Podcasts about in sufism

This podcast is focused on the Shamanic World. The Shamanic World is a spiritual world accessible through Imaginative Consciousness of our Soul. In Shamanic View, this spiritual reality is known as The Shamanic World, The Shamanic Cosmos, or, The Spirit World. In Sufism and Neoplatonic View, it is referred to as The Mundus Imaginalis, The Imaginal World, Daimonic Reality, or the Domain of the Soul. Or, in Depth or Archetypal Psychology, this reality is referred to as The Unconscious, The Mundus Archetypus, and The World of Archetypal Images. There are other names given to this hidden spiritual reality, such as Astral, Subtle, or Celestial World. Dreams are one of the gateways, through which we can access these unconscious contents in the Shamanic World. There are other gateways, like shamanic journeys and active imagination that allow broader access to these unconscious contents. This podcast explains what Shamanic World is, and why accessing it is essential to our psychological well-bring and spiritual awakening. More specifically, we cover the following topics: - The Shamanic World and Mundus Imaginalis (The Domain of the Soul)- Soul Consciousness as the Gateway to Shamanic World- Cognitive Imagination as an Inner Sense and Organ of Perception - Difference between Shamanic Journey and Meditation- Personal Dimension of the Shamanic World- And, Impersonal and Archetypal Dimensions of the Shamanic WorldThis podcast is produced by Aion Farvahar, who is a Life and Spirituality Mentor, and a Psychoshamanic and IFS Self-Leadership Practitioner. For more information about Aion Farvahar or Celestial Twin Life Mentorship visit:- Celestial Twin Website (https://celestialtwin.com/)- About Aion Farvahar (https://celestialtwin.com/linkinbio/)- Celestial Twin YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/CelestialTwin/) Reference Links:- Inner Work (The Ultimate Guide): https://youtu.be/H6lV1IQCafs- How Imagination Shapes Our Life (https://youtu.be/v8nn1XdEAoQ) Background Music:CC-BY by Artist: Meydän, Track: Away, Artist's Website (https://soundcloud.com/meydansound/)   Disclaimer:The ideas presented here are based on personal perspectives, experience, or research, and are not meant to reflect any scientific or academic argument. No part of this podcasts may be reproduced or used without written permission from Celestial Twin Life Mentorship or Aion Farvahar (https://celestialtwin.com/). Use of brief quotations is permitted, if providing a clear attribution and link to the original post. Blessings!  

This episode is a sort of remake of an earlier one I did on al-Shushtari a few years back, with some added content. Join me as we explore on of the most fascinating Sufi poets in history.Translations of poems and the Baghdad Treatise are from the works of Lourdes Maria Alvarez.Translations from Risalat al-Qusariyya are by Yousef Casewit.Sources/Recomended Reading:Abou-Bakr, Omaima (1992). "The Symbolic Function of Metaphor inMedieval Sufi Poetry: The Case of Shushtari". Journal of Comparative Poetics, No. 12, Metaphor and Allegory in the MiddleAges (1992), pp. 40-57.Alvarez, Lourdes Maria (2009). "Abu-l Hasan al-Shushtari: Songs of Love and Devotion". In the "Classics of Western Spirituality" series. Paulist Press.Alvarez, Lourdes Maria (2005). "The Mystical Language of Everyday Life": Vernacular Sufi Poetry and the Songs of Abu Al-Hasan Al-Shustari". Exemplaria. 17:1, 1-32, DOI: 10.1179/exm.2005.17.1.1.Ceballos, Carlos Berbil (2015). "Journeying from the Apparent to Absolute Being: Ibn Sab'in and his Predecessors". Journal of the Muhydin Ibn 'Arabi Society, Vol. 58.Casewit, Yousef (2017). "The Mystics of Al-Andalus: Ibn Barrajan and Islamic Thought in the Twelfth Century". Cambridge University Press.Casewit, Yousef (2020). "Shushtarī's Treatise on the Limits of Theology and Sufism: Discursive Knowledge (ʿilm), Direct Recognition (maʿrifa), and Mystical Realization (taḥqīq) in al-Risāla al-Quṣāriyya". Article. Divinity School, The University of Chicago.Casewit, Yousef (2020). "The Treatise on the Ascension (al-Risālaal-miʿrājiyya): Cosmology and Time in the Writings of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Shushtarī (d. 668/1269)". In "Light upon Light: Essays in Islamic Thought and History in Honor of Gerhard Bowering". Edited by Jamal J. Elias & Bilal Orfali. Brill.Cornell, Vincent J. (1998). "Realm of the Saint: Power and Authority in Moroccan Sufism". University of Texas Press.Cornell, Vincent J. (2007). "The All-Comprehensive Circle (al-Ihata): Soul, Intellect, and the Oneness of Existence in the Doctrine of Ibn Sab'in". In "Sufism and Theology", edited by Ayman Shihadeh. Edinburgh University Press.Ebstein, Michael (2014). "Mysticism and Philosophy in al-Andalus: Ibn Masarra, Ibn al-'Arabi and the Isma'ili Tradition". Brill. Johnson. N. Scott (1995). "Ocean and Pearls: Ibn Sab'in, Shustari and the Doctrine of Absolute Unity". In "Sufi: Journal of Sufism" Issue 25.