June 6, 2008 

"It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was. " — Anne Sexton

Welcome to the HeartStream Pulse Newsletter!
The HeartStream Pulse is sent as a service to our HeartStream Sufi Community as a communications forum. The Pulse will include: notices whenever a personal need arises, services to offer, housing availability, items for sale, notices about interest/discussion groups, and community-related information to share.

Dedication of This Month's HeartStream Pulse
We dedicate this month's HeartStream Pulse newsletter to Fathers. We honor the 'Our Father', the eternal, nameless Being of all beings; and we honor the parent guardian we call 'my Father', 'my Dad' through whom that same Being has sent forth and clothed the infinite in this wee, temporal body to live and to learn to love in Life - for this opportunity we are most grateful. We also acknowledge this season of remembering with love our Father and Dad on this Father's Day, June 15th.

This month's HeartStream Pulse may have events not yet posted on the current HeartStream Local Events Calendar.

This inaugural dance in the Aromas Grange is taking place on a special full moon for honoring teachers and wisdom lineages, according to Vedic tradition. We dedicate this dance to honoring the teachers and sacred teachings of the world.

Please join us for an evening of circle dancing to chants, prayers, and mantras from the world’s spiritual and religious traditions. All are welcome, no experience required.

New Dance in Carmel - Come, Come Whoever You Are!

These new dances will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula
490 Aguajito Rd, Carmel, 93923 every second Saturday beginning on June 14, 2008, at 7:00PM
led by Nancy Norris & Friends

When I was a boy of fifteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. In my twenties, he still had a long ways to go. When I got to be thirty-five, I could see he was trying so hard but still seemed to be astonishingly awkward and lacking in awareness.

The years passed as our years do. When I reached beyond the age of sixty years, I look back and place my hands on my heart with bowed head, in reverence to the man I never had the wisdom to fully appreciate nor the courage to be truely myself with when he was in the physical world. But inwardly our Souls glimpsed the divine play behind appearances.

Now, in those moments when I allow myself to be just the way I am, I know that I am truely in awe of this precious man's patience, deep wisdom and inner beauty. I offer love, I ask forgiveness and I give thanks to God and to my Dad for the precious being that he was and is. We talk often now, learning about Life.

Father's Day Article
by Tofah Eileen

The May issue of the HeartStream Pulse featured Mirra Alfassa lovingly referred to as :"The Mother" in a quote and in her description of the Four Natures of the Divine Feminine which are "eminent" in nature. The divine feminine is present, personal and touches us at a deep body level which you can experience by looking into Mirra's gaze in this picture.

Sri Aurobindo was Mirra's partner in the work she did on the planet which included the development of Auroville. When you look into his being he takes you to the transcendent or void states of Godhead.

This is the balance of Yin and Yang (personal and impersonal.) Both are necessary in our spiritual journey or we find ourselves precariously out of balance with nature which is not unlike the state of destruction on the earth at this time. I believe it is our pressing task to become grounded in the physical world which in part means being respectful and honoring of nature. From there we are able to ascend in spiritual practices and return to that foundation with the benefits of that transcendence which is healing, peace, joy, understanding, expanded consciousness and ultimately, illumination.

Our beloved Pir O Murshid Inayat Khan repeatedly gives formulae for transcendence through the sheaths or layers of the subtle bodies. He also repeatedly grounds his consciousness in nature, modeling for us the steps of awakening. His detailed instructions for the seated zhikr describe a physical rotation of the body from left to right and end each rotation with a dip toward the heart. In this way the zhikr is grounded in the physical body. He tells us that the action of the rotation or any movement with the sound of the mantra act as aids to an undisturbed concentration. Inayat says: Concentration means that every atom of the body and the mind is centered on the spot. (X 26/27) Rabia Ana Perez in a recording of her doing the zhikr at the Santa Cruz Sufi Camp in 2006 describes Inayat Khan's zhikr as a road map for opening the heart — the 4 parts of the zhikr each moving us closer to the chalice of the heart. There are two parts to this download. You will want to download both before beginning to listen. Click here to download the introduction. Click here to download the zhikr. These are large files and may take some time to download...please be patient.

1. In the seated Zhikr of Inayat Khan we begin with an attunement to the Anna maya kosa which is the physical body, the gross body sustained by food. The Zhikr begins with the first phrase of "La illaha ella'la La Hu" grounding ourselves in this plane and looking toward the ideal of our Beloved with longing.

