WILD DERVISH WRITES

Longing for the Beloved

Yafiah Katherine — Sat, 29 May 2010 11:46:46 +0000

The Sufi writes words of longing for her Beloved but she’s not a poet for she knows that words cannot contain the One. It is the spaces between words into which she dives and drowns in the clear waters of love, and it is in the pauses where the vibrant silence of the Beloved’s Presence causes her to gasp in ecstasy. These words are a poor cladding of rags for the light that enthrals the dervish but she gives with love whatever she can bring.

Filed under: mysticism, Poetry, Sufi Path Tagged: beloved, sufi poetry, Sufi Reflections

Daf

Yafiah Katherine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:40:18 +0000

A Persian woman playing the Daf, from a painting on the walls of Chehel-sotoon palace, Isfahan, 17th century

Drum your fingers gently,

Doum, tekke-te, doum!

First light is rising

And the white thread of dawn

Approaches!

Doum, tekke-te, doum!

Drum the Name of Beauty,

Doum, tekke-te, doum!

The goat skin sings,

And the rosewood blooms,

Crying, ‘Love!’

Doum, tekke-te, doum!

Drum the Name of Glory!

Doum, tekke-doum,

Tekke-te, tekke-te, tekke-doum!

Flames on the ocean,

Land aglow!

Doum, tekke-doum, doum!

Hush as the orb rises,

Tekke, tekke-te, tekke, te!

Lay the daf aside,

Stand and listen,

To the echo on the horizon,

Doum, tekke-te, doum!

Filed under: Poetry Tagged: Poetry, Sufi, sufi poetry

Not all settlers and Palestinians want each other to disappear – Haaretz – Israel News

Yafiah Katherine — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:13:41 +0000

Not all settlers and Palestinians want each other to disappear – Haaretz – Israel News.

This is a remarkable story of a brave initiative. A small group of Palestinians and settlers meet regularly for discussions in an attempt to stop being afraid of each other. The settlers taking part in these meetings have reason to be worried about fellow settlers who disapprove of what they are doing. It is not easy and it takes courage but this group are considering solutions that make sense on the ground but which Israeli and US politicians are not even looking at.

Filed under: Articles, Interfaith Dialogue, Islam, Judaism Tagged: Interfaith Dialogue, Israel-Palestine, Jewish Muslim interfaith

Roses and Pomegranates

Yafiah Katherine — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:33:31 +0000

I recently spent ten days in Andalucia and was delighted to be back there again. The pomegranates were ripe and I feasted on the sweet juicy fruits. It was beautiful to be able to enjoy the vast night skies there – so clear, and so many stars. In the garden at the house I stayed in the roses were still in bloom. It was a time of many gifts, some of them tough, but I found great joy in the way inspiration always arises so spontaneously in Andalucia. I wrote the following poem on the bus as I was leaving Granada.

Photo YKRandall

Vessels at sea!

Pomegranate blood bursts

the dam of the heart,

pumps moonlight

and the dark of the moon

to feet that learn now-

Walk! Walk the path of love!

Her darkness is

the tranquillity of the moon,

hidden, she gazes

from the other side

Her light is

the reflection of the One

appearing, she dances

the kisses of lovers

A fleet wisp of a kiss

A smudged breath of a whisper

Rose petals everywhere, and stones

for a shamanic blessing in the round

Ya Wadud in all!

(Ya Wadud! is one of the Names of God and means the Loving One)

Posted in Andalucia, Poetry, Sufi Tagged: Andalucia, Pomegranate, sufi poetry

Shekinah and Sakinah: The Indwelling

Yafiah Katherine — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:25:29 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

The beginning of movement is stillness. The beginning of sound is silence. Within every dance of creation, the flutter of a bird’s wings, the explosion of a star, the hand that heals an injured child, is stillness at the core. Within every sound in this universe, the singing of a choir, the hammering of a nail, the cry of a gull at sea, there is silence at the centre of each utterance. The Shekinah, Sakinah, the Indwelling, God with us at the heart of all being and It’s manifestations. Ya Hayy!

Posted in Kabbalah, mysticism, Sufi Reflections Tagged: Jewish mysticism, Sakinah, Shekinah, silence, sound, Sufism

Justice and Well-Being Kiss Each Other

Yafiah Katherine — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:37:46 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I was just speaking to a friend on SU about the film Bab’Aziz and said how I feel the mystic tradition of all religions comes very close to the core reality of being. For me it is the Sufi path but I also find inspiration from the Kabbalah and Mahayyana Buddhism. Finally we are all one, diverse expressions of the One Being. I’m doing research at the moment on the connections between Sufi and Jewish mystics and the rising popularity of Sufism in Israel. I’ll be going there for a field study next year as I want to see to what extent Sufi practices transform the individuals perception of self and other to a more unified, reflective perspective and whether this can contribute to justice and peace. It is really very simple, we are all interconnected and therefore the well being of ourselves in every respect is directly connected to the well being of all those around us and the whole planet. We have to stop giving our egos the primary place in our lives and begin living from the heart, that space of the inner being where the One resides and speaks to us if we listen. The image here is of justice and peace kissing each other. in Psalm 85:11 (Tanakh translation) it says, “Faithfulness and truth meet; justice and well-being kiss”. Jean Paul Lederach uses this verse in his work on reconciliation. I like the image of justice and well-being (peace) kissing. Justice is necessary when people are suffering from the injustices done them but when well-being is an intimate associate of justice then she is accompanied by compassion and seeks a path that leads away from revenge and fear and pursues the well-being of all.

