Walking the 'Straight Path' The Muslim prayer known as the Opening or Al Fatiha, which the faithful recite at least five times a day every day, asks Allah/God to ‘guide us on the straight way, the way of those upon whom thou hast bestowed their blessings’, ‘not on those who have been condemned (by Thee) … Continue reading ‘Topographies 2: Stories and Metaphors on the Path of Return’
Tag: Sufism
‘Life is a Carousel’
Recently I awoke with a song going round and round in my head, one I had not heard for many, many years. The opening lines go something like this: “Oh, how we danced on the night we were wed, We vowed our true love, though a word wasn’t said. The world was in … Continue reading ‘Life is a Carousel’
‘Topographies 1: The Soul’s Journey through life’
(Stories and Metaphors on the Path of Return) It begins perhaps, with a story, a poem, written in the dark flickering light of a fire in the red sand country of remote outback Central Australia, part of my personal way of walking on this path, even before I could fully articulate what it meant to … Continue reading ‘Topographies 1: The Soul’s Journey through life’
‘Perturbations in the Flow of Time’
In her book, ‘The taste of hidden things’ Sara Sviri, a Naqshbandi student of Irina Tweedie, in chapter 7 - The colour of water - I opened on this: “The purpose behind the oscillation between the opposites, expansion and contraction, is explained by Bhai Sahib (Irina Tweedie’s teacher) on a day when his disciple Mrs … Continue reading ‘Perturbations in the Flow of Time’
‘Manifesting the Straight Way’
If anyone else were to read my most recent journaling (or Posts on my Blog) they surely would pick-up on a theme running through them like a ‘way’ opening up in a thicket of words. It is simply this: remove the guilt that seems to pervade all religions and spiritual life; most people who attempt … Continue reading ‘Manifesting the Straight Way’
‘Sufism: the Path of Self-Knowledge’
If the path of Sufism is the path of ‘Self-Knowledge,’ then this unfolding path is – at least potentially – a way of gaining such knowledge. My sense of this is that only in the everyday ‘acts of living’ a life dedicated to awakening to this knowledge can we come upon its/our capacity to constructively … Continue reading ‘Sufism: the Path of Self-Knowledge’
‘Making Straight the Way: finding and following ‘the straight path’
Today is the first day of winter here in the southern hemisphere, and the local forecast is suitably grim: Rain and gale force winds on the south east coast of South Australia (which is where we live). Currently it is 12 degrees C and intermittent rain. It’s been raining in the night, so when I … Continue reading ‘Making Straight the Way: finding and following ‘the straight path’
‘Finding Lasseter’s Reef: in Search of Gold’
Half my life and more has been spent in pursuit of a ‘pacified heart’ or soul causing me to follow various paths and trails to find that mythical ‘somewhere’ where it would be possible, or, likewise, that mythical ‘someone’ who would recognise ‘me,’ and help me move towards that for which I yearned, thereby facilitating … Continue reading ‘Finding Lasseter’s Reef: in Search of Gold’
‘Topography of the Seeking Soul’
Recently I wrote down a story, as best I could recall it from memory, that I had first heard many, many, years ago. It concerned various groups setting out from all points of the compass towards a ‘holy mountain.’ Such journeys, seen from the perspective of an observer, would appear to have little coherence to … Continue reading ‘Topography of the Seeking Soul’
‘The Straight Path’
(Shari ‘ah, Tariqah, Haqiqah) For many non-Muslims in the West, the very word ‘Shari ‘ah’ rings bells of alarm because of a perceived association with what they view as ‘Fundamentalist Islam.’ Very few indeed are they that will explore what the word actually means in Arabic. However, for those that have come this far with … Continue reading ‘The Straight Path’
Tracks in a Pathless Land 