#sufism #mysticism #islam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teacher, translator, and Rumi Scholar, Kabir Helminski, gets together with Raghu to discuss Sufi mysticism and his new book, The Mysterion."In Sufism, sincerity would be understood to be something like doing whatever you do for the sake of God; not for anyone's approval, not for attention, not for pleasure." – Kabir HelminskiIn this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu Markus and Kabir Helminski chat about:Kabir's encounter with Ram DassThe tradition of RumiSufism and sincerity The sense of self in the Sufi traditionPresence as a single field of awarenessRelief from judgment and the power of laughterAbout Kabir Helminski: Kabir has been translating Rumi and writing about spirituality for more than forty years. He is a respected teacher, a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order, which traces back to Rumi. Kabir Helminski is co-director, with his wife, Camille Helminski, of the Threshold Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the knowledge and practice of Sufism. He is the author of Living Presence and the translator of four volumes of Rumi's poetry, including Love Is a Stranger and Rumi: Daylight. His most recent book, The Mysterion: Rumi and the Secret of Becoming Fully Human, can be purchased HERE.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is your definition of love? In Sufism, their definition of love is more of an attraction for abundance. For them, having an abundant mindset is also connected to love. Thank you for your question, Mary Agnes Antonopoulos - Vividly Woman Co-Facilitator #sufi #sufilove #sufism #love #abundantmindset #abundant #abundance #mindset

In this episode, we talk about the controversial Andalusian Philosopher/Sufi Ibn Sab'in (d. 1270) and his teachings.Sources:Ceballos, Carlos Berbil (2015). "Journeying from the Apparent to Absolute Being: Ibn Sab'in and his predecessors". Journal of the Muhyddin Ibn 'Arabi Society Vol. 58.Cornell, Vincent J. (2007). "The All-Comprehensive Circle (al-Ihata): Soul, Intellect and the Oneness of Existence in the Doctrine of Ibn Sab'in". In "Sufism and Theology" (ed. Ayman Shihadeh). Edinburgh University Press.Johnson. N. Scott (1995). "Ocean and Pearls: Ibn Sab'in, Shustari and the Doctrine of Absolute Unity". In "Sufi: Journal of Sufism" Issue 25.Westerveld, Govert (2014). "Ibn Sab'in of the Ricote Valley: the First and Last Islamic Place in Spain". Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first of two episodes that were recorded during the food tour with Izzeldin Bukhari from Sacred Cuisine in the old city of Jerusalem. We talk with the women from Bethlehem who sell vegetables in the streets, we eat manakeesh (oven baked flat bread with zaatar), we buy all kind of pickled veggies and different kinds of old city sweets and we visit the oldest still functioning ka'ek oven, very famous (!!) Izzeldin takes us to one of his favorite humus and falafel places and talks about the different types of food you can eat there.Izzeldin was raised in the old city. His family is a prominent Sufi family and in a previous episode we talked about Sufism in Jerusalem. He connected to cooking while he was abroad in the United States and he missed the Palestinian cuisine. Cooking was meditative for him. And cooking mindfully made him also more aware of where the food that he cooked really comes from, what is the relation to culture and tradition and how can we preserve these traditions in the fast changing world around us.With Sacred Cuisine he tries to revive the Palestinian somi food (vegan /vegetarian) and when he works as a caterer he focuses on local and seasonal products. At the core of SacredCuisine is the return to the roots of the Palestinian approach to food, from growing to sharing, based on the values of fair-trade, sustainability, independence, nourishment, and cooperation. The aim is a rediscovery of Palestinian heritage through food, that bridges the past and the present From his website:  In Sufism, feeding others is considered to be the highest form of worship. The idea being that the health of the mind and body are intertwined. Food