Murshida Dakini Warrior
Lancashire, United Kingdom
I was born in Tallinn, the capital of Russian-occupied Estonia, and came of age during the Singing Revolution—a peaceful movement that restored independence to my country. This non-violent political shift deeply shaped my understanding of freedom and collective empowerment. I studied education and psychology in Estonia and earned a master’s degree in Scotland. Since then, I have worked with children and young people in Estonia, the UK, and New Zealand.
My first encounter with the Dances of Universal Peace and Sufi practices in the 1990s dramatically changed the course of my life. These practices tore me wide open and ignited an insatiable hunger for more. Though I did not yet understand the sacred words I sang, I entered daily practice with sincere enthusiasm and devotion, and began leading regular dance circles across Eastern Europe in 1995.
The following year, I hitchhiked across Europe to attend the Peace Through the Arts Camp (now Sacred Arts Camp) in the UK. That journey opened a stream of blessings - unexpected encounters, lasting friendships, and invitations to new gatherings. I immersed myself in studying Sufism and the Dances of Universal Peace, and also learned astrology, guitar, and the English language. My dreams and inner life became my guiding compass. By 1997, I became a certified dance leader, and in 1998 I took Bayat, my first formal Sufi initiation, with Murshid Saadi Douglas-Klotz.
Shortly after, I moved to the Findhorn community in Scotland, where I lived for ten years. There I gave birth to two children, co-founded the Shambala Retreat Centre, and led pilgrimages to Nepal, Tibet, and India. I also founded the Estonian Dance Camp in 2001 and, in 2012, the first UK family Sufi camp, Dervish Days.
During that time, my path also led me to the treasures of the Mahayana School of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. When I first met Lama Lhundrup, abbot of Kopan Monastery, he asked if I was a Buddhist. After hearing about my Sufi journey, he smiled and said, “You are a Buddhist.” That moment opened several years of study and meditation, primarily with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Lhundrup, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The wisdom of these teachers, as well as many other ‘virtuous friends’, continues to nourish my practice and support me in daily life.
In the early 2000s, vivid dreams drew me toward Pir Shabda Kahn. When we met in 2002, I felt an immediate heart connection. In 2006, Murshid Saadi empowered me to guide others on the Sufi path; two years later, I formally asked Pir Shabda to be my guide. In 2016, he initiated me as a Sheikha.
Today, I serve as a Murshid in Sufi Ruhaniat International and as a senior mentor for the Dances of Universal Peace. I have taught and travelled widely across Europe, Oceania, Asia, North Africa, and the United States. With reverence and humility, I offer spiritual guidance to seekers—primarily in Europe—and serve on both the DUP International Ethics Council and the Guidance Council.
Murshida Dakini Warrior
Lancashire, United Kingdom
I was born in Tallinn, the capital of Russian-occupied Estonia, and came of age during the Singing Revolution—a peaceful movement that restored independence to my country. This non-violent political shift deeply shaped my understanding of freedom and collective empowerment. I studied education and psychology in Estonia and earned a master’s degree in Scotland. Since then, I have worked with children and young people in Estonia, the UK, and New Zealand.
My first encounter with the Dances of Universal Peace and Sufi practices in the 1990s dramatically changed the course of my life. These practices tore me wide open and ignited an insatiable hunger for more. Though I did not yet understand the sacred words I sang, I entered daily practice with sincere enthusiasm and devotion, and began leading regular dance circles across Eastern Europe in 1995.
The following year, I hitchhiked across Europe to attend the Peace Through the Arts Camp (now Sacred Arts Camp) in the UK. That journey opened a stream of blessings - unexpected encounters, lasting friendships, and invitations to new gatherings. I immersed myself in studying Sufism and the Dances of Universal Peace, and also learned astrology, guitar, and the English language. My dreams and inner life became my guiding compass. By 1997, I became a certified dance leader, and in 1998 I took Bayat, my first formal Sufi initiation, with Murshid Saadi Douglas-Klotz.
Shortly after, I moved to the Findhorn community in Scotland, where I lived for ten years. There I gave birth to two children, co-founded the Shambala Retreat Centre, and led pilgrimages to Nepal, Tibet, and India. I also founded the Estonian Dance Camp in 2001 and, in 2012, the first UK family Sufi camp, Dervish Days.
During that time, my path also led me to the treasures of the Mahayana School of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. When I first met Lama Lhundrup, abbot of Kopan Monastery, he asked if I was a Buddhist. After hearing about my Sufi journey, he smiled and said, “You are a Buddhist.” That moment opened several years of study and meditation, primarily with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Lhundrup, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The wisdom of these teachers, as well as many other ‘virtuous friends’, continues to nourish my practice and support me in daily life.
In the early 2000s, vivid dreams drew me toward Pir Shabda Kahn. When we met in 2002, I felt an immediate heart connection. In 2006, Murshid Saadi empowered me to guide others on the Sufi path; two years later, I formally asked Pir Shabda to be my guide. In 2016, he initiated me as a Sheikha.
Today, I serve as a Murshid in Sufi Ruhaniat International and as a senior mentor for the Dances of Universal Peace. I have taught and travelled widely across Europe, Oceania, Asia, North Africa, and the United States. With reverence and humility, I offer spiritual guidance to seekers—primarily in Europe—and serve on both the DUP International Ethics Council and the Guidance Council.