Beloved Family,
Blessings on Winter Solstice, and Summer Solstice to our Southern Hemisphere family, welcoming the festival of Lights - Hanukah, and the blessings of the gift through Mary of the birth of Jesus!
What a blessing to have been given the gift of life in order to awaken to our ‘birthright,’ our True Nature, the overcoming of the adaptive false notion of a separate self and gradually awaken to the Oneness of All Being! Along with the gift, as we become of aware of the immensity of the treasury of Being, we can feel the responsibility of dedicating our lives to Realization and naturally relieving suffering in all directions.
Each of us will have a special gift, unique to us, in the way we can serve the Message of Spiritual Liberty. For sure we all have a responsibility of loving care to our home, our planet, our neighborhood, our fellow beings and our bodies, our minds and the Infinite.
Certainly, one secret in having a buoyant attitude while we make our way on the Path filled with what could be perceived as obstacles but are really opportunities is gratitude. As we approach feeling gratitude for all that comes our way, we are filled with a sense of joy and sympathy.
As I’ve quoted before…
Here are some wise words on an approach from a great Tibetan master, 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 a tremendous energy which is usually locked up in the process of mental evasion and a general running away from life experiences.
Clarity of awareness, may, in its initial stages, be unpleasant or fear inspiring; if so, then one should open oneself completely to the pain or the fear and welcome it. In this way the barriers created by one's own habitual emotional reactions and prejudices are broken down.
…… Don't mentally split into two when meditating, one part of the mind watching the other like a cat watching a mouse.
For this season, I like to recite YA NUR ~ YA MUNAWWIR. The description is below but I wanted you to absorb these few words from Murshid Sam from his text on Self-Protection:
So when you want to get warm, when it is cold, after you have gotten your breath in rhythm with the use of “Toward the One” (Darood), you use as selective Wazifa YA NURI OR ALLAH NURI. this means that God is Light, but the idea of Light includes Heat, Warmth, Comfort, and Love - all are included in the thought. And the marvel is that you do not have to breathe more deeply, the thought controls the breath.
And the same practice “Ya Nuri” is also used to keep cool in warm weather, not only to keep warm, if your inhalation is not strong, you may direct it a little with the will, and to keep cool, if the exhalation is not strong you may direct it, for the Wazifa primarily brings comfort and not strictly speaking heat or cold.
After a long hiatus for the pandemic, our local Sufi Zikr Circle in San Rafaell is starting again in January. If you live locally, please download the poster and add the dates to your calendar. Our first meeting in Jan 12, 2023
Three days later we celebrate Murshid Sam’s URS, Jan 15, 2023 locally, view flyer.
Link to the March 5-10, 2023 Sufi Sesshin. It is filling up quickly due to limited space so register soon of you want to attend.
You might enjoy this video from our unique gathering, Conference of the Birds, held in southern Turkey last September. All our beloved Sufi Elders came together from different continents and Generations to talk about Unity, what a beautiful Sohbet!
Also here is a link to a talk I gave at Khankah Sam in May!
Much love,
Shabda
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Wazifa Practice
Recite 101x
YA NUR ~ YA MUNAWWIR
93. Ya Nur (yaa NOOR) ~ YA MUNAWWIR (yaa moo-NOW-were)
An-Nur is the essence of light, luminosity itself. A Qur'anic verse says, "Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth." An-Nur is the light of every soul and an inherent characteristic in every pore of your body. Munawwir is a form of the same root and means the one who illuminates.
It is interesting that the word for "hell" in Arabic is naar, which has the same root as Nur. What makes it hell is that the burning heat there is lacking in light. That kind of burning heat is our inner condition if we don't embody God's loving mercy and compassion (rahma) and instead become full of rage.
Whatever way we may turn, we see the all-pervading light of An-Nur. Even the darkness shines from within it. All the various forms of wisdom and guidance are expressions of An-Nur. For example, Nur-ul-Haqeeqah is the light of truth and guidance on the path. What continues to live on in God when we die is also a legacy of light.
To hear the pronunciation: Ya Nur
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Text and Commentary to Study
This month we continue reading Murshid Sam’s Commentary on the Githas, Series II, on Sadhana.
Read and contemplate pages 26 - 37, Numbers 5, on the path of attainment
to download the document Murshid Sam’s Commentary on the Githas, Series II
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Upcoming Events and Teachings
Sufi Retreat in Costa Rica Jan 25 - 29
Sufi Sesshin in Healdsburg, CA Mar 5 - 10
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PHOTOS
Ponds where we walk, with a view of Mt Tamalpais
Sunset
Rainbow
Playful Otter Couple
White-tailed Kite
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron
Female Barrow’s Goldeneye
House Finch
Juvenile Northern Harrier with meal
Female Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk with a meal in the setting sun
Coopers Hawk
Coopers Hawk
American Kestral
Lone Coyote