10:00am–11:30am: 5th Sunday Worship : "Sanctuary for Transformation" in our personal lives and in our community
– Sunday, March 30. 2025
Led by: Jamal Rahman & Sally Jo Gilbert de Vargas
This event is In Person, Live Streaming
Sally Jo and Jamal will explore with congregants how they are experiencing and deepening into Transformation in their personal lives and in community with others.
Imam Jamal Rahman is a popular speaker and author on Islam, Sufi spirituality, and interfaith relations. Along with his Interfaith Amigos, he has been featured in The New York Times, CBS News, BBC, and various NPR programs. Jamal is co-founder and Muslim Sufi Imam at Interfaith Community Sanctuary, and adjunct faculty at Seattle University. He travels nationally and internationally, presenting at retreats and workshops. Jamal’s passion lies in interfaith community building and activism.
Your generous donation allows us to continue offering interfaith worship services, events, classes. Also to continue creating sacred community as well as maintaining a historic building in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Currently we are in the process of recovering from rain water damage. Thank you for your help!
Your generous DONATION may be mailed to:
Interfaith Community Sanctuary
1763 NW 62nd Street
Seattle, Washington 98107
Land Acknowledgement:
We would like to acknowledge that we gather today on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived here from time immemorial. Please join us in expressing our deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coast Salish languages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Salish_languages
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” ~ Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
Join lovers of Mevlana in this weekly gathering with
the Mevlevi Order of America Seattle Circle ~ a musical and prayerful evening.
Please do not attend in person if experiencing any symptoms(ie. fever, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, respiratory illness, etc), or if you have had contact with anyone you believe could be infected. Masking at our indoor Mevlevi Monday gatherings is not required, and up to the individual’s preference. Let’s be mindful and protect each other.
OUR LINEAGE Our transmission and tradition comes to us in an unbroken chain from the Sufi mystic and poet Mevlåna Jelaleddin Rumi. Rumi lived in 13th century Konya, Turkey, which was the capital of the Seljuk Empire. He was recognized as a scholar and a major religious and spiritual leader. He was already a renowned scholar and teacher when his encounters with the mystic, Shems-i-Tabriz, led to the blossoming of his full spiritual light. It was because of Shems that he started writing poetry.
His written legacy is contained in six texts. Three are poetry: the Divan-i Shams-i-Tabrizi – a collection of lyric poems, the Mathnawi Ma’nawi “Spiritual couplets”, and the Rubaliyyat. Three are prose: Fihi ma Fihi “It is what it is” his discourses, Makatib collected letters, and Maialis-i sablah seven sermons or lectures.
*Suleyman Hayati Dede Sheikh of Konya, Suleyman Hayati DedeOur Dede was appointed Sheikh of Konya by Celaleddin Bakir Celebi, head of the Order and the 21st lineal descendant of Rumi. Dede visited Europe and America many times, planting the seeds of Mevlana wherever he went. He brought inspiration, compassion, and love to those who met him. In 1978 he sent his son, Jelaleddin Loras, to America to continue the Mevlevi Tradition in the west.
Jelaleddin Loras Maqam Postneshin Jelaleddin Loras Effendi was raised and trained in the Mevlevi community of Konya. Under his father’s instruction he came to America with the tasks of creating centers and training western students. He has spent more than thirty years in this service, exploring and refining how to present the Mevlevi path to the western heart. Today there are Mevlevi Order of America centers across the United States and in Europe.
We are sincere seekers on a perennially modern, and centuries old path into the Divine Mystery. We are concerned with developing ourselves through emotional, intellectual, and physical practices. We respect all traditions which seek to accept the responsibility of humanity to care for each other and our world. We do not condone the use of sacred teachings to justify violence or to further political ends.
OUR PRACTICES
“For more than seven centuries, the Mevlevi Order has represented Spiritual Civilization on the vast and bountiful earth. Its aesthetic and intellectual achievements have been of enduring importance; it has produced magnificent works of music, poetry, and art.
Wherever Mevlevis have established themselves they have made profound contributions and have nurtured and developed the most human sentiments. As much as the Mevlevi Order has cultivated the mystical appreciation of life, it has also added to the fully human pleasure of living. Mevlevihood is like a the raw material thrown transformed according to its crucible: into it is potential.” — Abdülbåki Gölpınarlı (1900-1982) Mevlevi scholar
Ripening Maturing physically is automatic. Maturing emotionally, intellectually and spiritually requires commitment, guidance, culture, a spiritual community and Grace. The Mevlevi path is a journey toward maturity.
Study Study is the first, primary and lasting practice. We study:
• Rumi’s writings, his poetry and discourses – ultimately his magnum opus and most mature teaching – The Mesnevi.
• Sacred and instructive texts
• Those with more experience – their manners, attitudes, behavior and what they attend to.
• Nature, the world around us and the miracles in the creation
• Ourselves – our attitudes, reactions, behavior, states, our real needs and our deeper nature.
Service Everything we do aims toward service. There is always a way to serve, from making a small gesture of consideration to traveling across the globe helping those in need. The commitment to serve teaches us freedom through humility and honors the connection between us all.
Sema The whirling ceremony is a formal ritual. Every part has meaning. It is a teaching linking to the infinite and transmitting a blessing to the world. A semazen is one who whirls.
Zikr Zikr is Remembrance through repetition. It raises one to a deeper contact with our True Nature. A zikr can be a beautiful ceremony with music and gestures, or an invisible prayer of the heart.
Sohbet In sohbet we open our hearts to each other in discussion and deep listening. The oral tradition is passed through stories and teachings. We share our experiences and explore questions.
Refinement Subtlety and discrimination are cultivated through music, calligraphy, poetry, cooking and all the arts and civilized forms. We appreciate and contribute to the richness of both the spiritual and the cultural.
Adab
The Mevlevi path embodies respect for the whole of creation and for every individual, including ourselves. Grace and consideration polish the heart and clear a space in us where something extraordinary can enter...
This event is Zoom
Contact SiSwinKlae for Zoom log-in details for all Tuesday circles at toucheboucher@gmail.com.
This circle meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm via zoom. Every second Tuesday of each month is a hybrid circle (in-person and online).
The in-person circle on the second Tuesday meets in the Fellowship Hall of Interfaith Community Sanctuary(ICS) – the basement of the ICS building. We will have a potluck meal. If your way is open, please bring a prepared or nearly prepared dish to share.
All women, children and youth are welcome.
This medicine circle includes prayers, drum/music, song, stories and more.
Contact SiSwinKlae for Zoom info for all Tuesday circles at toucheboucher@gmail.com. You will be added to an email list that will send out a weekly reminder for Tuesday circles.
This inclusive spiritual practice is called SiSiWiss (pronounced See See Wiss). Ttranslated into English means sacred breath, or sacred life. The SiSiWiss spiritual practice originates from the San Juan Islands and spread as a spiritual practice all through western Washington down to Siletz, Oregon. SiSiWiss traditions also spread to many of the Gulf Islands, including Vancouver Island and much of the NW coastal areas of B.C. The practice of SiSiWiss is understood as a medicine way or path, medicine meaning healing path.
