"There is One Master, the guiding Spirit of all Souls, Who constantly leads His followers towards the light." - Sufi Thought II

There are two things I want to underscore as we begin our approach. First, though it appears to be "preaching to the choir," I wish to remind us of the evolutionary nature of the experience of life on this planet, the possibilities for human development and creativity as now appreciated by the frontier edges of science in addition to our own mystical tradition. The second piece relates to some reflections of what post-September 11 life related to the Spirit of Guidance. As we reflect on what Inayat Khan has taught about the Spirit of Guidance, I hope to weave his teaching with our current situation. I hope you will find value in this to support us all in our Common Journey. So let us say...

Toward the One, the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty, the only Being, united with all the Illuminated Souls, Who form the Embodiment of the Master,the Spirit of Guidance.

To understand ourselves within a context heightens meaning for me -- somehow like hearing a bedtime story. So that is the way I am impelled to teach.

There is a background for our discussion before directly approaching the Spirit of Guidance -- this might be the "Once upon a time..." part of our bedtime story. So get cozy, and let's begin.

Once upon a time on earth there was, and still is, an incredible world with almost unrecognized and virtually undeveloped, potential created in human beings. Every real possibility of humans developing its fullness under the right conditions still exists... This truth was so incredible that few realized just how magnificent were its possibilities... Many eras evolved, and at the end of the twentieth century AD, some pioneers in the everyday world (outside the scattered realized domains of some esoteric schools) came to awareness about the enormous, though untapped, potential of human beings as sacred vessels of Life with extraordinary capabilities...

And in truth, at the frontier of scientific thinking, some mathmetician/scientist/philosophers are refining Einstein's equation relating matter and energy to also include consciousness. Dr. William Tiller, one such thinker from Stanford University, is a leading scientist on the structure of matter. His thinking has helped me approach my spiritual practice from a refreshed perspective in this currently troubled time. As I feel spiritually and psychically burdened by world events and internal shifting, a voice such as Tiller's has helped me renew my spiritual vigor. It seems as though words from the more concrete side of reality as represented by "science," helped me to plug back into mystical life that has not felt as inspired as usual. Dr. Tiller points to potentials in human beings to perceive and interact with light and electromagnetic phenomena, relating this to ongoing evolution of human beings and self-healing. He feels it important to move from "common" reality perception and intellectual awareness, to organismic response to a transcendental image of the human being.

Echoes in Dr. Tiller's work of the teaching of Inayat Khan, the Spirit of Guidance, and the Message are clear in these thoughts from the forward to Tiller's 1997 book. "Conventional psychology misses the mark if it focuses only upon daily activity and past experiences lacking the grander vision of the total development and evolution of the soul and its task of reharmonizing to the Whole, and rather than support the ego in a way that fixates the individual into a limiting identity, to break free from the constrain of family and social influences into a remembrance of our Source....

Impulses of information and energy bombard our bodies every moment; their effects are dependent upon our receptivity and our interpretations based upon past perceptions or beliefs. We can only comprehend truth to the extent to which it resonates with some portion of already perceived of reality. However, we are capable of raising our level of awareness, enlarging our consciousness through a repeated desire to hear the sound of Truth until we can hear even the voice of the Divine."

Tiller's model "can be simplified to one major principle, i.e., the breaking of old habit patterns of depression and fear by consciously focussing upon the heart with thoughts of appreciation, thus utilizing the heart's capacity to entrain the physical body to the vibration of love. Moreover, even a small group of properly entrained individuals can have an exponential effect upon the general level of consciousness on the population of the planet." Ernest F. Pecci, M.D. from the Forward to Science and Human Transformation: Subtle energies, Intentionality, and Consciouness by William A. Tiller, Ph.D. [bolding is mine...]

Now, to witness some of what I have noticed in myself in the last months. Post-September 11 reality seems to me like an earthquake that is still in progress. Even under less massive rumblings of our reality as when we experience some change in our exterior or interior landscapes - more time is needed to reorient to the new landscape than is usually appreciated. Our human nature lags far behind our cognitive and cultural attitudes by which we objectify ourselves; we are sometimes unconscious of our deeper disorientation.

I noticed last fall in myself a sense of frozenness, difficulty moving, a stillness that did not seem to be peaceful, but rather related more to being traumatized. It is as though I was that rabbit or deer that is, as from Watership Down "tharn"-- frozen in the headlights, or the immobilized antelope discussed so much in trauma theory who goes down in the chase before being attacked, or the oppossum who appears dead to the eyes of its pursuer.

