow-WAAB)

At-Tawwab is the forgiveness that enables you to turn away from grudges, and perceived individual defects, toward the perfection of Allah. It comes with the realization that the divine beloved is always turning toward you, continually offering a gaze of deep forgiveness and endless compassion. At-Tawwab conveys the real meaning of repentance, the turning from the limitations of the false self and toward the perfection of your immortal soul, which is not separate from the divine reality.

Realizing at-Tawwab involves giving up the attachment to being right. It means giving up self-righteousness and letting go of the grudge. It is to turn your face toward someone else with forgiveness and compassion. Like Ya Wadud, it consciously uses the densest elements of a situation as an inner impetus for transformation, and to turn toward God. Repetition of Ya Tawwab allows you to turn toward the divine face in every face. It is an antidote for clinging to, and identifying with, a wounded sense of self-deficiency.

Commonly translated as the Acceptor of Repentance, it has the root in the Arabic, tauba, turning. It can be understood as the Divine Forgiveness that allows us to turn from individual defect toward the Beloved, who is always facing us, continually (because of the double consonant WW) turning toward us. Many of you will recognize it as the third wazifa in the four wazifas of healing we have done before, YA GHAFFAR, YA GHAFFUR, YA TAWWAB, and YA AFUW

<><><><>

In the Jewish tradition, starting with Rosh Hashanah - Jewish New Year to Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement ~ which this year is September 18 - 28, 2020 we have what is known as the 10 Days of Tshuva.

Tshuva, is the same root as tauba/Tawwab, which we translated in Arabic as turning toward Divine Light, and Allah continually turning toward us. This calls for overcoming the attachment to our self-grasping, in other words, not being attached to any particular view of ourselves, whether grandiose, exaggerated or demeaning, self-loathing, low self-worth, or esteem. We turn toward the light which removes shadows, always feeling the love flowing toward you, no matter what your mistakes and accomplishments are.

It is a period where one takes an account of one's life - YA HASIB, opening one's heart and eyes to everything, even what may be uncomfortable to see. With the support of YA TAWWAB, light is shed on what was previously in darkness or shadow.

It can be further understood that the mystics of old set up this ritual as a rehearsal for what in the Bible is called the "Day of Judgement,” or in the language of Near-Death Experience as a Life Review. The Tibetan teaching around the stages of the Bardos (meaning in-between) after death also talks about reckoning with one's causes and conditions.

As Murshid Sam would often point out, it is called the DAY of judgment, not the NIGHT of judgment. In other words, it happens in the LIGHT. That is, in one of the stages after leaving behind this body, one gets a life's review in the LIGHT. I believe the phrase, "Day of Accounting," or "Day of Reconciling," rather than judging, would be appropriate. If one is turned to the light than there is no self-loathing, just learning from one's mistakes. One does not feel cast out or separate from the Beloved. Again quoting Murshid Sam, "Allah is your Lover, not your jailer.”

To hear the pronunciation: Ya Hasib ~ Ya Tawwab

<><><><>

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

Read Series 3: Numbers 1-10, pages 46-57

Click to download

Githa Dhyana: Meditation

<><><><>

PHOTOS

Western Bluebird