Ongoing Gatherings
Remembrance in the Heart of Rumi
"Grace and consideration polish the heart and clear a space in us where something extraordinary can enter...'
Date: Monday, April 29, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With The Seattle Circle of the Mevelvi Order of America
This event is In Person, Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 895 9461 0201
Passcode: mevlevi
In-Person zikr every Monday evening!
All are welcome. Come, come, whoever you are!
The first Monday gathering each month features “Estağfurullah Zikr.”
Questions? Contact Seattle MOA teaching circle: seattlemoa@gmail.com
“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...
WEBSITE: http://www.hayatidede.org/about/our-practices/
SiSiWiss Women’s Medicine Circle
The four color circle is a symbol representing Mother Earth, Kazeeli.
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With SiSwinKlae Laurel Boucher
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 touchebooucher@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.
Tuesday Mathnawi (Book 2)
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With Michael Bielas
This event is Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 891 5547 9799
Passcode: 309112
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.
LINK to purchase BOOK 2: The Mathnawi of Jalalu’din Rumi – Book 2: The Mathnawi of Jalalu’din Rumi – Book 2
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>
Check out and stay updated on the Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mathnawi-1303756766320783/
Wednesday Mathnawi (Book 1)
Date: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
With Michael Bielas
This event is Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 848 3274 6014
Passcode: 248242
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.
LINK to purchase BOOK 1: The Mathnawí of Jalálu’dín Rúmí – Book 1: The spiritual couplets of Jalálu’dín Rúmí – Book 1 (The Mathnawí of Jalalu’din Rumi)
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>
Check out and stay updated on the Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mathnawi-1303756766320783/
Sitting in Silence
“Only let the moving waters calm down, and the sun and moon will be reflected on the surface of your being.”
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
With George Ramirez
This event is In Person
We are only open to receive fully vaccinated guests and encourage all to bring a facemask to wear if needed.
Rumi reminds us,
“Only let the moving waters calm down, and the sun and moon
will be reflected on the surface of your being.”
Enjoy a brief respite from this hectic world and join us for a time to simply sit together in calm, silent reflection.
Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition
As-salamu alaykum (Arabic: ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, as-salāmu ʿalaykum, [asːa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum]) "Peace be upon you".
Prayer Room at Interfaith Community Sanctuary
Date: Friday, May 3, 2024
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
With Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding
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.
Jumah Mubarak!
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.
Information is posted on the Interfaith Community Sanctuary Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/367628188440865/?
Also, visit the Facebook page: “Friday Prayer (Salatul Juma’a) at the Interfaith Sanctuary in Seattle”: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InclusiveFridayPrayerInSeattle
for a weekly posting about Friday Prayer and the discussion content.
PRAYERS:
Al-Fatiha
Bismi-llah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
Al-hamdu lillahi rabb-il-‘alamin
Ar-Rahman ir-Rahim
Maliki yawm id-Din
Iyyaka na’abudu w iyyaka nasta’in
Ihdin-as-sirat al-mustqim
Sirata-lla dhina an’amta ‘alaihim
Ghair-il-maghdubi ‘alaihim
wa lad-Dallin
Amin
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)
(PDF notes for Islamic Prayer available here)
Meister Eckhart Reading Circle
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
With Rich Ater and George Ramirez
This event is In Person, Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 853 8501 5366
Passcode: No password
This will be an ongoing study circle through 2024.
First Saturdays each month
Location:
Interfaith Community Sanctuary
1763 NW 62nd Street
Seattle, WA 98107 (Ballard)
The Meister Eckhart Reading Circle meets in person at Interfaith Community Sanctuary, and on Zoom, the first Saturday of each month at 3:00 PM. Each month a writing of Eckhart’s is selected. The selected writing is to be read in advance, then each meeting provides an opportunity to share what that spiritual message of Meister Eckhart says to each member of the circle. No advanced knowledge of the Meister is necessary, and one can join in at any time. If you would like a copy of the reading for the next meeting, contact George Ramirez at: Vanaprastha88@gmail.com
Guiding Council monthly meeting
Date: Sunday, May 5, 2024
Time: 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
With Guiding Council
This event is In Person, Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 941 3659 9611
Passcode: 800261
First Sundays each month.
All members, officers and ministers gather to contemplate the physical and spiritual needs of our precious spiritual community.
In addition, friends are invited to join with us in this stewardship capacity where we mindfully seek ways to care take this community assuring it will sustain into the future.
Your presence will be a blessing.
Read more about our Guiding Council here:
https://interfaithcommunitysanctuary.org/events/guiding-council-monthly-meeting/
We are longtime members of the PARLIAMENT of the WORLD’S RELIGIONS
The Parliament of the World’s Religions reminds us this:
“We humbly ask for you to keep these 3 things in mind:
You are not alone
No one is dispensable
We need to learn to care for one another”
We are also a Cooperation Circle of the UNITED RELIGIONS INITITIAVE and have been since 2000. A URI Cooperation Circle is a self-organizing group of at least seven members who follow three or more faith traditions – including atheists agnostics and humanists – taking any kind of action to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing. https://www.uri.org/who-we-are/cooperation-circles
Remembrance in the Heart of Rumi
"This spreading radiance of a True Human Being has great importance. Look carefully around you and recognize the luminosity of souls. Sit beside those who draw you to that." ~ Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Date: Monday, May 6, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With The Seattle Circle of the Mevelvi Order of America
This event is In Person, Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 895 9461 0201
Passcode: mevlevi
In-Person zikr every Monday evening!