ABOUT SiSwinKlae:
SiSwinKlae shares the knowledge that has been shared with her, with all those of open heart and open mind and willingness to learn the ways of the First People of our beautiful Coast Salish region. SiSwinKlae offers the sharing and learning through SiSiWiss Medicine Circle and various ceremonies.
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in, no need to have started at the beginning in Book 1.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in. This new class has started on the 10th of January, 2024.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
1:30pm–3:00pm: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition
– Friday, April 4. 2025
This event is Zoom
For more information about Friday Prayers and to obtain the Zoom link, please contact us at interfaithcommunitysanctuary@gmail.com or call ICS at 206-783-1618.
As-salamu alaykum (Arabic: ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, as-salāmu ʿalaykum, [asːa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum]) "Peace be upon you".
Please join us for our regular online Prayer gathering in the Islamic tradition offered every Friday through partnership with Interfaith Community Sanctuary and Cherry Street Mosque guided by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding.
Our Zoom room opens at 1:15 for socializing.
As always, all are welcome.
Our 2024 Spiritual Discernment Making a Home for the Mystic Heart
Please note: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition is a woman-led gathering. Women and men stand, sit, and pray together. Different participants lead the congregational prayer. Whenever possible, Qur’anic verses and traditional prayers are offered in Arabic and translated into English.
Our prayer gathering is a collaborative sharing and spiritually deepening experience guided by Muslim / Christian scholar, author and teacher, Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding, a minister, author, teacher, PhD in New Testament, singer, and spiritual director—presents locally, nationally, and internationally. Both Christian and Muslim since 2006, Ann is founder of Abrahamic Reunion West, a non-profit committed to healing the global dysfunction of the Abrahamic family of faith. She is co-author with Jamal Rahman and Kathleen Schmitt Elias of “Out of Darkness into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Jewish and Christian Sources.”
The weekly khutbah (sermon, address, message, teaching, reflection) is offered by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding in English. There are times participants or guests may offer words of wisdom. Bahiyaa also invites all participants to share personal reflections upon the theme during our group discussion.
Opening the Heart
We begin in the Name of God,
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Praise be to God, Loving Lord of all the worlds.
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Eternal Strength of every living being,
Whose Majestic Power embraces us on the day of the great return.
Only You do we adore, and to You alone do we cry for help.
Guide us, O God, on the path of Perfect Harmony,
the path of those whom You have blessed with the gifts of Peace, Joy, Serenity and Delight,
the path of those who are not brought down by anger,
the path of those who are not lost along the way.
Amin
So be it. (Translation by Imam Bilal Hyde)
Kiran (they/them) is a student of spirituality interested in understanding our selves and our world as ecologies and practicing love and interdependence through the teachings of many lineages. They are the Convener of Gathering Ground, an interfaith eco-spiritual community in Seattle. They have been shaped by their time in environmental politics, and their community organizing home is in the disability justice and neurodiversity movements. Kiran is a student in the Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and has also found spiritual nurturing in Lutheran, United Church of Christ, Jewish, and interfaith communities.
SHARING OUR WEALTH
Your generous donation allows us to continue offering interfaith worship services, events, classes. Also to continue creating sacred community as well as maintaining a historic building in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Currently we are in the process of recovering from rain water damage.
Land Acknowledgement:
We would like to acknowledge that we gather today on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived here from time immemorial. Please join us in expressing our deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coast Salish languages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Salish_languages
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” ~ Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
Join lovers of Mevlana in this weekly gathering with
the Mevlevi Order of America Seattle Circle ~ a musical and prayerful evening.
Please do not attend in person if experiencing any symptoms(ie. fever, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, respiratory illness, etc), or if you have had contact with anyone you believe could be infected. Masking at our indoor Mevlevi Monday gatherings is not required, and up to the individual’s preference. Let’s be mindful and protect each other.
OUR LINEAGE Our transmission and tradition comes to us in an unbroken chain from the Sufi mystic and poet Mevlåna Jelaleddin Rumi. Rumi lived in 13th century Konya, Turkey, which was the capital of the Seljuk Empire. He was recognized as a scholar and a major religious and spiritual leader. He was already a renowned scholar and teacher when his encounters with the mystic, Shems-i-Tabriz, led to the blossoming of his full spiritual light. It was because of Shems that he started writing poetry.
His written legacy is contained in six texts. Three are poetry: the Divan-i Shams-i-Tabrizi – a collection of lyric poems, the Mathnawi Ma’nawi “Spiritual couplets”, and the Rubaliyyat. Three are prose: Fihi ma Fihi “It is what it is” his discourses, Makatib collected letters, and Maialis-i sablah seven sermons or lectures.
*Suleyman Hayati Dede Sheikh of Konya, Suleyman Hayati DedeOur Dede was appointed Sheikh of Konya by Celaleddin Bakir Celebi, head of the Order and the 21st lineal descendant of Rumi. Dede visited Europe and America many times, planting the seeds of Mevlana wherever he went. He brought inspiration, compassion, and love to those who met him. In 1978 he sent his son, Jelaleddin Loras, to America to continue the Mevlevi Tradition in the west.
Jelaleddin Loras Maqam Postneshin Jelaleddin Loras Effendi was raised and trained in the Mevlevi community of Konya. Under his father’s instruction he came to America with the tasks of creating centers and training western students. He has spent more than thirty years in this service, exploring and refining how to present the Mevlevi path to the western heart. Today there are Mevlevi Order of America centers across the United States and in Europe.
We are sincere seekers on a perennially modern, and centuries old path into the Divine Mystery. We are concerned with developing ourselves through emotional, intellectual, and physical practices. We respect all traditions which seek to accept the responsibility of humanity to care for each other and our world. We do not condone the use of sacred teachings to justify violence or to further political ends.
OUR PRACTICES
“For more than seven centuries, the Mevlevi Order has represented Spiritual Civilization on the vast and bountiful earth. Its aesthetic and intellectual achievements have been of enduring importance; it has produced magnificent works of music, poetry, and art.
Wherever Mevlevis have established themselves they have made profound contributions and have nurtured and developed the most human sentiments. As much as the Mevlevi Order has cultivated the mystical appreciation of life, it has also added to the fully human pleasure of living. Mevlevihood is like a the raw material thrown transformed according to its crucible: into it is potential.” — Abdülbåki Gölpınarlı (1900-1982) Mevlevi scholar
Ripening Maturing physically is automatic. Maturing emotionally, intellectually and spiritually requires commitment, guidance, culture, a spiritual community and Grace. The Mevlevi path is a journey toward maturity.
Study Study is the first, primary and lasting practice. We study:
• Rumi’s writings, his poetry and discourses – ultimately his magnum opus and most mature teaching – The Mesnevi.
• Sacred and instructive texts
• Those with more experience – their manners, attitudes, behavior and what they attend to.
• Nature, the world around us and the miracles in the creation
• Ourselves – our attitudes, reactions, behavior, states, our real needs and our deeper nature.
