Soul Restoration 1

Ok so I just got done watching the awesome videos for SR1 and read the instructions etc and am only now realizing (duh!!! kinda slow i am ..) that although I can do this as a group with friends, I may not share my log in info. Each of you who wants to do this, needs to register (and pay) for the class. And after seeing what all is involved and the personalization that Brave Girls does for each participant, it makes total sense to do it that way. So please check out the website and if you haven't signed up yet and are still debating, please do sign up for this LIFE CHANGING, INCREDIBLE class! Although I'm inviting you to sign up, I'm actually not sure if registration is even open at this point, since classes have begun, but do look into it please. If anything, maybe you'll be able to do it the next time....AND I'll probably blog about my experience at the end of it anyways.  (whenever I do finish).

As always, please feel free to ask questions or post comments.

Love and Light always!

From one sufi to another...

Anita

Anyone wanna join me?

So I've signed up for this awesome online class called "Soul Restoration 1" which is this fun, artsy, 8 week long course offered by Brave Girl's Club for women. Please read the description below and check out the website with additional details in terms of time commitment and materials required. I hope you decide to embark on this brief but crucial journey of self-discovery.

So here is a direct copy and paste from the website:

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Soul Restoration is a course that is often beautifully healing and even life-changing.

You will learn the art of  ‘soul crafting’ (creative art projects, collage, journaling, etc.) including fun & effective methods to help you get unstuck, back on track, and restored to your best self!

This enjoyable and powerful workshop is designed to help you really really think and hear your own soul again…to help you remember what brings you the most joy, to realize & remember all of the things that you are good at and that make your heart sing…to get back on track and to unleash the courage and motivation to stay on track….to reunite with your soul.

This workshop is a method of helping you become reacquainted with your deepest self through remembering and reuniting with your inner ‘Truth-Teller’. You will be helped to discern truth from lies…lies that can be holding you back and making you feel less than who you really are…to remember your dreams, your potential, your gifts and talents, all the possibilities and unique answers for your life(because it is different for each of us).

Soul Restoration is intended to help every woman to find and then keep the bravery needed to stay joyfully true to your own path.

Here is the link to read more about the class:    http://bravegirlsclub.com/soul-restoration-1

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I hope you'll decide to invest in yourself!

Love and Light,
From one Sufi to another,

Anita

Life is too short...so live life fully NOW!

Life is short or rather, life is unpredictable. Nobody knows when their time is up. This isn't something we care to think about but life and death are simply a reality of our existence in the human form.


Some of us age to a ripe, golden phase of seeing our hair grey, our skin wrinkle and our bodies bend with time. If we're lucky, we can be grateful for the wisdom and awareness that only life experiences can bring us. If we're really fortunate, we'll be surrounded by love in the form of family and friends. But then there are others whose life is cut short for one reason or another. The promise held in the years left still to live is a reminder to us all that indeed, life is too short!


So let us all live each day to the fullest.
Let us speak kindly and lovingly to everyone we come in contact with starting with our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, our co-workers.
Let us appreciate the ones closest to us, be it in proximity or emotional ties.
Let us slow down to appreciate each beautiful moment and take time to smell the roses.
Let us take the time to express our love and gratitude to our loved ones.
Let us take the time to express our gratitude to God always for granting us another BEAUTY FILLED (BEAUTIFUL) DAY !
Let us take time to figure out our dreams and make plans to turn them into goals.
Let us then start taking steps toward achieving the goals.
Let us forgive quickly, apologize earnestly, love passionately and give unconditionally!
Let us remember to BREATHE and BE PRESENT in each moment!!!


Please do share your thoughts on how you would live differently if you knew your expiration date or that of your loved ones.


Love and Light,
From one sufi to another,


Anita

Pillars of our lives!

We all have certain principals (pillars) that define and govern our existence. Some we inherit from our faith, while others we embrace on our own. In an email conversation with a dear friend, I found myself defining the principals that I strive to live my life by. This got me thinking...so welcome to the inside of my head!  

Islam has 5 pillars which govern and define every Muslim's life. They are every Muslim's responsibility to respect and follow. 

The 5 pillars of Islam are:

1. Imaan or Faith - This clearly defines the belief in the "Oneness" of God. Muslims, along with Christians and Jews are called, "People of the Book". All three religions have common denominators which includes the belief in ONE God and in a Holy Book, namely the Quran, the Bible and the Torah.

Back to Imaan or Faith, this comes in the form of a declaration that every Muslim makes, "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God."

2. Salah or Prayer: This defines the responsibility of every Muslim to say their prayers five times a day. This further strengthens the intimate relationship shared between God and his follower. 

