Cardiff Sufi Group: a Spiritual Breathing Space

Come, come, whoever you are Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. Come, even if you have bro en your vows a thousand times. Come and come yet again. !urs is not a caravan of despair. "#evlana $alaluddin %umi& Al-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh . #ay the peace, mercy and blessings of God be with you. 'he purpose of this group is to provide a sacred space in which we might open ourselves to the e(perience of divine love and truth in conscious community. )uring our meetings, the primary means of developing these *ualities is through an active engagement in the remembrance of God "zikr& and spiritual conversation "sohbet&. +t is helpful to say a little more about these important practices. Zikr/Dhikr: the Remembrance of God #eaning simply ,remembrance-, .i r is an important element in Sufi spirituality. 'he .i r we do here is based on the fundamental #evlevi practice, as transmitted to us by Shai h /abir 0elmins i. 1i r is a state of presence, as well as a process of establishing a relationship with the divine. +t is the e(perience of loving and being in love with the divine, with infinite being. Sohbet: Spiritual Conversation 2iterally meaning ,companionship-, sohbet refers to spiritual conversation and is designed to aid personal reflection and development. 'hat is, it aims to build a space in which group members might share deeper parts of themselves, rather than being concerned with religious or theological debate, or intellectual discussion. +n our meetings, we read and reflect on selected te(ts from #evlana $alaluddin %umi-s Masnavi. 'hese te(ts reflect ey themes in our ongoing growth and are an essential means of personal transformation. 3s such, they have been especially chosen for this tas by Shai h /abir. +n this gathering of souls, we e(perience and listen to one another with humility, respect and patience. +t is by being in this state of openness that the meaningful insights of other group members can touch our hearts in a deep, human way. Adab: Spiritual Etiquette Spiritual eti*uette is an essential element in fostering a deep sense of conscious community. +n these sessions, we aim to encourage, focus and develop our sense of adab. Shai h /abir has this to say about spiritual eti*uette: ,2et each person in the circle spea in their turn, from their heart, sharing either concrete observation of their own lives and e(perience,

or an insight. +f someone feels they have nothing to communicate from their heart they may pass. What is spo en is from and for oneself, never a commentary on or reply to another person-s sharing. 4ach person in the circle should be their own 5editor.6 'he best words are, generally, few and from the heart. 4ach person should practice the art of listening without 7udgment. Gradually communication, trust, and mutual respect should deepen8 We learn to observe, to control our impulses when that is called for, and to lose our ,selves when that is called for. We learn to behave as if everyone else is of a higher station than ourselves. !ur conversation is centred on God and coming into harmony with God and each other. Gossip and bac biting is one of the worst actions any see er can indulge in--not only the spea ing of it, but the listening to it, as well. Bac biting is defined as saying anything behind a person9s bac that would displease them "whether it is true or not&. Since we are attempting to bring our selves into alignment with %eality, we will face many tests and it is inevitable that there will be some interpersonal tensions from time to time. 3dab helps us to avoid some of the destructive behaviours that could disturb or even destroy relationships in a sufi halka "circle&. #ore detailed information on these ey 'hreshold Society principles can be found on the society website: http:::www.sufism.org Miscellaneous Matters +t is worth noting that, as a private gathering of friends, we are unable to provide childcare for our meetings.