Service Everything we do aims toward service. There is always a way to serve, from making a small gesture of consideration to traveling across the globe helping those in need. The commitment to serve teaches us freedom through humility and honors the connection between us all.
Sema The whirling ceremony is a formal ritual. Every part has meaning. It is a teaching linking to the infinite and transmitting a blessing to the world. A semazen is one who whirls.
Zikr Zikr is Remembrance through repetition. It raises one to a deeper contact with our True Nature. A zikr can be a beautiful ceremony with music and gestures, or an invisible prayer of the heart.
Sohbet In sohbet we open our hearts to each other in discussion and deep listening. The oral tradition is passed through stories and teachings. We share our experiences and explore questions.
Refinement Subtlety and discrimination are cultivated through music, calligraphy, poetry, cooking and all the arts and civilized forms. We appreciate and contribute to the richness of both the spiritual and the cultural.
Adab
The Mevlevi path embodies respect for the whole of creation and for every individual, including ourselves. Grace and consideration polish the heart and clear a space in us where something extraordinary can enter...
This event is Zoom
ID: contact Dorothy Rhodes
Passcode: contact Dorothy Rhodes
We meet in person the first and third Tuesday of every month, and via Zoom the second and fourth Tuesday.
For info on in-person gatherings at the Sanctuary contact
Jerry Kavalieratos acimseattle@yahoo.com For online gatherings, contact Dorothy Rhodes Dorothy Rodes dotrodes@gmail.com
A Course In Miracles,“ACIM”, is a combined three volume set of books, (Text, Workbook, Manual for Teachers) which states, “its only purpose is to provide a way in which some people find their own Internal Teacher”. ACIM is not intended to be another religion but is rather a non-dual, self-study program. Something that ICS has no doubt explored more than most organizations is that the forms different religions take when placed side by side, can be problematic and divisive even when in pursuit of the same expressed goals. Finding that common and essential unifying element then becomes the focus. ACIM touches on that when discussing some of the terminology it uses saying,
Theological considerations as such are necessarily controversial, since they depend on belief and can therefore be accepted or rejected. A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary. It is this experience toward which the course is directed.
The Introduction further says,
The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.
This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
Chris Holland and Dorothy Rodes, are the usual facilitators of the in person and online ACIM groups respectively. While both have worked with the material for years, they are more in a role of simply helping the meeting come together in a positive way for all attending, many who also have studied this material for years. The direction of each meeting is a collaborative process among those attending in terms of what is discussed and concepts that are focused on.
As to the benefit of the ACIM groups, most might say that they facilitate understanding, leading to a changed perception in how we see ourselves, others, and the world.
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in, no need to have started at the beginning in Book 1.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in. This new class has started on the 10th of January, 2024.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
1:30pm–3:00pm: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition
– Friday, April 11. 2025
This event is Zoom
For more information about Friday Prayers and to obtain the Zoom link, please contact us at interfaithcommunitysanctuary@gmail.com or call ICS at 206-783-1618.
As-salamu alaykum (Arabic: ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, as-salāmu ʿalaykum, [asːa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum]) "Peace be upon you".
Please join us for our regular online Prayer gathering in the Islamic tradition offered every Friday through partnership with Interfaith Community Sanctuary and Cherry Street Mosque guided by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding.
Our Zoom room opens at 1:15 for socializing.
As always, all are welcome.
Our 2024 Spiritual Discernment Making a Home for the Mystic Heart
Please note: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition is a woman-led gathering. Women and men stand, sit, and pray together. Different participants lead the congregational prayer. Whenever possible, Qur’anic verses and traditional prayers are offered in Arabic and translated into English.
Our prayer gathering is a collaborative sharing and spiritually deepening experience guided by Muslim / Christian scholar, author and teacher, Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding, a minister, author, teacher, PhD in New Testament, singer, and spiritual director—presents locally, nationally, and internationally. Both Christian and Muslim since 2006, Ann is founder of Abrahamic Reunion West, a non-profit committed to healing the global dysfunction of the Abrahamic family of faith. She is co-author with Jamal Rahman and Kathleen Schmitt Elias of “Out of Darkness into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Jewish and Christian Sources.”
The weekly khutbah (sermon, address, message, teaching, reflection) is offered by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding in English. There are times participants or guests may offer words of wisdom. Bahiyaa also invites all participants to share personal reflections upon the theme during our group discussion.
Opening the Heart
We begin in the Name of God,
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Praise be to God, Loving Lord of all the worlds.
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Eternal Strength of every living being,
Whose Majestic Power embraces us on the day of the great return.
Only You do we adore, and to You alone do we cry for help.
Guide us, O God, on the path of Perfect Harmony,
the path of those whom You have blessed with the gifts of Peace, Joy, Serenity and Delight,
the path of those who are not brought down by anger,
the path of those who are not lost along the way.
Amin
So be it. (Translation by Imam Bilal Hyde)
Interfaith study circle, led by Rich Ater & Jasper Emory, to try to answer this question for ourselves.
On the second Saturday of each month at 3:00 PM at Interfaith Community Sanctuary.
Prior to meeting we will send out a short reading by a religious leader, either past or present, to be read prior to coming and we will discuss what we have read and how it informs our thoughts on this topic.
It is recommended that if you live in the area you attend in person. Personal contact allows us to form bonds that may not be possible via Zoom. Should you have any questions contact Rich at richpsych.ater@gmail.com.
This Universal Worship gathering will focus on our spiritual discernment .
Scriptural readings are available here.
This gathering is in-person. It will be live-streamed.
You can view this service in real time on our YouTube channel.
Our 2025 Spiritual Discernment: January: Sanctuary of Inclusion February: Sanctuary for the Divine March: Sanctuary for Transformation April: Sanctuary for Healing May: Sanctuary for Engaged Listening June: Sanctuary for Refuge July: Sanctuary for Preservation August: Sanctuaries in Time September: Sanctuary of Nature October: Sanctuary for the Self November: Sanctuary that Functions as a Sacred Spaceto perform Religious Rites and Ceremonies December: A Complete Sanctuary of Community
SHARING OUT WEALTH:
Your generous donation allows us to continue offering interfaith worship services, events, classes. Also to continue creating sacred community as well as maintaining a historic building in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Currently we are in the process of recovering from rain water damage.
Thank you for your help! https://interfaithcommunitysanctuary.org/donate/
Your generous DONATION may be mailed to:
Interfaith Community Sanctuary
1763 NW 62nd Street
Seattle, Washington 98107
Land Acknowledgement:
We would like to acknowledge that we gather today on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived here from time immemorial. Please join us in expressing our deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coast Salish languages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Salish_languages
You need a Google Maps API key to display the location map.
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” ~ Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
Join lovers of Mevlana in this weekly gathering with
the Mevlevi Order of America Seattle Circle ~ a musical and prayerful evening.
Please do not attend in person if experiencing any symptoms(ie. fever, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, respiratory illness, etc), or if you have had contact with anyone you believe could be infected. Masking at our indoor Mevlevi Monday gatherings is not required, and up to the individual’s preference. Let’s be mindful and protect each other.