3. Zakah: This defines the form of tithing or giving a portion of one's earnings to help others. The belief is that giving Zakah purifies the income and consequently everything touched by that purified income.

4. Sawm or Fasting:  Every year in the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food, water and sexual relations with their spouses. Fasting is seen as a form of self-restraint which leads to purification, a deeper appreciation for life and gratitude to Allah.

5. Hajj or Pilgrimage:  This defines the obligatory visit to the holy land, Makkah for all Muslims who are physically able and financially capable of making this trip. Every year, millions of Muslims from around the world make the holy pilgrimage where they are stripped of their worldly belongings and are dressed in simple clothes. Thus, all are the same in the eyes of God, regardless of their bank balances and zip codes.

As a Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim, I also adhere to a few more expectations which include: Dasond (tithing 12.5% of my income) and allegiance to His Highness Prince Karim Agakhan, who is a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and our first Imam, Hazrat Ali. 

But in addition to these pillars and expectations, I have my own 6 pillars that further define my existence and journey on this earth.

They are: 

FAITH, TRUST, BREATHE, SURRENDER, HUMILITY AND GRATITUDE!!!

So I strive to live my life with complete FAITH in God. I TRUST HIM and know that HE has me in the palm of his hands...and so when things get tough, i BREATHE and SURRENDER to HIS will and know that whatever happens will be the right thing.!!! Oh and ofcourse,  I also strive to live life with humility and constant gratitude!!!!!!

Thus, when i am told that I am spoiled, i say,  "Shukar!" (Shukran Lillah Wal Hamdullilah - All Thanks is due to Allah and All Praise is due to Allah.)

Ofcourse, I have my days when I am not feeling so humble and grateful. In fact, not too long ago, I went through a period of months where I was pretty upset at HIM. In fact, I was straight up angry. I even challenged HIM to put on HIS boxing gloves and meet me in a ring so that we could duke it out.  Although, this was literally just a few months ago, I honestly can't even recall what I was so upset about. These days, I am in a pretty good place!!! I am feeling extremely blessed and grateful for HIS many graces and thus it's easy to feel humbled and grateful to HIM for all of my blessings. Shukran Lillah Wal Hamdullilah - All Thanks is due to Allah and All Praise is due to Allah. That's not to say that my life has drastically improved or changed. In fact, things are pretty much the same as they were a few months ago. But what's different now is my attitude! 

I invite you to take a few minutes to count your blessings and offer a heartfelt THANK YOU!!! Please do share your thoughts. I know we are here to teach and learn from each other!!! So PLEASE be generous with your wisdom and do share!

Love and Light

From one Sufi to another...

Anita

References:

- For further information on the 5 pillars of Islam, please google it. There are numerous websites that describe in little and or great detail to appeal to one's interest in the subject.

- Do check out the following websites to learn more about us Ismailis. 

www.theismaili.org

www.akdn.org

A Muslim Woman and a Jewish Man!

Last year as part of our Religious Education Center’s (REC) field trip with our secondary students, we were fortunate to go visit a local Jewish Temple. Now understand that we are Muslims taking our young students and teachers to go visit an actual Jewish Temple with a real, authentic Rabbi. (I volunteer as a REC teacher and have been teaching Secondary students for the past 6 years or so). I noticed the beautiful bound, dark blue prayer book in the back pocket of the seat in front of me. The other teachers and I started to multi-task. We listened to the Rabbi while we thumbed through the pages of the prayer book: Mishkan Tfilah, A Reform Siddhur.  I was amazed and overwhelmed at how beautifully yet simply the earnest prayers were worded.

Praying, which simply put is having a conversation with God, has been difficult for me. I recite my traditional prayers (Dua) in Arabic (which I don’t speak or understand) while I run through the English translation of the Dua in my mind. But simply talking to God or praying always seemed a little forced and weird.

So back to the field trip...

After the presentation, we were invited to the stage area where Rabbi Gross laid out the beautiful hand crafted Torah and explained the history behind it. He also brought our attention to the retired Torahs that after having been used for decades were given its’ due respect and put on display for all to admire and cherish.

We then followed Rabbi Gross as he gave us a tour of the temple grounds showing us their REC. As we were completing our tour, we the adults were fascinated with the book and were curious about how to acquire a copy for ourselves. None of the other teachers were brave enough to ask except for yours’ truly…And bravery was rewarded. Rabbi Gross was kind enough to “gift” me my very own copy of the Reform Siddur.  I was SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! I started reading it immediately, highlighting and underlying my favorite prayer passages and flagging the numerous pages.

