Category: Archives

EDITORS’ NOTE

That is the purpose of reaching beyond what we know to encounter the unknown? Whether it be through travel or an encounter with someone with very different perspectives to our own, going beyond our comfort and subjective perception is what brings us opportunities to understand ourselves and the nature of reality more deeply, to truly wrestle with the ego’s limits, and develop our capacity for divine love and selfless compassion.. READ MORE

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DISCOURSE

BEYOND US VERSUS THEM
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

WHEN A SUFI CHOOSES TO TRAVEL
Two South Asian Pilgrimages
by John L. Caughey

THE WORLD IS AS YOU SEE IT
by Igor Kufayev

THE COSTLY TRANSGRESSION
Woman as Lover in Sufi Discourse
by Safoura Nourbakhsh

AYURVEDA
A Spiritually Rich Education
by Acharya Shunya

COMMUNION OF SAINTS
The Christian Mystical Tradition
in Dialogue with Sufism
by Dorothy C. Buck

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INTERVIEW

NOMADS OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU
Interview with
Trachung Kunchok Palsang
by Tracy Burnett & Tsering Dorje

ESSAYS

NUDGE
by John Backman

ENCHANTMENT OF THE FREEWAY
by Grace Harwood

CULTUREWATCH

THE PSYCHOMAGIQUE OF ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY
Interview with Alejandro Jodorowsky
by Reid Pierce

THE APHORIST
In Conversation with Yahia Lababidi
by Sholeh Johnston

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POETRY

I AM DRUNK FROM HEAD TO TOE
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

THE BEES OF THE INVISIBLE
by Wally Swist

DEPTHS
by A. G. Parker

UNLESS
by Roger Loff

SHAGGY DOG
by Eve Powers

COVER ARTWORK

FRONT OUTSIDE
© Peter Pharoah

FRONT & BACK INSIDE
© John Paul Caponigro

CONTRIBUTORS

ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

EDITORS’ NOTE

NIMATULLAHI SUFI CENTERS

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EDITORS’ NOTE

Dreams hold a special place in our cultural psyche—they are associated with the imaginary, the bizarre and supernatural; with aspiration, light, and also darkness; and serve both as warnings and as medicine to heal the heart and soul. They translate our subconscious lives into wild and unpredictable narratives, hinting at a rich and turbulent experience just beneath the surface. Dreams are one way that this unconscious self can become conscious and, as such, dreams and the interpretation of their symbolism are seen by many spiritual traditions as “tools” or “signposts” that can guide the seeker on the path. READ MORE

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DISCOURSE

DREAM INTERPRETATION
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

PICTURES ON MY EYELIDS
A Jungian Approach to Dreaming
by Josephine Evetts-Secker

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
A Dream Traveler Explores Other Dimensions
by Linda H. Mastrangelo

THE INSPIRED SOUL
The Visions of Zayd in Rumi’s Masnavi
by Jawid Mojaddedi

THE ART OF DREAM INQUIRY
Cultivating Seeds of Light
by Mary Lane Potter

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INTERVIEW

DREAM YOGA
A Conversation with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
by Fred Cooper and Chara Nelson

ESSAY

VISITING YOU
by Dani Kopoulos

CULTUREWATCH

WAKE UP CALL
An Android Version
Westworld television series review
by Jairan Gahan

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POETRY

WHEN I SLEEP
by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

HOLY SONNET XXIII
by Joel Armstrong

LAST NIGHT AS I WAS SLEEPING
Translation by Robert Bly
by Antonio Machado

APPLE TREE
by Chris Ellery

INTOXICATED WITH LOVE TONIGHT
by Robert Sternau

THERE’S A PLACE
by Chris Hoffman

COVER ARTWORK

FRONT OUTSIDE
© Antonio Mora

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EDITORS’ NOTE

Internal.  External.  Eternal.  These aspects of a seeker’s self are always in conversation. The writers in this issue eavesdrop on this conversation, and relay what they’ve heard with varying approaches at turns lyrical or layered in complexity, direct or meandering. Some grounded in ancient history, and some firmly planted in a technological future. What do you know of yourself?  Perhaps it might be more interesting to ask who—and where—is the you that is knowing it? READ MORE

 

 

 

 

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DISCOURSE

KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

 

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

DIFFRACTING RUMI
On Becoming Human
by Annouchka Bayley

THE SONG BECOMES EVERYTHING
Kanai Das Baul and the Path of Longing
by Surat Lozowick

LETTER PRESSING
by Mary Gossy

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INTERVIEWS

HEART OF THE MATTER
Interview with Tiokasin Ghosthorse
by Sholeh Johnston

BEYOND MATERIALISM
Interview with Bernardo Kastrup
by Neil Johnston

 

CULTUREWATCH

ZIKR: A SUFI REVIVAL
Virtual Journeys Into the Nature of Reality
Interview with Gabo Arora
by Sholeh Johnston

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POETRY

THE CREED OF DRUNKENNESS
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

HOW COULD I KNOW
by Jalaluddin Rumi

HIDDEN COMPANIONS
by Roger Loff

NAMELESS
by Elif Sezen

MAY MY SOUL BE A TEMPLE
by Marina Featherstone

FIREFLIES
by Jeni Couzyn

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EDITORS’ NOTE

There are times when we find ourselves shrinking from life, from beauty, from the truth. From the story of love unfolding all around us, and within ourselves. It often happens in the moments where we allow the mind to transport us; when we allow the material world and language to determine the limits of our understanding and experience. As Mark Nepo describes, these tendencies can construct a prison of our own making, within which only sorrow and sadness grow. READ MORE