OUR LINEAGE Our transmission and tradition comes to us in an unbroken chain from the Sufi mystic and poet Mevlåna Jelaleddin Rumi. Rumi lived in 13th century Konya, Turkey, which was the capital of the Seljuk Empire. He was recognized as a scholar and a major religious and spiritual leader. He was already a renowned scholar and teacher when his encounters with the mystic, Shems-i-Tabriz, led to the blossoming of his full spiritual light. It was because of Shems that he started writing poetry.
His written legacy is contained in six texts. Three are poetry: the Divan-i Shams-i-Tabrizi – a collection of lyric poems, the Mathnawi Ma’nawi “Spiritual couplets”, and the Rubaliyyat. Three are prose: Fihi ma Fihi “It is what it is” his discourses, Makatib collected letters, and Maialis-i sablah seven sermons or lectures.
*Suleyman Hayati Dede Sheikh of Konya, Suleyman Hayati DedeOur Dede was appointed Sheikh of Konya by Celaleddin Bakir Celebi, head of the Order and the 21st lineal descendant of Rumi. Dede visited Europe and America many times, planting the seeds of Mevlana wherever he went. He brought inspiration, compassion, and love to those who met him. In 1978 he sent his son, Jelaleddin Loras, to America to continue the Mevlevi Tradition in the west.
Jelaleddin Loras Maqam Postneshin Jelaleddin Loras Effendi was raised and trained in the Mevlevi community of Konya. Under his father’s instruction he came to America with the tasks of creating centers and training western students. He has spent more than thirty years in this service, exploring and refining how to present the Mevlevi path to the western heart. Today there are Mevlevi Order of America centers across the United States and in Europe.
We are sincere seekers on a perennially modern, and centuries old path into the Divine Mystery. We are concerned with developing ourselves through emotional, intellectual, and physical practices. We respect all traditions which seek to accept the responsibility of humanity to care for each other and our world. We do not condone the use of sacred teachings to justify violence or to further political ends.
OUR PRACTICES
“For more than seven centuries, the Mevlevi Order has represented Spiritual Civilization on the vast and bountiful earth. Its aesthetic and intellectual achievements have been of enduring importance; it has produced magnificent works of music, poetry, and art.
Wherever Mevlevis have established themselves they have made profound contributions and have nurtured and developed the most human sentiments. As much as the Mevlevi Order has cultivated the mystical appreciation of life, it has also added to the fully human pleasure of living. Mevlevihood is like a the raw material thrown transformed according to its crucible: into it is potential.” — Abdülbåki Gölpınarlı (1900-1982) Mevlevi scholar
Ripening Maturing physically is automatic. Maturing emotionally, intellectually and spiritually requires commitment, guidance, culture, a spiritual community and Grace. The Mevlevi path is a journey toward maturity.
Study Study is the first, primary and lasting practice. We study:
• Rumi’s writings, his poetry and discourses – ultimately his magnum opus and most mature teaching – The Mesnevi.
• Sacred and instructive texts
• Those with more experience – their manners, attitudes, behavior and what they attend to.
• Nature, the world around us and the miracles in the creation
• Ourselves – our attitudes, reactions, behavior, states, our real needs and our deeper nature.
Service Everything we do aims toward service. There is always a way to serve, from making a small gesture of consideration to traveling across the globe helping those in need. The commitment to serve teaches us freedom through humility and honors the connection between us all.
Sema The whirling ceremony is a formal ritual. Every part has meaning. It is a teaching linking to the infinite and transmitting a blessing to the world. A semazen is one who whirls.
Zikr Zikr is Remembrance through repetition. It raises one to a deeper contact with our True Nature. A zikr can be a beautiful ceremony with music and gestures, or an invisible prayer of the heart.
Sohbet In sohbet we open our hearts to each other in discussion and deep listening. The oral tradition is passed through stories and teachings. We share our experiences and explore questions.
Refinement Subtlety and discrimination are cultivated through music, calligraphy, poetry, cooking and all the arts and civilized forms. We appreciate and contribute to the richness of both the spiritual and the cultural.
Adab
The Mevlevi path embodies respect for the whole of creation and for every individual, including ourselves. Grace and consideration polish the heart and clear a space in us where something extraordinary can enter...
This event is Zoom
Contact SiSwinKlae for Zoom log-in details for all Tuesday circles at toucheboucher@gmail.com.
This circle meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm via zoom. Every second Tuesday of each month is a hybrid circle (in-person and online).
The in-person circle on the second Tuesday meets in the Fellowship Hall of Interfaith Community Sanctuary(ICS) – the basement of the ICS building. We will have a potluck meal. If your way is open, please bring a prepared or nearly prepared dish to share.
All women, children and youth are welcome.
This medicine circle includes prayers, drum/music, song, stories and more.
Contact SiSwinKlae for Zoom info for all Tuesday circles at toucheboucher@gmail.com. You will be added to an email list that will send out a weekly reminder for Tuesday circles.
This inclusive spiritual practice is called SiSiWiss (pronounced See See Wiss). Ttranslated into English means sacred breath, or sacred life. The SiSiWiss spiritual practice originates from the San Juan Islands and spread as a spiritual practice all through western Washington down to Siletz, Oregon. SiSiWiss traditions also spread to many of the Gulf Islands, including Vancouver Island and much of the NW coastal areas of B.C. The practice of SiSiWiss is understood as a medicine way or path, medicine meaning healing path.
ABOUT SiSwinKlae:
SiSwinKlae shares the knowledge that has been shared with her, with all those of open heart and open mind and willingness to learn the ways of the First People of our beautiful Coast Salish region. SiSwinKlae offers the sharing and learning through SiSiWiss Medicine Circle and various ceremonies.
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in, no need to have started at the beginning in Book 1.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in. This new class has started on the 10th of January, 2024.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
1:30pm–3:00pm: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition
– Friday, April 18. 2025
This event is Zoom
For more information about Friday Prayers and to obtain the Zoom link, please contact us at interfaithcommunitysanctuary@gmail.com or call ICS at 206-783-1618.
As-salamu alaykum (Arabic: ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, as-salāmu ʿalaykum, [asːa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum]) "Peace be upon you".
Please join us for our regular online Prayer gathering in the Islamic tradition offered every Friday through partnership with Interfaith Community Sanctuary and Cherry Street Mosque guided by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding.
Our Zoom room opens at 1:15 for socializing.
As always, all are welcome.
Our 2024 Spiritual Discernment Making a Home for the Mystic Heart
Please note: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition is a woman-led gathering. Women and men stand, sit, and pray together. Different participants lead the congregational prayer. Whenever possible, Qur’anic verses and traditional prayers are offered in Arabic and translated into English.
Our prayer gathering is a collaborative sharing and spiritually deepening experience guided by Muslim / Christian scholar, author and teacher, Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding, a minister, author, teacher, PhD in New Testament, singer, and spiritual director—presents locally, nationally, and internationally. Both Christian and Muslim since 2006, Ann is founder of Abrahamic Reunion West, a non-profit committed to healing the global dysfunction of the Abrahamic family of faith. She is co-author with Jamal Rahman and Kathleen Schmitt Elias of “Out of Darkness into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Jewish and Christian Sources.”