2. In the second phrase we move as though through a portal to the astral body with "Ella'la La Hu". This etheric/astral body is the vital energy body known as the Prana maya kosa and is the sheath of vital Air -- the Ka of the Egyptians. In this repetition of the zhikr phrase we move toward our ideal of the Beloved and the Beloved likewise moves toward us.

3. In the third phrase we access the next subtle body, the mental body. This is the sheath of the mind - of stimulus and response and known as the Mano maya kosa and the Vigana maya kosa. With the repetition of "Ala La Hu" we experience the Beloved beginning to merge with self.

4. Finally in the fourth phrase we ascend to the Ananda maya kosa or the sheath of bliss. This is awareness of Divine Love and is the causal body which evolves through all incarnations and beyond. Here we chant only "Hu" and experience the transcendent state of "One" with the beloved. Of this state Inayat says: Sufis in all ages, mystics of India, Persia, and Egypt have considered the awakening of the heart quality to be the principal thing in life. For all the virtues that the priest can teach and prescribe, all the virtues that one is told to practice in life, come naturally when the heart opens.(VIIIa 4/5)

Inayat Khan's precious teachings and practices offer us an avenue of transcendence. In the Vedas of which Inayat Khan was well versed, one finds the 4 Yugas or periods of time that mark the levels of Truth on the earth., In the current age or Kali Yuga which was brought forth by Krishna and guided by Hanuman there is only 25% truth and this Yuga is the fire element.

(The story is that Hanuman is birthed out of the fiery semen of Siva.) In Inayat Khan's prayer Nayaz we again are given a formula -- this time for healing.

1. The prayer begins with "Beloved Lord, Almighty God, Through the rays of the sun" or beginning with the fire element of this Kaliyuga - in other words - beginning from this earth plane of existence. Kali in Sanskrit means darkness and is a measure of the amount of truth there is in the world. It is during this time that we are told we need only say the name of God to access light. We can take in wisdom by attuning to Sarasvati who is the Shakti of Brahma and comes to us on the rays of the sun.

2. In the next phrase of the prayer, Inayat Khan directs us to the next Yuga which is the air element in the words "through the waves of the air" he guides us to a state of consciousness in which there is 50% truth and equal amounts of good and bad in the Dwapara Yuga.

3. In the next line of the prayer Inayat Khan points us further in the same direction as he prays: "Through Thy all pervading life in space" which directs us to go further and enter the transcendent void states of space. It is from this void consciousness that we complete the prayer: "purify, revivify and heal this body, heart, and soul". Inayat Khan says: The secret of healing is to rise by the power of belief above the limitations of this world of variety, that one may touch by the power of intelligence the oneness of the whole Being. It is there that one becomes charged with the almighty power, and it is by the power of that attainment that one is able to help oneself and others in heir pain and suffering. (IV 41/42)

The other two Yugas are Treta in which there is ¾ truth and Krita Yuga which is an age of divine connection where humans need no physical means to exist and are in direct contact with God. It is from this consciousness of divine connection that Inayat Khan guides us to heal from.

Inayat Khan offers us this same kind of formula with another variation in his chromatic Zhikr. Vowels represent the vibration of God in language. To tone the vowels A-E-I-O-U with each of the chakras or latifas (the subtle field around the chakras) brings each of them into a refined and heightened state and activates the subtle dimensions of each latifa. As one chants the ascending and descending practice of the chromatic zhikr one sets in motion a harmonic and activates the light body.

Our beloved Inayat Khan is a model for us of a father who is deeply rooted in the mother and guides us to transcendence. May we all know the great blessing of an awakened spirit.

The Sacred Interior Life -- Women’s Esoteric Sufi Practice
"Burning the Seeds of Karma"
by Tofah Eileen

Classes begins on June 30 and continues till mid September with several Mondays off.

We meet every Monday from 7:30 - 9:00 pm. at The Garden Sanctuary (near Dominican Hospital). This is a 10 week course for women who are ready to experience the esoteric gifts of Sufism. A commitment to the full 10 weeks is required and if you are new to this class an entry interview is required.

We will utilize the tools of concentration, contemplation and meditation to explore the seeds of karma that we maintain within our beings so that we might release them into the fire of transformation. As Inayat Khan says through the development of these three tools we purify ourselves, free ourselves and open ourselves to the light of truth.

We will be using Sufi practices of prayer, mantra, wazifa, zhikr and the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan and other luminaries. In this course we will also work with Vedic and Buddhist teachings to identify and release seeds of karma. This offering, for women in the larger HeartStream community, is open for new members at this time. Each 10 week session will focus on a different aspect of the sacred interior life.