is understood to be a divine gift and sharing it is an act of love. ----If you want to do a Christmas gift to the podcast and receive the link to the video: Jesus was NOT born in a stable, by Louisa, then you can click here to go to the Ko-fi shop and don't forget to send me a message with your e-mail address on Ko-fi messages or by email to kristelinpalestine@gmail.comConnect on Facebook, Instagram, check out the YouTube channel and sign up for the mailinglist! You can find all links here: https://podspout.app/storiesfrompalestineIf you want to watch the Christmas video : "Jesus was NOT born in a stable" then you can go to the Ko-fi shop and do a donation there. Leave your email address so we can send you the link to the video. Click here to go to the Ko-fi shop.

May the peace of God be with you, may His grace envelop you and embrace you, may His peace integrate into your being and may you know that peace.As with most things, the path begins with knowledge. Knowledge is the light that sets you on a path. And like a light that knowledge needs to be used. Used on your own being. A candle can light the way for you or a candle can be kept in one place. You can't go anywhere in the night if you don't have some light. And allegorically, this world is in the midst of darkness, it's in the night. And knowledge is the light that takes us on a path towards understanding. But knowledge has to be used, the fruit of knowledge is action. And action means doing what you have learned through knowledge.In Sufism, there is a teacher who imparts knowledge to the student. But the knowledge that is imparted is not just words and instructions, it is also the demeanor and the actions of the teacher. It is an understanding of the nature of a being that has gone on the path and has gotten somewhere. Incorporating the action of the knowledge that you have learned into your own life is what transformation is about. And what is this transformation? What does it do to you? It changes your state, it develops a state for you.So, everyone is looking for peace in their existence. Well, peace is available, but it needs to be worked for. We need to know how to obtain peace. We need to know the actions that we have to do to obtain peace. And what are these actions? They begin with moral code that underlies what we do. In other words we begin to truly understand the difference between right and wrong, and we do what's right in an appropriate way and we stay away from what's wrong. All of the religions have this moral code. In Islam it is called the sharī‘at. In Catholicism it's called the cannon law. In Judaism it is called chalacha. But it is a set of rules and regulations that you need to follow, that you need to incorporate.The teacher teaches something else besides just the rules and regulations. The rules and regulations can be taught and untaught at the earliest phases. The next phase is to begin to understand what love is and to incorporate love into your being so that you become a being who loves. Now, this is a big step because now we go on an intellectual knowledge of things to actually acting out. But acting out what? Acting out certain qualities.In Islam, there are ninety-nine names for God. These ninety-names represent the qualities of God. These ninety-nine names represent the space that you can go into, a state of compassion, a state of mercy, a state of gratitude, a state of patience. One needs to understand these ninety-nine names and what they represent. There is a book called, The Asmā'ul Husnā, by M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, which lists the ninety-nine names, one needs to obtain this book and read it and find out what those qualities are. Then one needs to begin to practice being those qualities. To practice integrating those qualities into your life, slowly at first, until they actually become the qualities that you are.Now, these things can't be measured, they can't be weighed, but they can be assessed just by looking at somebody that has them. They show up in a person's face, they show up in a person's voice, they show up in a person's temperament, and they change states. An angry person stops being angry and becomes patient. A hateful person becomes forgiving. There is an alteration in the chemistry of our being, so knowledge leads to action. Action leads to a state. And it is a state that we can be peaceful with. It is a state that we can be kind with. It is a state that loves. And we can develop these states. But to do that we have to control our being until these states become our norm.