Even in realizing my frozenness I have found it difficult to move it. Energy is low. Feelings of overwhelm more common. As part of the larger collective process, more light has been shed on my own shortcomings and shadow. This is perhaps where guidance is leading the collective. Several intense processes are in progress.

The opportunity for us is real and sure -- through our spiritual practice, in knowledge and practice as transmitted through the Sufi Healing Order and the teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan, we participate ever more consciously and ably in our common journey...Toward the One, the Spirit of Guidance. Let us look next time at teachings of some ancient Sufis and Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Practice:

• Consider taking some time to feel in your heart how you truly relate to human possibility in yourself. Where are you about this divine human potential in yourself? Do you believe this is really possible? Can you feel it inside you? Is there an eagerness or a frustration in you about this possibility? -- or perhaps hopelessness? Realization of lack of knowledge or support? Indifference? Hardness? Sadness? Something else? How will you proceed with your thoughts and feelings about this potential?
• To release immobility/contraction in one's system: Be present to your breath -- watch your breath go in and out of your nostrils -- notice and feel the magnetism grow in your physical, emotional, mental, moral, and spiritual domains. Then breathe into your heart and allow your faculty of perception to move to your heart. Tune in to a chakra that calls to you -- feel that horizontal plane of your body -- be present to what is there, and after some time imagine bubbles arising in this chakra plane of your body. Follow the lead of your "imagination." Allow the release. Be present to guidance from within and without. Take what you get. Be present to what is communicating to you through your body, emotions, thoughts and images; associations; and the "higher emotions" that may arise.

"Our story continues," as we approach the Spirit of Guidance, with remembering our Common Journey in yet a different way, through the ancient words of a mystical poet. Rumi's poem tells us the story of life awakening in this world...

I was asleep in the mineral kingdom,

I awoke in the vegetable kingdom,

I moved in the animal kingdom,

I became aware of myself in the human kingdom.

When have I ever become less by dying? ---Rumi

In the same step-by-step fashion, the human being collective is progressively guided by the Spirit of Guidance toward the realization of their own true identity. "Whatever diversity may exist among religions, the motive of all has been one: to cultivate and prepare the human heart for divine love. Sometimes the spirit of guidance drew the attention of mankind to see and admire the beauty of God in the firmament, sometimes in the trees and rocks, make them sacred trees, holy mountains, and purifying streams. Sometimes it has guided men's attention to see the immanence of the Lord among the beasts and birds, called them holy animals, sacred birds. When man realized that there is no one in creation higher than himself he gave up his worship of the lower creation, recognizing the divine light most manifest in man. Thus by degrees the world evolved to see God in man, especially in the holy man who is God-conscious." From Spiritual Liberty, Hazrat Inayat Khan

One way I work with the Spirit of Guidance, or other parts of my process, is to study words of ancient Sufis and Hazrat Inayat Khan, and then meditate, allowing myself to be guided. This is how I would lead you in deepening relationship with the Spirit of Guidance. My prayer is that you will meditate on the words offered in these chapters of "story" and be guided to new realization, and that we share the richness of our discoveries together, in our "living room" here. May we spend this month more deeply with the Spirit of Guidance. Consider these teachings of Inayat Khan's about the Spirit of Guidance.

From Sufi Thoughts II: "...the tongue of God is busy speaking through all things..." and "What the Spirit of Guidance is, can be further explained as follows: as in man there is a faculty for art, music, poetry and science, so in him is the faculty or spirit of guidance; it is better to call it spirit because it is the supreme faculty from which all the others originate. As we see that in every person there is some artistic faculty, but not everyone is an artist, as everyone can hum a tune but only one in a thousand is a musician, so every person possesses this faculty in some form and to a limited degree; but the spirit of guidance is found among few indeed of the human race.

"When we arise above faculty and consider the spirit of guidance, we shall find that it is consummated in the Bodhisattva, the spiritual teacher or divine messenger. There is a saying that the reformer is the child of civilization, but the prophet is its father. This spirit has always existed, and must always exist; and in this way from time to time the message of God has been given." From Sufi Thoughts, Hazrat Inayat Khan.

