Beloved Family,

In a few days we begin our 52nd Annual Mendocino Sufi Camp in the beautiful Redwood Cathedral that has been inspiring us for all these decades. (We actually skipped three years of camp during covid)

I feel guided to share some of the hallmarks of this 'Mother of Ruhaniat Sufi Camps'. Amazingly I have attended every camp except 1977, the year our son Solomon was born! That suggests that I have lived at the Mendocino Woodlands for over a year! 

Aside from the main camp we also held Music camps with so many illustrious musicians including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Hamza El Din, G.S. Sachdev, Terry Riley, Glen Velez, our very own Allaudin Mathieu and more. And years later at least 20 Mendocino Sufi Youth Retreats!

Early Children's Camps were run by Wavy Gravy and Surya Singer which led to the birth of Wavy Gravy's Camp Winnarainbow. Later Jelehla Ziemba brought so much richness to the children's camp program and set a standard of excellence.

When our son Solomon turned thirteen we had a "hippie" Bar Mitzvah for him. We saw how very empowering it was in his life, so felt that we needed an empowerment ritual at camp for the young teenagers. That was the beginning of the "All-Night Vigil," which has continued for the past 35 years.

Another milestone was inspired by the great theologian Matthew Fox. Our elder son, Ammon, became the editor of Matthew Fox's first digital magazine, Creation Spirituality. In the same period, Matt began doing "Cosmic Raves" to attract the younger generations, traveling around the country and Ammon was his DJ and travel companion!

When Ammon told us about the experience we knew right away that would be a great addition to Mendo Sufi Camp. We invited Matthew Fox to the next camp and for the past 30 years, we have had a "Cosmic Rave" every Thursday night after "Zikr night" from 10 PM to 1 AM. It made an enormous change to camp, the next generation felt there was an activity that was theirs and all the rest of us were invited - it brought us all together.

Lastly, we brought the rhythm of the Sufi Sesshin form from the week-long retreat, dedicating half a day to "Sufi Sesshin" mid week.

My next travel is to the Southwest Sufi Camp retreat in September, followed by leading a retreat in October in Japan at a 600 year old Zen Monastery. If you plan to join us for our Pilgrimage to Hazrat Inayat Khan's 100th URS celebration, please register before all the spots are booked.

For our next wazifa practice, let's use the trio that we have been using to prepare for the Mendocino Sufi Camp; Ya Khaliq Ya Bari, Ya Mussawwir.

Much love,

Shabda

SUFI SESSHIN AT LAMA FOUNDATION IN JUNE

Please welcome my new mureeds Joe and Ananda.

Some industrious Northern Flicker parents carved a nest into the side of one of Lama's adobe buildings. Shown above are the fledglings.

Wazifa Practice 

Recite 101x

YA KHALIQ ~ YA BARI' ~ YA MUSAWWIR

11. Ya Khaliq (yaa ḲḤAA-liḳ)

Al-Khaliq is the only one who creates. It is the active, dynamic source of creation, and the continuous activity of creation. There is no beginning to it and no end, nor any rest in the middle. Every moment reveals al-Khaliq in action, as well as the fruits of the action. A variation of al-Khaliq's root means to measure a piece of leather or any material and see that it is beautifully proportioned in design before cutting it and sewing the pieces together.

Prior to anything being made, al-Khaliq is the one who imagines all the possibilities. It is the innate disposition of God to imagine the universe. Metaphorically, it is like imagining all the possible letters that might be written with the ink in a bottle. Al-Khaliq is reflected in human beings, and as a consequence we have the innate ability to imagine the beloved.

12. Ya Bari' (yaa BAA-ri’)

Al-Bari' is the originator of individuation. Continuing with the metaphor of leatherworking mentioned above, al-Bari' would be the act of cutting out the individual pieces of the design that has been measured on the leather. While it is the beginning of individuation, nevertheless it still remains in the condition of creation before physical manifestation. Al-Bari' defines the realm called jabarut, where we find the origination of the divine Names. It is how they exist. They are still not manifested in physical form, but they are individuated as potentialities.

What God creates is well proportioned and in a manner free from inconsistencies, faults, blemishes, defects, and imperfection. The nature of al-Bari' is to make the universe like that. On a personal level, it can mean to free yourself from any unclean thing, to become free from guilt, and to become pure of soul. The healing aspect of al-Bari'-to remove or free oneself from disease-is also an important part of the meaning of this divine Name.

13. Ya Musawwir (yaa mu-ṢOW-wir)

Al-Musawwir is the one who continuously shapes the heart and continuously shapes all things. What it creates is not left for even a breath. This Name completes the creative activity described above with Ya Khaliq (11) and Ya Bari' (12). The individually cut out pieces of leather are now sewn together and made into a three-dimensional form.

Of these three Names of creation, al-Musawwir is the one that moves closest to material objects in the universe. But it doesn't yet fully manifest into the visible, sensible world, the world described by az-Zahir (74). Al-Musawwir continuously and increasingly goes toward that final manifestation. Nevertheless, the individuation process has been completed and the infinite is given a finite shape-in just the way, as it is said in the scriptures, that Adam is created in God's own image and likeness.    

To hear the pronunciation:  Ya Khaliq ~ Ya Bari' ~ Ya Musawwir

Text and Commentary to Study

This month we continue studying the The Bestowal of Blessing by Murshid Samuel Lewis. Read and contemplate

Chapters 4 - 7, pages 17- 28

Click below to download

THE BESTOWAL OF BLESSING

LOCAL BIRDS