 

 

 

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DISCOURSE

THE EXPERIENCE OF BEAUTY AND THE SUBLIME
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

ALWAYS PART OF SOMETHING LARGER
by Mark Nepo

“UNOCCUPIED PRAYER” AND DIVINE LOVE
by Mary Gossy

RUMI BEYOND BALKH AND KONYA
by Jawid Mojaddedi

 

 

 

 

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INTERVIEWS

CHANGE YOURSELF
CHANGE THE WORLD
A conversation with Nipun Mehta
Interviewed by Russell Leung and Rita Fabrizio

JUST BE
Interview with David Godman
Interviewed by Reid Pierce

THE PATH ACCORDING TO A SUFI POET
Mehri Habibi Parsa 1931-2017
by Safoura Nourbakhsh

 

CULTUREWATCH

THE ART OF UBUNTU
by Sholeh Johnston

CULTUREWATCH
BOOK REVIEWS

The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed with Happiness
by Emily Esfahani Smith
reviewed by Philip Edmondson

Things that Join the Sea and the Sky
by Mark Nepo
reviewed by Gregory Mize

 

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POETRY

MY MOON
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

MILLED
by Roger Loff

THE ART OF SEEING
by Chris Ellery

WHEN I ASKED
by Gregory Angus

WINTER STARS FROM THE MOUNTAIN HUT
by Chris Hoffman

 

FEATURED POET
CHRIS ELLERY

FEATURED ARTIST
MARCELA TABOADA

 

 

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Print and digital subscriptions available. Buy SUFI now.

EDITORS’ NOTE

Gender is a term that is still up for discussion. So is feminism. One thing that is sure, though, is that both terms are important, not just to women, but also to men and to all kinds of people and the roles in which they express, or cannot yet express, themselves. READ MORE

 

 

 

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DISCOURSE

THE LIMIT OF REASON AND THE PRACTICE OF SUFISM
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

WHY NOT TAKE ALL OF ME
St. John of the Cross’s Noche oscura and a Trace of Love
by Mary Gossy

HIMALAYAN BUDDHIST NUNS AND GENDER EQUALITY
by Dominique Butet with Photographs by Olivier Adam

RABI’A AL-ADAWIYYA AL-QAYSIYYA
Deconstructing a Legend
by Safoura Nourbakhsh

TASTING MANNA
by Mary Lane Potter

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ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

PAUL WEBER: A TRIBUTE
by Dani Kopoulos

INTERVIEWS

OUR SPIRITUAL GENEOLOGY
A Conversation with Carol Lee Flinders
interviewed by Mary Gossy and Safoura Nourbakhsh
SHOWING LOVE IN OUR ACTIONS
Interview with Alex Wilson
interviewed by Safoura Nourbakhsh

CULTUREWATCH
FILM REVIEW

UNTIMELY WITNESSING
von Trier’s Breaking the Waves, Still
film review by Maria Dasios

CULTUREWATCH
BOOK REVIEWS

In Amma’s Healing Room—Gender and Vernacular Islam in South India
reviewed by Jairan Gahan

In Search of Buddha’s Daughters—A Modern Journey Down Ancient Roads
reviewed by Jairan Gahan

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POETRY

THE TAVERN’S THRESHOLD
by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

GENDER
by Joy Ladin

ANIMA MUNDI
by Priya Huffman

FEATURED POET
Joy Ladin

FEATURED ARTIST
Olivier Adam

 

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Print and digital subscriptions available. Buy SUFI now.

EDITORS’ NOTE

Issue 92 of SUFI brings the reader right up against what is uncomfortable. Forget about politics: let’s talk about the weather. Too hot in cold months, too dry in wet ones, ferocious when it should be bleating like a lamb. READ MORE

 

 

 

 

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DISCOURSE

CLIMATE CHANGE: A CASE FOR CONTENTMENT
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

THE SECRET KINGDOM IS EVERYWHERE
by Mark Nepo

SILENCE: THE QUAKER SACRAMENT
by J. Brent Bill

HEART OR RATIONAL SOUL?
AL-GHAZĀLĪ’S EARLY INSIGHTS INTO THE REASONS OF THE HEART
by M. Coetsee

THE SECRET OF BEING A MASTER
by D. Ghalandar

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INTERVIEWS

THE ROOTS of YOGA and THE DIVERSE
TRADITIONS of HINDU SPIRITUALITY
EDWIN BRYANT Interviewed by KOMAL MAJMUNDAR and JAWID MOJADDEDI
SPIRITUAL ACTIVISM
BRIDGING CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE AND ACTION: A CONVERSATION WITH ADAM BUCKO
interviewed by Safoura Nourbakhsh

CULTUREWATCH
MUSIC REVIEW

QAWWALI
A “Riot of Perfume in My Heart”
by BARBRA JOFFE

CULTUREWATCH
BOOK REVIEWS

Becoming Wise—An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living
by Krista Tippett reviewed by Tim Smith

The Way Under the Way
by Mark Nepo reviewed by Tim Smith

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POETRY

LET GO
by Alireza Nurbakhsh

BEING HERE
by Mark Nepo

WHITE CHERRY
by Jeni Couzyn

THE FRENCH GARDEN’S GARDEN
by Raphael Block

THE RAIN THAT MAKES THE ASHES DANCE
by William Wolak

CONTRIBUTORS

ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

EDITORS’ NOTE

NIMATULLAHI SUFI CENTERS

FEATURED POET
Raphael Block

FEATURED ARTIST
Matika Wilbur

 

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Print and digital subscriptions available. Buy SUFI now.