And this prayer, an invocation of the Spirit of Guidance, best repeated out loud:

"Help me to serve Thy Cause. O Spirit of Guidance, throw Thy divine light on my path. Open my heart, that Thy spirit it may reflect. My life is changing and taking a better turn. My mind is still, my thought steady, my sight is keen, my life is balanced. Harmonize my soul, Lord, with all people and with all conditions. My body is healed, my mind fortified, and my soul is illuminated by the grace of God. Fortify my heart. Give me a new life and new inspiration, that I may see in life Thy divine inspiration. Make my heart Thy divine temple." From The Mysticism of Sound and Music, Hazrat Inayat Khan.

I ask you over the next few days to consider...

What are you noticing in yourself, in your process, and in your life as you reflect on these things?

As you reflect on the Spirit of Guidance, are you aware of physical sensations, thoughts or images, emotional feelings, associations, a sense of connectedness, or find yourself experiencing subtle, uplifting emotions? Can you allow yourself to be led, guided, and taught in this way? Is there something you would share with us about your process?

Perhaps you are experiencing frozenness, immobility, indifference, overwhelm or something unnamed as you read here...care to share what you notice about this? Can you be present to these things as you invoke the Spirit of Guidance to guide you in it?

PRACTICE:

I will be saying this invocation of the Spirit of Guidance everyday in my meditations until the next chapter in our "story." I will place it on a file card to carry with me. I invite you to join me in this prayer this week and this month... I look forward to being with you in prayer, in reflection on these thoughts...and witnessing your sharing as you care to...

Hopefully, in our meditations and our lives, we have been experiencing the Spirit of Guidance more clearly, feeling in deepening communication with life within and without. In'sh Allah! We now will unwind our story a bit more...

What is the sustenance of life? "It is this communication which is the sustenance to life...it is in this that lies the purpose of life. It is not food or drink which keeps man alive; it is this communication through the different senses, to the extent that he understands what they have to say, that makes man live. When we think of our life, when we compare the pain we suffer in our life with the pleasure we have, the portion of pleasure is so small. Besides what little pleasure there is also costs something, and therefore it resolves into pain. If that is the nature of life, how could we live in this life if there were not this communication, if there were not this word which, to greater or lesser extent, we hear from all things and from nature itself?

The fulfillment of this communication is that no wall or barrier stands any more between us, nor between the life within and without. This is the longing of our soul; it is in this that revelation comes; it is in this that lies the purpose of our life." From The Power of the Word, Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Description of this communication from life within and without is attributed to Sa'adi by Inayat Khan in Cosmic Language: "...every leaf of the tree becomes a page of the sacred scripture once the soul has learnt to read..."

Inayat Khan teaches that there is communication that can be thought of as "spiritual language." Surely this would be the language of the Spirit of Guidance... "But there is a third way of perception, which is not even by feeling, which may be called a spiritual language. This feeling comes from the deepest depth of the heart. It is the voice of spirit. It does not belong to the lantern, it belongs to the light; but in the lantern it [spiritual language] becomes more distinct and clear. And this perception may be called intuition, there is no better name for it. In order to study life fully these three perceptions [thought, feeling, spiritual language] must be developed. Then alone one is able to study life fully; and it is by studying it fully that one is able to form a judgment upon it." From Cosmic Language, Hazrat Inayat Khan

Indicating that what helps us understand the language of the universe is our heart, Inayat Khan said... "The more one thinks on the subject of the heart, the more one finds that if there is anything that can tell us of our personality, it is the heart; if there is anything by which we feel ourselves, or we know ourselves and what we are, it is the heart and what it contains. And once a person understands the nature, the character and the mystery of the heart, he understands, so to speak, the language of the whole universe." From Cosmic Language, Hazrat Inayat Khan

So Inayat Khan leads us to the well of the heart in our search for the Spirit of Guidance. He teaches that the heart is a lantern, that light in the lantern makes heart spirit. When there is light we forget the word lantern and call it light. When we call heart spirit it does not mean spirit void of the heart. This is the big sense of spirit, the essence of all things&emdash;the essential life and the light from which all has come. Shall we follow his lead? How do we do this?

PRACTICE:

Let us contemplate these words and be led by how they strike us, following our own given inclinations. As at other times, it is helpful to turn to Himayat's Domain of the Heart practice every day as we establish relationship with our heart to communicate with the universe within and without to appreciate spiritual language. Let us also continue our daily prayer together invoking the Spirit of Guidance.

What is the condition of your lantern? Can you feel the qualities of its light? Can you perceive veils, layers, or points of interference? What are you hearing and experiencing? What is speaking to you? What are you noticing? Where does your mind go? Where does your heart go? What is beautiful to you today? What leaves of the tree are speaking to you? Can you describe how you know you aware of something communicating with you? How does it happen that you are guided in your meditations? Are you willing to share with us?

