Rumi said, ‘…God’s joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box, From cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flower bed. As roses up from the ground. Now it looks like a plate of rice and fish, Now a cliff covered with vines, Now a horse being saddled, It hides within these, Till one day … Continue reading ‘Patterns of Order’
Category: Uncategorized
Kismet, Fate, and Synchronicity
“It’s Kismet! We were destined to meet! There is an Arabic word, qisma, which means ‘one’s lot in life’ which has passed into English as destiny (Kismet) which has a kind of happy, even fairy-tale quality about it hidden within the folds of its exotic exterior. I wrote some little time ago now of my … Continue reading Kismet, Fate, and Synchronicity
‘Proximity and Distance’
Work, keep working Walking the Path Requires this much At least And when the work is done Rest, walking the path Requires that, for If not, then nothing is gained What then is there To be gained When every step Is a loss, and every loss a gain? Reach out … Continue reading ‘Proximity and Distance’
The Tyranny of Time? (2)
Friend or foe it brings us all to our ends, carried on its swift current. Have you ever stood near the edge of a waterfall and watched As the river hurtles to its end, yet There, way down below, beneath the drifting spray, one can see A new place of gathering? Now, turn, take a … Continue reading The Tyranny of Time? (2)
‘Knocking About in the Bush: A Modern Traveler in an Ancient Tradition’
Siyaha: Sufi travel which leads to the ‘science of within’ (ilm batin) Rihla: Also means ‘to travel’ in Islam which leads to the ‘science of appearance (ilm zahir) Safar: Likewise Sufi travel applied to the kind of travel that is ‘authorised’ by need e.g. Pilgrimage The first, siyaha, can be used as a synonym for … Continue reading ‘Knocking About in the Bush: A Modern Traveler in an Ancient Tradition’
Finding One’s ‘Place’
Finding One’s ‘Place’ If one were to consider the Barzakh a place other than the traditional no-place place of Sufism, then this place for me is the Coorong in South Australia (the setting of Colin Thiele’s ‘Storm Boy’). This is the place where my spirit was made flesh, and my flesh was (to become) spiritualised. … Continue reading Finding One’s ‘Place’
‘Barriers and Benefits on the Path of Return’
Why not remove the barriers completely? Why not let salt and the fresh waters intermingle, let them find their own balance? This is what actually happens anyway isn’t it? If everyone’s journey in this universe is unique then every step – unless accidental – is their own (which indeed represents – in this metaphor – … Continue reading ‘Barriers and Benefits on the Path of Return’
‘Who’s Listening Anyway’
(A Prose Poem meditation on the art of listening) A sky, peerless and blue The colour of a Plumbago bush in full bloom Unites heaven in one stroke Not God. Not angelic spheres, Just a wonderous work of natural phenomena A gift to itself. The tired roses drop their petals Curled from too much sun. … Continue reading ‘Who’s Listening Anyway’
‘The Way of Opening: Self-Forgetfulness’
‘This self-forgetfulness, Zhuangzi [Daoist, 370-311 BCE] explained, was an ekstasis [ecstasy] that enabled you to ‘step outside’ the prism of ego and experience the divine. People who acquired this knack discovered a transcendent dimension of life that was not simply an external reality ‘out there’ but was identical with the deepest level of their being … Continue reading ‘The Way of Opening: Self-Forgetfulness’
‘The Tyranny of Unfinished Business’
It was the Buddha’s contention that rebirth came about as a result of ‘unfinished business’ (sometimes called a ‘swirl of events’). Today, on waking, the usual morning routine of drawing together all the fragments of body/mind along with the associated swirl of pain and other nonsense occurred, however this morning it was accompanied by this … Continue reading ‘The Tyranny of Unfinished Business’
Tracks in a Pathless Land 