There is thinking with the head, with the heart, and the combination of both. Thinking with your head means that, when the cultural and familial paradigms are subtracted, one is able to analyse deductively, inductively and reflect on past experiences and apply the knowledge gained from those experiences . To think with your heart means to engage a spiritual connection. One of the purposes of this path is learning how to return to that place where truths are revealed, perhaps through study and reflection. In Sufism we call this Haqq-al-yaqin- knowledge that comes directly to and through the heart.When the head and the heart begin to work together, this is the beginning of wisdom. This requires being completely present and not distracted (as much) by the nafs; habits and attachments to the world, yourself, or others.This cannot be completed on your own. Asking for help means you are ready to travel the rest of the way. Support the show (http://www.ansarisufiorder.org)

The sacred act of Being Present is achieved by complete surrender to This Moment. As soon as you imagine you ‘want’ something you have disengaged from the presence of the Divine.When you think of ‘I’ or ‘me’ you cast a shadow against the Light. Blessings are pouring down from Allah. Why put up the umbrella of ‘me’? Why get in the way of these blessings?I like Sufism because it has worked out over millenias the most appropriate tools that we need to become Human Beings. That is why service to others is so important. What’s a good way of not always thinking of yourself? Consider others before yourself. It assists in keeping ‘you’ out of the way. Part of the practice in preparing to be connected is to not let the ‘i’ take over. In Sufism we call this Adab. It is a useful and practical way to work on getting oneself out of the way. So we ask, “What does this other person need, want, how do they see the world?”Speaking of worlds, one perspective you may find interesting to invoke is to first imagine that you are the ambassador of your world. Now on your specific inner planet there are certainly many nations, many relationships, a plentitude of responsibilities and duties, languages, cultures, goals, careers, worries, crises, governments and exchequers. It is a lot of work being emperor of such diverse global politics! Now, the thing is, everyone also has their own empire they are trying to manage. It is easy to get buried in the enormous pressures from within. But your job, should you choose to accept it, is to provide comfort and safety for others. In turn, Allah will provide for you. You will find your heart will become enriched and fulfilled doing this.The way I look at it is that I want peace in this world. Since I do not have the broad reach across this outer planet, I have the oppotunity to initiate or spread peace with each person I meet. Of course that means I have to have true inner peace myself to be able to express it outwardly, and that is part of the reason of this practice. So each person you meet is ambassador of their world, as you are the representative of your world. We all deserve the respect and diplomacy you would like for your world.Perhaps it may help to think of it like this: you are riding a bicycle. You are good at it. Getting up to speed on it, taking corners close to the ground, even going long distances. But the Divine travels at the speed of Love. How are you going to synchronise your speed with Allah? You might as well be riding a tricycle. You need to find another kind of vehicle if you want to connect with the Universe. Maybe one of light and gratitude.Support the show (http://www.ansarisufiorder.org)

I’m honored to bring you the thinking of New York Times best-selling author Dr. Larry Dossey, on issues he has championed for nearly 40 years. Larry and I will be discussing a range of topics, such as the nature of consciousness, our inherent connectivity and unity with all other life, and the role suffering plays in helping us elaborate and expand our worldview.   His long career as a physician, researcher, writer and public speaker has given him deep insights into these topics that you won’t want to miss. It’s remarkable how consistently and passionately Larry has been the champion for the idea of a collective, unitary consciousness in the face of an initially skeptical scientific community.    The following is just a taste of Larry’s thought-provoking insights.   Q: How do we access the One Mind?  Larry: You really don’t have to do anything to access the One Mind, if you just turn off your rational mind.   Q: How can suffering help us in our journey toward greater wholeness? Larry: Ernest Hemingway said, “Life breaks everyone. Some people grow stronger at the break points. Other people just continue to be broken.” In my own life, I grew stronger at the break points, and probably without some sort of suffering, some sort of dramatic breakage, I would not have made the transitions in my own life and thinking that I did.    