Posted in Interfaith Dialogue, Kabbalah, mysticism, Sufi Tagged: Islamic mysticism, Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, Religion and Spirituality, Sufism

A Poem of Sufi Love from Maryam

Yafiah Katherine — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:17:04 +0000

Sometimes I write about poetry here and sometimes I write poetry myself. Today I read the following poem on the tasawwuf blog of my sister on the path, Maryam It is beautiful and with its words it captures the impossibility of capturing the Ineffable, yet we can whisper the Names of the One and the soul can hear those words of love whispered from the silence of love, breath joining breath. Please go and visit Maryam’s site for more poems and thoughts on the Sufi path.

Thank you Maryam.

This one sings the most beautiful love songs.

This one lost his voice; but he writes them.

This one weeps while he recites.

This one can’t speak a word,

so he just weeps.

The sky seems to be listening,

some stars sparkle quicker than others;

I don’t close my eyes. I just watch

The wonder of the sound of voices.

Silent voices, in the dark,

whispering countless names.

I breath in, breath out,

with a name forever in my tongue,

my lips,

my throat.

I breath Your name,

exhale Your name,

in, out,

and the effect it has on my dreams

reminds me of those songs I hear,

the weeping that conforts the heart,

and the silent voices in the dark.

I don’t get tired of saying it.

I only get surprised.

Because once more letters, numbers, sounds,

dance a perfect dance,

saying, like a secret,

that life is death, that death is life,

that mixture is balance,

that Love comes through untouchable matter.

The one who sings has retreated himself.

And the one who weeps is tired.

The one who whispers is confused now.

As for me,

I am asleep.

And your name is my breath.

Maryam

Posted in Poetry, Sufi Path, Tasawwuf Tagged: Sufi Path, sufi poetry

Layla and Majnun and the Soul’s Longing for the Real

Yafiah Katherine — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:19:23 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

In this beautiful miniature painting that illustrates a scene from Nizami’s telling of the folk story of Layla and Majnun we see Majnun in the wilderness longing for his beloved Layla who he is forbidden from seeing. With time however, he begins to see Layla in all things. This story of lovers serves as a wonderful metaphor for the soul and its longing for the Lord, the One Beloved in which all are united. The Names of Allah can be seen manifested through all creation and the sufi seeks to be constantly aware of this in the same way that Majnun sees Layla everywhere in the wilderness. Sometimes when this world appears to be a wilderness I try to remember that “All things pass except the Face of God”. It helps to remember and what better way is there than to do dhikr (or zikr), simply remembering all the time that we are all contained within the Mercy and Compassion of the One.

To read more on Layla and Majnun see this post here

Darkness and light (guardian.co.uk)

Posted in Dhikr, mysticism, Sufi Reflections Tagged: Layla and Majnun, Sufi Reflections

Unveiling the Garden of Love

Yafiah Katherine — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:55:03 +0000

Two well loved stories of love from the Sufi and the Hindu traditions where both serve as metaphors for the love of the Beloved

clipped from astore.amazon.com

Discover the common ground shared between Islamic Sufism and Hindu Bhaktism through their literary expressions. This book examines two classic love poems-The Story of Layla Majnun (written by Nezami in the Sufi tradition) and Gita Govinda (written by Jayadeva in the Hindu tradition)-and finds common experiences of love shared between these seemingly disparate cultures.

Posted in mysticism, Sufi, Sufi Path, Suggested Books to Read Tagged: Gita and Govinda, Layla and Majnun, Poetry, Sufism

Muslims Praying in a Virginia Synagogue

Yafiah Katherine — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:02:57 +0000

Just found this piece of very heartening news. Alhamdulillah!

clipped from www.dawn.com

RESTON: On Friday afternoons, the people coming to pray at this building take off their shoes, unfurl rugs to kneel on and pray in Arabic. The ones that come Friday evenings put on yarmulkes, light candles and pray in Hebrew.

The building is a synagogue on a tree-lined street in suburban Virginia, but for the past few weeks — during the Muslim holy month of Ramazan — it has also been doubling daily as a mosque. Synagogue members suggested their building after hearing the Muslim congregation was looking to rent a place for overflow crowds.

Both groups say the relationship won’t be over when Ramazan ends in North America over the weekend. The rabbi and imam are talking about possibly even making a joint trip to the Middle East, and Friday prayers will still be held at the synagogue.

Posted in Interfaith Dialogue, Sufi Tagged: Mosque, Muslim, prayer, Ramadan, Synagogue

WILD DERVISH WRITES

Longing for the Beloved

Daf

Not all settlers and Palestinians want each other to disappear – Haaretz – Israel News

Roses and Pomegranates

Shekinah and Sakinah: The Indwelling

Justice and Well-Being Kiss Each Other

A Poem of Sufi Love from Maryam

Layla and Majnun and the Soul’s Longing for the Real

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Unveiling the Garden of Love

Muslims Praying in a Virginia Synagogue