The weekly khutbah (sermon, address, message, teaching, reflection) is offered by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding in English. There are times participants or guests may offer words of wisdom. Bahiyaa also invites all participants to share personal reflections upon the theme during our group discussion.
Opening the Heart
We begin in the Name of God,
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Praise be to God, Loving Lord of all the worlds.
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Eternal Strength of every living being,
Whose Majestic Power embraces us on the day of the great return.
Only You do we adore, and to You alone do we cry for help.
Guide us, O God, on the path of Perfect Harmony,
the path of those whom You have blessed with the gifts of Peace, Joy, Serenity and Delight,
the path of those who are not brought down by anger,
the path of those who are not lost along the way.
Amin
So be it. (Translation by Imam Bilal Hyde)
10:00am–12:00pm: 6wk Spiritual Development Class with Imam Jamal Rahman : "Interspiritual Wisdom and Practices for Troubled Times "
– Saturday, April 19. 2025
Location: Zoom
JOIN US!
Six Week Spiritual Development Class with Imam Jamal Rahman:
"Interspiritual Wisdom and Practices for Troubled Times"
Jamal will draw upon precious teachings and practices from the traditions of Sufism , Buddhism and Taoism to empower us in troubled times. The insights and exercises will guide us in transforming our anger, fear, anxiety, and helplessness. May they bring us inspiration, hope, and peace during these challenging times.
“ We are the ones we have been waiting for.” -- June Jordan
Dates: April 19-May 24, 2025 Times: Saturday mornings, 10am - 12pm PST Location: All classes will be conducted on Zoom and recorded for class registrants to access Classes include: Guided meditations, discourses by Imam Jamal Rahman, spiritual practices, small group discussions, and large group Q&A. Cost: $99 for 6 week course; payable by Zelle, Paypal, or check
Imam Jamal Rahman is a popular speaker and author on Islam, Sufi spirituality, and interfaith relations. Along with his Interfaith Amigos, he has been featured in The New York Times, CBS News, BBC, and various NPR programs. Jamal is co-founder and Muslim Sufi Imam at Interfaith Community Sanctuary, and adjunct faculty at Seattle University. He travels nationally and internationally, presenting at retreats and workshops. Jamal’s passion lies in interfaith community building and activism.
Your generous donation allows us to continue offering interfaith worship services, events, classes. Also to continue creating sacred community as well as maintaining a historic building in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Currently we are in the process of recovering from rain water damage. Thank you for your help!
Your generous DONATION may be mailed to:
Interfaith Community Sanctuary
1763 NW 62nd Street
Seattle, Washington 98107
Land Acknowledgement:
We would like to acknowledge that we gather today on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived here from time immemorial. Please join us in expressing our deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coast Salish languages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Salish_languages
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” ~ Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
Join lovers of Mevlana in this weekly gathering with
the Mevlevi Order of America Seattle Circle ~ a musical and prayerful evening.
Please do not attend in person if experiencing any symptoms(ie. fever, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, respiratory illness, etc), or if you have had contact with anyone you believe could be infected. Masking at our indoor Mevlevi Monday gatherings is not required, and up to the individual’s preference. Let’s be mindful and protect each other.
OUR LINEAGE Our transmission and tradition comes to us in an unbroken chain from the Sufi mystic and poet Mevlåna Jelaleddin Rumi. Rumi lived in 13th century Konya, Turkey, which was the capital of the Seljuk Empire. He was recognized as a scholar and a major religious and spiritual leader. He was already a renowned scholar and teacher when his encounters with the mystic, Shems-i-Tabriz, led to the blossoming of his full spiritual light. It was because of Shems that he started writing poetry.
His written legacy is contained in six texts. Three are poetry: the Divan-i Shams-i-Tabrizi – a collection of lyric poems, the Mathnawi Ma’nawi “Spiritual couplets”, and the Rubaliyyat. Three are prose: Fihi ma Fihi “It is what it is” his discourses, Makatib collected letters, and Maialis-i sablah seven sermons or lectures.
*Suleyman Hayati Dede Sheikh of Konya, Suleyman Hayati DedeOur Dede was appointed Sheikh of Konya by Celaleddin Bakir Celebi, head of the Order and the 21st lineal descendant of Rumi. Dede visited Europe and America many times, planting the seeds of Mevlana wherever he went. He brought inspiration, compassion, and love to those who met him. In 1978 he sent his son, Jelaleddin Loras, to America to continue the Mevlevi Tradition in the west.
Jelaleddin Loras Maqam Postneshin Jelaleddin Loras Effendi was raised and trained in the Mevlevi community of Konya. Under his father’s instruction he came to America with the tasks of creating centers and training western students. He has spent more than thirty years in this service, exploring and refining how to present the Mevlevi path to the western heart. Today there are Mevlevi Order of America centers across the United States and in Europe.
We are sincere seekers on a perennially modern, and centuries old path into the Divine Mystery. We are concerned with developing ourselves through emotional, intellectual, and physical practices. We respect all traditions which seek to accept the responsibility of humanity to care for each other and our world. We do not condone the use of sacred teachings to justify violence or to further political ends.
OUR PRACTICES
“For more than seven centuries, the Mevlevi Order has represented Spiritual Civilization on the vast and bountiful earth. Its aesthetic and intellectual achievements have been of enduring importance; it has produced magnificent works of music, poetry, and art.
Wherever Mevlevis have established themselves they have made profound contributions and have nurtured and developed the most human sentiments. As much as the Mevlevi Order has cultivated the mystical appreciation of life, it has also added to the fully human pleasure of living. Mevlevihood is like a the raw material thrown transformed according to its crucible: into it is potential.” — Abdülbåki Gölpınarlı (1900-1982) Mevlevi scholar
Ripening Maturing physically is automatic. Maturing emotionally, intellectually and spiritually requires commitment, guidance, culture, a spiritual community and Grace. The Mevlevi path is a journey toward maturity.
Study Study is the first, primary and lasting practice. We study:
• Rumi’s writings, his poetry and discourses – ultimately his magnum opus and most mature teaching – The Mesnevi.
• Sacred and instructive texts
• Those with more experience – their manners, attitudes, behavior and what they attend to.
• Nature, the world around us and the miracles in the creation
• Ourselves – our attitudes, reactions, behavior, states, our real needs and our deeper nature.
Service Everything we do aims toward service. There is always a way to serve, from making a small gesture of consideration to traveling across the globe helping those in need. The commitment to serve teaches us freedom through humility and honors the connection between us all.
Sema The whirling ceremony is a formal ritual. Every part has meaning. It is a teaching linking to the infinite and transmitting a blessing to the world. A semazen is one who whirls.
Zikr Zikr is Remembrance through repetition. It raises one to a deeper contact with our True Nature. A zikr can be a beautiful ceremony with music and gestures, or an invisible prayer of the heart.