Q: Have we progressed as a society in our understanding and acceptance of the One Mind? Larry: Absolutely. About three-quarters of the medical schools in the United States now have courses in their curriculum on the impact of healing intentions and consciousness-mediated healing.   Q: What has the One Mind been called in various spiritual traditions? Larry: You can trace it back 3,000 years to the Hindu tradition, where it was known as the Akashic records. In Zen, it’s called Satori. In the tradition of Yoga, it’s called Somati. In Sufism it’s known as Fanaa. And in Christianity it’s often referred to as Christ Consciousness.   When asked if there’s one last thing he’d like our listeners to hear, Larry says, “Don’t be so serious about the nature of consciousness and what the future holds. Simply allow your unconscious wisdom to bubble up and you’ll be happier, more creative and healthier.”   Dr. Larry Dossey’s latest book, One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters, provides compelling data for the existence and power of a collective consciousness. It stretches us to re-imagine the power of our true selves.  About Dr. Larry DosseyThe author of numerous best-selling books and articles, distinguished physician Dr. Larry Dossey has become an internationally influential advocate of the role of the mind in health and the role of spirituality in healthcare. The impact of his work has been remarkable. Before his book Healing Words was published in 1993, only three U.S. medical schools had courses devoted to exploring the role of spirituality in health; currently, nearly 80 medical schools have instituted such courses, many of which utilize Dr. Dossey's works as textbooks. In his 1989 book Recovering the Soul, he introduced the concept of "nonlocal mind" -- mind unconfined to the brain and body, mind spread infinitely throughout space and time. Since then, "nonlocal mind" has been adopted by many leading scientists as an emerging image of consciousness. Dr. Dossey's ever-deepening explication of nonlocal mind provides a legitimate foundation for the merging of spirit and medicine. The ramifications of such a union are radical and call for no less than the reinvention of medicine...and the way each of us thinks about ourself. Find Larry on Social Media: http://larrydosseymd.com/ (Website) https://twitter.com/larrydosseymd (Twitter) https://www.facebook.com/larrydosseymd/ (Facebook) Larry’s Books: One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters Recovering the Soul: A Scientific and Spiritual Search Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine Books Mentioned in the Interview: Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, by Richard Rohr Love Is Complicated: A True Story of Brokenness and Healing, by Marlena Fiol, to be released summer 2020 About Marlena Fiol, PhDMarlena Fiol, PhD, is a globally recognized author, scholar and speaker. She is a spiritual seeker whose work explores the depths of who we are and what’s possible in our lives. Her significant body of publications on the topic, coupled with her own raw identity-changing experiences, makes her uniquely qualified to write about personal transformational change. She is also a certified tai chi instructor and freelance writer whose most recent work has appeared in numerous literary magazines and newsletters. You can find Marlena in the following places: https://marlenafiol.com Facebook Twitter: @marlenafiol  

The Trouble with Religion Ibrahim ansariThese are strange times for those of us who are drawn to the spiritual element. Probably somewhere along the line we tasted the divine; and since that moment its splendor and radiance always outshines all the other distractions. We decided to do everything in our power for just another sip. That is when we discover that things get complicated when people get involved. Power- whether it is knowledge, money, fame or position- corrupts. Always, unless checked by a creditable hierarchy whose job it is to maintain the purity and quality of the message. Otherwise it seems inevitable for an infection in a spiritual endeavor to arise and inflame something so seemingly innocent. If distortion is so predictable, what is the cure? The process of re-purifying a spiritual core belief requires change: an anathema to most of us. Change requires a set of tools most of us are not familiar with or have not learned to use properly. Like any tool, these get better with practice. They are: Thinking: observing and reflecting on possible outcomes, intentions, purposes, strategies and options, Effort: determining and planning a course of action to help maintain focus and commitment over time, Time: estimating how much time is realistically required, Sense of humor: If you