Sufi
Affiliate Facilitator: Melissa Clare
Email: melissaclare01@gmail.com
Please check the Calendar on the Home Page for current offerings.
SUFISM
Toward the One, The Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty, the Only Being, United with all the illuminated souls who from the embodiment of the master, the spirit of guidance.
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Sufism, a heart based spiritual path, respects all religions while encouraging people to rise above their differences, discovering the divine spark within. Sufism has often been called “the religion of the heart “ and is popularly believed to be the mystic path of Islam – however according to Inayat Khan, the first Sufi teacher to come to the West from India in 1911, Sufism has its roots in the mystery schools of ancient Egypt.
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The Inayati Order of Sufis:
Originally known simply as the Sufi Order of the West, this branch was founded by Hazrat Inayat Khan, a mystical musician and poet whose family had developed a school of music in Baroda, India. This branch has grown out of the Chishti Sufi lineage to which Inayat’s teacher Abu Hashim Madani belonged.
The symbol of the Sufis is the winged heart with crescent and five-pointed star, symbolizing that the heart which is receptive to the divine light takes wing.
Inayat Khan structured his organization with five activities each representing the point of a five pointed star:​
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Hazrat Inayat Khan
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The Esoteric School supports the spiritual unfoldment of its initiates.
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The Sufi Healing Order encourages a deeper understanding of the spiritual aspect of healing and brings support to those who are engaged in healing.
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Ziraat is a mystery school which helps participants to cultivate their mind and refine their ego through stages of development with symbology drawn from agriculture.
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The Universal Worship Service explores the religious dimension through a respect for all religions and spiritual traditions.
Kinship (originally Brotherhood) encourages the deepening of the heart through friendship.
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Inayat Khan’s son Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan further developed the Order, exploring the far reaches of the soul through meditation and developing the Sufi Alchemical Retreat, the Cosmic Celebration, and the Hope Project in India, which brings food and education to Delhi’s poorest children and families…
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When Pir Vilayat died in 2003, his son Pir Zia Inayat Khan took over the Order, continuing the work of the Hope Project and founding the Suluk academy for Sufi studies. He has written several books – and has participated in video productions including the BBC documentary “ Enemy of the Reich” telling the story of Noor Un Nisa…
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti
(Murshid Samuel Lewis)
Noor un Nisa Inayat Khan
Pir Vilayat’s sister Noor un Nisa Inayat Khan was the last radio operator left in Paris during the French resistance. Her great courage has inspired many to retell her story as a spiritual warrior in our time. She was an accomplished musician, playing the harp and vina, and she published a book of Jataka tales for children.
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Sufi Ruhaniat Society, founded by Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti (Murshid Samuel Lewis)
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti (known as Sufi Sam) was a disciple of Inayat Khan, who, after many profound spiritual awakenings was guided to bring Sufism to the hippy generation.
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“He originated the Dances of Universal Peace and dedicated them to the Temple of Understanding which was committed, as was Hazrat Inayat Khan, to providing a house of prayer for all peoples. These dances, which take sacred phrases from all the world’s religions, have since spread worldwide. He originated the work of the Sufi Choir and instituted spiritual instruction through music. He credited his “fairy godmother” Ruth St. Denis with his ability to draw Dance forms out of the cosmos and for his inspiration to teach through the Walk.
In 1968, he joined forces with Pir Vilayat Khan, the eldest son of his first teacher, and there followed a great flowering of the Sufi work in the United States.” (-excerpt from Murshid Wali Ali)
Pir Vilayat & Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti
Pir Vilayat & The Dalai Lama