Sohbet In sohbet we open our hearts to each other in discussion and deep listening. The oral tradition is passed through stories and teachings. We share our experiences and explore questions.
Refinement Subtlety and discrimination are cultivated through music, calligraphy, poetry, cooking and all the arts and civilized forms. We appreciate and contribute to the richness of both the spiritual and the cultural.
Adab
The Mevlevi path embodies respect for the whole of creation and for every individual, including ourselves. Grace and consideration polish the heart and clear a space in us where something extraordinary can enter...
This event is Zoom
ID: Contact SiSwinKlae for log-in details.
Passcode: Contact SiSwinKlae for log-in details.
This circle meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm via zoom. Every second Tues. of each month is a hybrid circle(in-person and online).
The in-person circle on the second Tuesday meets in the Fellowship Hall of Interfaith Community Sanctuary(ICS) – the basement of the ICS building. We will have a potluck meal. If your way is open, please bring a prepared or nearly prepared dish to share.
All women, children and youth are welcome.
This medicine circle includes prayers, drum/music, song, stories and more.
Contact SiSwinKlae for Zoom info for all Tuesday circles at toucheboucher@gmail.com. You will be added to an email list that will send out a weekly reminder for Tuesday circles.
This inclusive spiritual practice is called SiSiWiss (pronounced See See Wiss). Ttranslated into English means sacred breath, or sacred life. The SiSiWiss spiritual practice originates from the San Juan Islands and spread as a spiritual practice all through western Washington down to Siletz, Oregon. SiSiWiss traditions also spread to many of the Gulf Islands, including Vancouver Island and much of the NW coastal areas of B.C. The practice of SiSiWiss is understood as a medicine way or path, medicine meaning healing path.
ABOUT SiSwinKlae:
SiSwinKlae shares the knowledge that has been shared with her, with all those of open heart and open mind and willingness to learn the ways of the First People of our beautiful Coast Salish region. SiSwinKlae offers the sharing and learning through SiSiWiss Medicine Circle and various ceremonies.
This event is Zoom
ID: contact Dorothy Rhodes
Passcode: contact Dorothy Rhodes
We meet in person the first and third Tuesday of every month, and via Zoom the second and fourth Tuesday.
For info on in-person gatherings at the Sanctuary contact
Jerry Kavalieratos acimseattle@yahoo.com For online gatherings, contact Dorothy Rhodes Dorothy Rodes dotrodes@gmail.com
A Course In Miracles,“ACIM”, is a combined three volume set of books, (Text, Workbook, Manual for Teachers) which states, “its only purpose is to provide a way in which some people find their own Internal Teacher”. ACIM is not intended to be another religion but is rather a non-dual, self-study program. Something that ICS has no doubt explored more than most organizations is that the forms different religions take when placed side by side, can be problematic and divisive even when in pursuit of the same expressed goals. Finding that common and essential unifying element then becomes the focus. ACIM touches on that when discussing some of the terminology it uses saying,
Theological considerations as such are necessarily controversial, since they depend on belief and can therefore be accepted or rejected. A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary. It is this experience toward which the course is directed.
The Introduction further says,
The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.
This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
Chris Holland and Dorothy Rodes, are the usual facilitators of the in person and online ACIM groups respectively. While both have worked with the material for years, they are more in a role of simply helping the meeting come together in a positive way for all attending, many who also have studied this material for years. The direction of each meeting is a collaborative process among those attending in terms of what is discussed and concepts that are focused on.
As to the benefit of the ACIM groups, most might say that they facilitate understanding, leading to a changed perception in how we see ourselves, others, and the world.
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in, no need to have started at the beginning in Book 1.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in. This new class has started on the 10th of January, 2024.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
1:30pm–3:00pm: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition
– Friday, April 25. 2025
This event is Zoom
For more information about Friday Prayers and to obtain the Zoom link, please contact us at interfaithcommunitysanctuary@gmail.com or call ICS at 206-783-1618.
As-salamu alaykum (Arabic: ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, as-salāmu ʿalaykum, [asːa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum]) "Peace be upon you".
Please join us for our regular online Prayer gathering in the Islamic tradition offered every Friday through partnership with Interfaith Community Sanctuary and Cherry Street Mosque guided by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding.
Our Zoom room opens at 1:15 for socializing.
As always, all are welcome.
Our 2024 Spiritual Discernment Making a Home for the Mystic Heart
Please note: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition is a woman-led gathering. Women and men stand, sit, and pray together. Different participants lead the congregational prayer. Whenever possible, Qur’anic verses and traditional prayers are offered in Arabic and translated into English.
Our prayer gathering is a collaborative sharing and spiritually deepening experience guided by Muslim / Christian scholar, author and teacher, Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding, a minister, author, teacher, PhD in New Testament, singer, and spiritual director—presents locally, nationally, and internationally. Both Christian and Muslim since 2006, Ann is founder of Abrahamic Reunion West, a non-profit committed to healing the global dysfunction of the Abrahamic family of faith. She is co-author with Jamal Rahman and Kathleen Schmitt Elias of “Out of Darkness into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Jewish and Christian Sources.”
The weekly khutbah (sermon, address, message, teaching, reflection) is offered by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding in English. There are times participants or guests may offer words of wisdom. Bahiyaa also invites all participants to share personal reflections upon the theme during our group discussion.
Opening the Heart
We begin in the Name of God,
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Praise be to God, Loving Lord of all the worlds.
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Eternal Strength of every living being,
Whose Majestic Power embraces us on the day of the great return.
Only You do we adore, and to You alone do we cry for help.
Guide us, O God, on the path of Perfect Harmony,
the path of those whom You have blessed with the gifts of Peace, Joy, Serenity and Delight,
the path of those who are not brought down by anger,
the path of those who are not lost along the way.
Amin
So be it. (Translation by Imam Bilal Hyde)
You are warmly invited to join us for an experiential evening devoted to your inner peace.
All.are welcome to bring pillows, mats, and blankets for the Sound Journey .
About Isla Ross:
Isla Ross is a Devotional Artist and Composer who offers Healing Songs, Interfaith Chants, and Meditative Music, accompanied by an array of exotic instruments. Even as a child , she was fascinated by the spiritual practices and music of many cultures.
In 2002, Isla experienced a transformative year in Europe, including a Sacred Clowning retreat in a Tibetan monastery. The lessons included Sacred chants of India. She continued studying with several sound healers in England and back in the US. In 2005, Isla found her way to the Interfaith Community Sanctuary in Seattle, where she shares music for services and events.
10:00am–12:00pm: 6wk Spiritual Development Class with Imam Jamal Rahman : "Interspiritual Wisdom and Practices for Troubled Times "
– Saturday, April 26. 2025
Location: Zoom
JOIN US!
Six Week Spiritual Development Class with Imam Jamal Rahman:
"Interspiritual Wisdom and Practices for Troubled Times"
Jamal will draw upon precious teachings and practices from the traditions of Sufism , Buddhism and Taoism to empower us in troubled times. The insights and exercises will guide us in transforming our anger, fear, anxiety, and helplessness. May they bring us inspiration, hope, and peace during these challenging times.