can't laugh about it, what's the point? Or, in other words, keeping a sense of lightness and positivity when things get difficult or contrary. Regarding thinking: It often helps to articulate what you have learned from your observations and experiences so far. This can be done in any form, such as writing, painting, drawing, or extreme sports. Thinking requires you to sometimes apply the empirical method: what worked and why? What did not work and why? Of course this is all intellectual and uses the brain to deduce certain patterns. In Sufism we talk a great deal about listening to the heart. Perhaps it is like thinking with the brain, only one's heart is the calculator/intuitor/revealer. Being able to hear the heart's responses also requires practice and effort. We have spent much of our life discounting the heart's requests and prompts. This might be the right time to regain that ability. Regarding effort: This push towards a new beginning is hard for a number of reasons. One is that there is no better way to value the product of your hard work then you achieve your goal. We value something when it has taken a lot of work to achieve it. Another is that you are rewiring your brain. Neural pathways don't just change because you want them to. A process using muscles and intentions in unfamiliar ways require practice over time. As the new pathways emerge the practice becomes easier and eventually you have acquired a new 'habit'. Effort also informs the universe that you want to tread a new road. The universe may hear you and accomodate your goal with opportunities not accessible or available without effort. Times itself is an odd substance. It is hard to wrap one's head around something so intangible yet impactful. But as humans we can learn to become masters of time rather than slaves of time. If not masters, then at least friends with time. My experience leads me to believe we each live in our own time-set. Through stress and relaxation, sleep and activity, our sense of time stretches and contracts personally and privately. However, sometimes in a group we can share a sense of time- whether it is in expectation of an event, or an awkward silence or catastrophe, time warps according to our personal and shared perceptions. Regarding a sense of humor… Speaking of time warp, it’s just about the exact moment to do the

Listening to The Divine I bet you think only crazy people hear God’s voice. Maybe it is the other way around: only crazy people do not hear the voice of the divine (Allah).Let’s take another angle and look at this question differently. When did you stop listening to Allah? All Creation intersects Allah. Everything is related- whether you look at it atomically, molecularly, the Big Bang or as God’s creation, everything is connected at the source.When did you have the arrogance to imagine that you are isolated and alone? It is time to leave that teenage prideful existential angst behind and rejoin the rest of creation that is in continuous conversation with Allah.Imagine seeing everything around you as manifestations of Allah. You are here to learn about Allah directly and through Allah’s manifestations. “What!” you might yell, “that fly, these dirty plates, the tree are speaking? Oh, please! Don’t insult me with this New Age crap!”Well, my friend, they are speaking- in their language, just as you speak in yours.“Whoa,” you say, “what is this about the dirty plate? Are you telling me it’s talking, too?”That depends. Are you listening? Does the plate or the situation have something to say to you? Its message may be fairly simple, like, Clean me. Allah doesn’t have to use biblical terms to speak. Allah speaks through the creation. For you to hear, you must use the ears of your heart.The first step to hear the divine is to quiet the self and shut down the minds blathering. In Sufism we use Zikr to focus the mind. Other disciplines use different forms of meditation or focusing to gain control over the mind. The mind is a wonderful tool. But like any tool, is only useful if it is mastered and used properly. Who is the master of your mind? Do you control the tool or does the tool control you? The mind-tool must be brought under your control otherwise you will not be able to distinguish between Allah and your imagination.Next: Listen. Listening is different from hearing. Listening requires active participation of the ears, heart and mind. These parts cannot be going in opposite directions. They must be united and focused to listen. Listening requires that you be present enough to participate in creation.Third: Be open and do not have expectations of what is going to happen or how the message will be transmitted. Your heart is like a radio receiver- tuned to the Allah channel. Expectations are like the hills in front of a receiving antenna. They interfere with getting the message. Expectations block the signal. If you expect to hear something, you may miss how the message is actually delivered. For example, lets say you trip over your shoes (while you were waiting for God to talk to you) and then it dawns on you that the actual message could be Be more aware of being present. Take each step at a time. It could also come from an intense discussion in which you know you were right, but internally your heart says, Protect friendship above pride.Allah is Here, all around us and within us. By putting aside our logical mind’s restrictions we can begin to participate more actively in the ongoing symphony of Creation. Support the show (http://www.ansarisufiorder.org)

