Insight
is a publication of the Institute for Sufi Studies, an educational department
of the International Association of Sufism. Insight is designed to address
the needs of the spiritual community in the Seattle area and throughout
the world. This publication is not affiliated with any one Sufi school
or order and is open to sharing the wisdom of other spiritual traditions.
Featured
Article: Letter from the Editor
Vol. 2, No. 3: May 2002
This issue
of Insight focuses on the many dimensions of the interfaith movement.
The term interfaith is used in many different ways and we thought it
would be useful to explore the meaning of the term as interfaith dialogues,
services, and spiritual groups become increasingly widespread.
We are
pleased to include an article on interfaith tolerance by Father William
Treacy. Co-founder and director of Camp Brotherhood in Mount Vernon,
Washington, Father Treacy spoke at the last two symposia and we are
pleased to welcome him back to the 2002 Sufism Symposium as a speaker.
This issue
also features an article adapted from comments by Glenn Pascall at a
recent event at the Presidio Chapel in San Francisco. A journalist and
teacher at the University of Washington, Glenn Pascall has also served
as the moderator for the Mysticism in the Modern World series. [more]
As we write
this column the Ninth Annual Sufism Symposium is fast approaching. The
Symposium continues to evolve, this year adding an Islamic Arts workshop
and more interfaith events. The opening day (May 24th) at the Bellevue
Doubletree hotel will feature the Islamic Arts workshop. Other events
at the nearby Meydenbauer Cebter will include an interfaith Psychology
Forum with psychotherapists from different traditions discussing "Balance
and Harmony," and an evening of interfaith chanting. The popular
Mysticism in the Modern World series will continue as part of the symposium.
The next installment of this ongoing discussion will begin at 2pm on
Saturday, May 25th. [more]
We would
like to thank everyone who contributed to this issue. For the next edition
we welcome articles focused on the theme of the symposium, "Practicing
Harmony." Please send articles to isswa@ias.org
by July 1st. We also welcome comments or suggestions at any time.
Featured
Article: Letter from the Editor
Vol. 2, No. 2: February 2002
What do
we do now? Many people are asking this question as they struggle to
return to their daily routines knowing the world will never be the same.
Where do we turn in this new world situation? What meaning can we cull
from recent world events? What is expected of us as individuals on a
spiritual path? What does Being demand of us?
The challenges that confront us as a global community struggles to be
born transcend the limits of intellectual analysis. As the mind spins
new theories, the unfolding of the human drama continuously humbles
our best efforts to grasp our own collective experience. The suffering
that so many of us must confront seems to deepen with each passing day.
And so do the rich reserves of compassion that these difficult times
activate in many, many people. Some days it seems as if the light and
the darkness in our world are undergoing a process of distillation.
The opposites of brutality and mercy come into sharper and sharper focus.
With a sprinkle of Divine grace, perhaps we can begin to see how much
compassion needs its darker counterpart in order to find its manifestation
in the human heart.
These are
questions that many people are asking themselves and questions which
were addressed at the most recent Mysticism in the Modern World Interfaith
Dialogue on January 19 in Seattle.These questions also inspired many
of the articles in this issue of Insight.
Held on
March 3 at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, the Mystical Chant
was a great success again this year. Good energy has continued to build
around this event since the first edition was held in March 2000. Music
offers one of the most compelling and visceral expressions of the ever-present
unity of our experience.
The Sufism
Symposium returns to Bellevue on Memorial Day weeked this year. On May
24-27 Sufis from around the world will descend on Seattle’s Eastside
to share their understanding of Islam’s deep mystical heritage.
The theme of this year’s Symposium is “Practicing Harmony,”
and the event offers a rare opportunity for people who would like to
learn more about Sufism to explore some of its dimensions. The event
is open to the public and includes music, art, a spiritual psychology
forum, as well as many interesting panel discussions and traditional
Sufi practices.
Our Seattle-Area
Sufi vocal group now has a name: “Navah.” Navah is a Farsi
word that refers to the longing of the soul to return to its origin.
Watching the birth of this vibrant singing group has been deeply inspiring.
Our prayers are with Navah as the group shares its sacred melodies with
the larger community.
Featured
Article: Letter from the Editor
Vol. 1, No. 5: November 2001
The events
of the world today are calling us to unity and to greater trust in the
Divine. It is precisely when aspects of our lives and our world seems
so hard to embrace that we face the most serious test of our faith.
As clouds of anguish and confusion swirl across the globe, our challenge
is to allow our hearts to open to the vastness of the human experience,
striving to accept even that which feels unacceptable. Even as the promise
of unity may appear more elusive in the outer world, opening to unity
within ourselves becomes more and more essential.
The American
flags we have seen sprouting up all around us since September 11 are
reflections of the growing thirst for unity. By definition, nationality
does not offer a truly inclusive basis for identity, but behind the
particularism of patriotism lies a deeper quest The desire for national
unity can serve as a stepping stone on the journey toward unity with
the totality of existence. Each of us can only take one step at a time
toward Wholeness.
On page
3 of this issue, we present a report on the latest edition of the Mysticism
in the World Series, held on October 13 in Seattle. This popular series
has become a powerful medium to convey the unity behind the apparent
differences of the three major religions in the Western world. The series
will continue on January 19th with a panel discussion on "What
does it mean to be Human?." Drawing from the mystical Abrahamic
traditions, the speakers will explore our responsibility and expectations
as human beings. [more]
Looking
ahead to May, 2002, the interfaith dialogue will continue as part of
the International Association of Sufism's annual Sufism Symposium over
Memorial day Weekend. A wonderful event in which Sufis from around the
world gather to share their wisdom, the Symposium offers profound opportunities
for public education about Islam, as well as international dialogue
and cross-cultural communication. After hosting the Symposium in 2000,
the Seattle area is fortunate to have the event return to Bellevue with
The 2002 Symposium's theme is Practicing Harmony," and the event
is open to all. The Sufism Symposium will include music, a workshop
on Islamic art, a panel on psychology and spirituality, and several
interfaith speakers. [more]
In this
issue, we have two contributors who write about God from within the
Christian tradition. Brother Wayne Teasdale, author of The Mystic Heart
(1999) has emerged in the last decade as a prominent Christian voice
for the underlying unity of all faith traditions. Kathleen Pape contributes
her deeply personal reflections on the meaning of the divine in her
life to this issue. Kathleen teaches yoga in Seattle and works as a
psychotherapist in private practice. She is also studying at Seattle
University to become a spiritual director within the Jesuit tradition.
To
Subscribe
Insight
is the quarterly newsletter of the Institute of Sufi Studies. By the
grace and mercy of Allah, we have been able to publish the Insight
Newsletter for two years. Insight affords us an opportunity to
provide a spiritual discussion for the Seattle community and the United
States at large. We publish original articles on Sufism and other spiritual
traditions, and provide coverage of Interfaith events in the Seattle
area.
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