Let us continue unfolding our story of human potential and the Spirit of Guidance together. I am so grateful to be here with you again...

"The Sufi's God is the only Being that exists. His teacher is the spirit of inner guidance; his holy book is the manuscript of nature, his community is the whole of humanity. His religion is love. There is no God of any people who is not his God, no spiritual teacher of any creed who is not his teacher. There is no sacred scripture that he does not accept, since he is the worshipper of light and the follower of love, and yet he is free from all the world's distinctions and differences." From Spiritual Liberty, Hazrat Inayat Khan

The follower of love. Yes. It feels good to meet again to share about and study together the Spirit of Guidance. Welcome back. It is the heart that calls us now in our study, remembering our discussion last time about the heart.

Here are some of Inayat Khan's teachings that have connected me more deeply to my heart and the Spirit of Guidance... I share this collection on the heart as an offering to move us in evolving relationship with inner and outer guidance...

"According to the Sufi conception, there are several degrees distinguished as different stages of responsiveness; in other words, of higher initiation. Among them there are five principal ones: Wali, Ghous, Qutub, Nabi, Rasul, the sign of Rasul being the crescent, which represents a responsive heart. People call them Masters, but they are in reality pupils; for, in point of fact, no one in the world is a Master save God. Man's privilege is to become a greater pupil. Therefore none of the Great Ones have called themselves Masters, nor have they considered themselves to be so. What they have known in their lives is the privilege of opening their hearts wider and wider to reflect the light of the Master, Who is God Himself. The progress of these high Initiates is in their responsiveness, for they have never connected themselves with what they have expressed." The Unity of Religious Ideals

"For in their hearts a capacity is produced; in other words, their hearts become as domes which give echo to every word. The heart of the ordinary person does not give that echo; so the inner voice becomes inaudible to one's own soul. As a voice is necessary, so hearing is necessary also; without the hearing the voice is inaudible. The hearing is the capacity in the heart. When the heart becomes as an ear, then it begins to hear the voice that comes from within." From Hazrat Inayat Khan's The Unity of Religious Ideals

"But, after the fifty days following the Crucifixion, when they had had sufficient time to recover from the feeling that had overtaken their hearts, the seeming separation from their beloved Lord prepared them, so to speak, in time, and opened the door of their heart, giving that capacity for receiving the illumination which was constantly pouring out from the Spirit of Guidance, the Alpha and Omega, Who always was and is and will be." From Hazrat Inayat Khan's Prophets and Religions

"If the heart is alive, the whole life becomes one single vision of His sublime beauty, speaking to us at every moment." From Hazrat Inayat Khan's The Message and the Messenger

"The heart must be like wax; it must melt; if it is like steel, it cannot be illumined." From The Message and the Messenger, Hazrat Inayat Khan

"If there is any source from where one can get the direction on how to act in life, it is to be found in one's heart. The exercises of the Sufi help to get to the source where one can get the direction, the right direction, where there is a spark of the Spirit of Guidance." From Hazrat Inayat Khan's Sangatha II, Morals

"Those who care to be guided by the spirit, they are always guided, but those who know not whether such a spirit exists or does not exist, they wander through life as a wild horse in the woods, not knowing where it goes, why it runs, why it stands. It is a great pity to be thirsty and remain thirsty when the spring of fresh water is within one's reach. There can be no loss so great in life as having the spark glittering in one's heart and yet groping in the darkness through life." From Sangatha II, Morals by Hazrat Inayat Khan

"The believer who idealizes believes in God so long as his intelligence is not sufficiently developed, as development of the intelligence dims the idealized belief. A lover would love a beauty as long as its faults are unmanifested, but on closer contact the defects of the beloved become manifest, and thus would dim the love of the lover. But the believer who realizes is one who acts as an extraordinary lover, who, not depending upon the beauty of the beloved, creates the beauty from his loving heart and thus beautifies the vision of the beloved in his view." From Religion by Hazrat Inayat Khan