“ We are the ones we have been waiting for.” -- June Jordan
Dates: April 19-May 24, 2025 Times: Saturday mornings, 10am - 12pm PST Location: All classes will be conducted on Zoom and recorded for class registrants to access Classes include: Guided meditations, discourses by Imam Jamal Rahman, spiritual practices, small group discussions, and large group Q&A. Cost: $99 for 6 week course; payable by Zelle, Paypal, or check
10:00am–11:30am: 4th Sunday Worship with Anita Ehrheart and Mary Vigdor
– Sunday, April 27. 2025
Led by: Sally Jo Gilbert de Vargas
This event is In Person, Live Streaming
Our 4th Sunday worship service will be shared by Anita Ehrheart and Mary Vigdor, who are both members of ICS. Flute music will be offered by Steve Kramer.
The service will focus on our presenters' personal stories around the topic, "Healing into Life."
Anita Ehrheart is a long time member of ICS. She is a retired registered nurse and has a master’s degree in counseling. During her career she worked mostly with underserved populations dealing with a variety of health conditions including HIV, diabetes, and opioid addiction. She is the proud mother of two daughters and two grandchildren. She enjoys learning about and exploring various spiritual traditions. She and her husband Lee spend much of their time in Port Townsend. They welcome all visitors from ICS and have a guest house available during the summer.
Mary is originally from Milwaukee, WI but also lived in Bloomington, IN (19 years) and Santa Fe, NM (8 years). She was married to Steve Vigdor for 12 years and they have two wonderful sons, Jacob (53) and Alex (almost 50). Mary has degrees in Spanish, French and Student Affairs from Madison (the other UW) and IU (Indiana U). Mary moved to Seattle 9 years ago to be near her sons and grandchildren, and they all live within a mile or so of ICS. She was raised Roman Catholic but identifies as a Unitarian Universalist and is now an enthusiastic member of ICS. Mary's healing journey started in 1981 and continues.
SHARING OUR WEALTH
Your generous donation allows us to continue offering interfaith worship services, events, classes. Also to continue creating sacred community as well as maintaining a historic building in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Currently we are in the process of recovering from rain water damage. Thank you for your help!
“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” ~ Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
Join lovers of Mevlana in this weekly gathering with
the Mevlevi Order of America Seattle Circle ~ a musical and prayerful evening.
Please do not attend in person if experiencing any symptoms(ie. fever, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, respiratory illness, etc), or if you have had contact with anyone you believe could be infected. Masking at our indoor Mevlevi Monday gatherings is not required, and up to the individual’s preference. Let’s be mindful and protect each other.
OUR LINEAGE Our transmission and tradition comes to us in an unbroken chain from the Sufi mystic and poet Mevlåna Jelaleddin Rumi. Rumi lived in 13th century Konya, Turkey, which was the capital of the Seljuk Empire. He was recognized as a scholar and a major religious and spiritual leader. He was already a renowned scholar and teacher when his encounters with the mystic, Shems-i-Tabriz, led to the blossoming of his full spiritual light. It was because of Shems that he started writing poetry.
His written legacy is contained in six texts. Three are poetry: the Divan-i Shams-i-Tabrizi – a collection of lyric poems, the Mathnawi Ma’nawi “Spiritual couplets”, and the Rubaliyyat. Three are prose: Fihi ma Fihi “It is what it is” his discourses, Makatib collected letters, and Maialis-i sablah seven sermons or lectures.
*Suleyman Hayati Dede Sheikh of Konya, Suleyman Hayati DedeOur Dede was appointed Sheikh of Konya by Celaleddin Bakir Celebi, head of the Order and the 21st lineal descendant of Rumi. Dede visited Europe and America many times, planting the seeds of Mevlana wherever he went. He brought inspiration, compassion, and love to those who met him. In 1978 he sent his son, Jelaleddin Loras, to America to continue the Mevlevi Tradition in the west.
Jelaleddin Loras Maqam Postneshin Jelaleddin Loras Effendi was raised and trained in the Mevlevi community of Konya. Under his father’s instruction he came to America with the tasks of creating centers and training western students. He has spent more than thirty years in this service, exploring and refining how to present the Mevlevi path to the western heart. Today there are Mevlevi Order of America centers across the United States and in Europe.
We are sincere seekers on a perennially modern, and centuries old path into the Divine Mystery. We are concerned with developing ourselves through emotional, intellectual, and physical practices. We respect all traditions which seek to accept the responsibility of humanity to care for each other and our world. We do not condone the use of sacred teachings to justify violence or to further political ends.
OUR PRACTICES
“For more than seven centuries, the Mevlevi Order has represented Spiritual Civilization on the vast and bountiful earth. Its aesthetic and intellectual achievements have been of enduring importance; it has produced magnificent works of music, poetry, and art.
Wherever Mevlevis have established themselves they have made profound contributions and have nurtured and developed the most human sentiments. As much as the Mevlevi Order has cultivated the mystical appreciation of life, it has also added to the fully human pleasure of living. Mevlevihood is like a the raw material thrown transformed according to its crucible: into it is potential.” — Abdülbåki Gölpınarlı (1900-1982) Mevlevi scholar
Ripening Maturing physically is automatic. Maturing emotionally, intellectually and spiritually requires commitment, guidance, culture, a spiritual community and Grace. The Mevlevi path is a journey toward maturity.
Study Study is the first, primary and lasting practice. We study:
• Rumi’s writings, his poetry and discourses – ultimately his magnum opus and most mature teaching – The Mesnevi.
• Sacred and instructive texts
• Those with more experience – their manners, attitudes, behavior and what they attend to.
• Nature, the world around us and the miracles in the creation
• Ourselves – our attitudes, reactions, behavior, states, our real needs and our deeper nature.
Service Everything we do aims toward service. There is always a way to serve, from making a small gesture of consideration to traveling across the globe helping those in need. The commitment to serve teaches us freedom through humility and honors the connection between us all.
Sema The whirling ceremony is a formal ritual. Every part has meaning. It is a teaching linking to the infinite and transmitting a blessing to the world. A semazen is one who whirls.
Zikr Zikr is Remembrance through repetition. It raises one to a deeper contact with our True Nature. A zikr can be a beautiful ceremony with music and gestures, or an invisible prayer of the heart.
Sohbet In sohbet we open our hearts to each other in discussion and deep listening. The oral tradition is passed through stories and teachings. We share our experiences and explore questions.
Refinement Subtlety and discrimination are cultivated through music, calligraphy, poetry, cooking and all the arts and civilized forms. We appreciate and contribute to the richness of both the spiritual and the cultural.
Adab
The Mevlevi path embodies respect for the whole of creation and for every individual, including ourselves. Grace and consideration polish the heart and clear a space in us where something extraordinary can enter...
This event is Zoom
Contact SiSwinKlae for Zoom log-in details for all Tuesday circles at toucheboucher@gmail.com.
This circle meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm via zoom. Every second Tuesday of each month is a hybrid circle (in-person and online).