It wasn’t long after that that I briefly dated a Jewish man. During our initial conversations, he explained that he had stopped going to the temple because he was just turned off by the whole crowd.  He didn’t observe the many religious holidays and ceremonies. I listened and teased him that he wasn’t a “real” Jew.  After a few dates in public places, he stopped by for tea one afternoon. During tea, I excitedly brought out the Jewish Prayer Book and read to him some of my favorite prayers in English. He, in turn, read them in Hebrew, proper pronunciation and all. It was truly one of my favorite times with him. He told me the next day that he had gone home after our “date” and brought out his Torah and prayer books from the dusty box in the garage where it had been sitting for quite some time. He said that he felt that he had missed out and was hoped to start  attending services at the temple again. 

We dated briefly and realized that as much as we liked each other, we were simply at different places in our lives and thus decided to part as friends. We keep in touch by calling every few months or so. During my last conversation with him a few months ago, I was surprised when he shared that he was observing a Jewish holiday/ceremony. I teased him asking, “Since when are you a real Jew?”  He replied, very seriously, “Since we read the prayer book at your home!”  I was shocked. He explained that praying together that afternoon had inspired him. He realized that he was missing a very important part of him and he expressed gratitude to me (a Muslim woman) for steering him back to his faith. WOW! I was blown away…and humbled! I was reminded that God works in mysterious ways. He uses us as his instruments and messengers to do His work. Never underestimate the power of love.

Here are a few of my favorite prayers from Mishkan Tfilah: A Reform Siddur.

“HOLY ONE,

give me a quiet heart,

and help me to hear the still,

small voice that speaks within me

It calls me to come close to You

And to grow in Your likeness.

It teaches me to do my work faithfully,

Even when no one’s eye is upon me.

It counsels me to judge others kindly

And to love them freely,

For it persuades me to see divinity

In everyone I meet.

Help me, O God,

To come to the end of each day

Feeling that I used its gifts wisely

And faced its trials bravely

I NEED STRENGTH, humility, courage, patience.

Strength to control my passions,

Humility to assess my own worth,

Courage to rise above defeats,

Patience to cleanse myself of imperfections.

And wisdom: to learn and live by our sacred teachings.

Let me not be discouraged by my failings.

Let me take your heart

From all that is good and noble in my character.

Keep me from falling victim to cynicism.

Teach me sincerity and enthusiasm.

Endow me with perception and courage,

That I may serve others with compassion and love.”

Love and Light

From one sufi to another…

Anita

Were we meant to be alone?

We come alone, we leave alone yet why is it that we are told that our true place in life is within the warmth and security of love in relationships with others. I hear my well wishers tell me: "We were not meant to be alone?" Yet those that are alone, justify by explaining the difference between being alone and being lonely! So I think to myself, "Why is that we, as humans, don’t like being alone?" But I quickly realize the folly of my questions...its not that I mind being alone. In fact, I look forward to my alone time where I have the house to myself and I'm not taking care of or cleaning after the kids...But it's the being lonely part that sucks.

There are many different relationships that we are a part of. Some relationships are defined by blood and others that are formed by the union of two people.  The relationships defined by blood are those between a parent /child, brother/sister/ uncle/aunt etc. And the relationships that are defined by union of two people are one of  husband/wife and in-laws and step-families, cousins etc.  But then there are those relationships that are defined by neither blood nor union. These are relationships based in love, mutual respect and admiration. These relationships we call friendships.

It is this special relationship with that one special person that is so much more than friendship. It’s a relationship based on love. This is the one relationship that brings joy to our daily lives. To be able to share our thoughts, joys, troubles, frustrations, successes, dreams and desires with someone. To have someone who is there to hold us, to caress our hair, to kiss and comfort us, to acknowledge us…that is the beauty and purpose of being in a  relationship.  But our friendships provide this for us so then why is it so important to be in a relationship with the opposite sex (or the same sex)?

Researchers discovered that babies needed to be held. When babies were deprived of the human touch, the impact was a decrease in physical growth. Also, babies that were not held tended to be withdrawn, quiet and cranky.  So we know that we human beings need the human touch.  When we are deprived of the human touch, we shrivel and cease to grow.  So it must be that in addition to the emotional support, physical intimacy is key to a person's growth. So it comes down to sex....but not just sex. But importantly sex as an exchange of energy with the intention of giving more than we receive. Imagine how beautiful that would be if both partners in a relationship put the intention to give more than they received. This is called a "win-win" situation!

So a quote from one of my top 3 favorite books of all times: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak.  

"Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Solitude is better for us, as it means being alone without feeling lonely. But eventually it is best to find a person, the person who will be your mirror. Remember, only in another person's heart can you truly see yourself and the presence of God within you." (p. 72)

Just a few of my thoughts…care to share yours…J

Sending love and light your way....

From one sufi to another...

Anita