I am newly impressed at the amount of work still needed in my heart! New things emerge in my heart...though still embryonic... only now after years of training and meditation. It appears to me in work with our heart, as Westerners, not only are we challenged by the usual density of the human condition, but also by the wounds of objectification and materialism of ourselves and our world. I find numbness and hardness in my heart despite the expansion. I find my mind dominating and "protecting" me with control measures, conniving, scheming, manipulating, distancing, protecting, and taking advantage of the weak places in my heart. The result is being oriented away from the subtle knowings of my heart, and the Spirit of Guidance. And all this to perhaps reach realization of our yet unrealized perfection (now this is a great subject to study...but not right now.) Perfection is not about conforming to some picture of perfection, but rather about clearing my heart to realize in each moment anew, as we pray in the prayer Khatum, "Thy voice which constantly cometh from within," and, in Salat, "to speak the Word that is put into [my] mouth like the light filleth the crescent moon...." This road challenges me in subtle self-honesty and knowledge. I admit to being deeply challenged, yet inspired. It helps me to remember as Inayat Khan tells us, as the light within us increases, we become more painfully aware of our shortcomings, and they become harder to bear. We feel more truly our soul's ideal.

How do our hearts melt like soft wax? How do we support ourselves in this process?

PRACTICE:

May we work diligently with affirmation. May we be consciously grateful during this day's moments of the abundance of blessing flowing everywhere. May we know and feel that God is Love. Let us: be present to our hearts; pray for guidance; perceive what is within us and without us. Let us resonate with the divine emotions and qualities, guidance, and beings that surround us in our daily lives and meditations with Love and support. God is Love. Ishq Allah Ma'abhud Allah.

Now, after our concentration on gratitude, affirmations, and reflection on our hearts and the Spirit of Guidance, let us consider these words from Inayat Khan as we bring this study to a close...

"All those who begin to receive inspiration receive it first from outer life. Man is created in such a way that he first looks outward; and then, when he is disappointed, when he cannot find all he wants in the outer life, he turns within. He wants to see if he can find it in the inner life, and thus he becomes connected with the source of inspiration which is the Spirit of Guidance. And he who has once found the Spirit of Guidance will always be able to find it again if he keeps close to it; but when he goes astray, when the way of his life takes another direction, then he wanders away from the Spirit of Guidance." From Hazrat Inayat Khan's The Alchemy of Happiness

and from the same source...

"Is it possible for man to reach perfection? When one sees how limited man is one can never believe that he is entitled to perfection. There is no end to his limitations and he cannot even comprehend what perfection means. One becomes pessimistic when it is a question of perfection. Yet we read in the Bible the words of Christ, 'Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect'; this shows that there is indeed a possibility of it. All philosophies, all religious and sacred teachings, are intended to bring about that realization which is called perfection. Any philosophy or religion that does not show this path to perfection has been corrupted and fails; there is something missing in it. But if we look at religion as one and the same religion in all the ages, given by different masters of humanity yet inspired by one and the same Spirit of Guidance, one and the same light of wisdom, we see that they have all given the same truth. It is only when it is interpreted to suit people of different ages, periods, and races that it varies. In this way it differs. But the underlying truth of all religions is one and the same, and whenever a preacher teaches that perfection is not for man, he corrupts the teaching that is given in all the religions; he has not understood it. He professes a certain religion, but he does not understand it, for the main object of every religion is the striving toward perfection."

The Spirit of Guidance can be understood as the field which connects the heaven and earth, a field that communicates between these developing poles. The Spirit of Guidance can be seen as the vehicle of how the Message is received by thoses who deliver it and who care to be guided by the spirit. Inayat Khan spoke metaphorically about the Message and the Spirit of Guidance.

"What is the Message: Where does it come from? How is it received by the souls who deliver it? These questions often arise in inquiring minds. And the answer is that the message is like rain, and rain falls where it is needed and when it is needed. But does the rain come from above? It seems to come from above, but it first rises from below. As the vapors rise first from the sea and turn into clouds, so every aspect of knowledge gained by all beings rises upwards like vapor, forming into clouds as ideas, and again falling from above like rain." From The Message and The Messenger

We have spoken this month about preparation, especially of the heart, for receiving the Spirit of Guidance. Inayat Khan reminds us in Prophets and Religions about the ten virgins:

"There are opportunities of benefit and blessing on every plane of one's life&emdash;on the physical plane, on the mental plane, on the spiritual plane&emdash;and every opportunity is invaluable. But often one realized the truth when it is too late. There is no greater and better opportunity than the moment that can give a spiritual illumination, a moment when one can receive the blessing of God. It is a priceless moment. Who knows it and understands it and tries to be benefited by it is blessed."

So much fire ignited in the heart! Instead of concluding our story with "they lived happily everafter...," let us end this time together by witnessing our next step...