Why a Shaykh?By Ibrahim AnsariThe shaykh is your soul’s gardener. S/he takes you from where you are right now, and uses your inner materials as fertilizer to grow your heart. Parts of you (the garden) need weeding; some need hoeing, planting, and landscaping. The shaykh represents your highest potential. By learning to trust in the shaykh as a guide, you begin the process of unifying yourself. On a personal basis, the shaykh goes within you, sees the distinction between yourself and your True self, and helps you to complete the process of unification.Much of what a shaykh deals with at the beginning of his/her work with a student involves trust.For many people, especially Americans, trust is an issue. In this society trust is not a very common virtue. The first step of learning is to allow trust to develop. For some, this involves testing the water. As you experience your heart’s love in your shaykh’s presence, trust develops and deeper teaching can take place. Trust happens over time and through experience. You learn to trust Allah by first trusting your Shaykh. A shaykh sees you as you truly are. S/he sees through your attachments, your nafs. Nafs is the ego matrix that gives you the impression that you are your things, your memories and your habits. The shaykh sees you with your habits, and compares them to your true self. Part of a shaykh’s job is to be a mirror for you. If you are arrogant, the shaykh will allow you to see it. If you manifest love, love comes right back to you. In this and many other ways, your shaykh is here to help you overcome your nafs. Being a mirror to you is one of the quickest and perhaps most startling ways to break old habits. It is like seeing yourself in a special kind of movie, one where you can also hear your thoughts and see what is in your heart.The shaykh is your best friend and your nafs worst enemy.The shaykh works with you on an individual basis, and in a vocabulary that you can understand. Like a taxi driver, the shaykh will pick you up wherever you are, takes you where you want to go. The choice is always yours.At times, the shaykh will talk directly to your soul (ruh). The outer form may not understand as well as the inner soul. You may find yourself arguing, disagreeing, and even defending what you “know” to be right. This is contrary to the goal of a spiritual discipline. Defending yourself indicates a lack of surrender, mistrust of your guide and reliance upon your nafs. Shaykh Taner says, “Number One: The shaykh is always right. Number Two: See number One.”One of my many jobs is to teach piano. As a piano teacher, there are students who, when they’ve made a mistake, argue about it. If I record the session and play it back, the student hears what I heard. Eventually, if there is perseverance, the student eventually begins to hear the reality of the sound, not what they imagine. You see, in music, just as in Sufism, when your mind and preconceived ideas are quieted, you can hear the sound (God, Allah, the Divine) without distraction, without attachment. Then you can place your heart into the sound and turn that sound into music.Your time with your shaykh is like a music lesson. What you’ve practiced (or not) is apparent and cannot be hidden from a true spiritual teacher.Through time and experience rabita develops. Rabita is the spiritual/mental/heart connection between you and another person. In Sufism, the primary rabita is between the murid (student) and the shaykh. Over time, the murid may experience a profound deepening of this connection. When you come to trust the spiritual teacher, it means that the process of surrender can begin. Surrender, in Sufism, is giving up what your nafs want and learning to listen tSupport the show (http://www.ansarisufiorder.org)

In Sufism, fighting the Nafs (the ego-matrix) is the primary battle. The Tariqa and the Shaykh work to support, advise and focus the student (murid) in the sacred struggle. It is important to know why there are nafs and how to manage them appropriately.Support the show (http://www.ansarisufiorder.org)

