Alchemical Gold: the Sufis, Shakespeare, and Keats
Daniel Thomas Dyer explores the alchemical tradition weaving through medieval Sufism to the Christian alchemists of the Renaissance, through to Shakespeare and on to Keats.
George Eliot’s Sufi Influence
Daniel Thomas Dyer reflects on the Sufi wisdom in George Eliot’s Middlemarch.
Rumi on Eloquence and True Speech
Daniel Thomas Dyer reflects on the theme, ‘The beauty of human beings is the beauty of their words’, a Bektashi proverb.
The Mystic Keats: The Poetry of Keats in Light of Rumi & Sufism
Online course exploring Keats through the lens of Rumi and Sufism, with Daniel Thomas Dyer
Rumi on Angels
Daniel Thomas Dyer reflects on the nature of angels through the lens of Rumi’s poetry.
Threshold UK Retreat Aug 2-5th 2024
Limited places available for this uplifting retreat…
Reflections from Abdul Hayy Darr on Rumi’s Masnavi
Abdul Hayy Darr, reading from Rumi’s Masnavi, reflects on the essential self and the liberated awareness found in zhikr.
Emily Brontë, Rumi, and the Authentic Self
Daniel Thomas Dyer explores how the deep spiritulity of Emily Brontë resonates with Sufism
Unfold the Wings of your Essence
‘Just sitting together on a sheepskin’… Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski discuss the inspirational friendship of Rumi and Shams.
Rumi and the Mystery of Being Human
An audio recording of Shaikh Kabir Helminski exploring how Rumi’s wisdom helps us to become more fully human, unlocking latent qualities within us that have their source in Spirit. From … Continue reading
Struggling with Service
In our tradition, service is seen as a privilege and not something that is demeaning or relegated to those of a lower social order.
Listening
A talk offered by Shaikha Camille Helminski at the 2018 Festival of Faiths: “Sacred Insight, Feminine Wisdom.” First published on sufism.org. Bismillah arRahman arRahim We begin in the Name of … Continue reading
Book Review: Rumi Comes to America
What happens when a mercurial Englishman living in 1970’s California invites into his community of spiritual seekers a Turkish Muslim mystic? The answer can be found in this book. The Turkish mystic was one Suleyman Hayati Loras Dede, and the mercurial Englishman one Reshad Feild.
Book Review: Holistic Islam
Author: Kabir Helminski Publisher: White Cloud Press From one perspective, Holistic Islam is a love letter to the spiritual path of Sufism that has nourished its author for many decades. … Continue reading
Ramadan with Shams: The Ambush of Love
This Ramadan, I drank from the wisdom of Shams of Tabriz contained in the wonderful book Rumi’s Sun: The Teachings of Shams of Tabriz. “Shams” means “Sun” of course, and this year the summer equinox fell in the month of Ramadan; something which felt significant.
The Messenger’s Gift
Robert Abdul Hayy Darr explores how training a parrot to speak using a mirror becomes, in Rumi’s hands, a metaphor for how revelation is transmitted to humankind.
America of the Heart: Whitman and Rumi
As we enter deeper into the introspection of the winter months and America continues to search its soul in the aftermath of the presidential election, I find myself turning to … Continue reading
Words from the East
The poetic tradition of the Mevlevi Order is not limited to the beautiful poetry of Mevlana Rumi. The Mevlevi Order has produced great poets, musicians, and artists throughout the centuries. … Continue reading
O Drunkard!
Why do you not keep the company of other drunks? Do you not see how your breath sickens the sober? Not content to sup in modest company, you threw yourself … Continue reading
Happy Birthday Mevlana!
Today is Mevlana Rumi’s birthday. May his light be blessed and continue to shine down upon us. And here are his words about the wondrous birth of his namesake… The … Continue reading
Turning to the Quran: Reflections on Learning to Whirl
The Quranic verse most often associated with whirling is Wheresoever you turn, there is the face of God [2:115]. However, as I have struggled to learn the practice, another passage … Continue reading
The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World
The recent scholarship of The Covenants Initiative highlights how the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sought to protect Christian communities, not only in his own lifetime but for perpetuity. … Continue reading
The Nightingale and the Rose
Continuing our reflections on the nightingale that began with Keat’s Ode to a Nightingale in light of Rumi, we look at how another great Western writer, Oscar Wilde, portrayed the … Continue reading
The Impersonal Existentialist of the Sufi Way
Robert Abdul Hayy Darr gives another illuminating talk, this time using Rumi to illustrate how, for the Sufi, Islam is a lived experience rather than a blind belief, an antidote … Continue reading
A Letter from Father Francis
We are honoured to share some reflections from Shaikh David Bellak on his spiritual journey and a timely and inspiring letter received from Father Francis, a retired Catholic priest. Notes … Continue reading
Keats’ ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ in Light of Rumi
‘Ode to a Nightingale’ is generally supposed to be Keats’ lament that he cannot stay in the unreal world of his imagination but must return to the real, material world … Continue reading
Milad ul-Nabi: Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday
Today is Milad ul-Nabi, the observance of the birthday of Muhammad, may he be blessed. The earth has birthed many wondrous children, but Muhammad has surpassed them all. Earth and … Continue reading
A Day with Nur Artiran
On a recent trip to Turkey led by Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski, our group was lucky enough to be invited to the Sefik Can Foundation, under the direction of … Continue reading
Feeding the Fire: Rumi and Native American Myth
In contemporary times some of the finest English translations of Rumi’s poetry have come from Americans, and Rumi was not long ago being lauded as the most widely-read poet in … Continue reading
Rumi's Circle 