The in-person circle on the second Tuesday meets in the Fellowship Hall of Interfaith Community Sanctuary(ICS) – the basement of the ICS building. We will have a potluck meal. If your way is open, please bring a prepared or nearly prepared dish to share.
All women, children and youth are welcome.
This medicine circle includes prayers, drum/music, song, stories and more.
Contact SiSwinKlae for Zoom info for all Tuesday circles at toucheboucher@gmail.com. You will be added to an email list that will send out a weekly reminder for Tuesday circles.
This inclusive spiritual practice is called SiSiWiss (pronounced See See Wiss). Ttranslated into English means sacred breath, or sacred life. The SiSiWiss spiritual practice originates from the San Juan Islands and spread as a spiritual practice all through western Washington down to Siletz, Oregon. SiSiWiss traditions also spread to many of the Gulf Islands, including Vancouver Island and much of the NW coastal areas of B.C. The practice of SiSiWiss is understood as a medicine way or path, medicine meaning healing path.
ABOUT SiSwinKlae:
SiSwinKlae shares the knowledge that has been shared with her, with all those of open heart and open mind and willingness to learn the ways of the First People of our beautiful Coast Salish region. SiSwinKlae offers the sharing and learning through SiSiWiss Medicine Circle and various ceremonies.
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in, no need to have started at the beginning in Book 1.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
This event is In Person Led by: SiSwinKlae, Laurel Boucher
Open Medicine Circle will be held on the last Wednesday evening of each month. We meet in-person in the Fellowship Hall (basement areas of the Interfaith Community Sanctuary (ICS) building)for the circle.
All men, women, youth and children are welcome.
This medicine circle includes prayers, drum/music, song, stories and more. We will have a potluck meal. If your way is open, please bring a prepared or nearly prepared dish to share.
For questions about the SiSiWiss Open Medicine Circle and or to be added to a reminder email list contact SiSwinKlae, Laurel at toucheboucher@gmail.com
This is a clean and sober gathering
The NW First Peoples spiritual practice called SiSiWiss (pronounced See See Wiss), translated into English means sacred breath, or sacred life. The SiSiWiss spiritual practice originates from the San Juan Islands and spread as a spiritual practice all through western Washington down to Siletz, Oregon. SiSiWiss traditions also spread to many of the Gulf Islands, including Vancouver Island and much of the NW coastal areas of B.C. The practice of SiSiWiss is understood as a medicine way or path, medicine meaning healing path.
(photo of SiSwinKlae Laurel Boucher and Che’ok’ten Paul Wagner)
ABOUT SiSwinKlae:
SiSwinKlae shares the knowledge that has been shared with her, with all those of open heart and open mind and willingness to learn the ways of the First People of our beautiful Coast Salish region. SiSwinKlae offers the sharing and learning through SiSiWiss Medicine Circle and various ceremonies.
Exploring Rumi’s Mathnawi is an ongoing collaborative learning experience to explore the mystical poetry of Rumi’s Mathnawí.
Michael Bielas is inviting you to attend an scheduled Zoom meeting: EXPLORING RUMI’S MATHNAWI – an ongoing study class — join anytime
New students encouraged to attend! Everyone is welcome to join in. This new class has started on the 10th of January, 2024.
The Mathnawi is a work of mystical poetry by Jalalu’din Rumi. His work is a guidebook through the twists and turns of life, leading to the clarity love.
The beautiful poetry of Rumi has touched countless lives and has been a source of inspiration for anyone searching for a deeper awareness of what it means to be human. When the heart and mind find balance, the limitations of life are set aside, and the soul has the two wings needed for flight. The possibilities for the soul to fly freely are not limited to this physical atmosphere, the invisible realms are also open for exploration. The means of opening these doors of awareness are described in the six books of his Mathnawí, a guide-book for his journey of the spirit.
For more information contact Hafiz/Michael <michaelbielas@gmail.com>
1:30pm–3:00pm: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition
– Friday, May 2. 2025
This event is Zoom
For more information about Friday Prayers and to obtain the Zoom link, please contact us at interfaithcommunitysanctuary@gmail.com or call ICS at 206-783-1618.
As-salamu alaykum (Arabic: ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, as-salāmu ʿalaykum, [asːa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum]) "Peace be upon you".
Please join us for our regular online Prayer gathering in the Islamic tradition offered every Friday through partnership with Interfaith Community Sanctuary and Cherry Street Mosque guided by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding.
Our Zoom room opens at 1:15 for socializing.
As always, all are welcome.
Our 2024 Spiritual Discernment Making a Home for the Mystic Heart
Please note: Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition is a woman-led gathering. Women and men stand, sit, and pray together. Different participants lead the congregational prayer. Whenever possible, Qur’anic verses and traditional prayers are offered in Arabic and translated into English.
Our prayer gathering is a collaborative sharing and spiritually deepening experience guided by Muslim / Christian scholar, author and teacher, Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding, a minister, author, teacher, PhD in New Testament, singer, and spiritual director—presents locally, nationally, and internationally. Both Christian and Muslim since 2006, Ann is founder of Abrahamic Reunion West, a non-profit committed to healing the global dysfunction of the Abrahamic family of faith. She is co-author with Jamal Rahman and Kathleen Schmitt Elias of “Out of Darkness into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Jewish and Christian Sources.”
The weekly khutbah (sermon, address, message, teaching, reflection) is offered by Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding in English. There are times participants or guests may offer words of wisdom. Bahiyaa also invites all participants to share personal reflections upon the theme during our group discussion.
Opening the Heart
We begin in the Name of God,
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Praise be to God, Loving Lord of all the worlds.
Everlasting Mercy, Infinite Compassion.
Eternal Strength of every living being,
Whose Majestic Power embraces us on the day of the great return.
Only You do we adore, and to You alone do we cry for help.
Guide us, O God, on the path of Perfect Harmony,
the path of those whom You have blessed with the gifts of Peace, Joy, Serenity and Delight,
the path of those who are not brought down by anger,
the path of those who are not lost along the way.
Amin
So be it. (Translation by Imam Bilal Hyde)
10:00am–12:00pm: 6wk Spiritual Development Class with Imam Jamal Rahman : "Interspiritual Wisdom and Practices for Troubled Times "
– Saturday, May 3. 2025
Location: Zoom
JOIN US!
Six Week Spiritual Development Class with Imam Jamal Rahman:
"Interspiritual Wisdom and Practices for Troubled Times"
Jamal will draw upon precious teachings and practices from the traditions of Sufism , Buddhism and Taoism to empower us in troubled times. The insights and exercises will guide us in transforming our anger, fear, anxiety, and helplessness. May they bring us inspiration, hope, and peace during these challenging times.
“ We are the ones we have been waiting for.” -- June Jordan
Dates: April 19-May 24, 2025 Times: Saturday mornings, 10am - 12pm PST Location: All classes will be conducted on Zoom and recorded for class registrants to access Classes include: Guided meditations, discourses by Imam Jamal Rahman, spiritual practices, small group discussions, and large group Q&A. Cost: $99 for 6 week course; payable by Zelle, Paypal, or check