Contact Tofah Eileen at tofaheileen@cruzio.com for more information or if you are interested in joining this upcoming session.

Dolphin Mothering
by Lev Shalom

There is a belief among some indigenous tribes that dolphin, man and wolf share a common ancestry. Darwin would have rolled his eyes on hearing this, but it does perhaps account for why so many people are drawn to watch and even swim with dolphins and why wolves appear to have such an intense visual and heart throbbing connection with those few people they encounter.

Several times a week my beloved and I walk the sands at Rio Del Mar Beach and occasionally see dolphins leaping into the air. Whenever that occurs, we consider ourselves deeply blessed. But this past week we shared an extraordinary experience with a pod of Monterey Bay dolphins.

It began on a late afternoon when we saw nearly a dozen fins, or so we conjectured, barely moving, not too far from shore. After starring for nearly half an hour and only twice thinking we saw a splash of water, we began to doubt that what we were seeing were indeed dolphin fins. We knew it wasn't a dozen birds but it could have been a very odd piece of driftwood. The mystery unsolved we turned toward home.

Two days later we were again walking the beach when we were delighted to see an equal number of dolphins swimming very, very close to shore. Amongst the leaping, frolicking dolphins a baby dolphin swam within their midst. What we had witnessed two days prior was a dolphin maternity pod that includes a "mid-wife" and many "aunties". What we witnessed on this day was the proud mother showing off her beautiful babe to all of us fortunate enough to bear witness. Alhumdulillah!

Still a rose? In penning those words, Shakespeare was clearly not considering the impact that names can have on people. Obviously the grade school ditty: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me" is blatantly false. Words can harm, words can heal and names can often direct the pathway upon which the soul shall travel.

"Yogi Bhajan first started giving spiritual names in 1971. Day by day, as those of us who received them from him firmly and proudly pronounced and announced them to the world, we became a part of them, and they became a part of us.

The power of sound vibration (Nada Yoga), or what Yogi Bhajan called the "sound current" vibrated and echoed in our ears. This sound current together with the meaning of our name, reinforced our spiritual base, and helped us to live in more meaningful and conscious ways. Our spiritual name became a tool, which daily touched our hearts, impactfully scripted our words and delicately influenced our actions, transforming us and releasing us from the insecurities of the past."

A spiritual name reinforces and accelerates your progress to your highest destiny. It challenges you to live in highest consciousness and awareness and blesses you to continually relate to your divine self.

Yogi Bhajan used to say, "We are not human beings looking for spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Your sacred name is one of your first steps in leaving past patterns behind, taking a new direction, and embracing your spiritual identity. Nirinjan Kaur (Yogi Bhajan's Chief of Staff)

In 1997 Pir Moineddin Jablonski of the Sufi Ruhaniat International successfully initiated a project called "The Sufi Book of Names". It was his intent to create a collaboration among the leaders of the three streams of lineage of Hazrat Inayat Khan to collect thousands of names that spiritual guides could use as a resource when seeking the right name for a student. However, when I decided to take initiation this past year with Wali Ali, I also decided I would personally select a spiritual name.

Throughout my life I have felt burdened by my spiritual name which, translated into English, vaguely means "He who wrestles with G-d, the son of Joy". The name has a certain poetry, but hardly reflected the truth or aspirations of my patriarchal lineage and therefore I looked with some consternation mixed with optimism upon the opportunity to take a "Sufi" name. A friend suggested that I meditate on the core challenge of my life and seek a name that would ally with and strengthen my determination to achieve mastery.

I had been born with a hole in my heart. Today, it is a problem literally remedied by out-patient surgery. In 1945 it was an absolute death sentence. Despite all medical predictions, it was mine to go on living until 1948 by which time a handful of surgeons were anxious to explore heart surgery. Thanks to their skill and G-d's guidance of their hands my heart was mended. At least on the physical plane. But to truly heal my heart had become my life's work.

So following my friend's advice, I meditated one evening for several hours, in a room dominated by the photographs and spirits of Murshid Sam and Hazrat Inayat Khan. When I arose, I finally knew my name. On the Urs of Samuel Lewis, wrapped in Murshid Sam's prayer shawl, Wali Ali initiated me as: "He who wrestles with God, with a healed and peaceful heart."

Sharing Baraca - The Talking Stick
Do you have something to share? We want to hear what inspires you, fills your heart, and makes you go Ahhhhhla. Please submit your article or story or ideas for an upcoming issue to Tofah Eileen.

SUFI EVENTS