This week I got the pleasure of interviewing Mark Silver. It was one of my favorite interviews so far. Mark Silver is a recognized master teacher in his Sufi lineage, and has earned his Masters of Divinity. He is also the founder and leads the team at Heart of Business, and since 2001 they've helped thousands of small business owners develop their small business in this dysfunctional economy, while striving to live the truth that every act of business can be an act of love. He lives in central New York with his wife and twin sons. https://www.heartofbusiness.com/ EPISODE QUOTABLES: The core Sufi practice is called remembrance. It's remembering the divine, remembering the presence of the divine and One. The way that we understand divinity, and divine and Allah as the word, is the name, is that this is not a beard in the sky, it is the oneness, it's universal source that we all come from and we all return to, on that we are not separated from. Our yearning, our striving, is to remember the divine in every moment, in everything, to see the oneness and the multiplicity and to see the multiplicity and the oneness. ~Mark Silver Sufism is it is a is a devotional practice, it's a devotional path and it has to do with not of detachment but of attachment, like we're attempting to attach ourselves to the One, to the love through love. The Remembrance as a practice, is the repeating of the calling of the name.  It's not a mechanical practice, it's a relationship, like we're wanting to be in relationship with the One and there is some of the language of the deity, language that comes in because it represents an intimacy that is available you. Love is a deeply attaching force and quality and that's what we're attempting to do, is to feel the love is to witness the love it's present in everything in every moment. I'm trying to call through my heart to the divine and be aware of that presence as much as possible. The way that we understand and witness the divine according to Sufism is of course is by the 99 divine qualities. ~Mark Silver It's just a way of understanding how the divine moves everything, that everything is an expression of the movement of divine presence and that we're never alone and we're never separate. ~Mark Silver So many of our actions are unfulfilling, because the actions are an attempt to manufacture divine qualities and human beings are completely unable to manufacture divine qualities we don't have that power but what we can do is we can sense that neediness inside ourselves a thirst for safety a thirst for love a thirst for appreciation for connection for wisdom for guidance for forgiveness and then we can ask for it and we can fill with it and then when we're filled with it we can be an expression of it. In Sufism the one of the metaphors we use the metaphor of the ocean a lot and water and thirst and so  what I've come to understand is that these emotions like fear and anger and a grief these are just symptoms of thirst it's like when we're thirsty our throat gets dry when we get hungry our stomach rumbles when our heart is thirsty we feel fear or anger or grief and it's just the sign of thirst and we can either you know go for junk food that doesn't really nourish us or we can slow down and get what really nourishes us and for me an understanding of the thirst of the heart's thirst helps me not react on the fear so directly. ~Mark Silver

Across the world, spanning millennia and bridging cultures and religions, there has been a belief in the transmutability or of the human body into a transcendent higher form, a ?Next Human'.In numerous spiritual traditions, the Next Humans possess a magnificent, hidden, ethereal Light Body that is referenced as the ?must get' "new skin" that is under our skin. In Sufism it is called "the most sacred body" and "supracelestial body". Taoists call it "the diamond body," and those who have attained it are called "the immortals" and "the cloudwalkers." Yogic schools and Tantrics call it "the divine body." In Kriya yoga it is called "the body of bliss." In Vedanta it is called "the superconductive body."The ancient Egyptians called it "the luminous body or being" (akh) or the karast. This conception evolved into Gnosticism, where it is called "the radiant body”. In the Hermetic Corpus, it is called "the immortal body". In the Mithraic liturgy it was called "the perfect body". In Christianity, it is called the Resurrection Body.The philosopher Sri Aurobindo called it "the divine body," and said it is composed of supramental substance. The twentieth century Christian mystic, Teilhard de Chardin, called it "the ultrahuman." Today, in Silicon Valley, the Next Human is called Humanity 2.0 or H+ and a new skin is being created with super advanced and highly mystical technology.William Henry is a Nashville-based author, investigative mythologist, and TV presenter. He is an internationally recognized authority on human spiritual potential, transformation and ascension.http://www.williamhenry.net/