January 2022 Message

Beloved Family,

January greetings of the Heart!

Even though we had some disappointment in canceling the in-face Murshid Sam URS Celebration for obvious reasons, I was very touched to see so many people attend the ZOOM Celebrations from around the world. If we factor in that many were attending with two or more people, there was likely 350 on the ZOOM! We heard new stories about Murshid Sam from some of his mureeds that most of you had never met before. You can find the recording in the same place as all the other Ruhaniat Family ZOOM Gathering recordings.

According to our seasons, we have been pruning the fruit trees, the roses, the fuchsia, the hydrangeas, and putting chicken manure over all the vegetable beds and fruit trees! Spring is around the corner.

We had a wonderful encounter with our Red-tailed Hawk friend Blanca. After catching a rat in our backyard we brought it to where Blanca lives to offer it to her. I suggested to Tamam she holds it by the tail in the air and in an instant Blanca flew down and powerfully and very delicately grabbed the rat! (picture below!)

For our next wazifa I suggest we recite a wazifa pair for strength. I make it a habit to recite strength wazifas every day since I feel that without strength nothing can happen. I appreciate reciting:

YA QADIR ~ YA MUQTADIR,

YA MATIN,

YA QAHHAR,

YA JABBAR,

YA DHAL JELALI WAL IKRAM

and my favorite

YA QAWIYY -u - YA AZIZ which we can recite for the month. (or you could switch around)

YA QAWIYY invokes the innate Strength before the notion of being the doer, before the notion of I arises, so it is helpful in unseating the ego, pride and self-thought. YA AZIZ, invokes a strength that arises out of the experience of the innate preciousness of Being, so it helps overcome a lack of self-worth.

This year Hazrat Inayat Khan’s URS, February 5th, falls on the same day as the regular Ruhaniat Family ZOOM Gathering. We have the pleasure of Murshida Taj Inayat helping us celebrate a being who is the Guide of many of our lives.

With much love and gratitude,

Shabda

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Wazifa Practice

Recite 101x

YA QAWIYY -u- YA AZIZ

53. Ya Qawiyy (yaa QA-weeyy)

Al-Qawiyy is overpowering strength. Its omnipotent power persists through all the possible permutations of temporal being. Al-Qawiyy is the strength to overcome the impulse of self-expression. It is the strength to not use the power that we feel is ready to burst forth from within us.

Realizing al-Qawiyy allows us to overcome the feeling of always being the doer, or active controlling agent, in every situation. A physical form of the root means to completely empty out one’s house.

Al-Qawiyy’s power is strong enough to overcome the superego, the lusts, and the desires. Al-Qawiyy is in command of the commanding self, a self that is very primitive and adamant. It disarms the commanding self so that human beings can see that all personal power is the result of the real power that is coming from the divine source.

In addition, recitation of Ya Qawiyy is an antidote for those who feel that they have to be in control. Control issues in the personality often stem from fear of death, and al-Qawiyy can be experienced as a pathway for conquering the fear of death.

8. Ya 'Aziz (yaa 'a-ZEEZ)

Al-'Aziz is a kind of divine strength or power that is beyond the dualism of praise and blame. It is the strength that naturally flows from intrinsic, essential worth. The power of al-'Aziz is sweet, and it actually carries an inner meaning of sweetness. It also means precious and rare, like a baby eagle among birds.

The strength of al-'Aziz is the power of God itself. It is the true worth, utmost dignity, and strength that manifests directly from God, without an intermediary. It can be contemplated in the incredible precious value of the human soul. Invocation of Ya 'Aziz brings freedom without limitations and is a remedy for our experience of being powerless and under great restraint due to restrictions that maybe real or imagined.

Repetition of Ya 'Aziz is also an important remedy for the common human experience of feeling undervalued and worthless. Al-'Aziz is the marriage of strength and self-worth.

To hear the pronunciation: Ya Qawiyy ~ Ya Aziz

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Text and Commentary to Study

This month we finish reading Yours in the Infinite, a series of letters from Hazrat Inayat Khan to Murshida Rabia Ada Martin 1911-1926. We last read these wonderful letters in 2016.

To quote Mother Krishnabai:

“Better to read the same book one hundred and eight times than to read one hundred and eight books.”

Read the letters and addendum, pages 57-101

Click here

to download the document “Yours in the Infinite”

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PHOTOS

Sunset on the ponds where we walk