All are welcome. Come, come, whoever you are!
The first Monday gathering each month features “Estağfurullah Zikr.”
Questions? Contact Seattle MOA teaching circle: seattlemoa@gmail.com
“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...
WEBSITE: http://www.hayatidede.org/about/our-practices/
SiSiWiss Women’s Medicine Circle
The four color circle is a symbol representing Mother Earth, Kazeeli.
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With SiSwinKlae Laurel Boucher
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 touchebooucher@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.
ACIM
Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
With Chris Holland and Dorothy Rodes
This event is In Person
We meet in person the first and third Tuesday of every month, and virtually the second and fourth Tuesday.
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.
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
Previous contact: “Kaity” Katherine Macy at kaitymacy@aol.com ,
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.
Tuesday Mathnawi (Book 2)
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With Michael Bielas
This event is Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 891 5547 9799
Passcode: 309112
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.
LINK to purchase BOOK 2: The Mathnawi of Jalalu’din Rumi – Book 2: The Mathnawi of Jalalu’din Rumi – Book 2
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>
Check out and stay updated on the Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mathnawi-1303756766320783/
Wednesday Mathnawi (Book 1)
Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
With Michael Bielas
This event is Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 848 3274 6014
Passcode: 248242
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.
LINK to purchase BOOK 1: The Mathnawí of Jalálu’dín Rúmí – Book 1: The spiritual couplets of Jalálu’dín Rúmí – Book 1 (The Mathnawí of Jalalu’din Rumi)
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>
Check out and stay updated on the Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mathnawi-1303756766320783/
Sitting in Silence
“Only let the moving waters calm down, and the sun and moon will be reflected on the surface of your being.”
Date: Thursday, May 9, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
With George Ramirez
This event is In Person
We are only open to receive fully vaccinated guests and encourage all to bring a facemask to wear if needed.
Rumi reminds us,
“Only let the moving waters calm down, and the sun and moon
will be reflected on the surface of your being.”
Enjoy a brief respite from this hectic world and join us for a time to simply sit together in calm, silent reflection.
Friday Prayers in the Islamic Tradition
As-salamu alaykum (Arabic: ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, as-salāmu ʿalaykum, [asːa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum]) "Peace be upon you".
Prayer Room at Interfaith Community Sanctuary
Date: Friday, May 10, 2024
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
With Bahiyaa Ann Holmes Redding
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.
Jumah Mubarak!
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.
Information is posted on the Interfaith Community Sanctuary Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/367628188440865/?
Also, visit the Facebook page: “Friday Prayer (Salatul Juma’a) at the Interfaith Sanctuary in Seattle”: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InclusiveFridayPrayerInSeattle
for a weekly posting about Friday Prayer and the discussion content.
PRAYERS:
Al-Fatiha
Bismi-llah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
Al-hamdu lillahi rabb-il-‘alamin
Ar-Rahman ir-Rahim
Maliki yawm id-Din
Iyyaka na’abudu w iyyaka nasta’in
Ihdin-as-sirat al-mustqim
Sirata-lla dhina an’amta ‘alaihim
Ghair-il-maghdubi ‘alaihim
wa lad-Dallin
Amin
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)
(PDF notes for Islamic Prayer available here)
Remembrance in the Heart of Rumi
"Grace and consideration polish the heart and clear a space in us where something extraordinary can enter...'
Date: Monday, May 13, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With The Seattle Circle of the Mevelvi Order of America
This event is In Person, Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 895 9461 0201
Passcode: mevlevi
In-Person zikr every Monday evening!
All are welcome. Come, come, whoever you are!
The first Monday gathering each month features “Estağfurullah Zikr.”
Questions? Contact Seattle MOA teaching circle: seattlemoa@gmail.com
“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...
WEBSITE: http://www.hayatidede.org/about/our-practices/
SiSiWiss Women’s Medicine Circle
Hychka (Thank you!)
Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With SisWinKlae Laurel Boucher
This event is In Person, 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 Zoom).
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 touchebooucher@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.
ACIM
Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.
Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
With Chris Holland and Dorothy Rodes
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.
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.
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
Previous contact: “Kaity” Katherine Macy at kaitymacy@aol.com ,
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.
Tuesday Mathnawi (Book 2)
Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With Michael Bielas
This event is Zoom
Join Zoom Gathering
ID: 891 5547 9799
Passcode: 309112
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.
LINK to purchase BOOK 2: The Mathnawi of Jalalu’din Rumi – Book 2: The Mathnawi of Jalalu’din Rumi – Book 2
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>
Check out and stay updated on the Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mathnawi-1303756766320783/
