The Threshold Society  amp; The Mevlevi Order
 
 
 
December: Be in love January: Express faith and devotion in practical details acts of service
Themes for the whole year
The Drink Sent Down, Words by Kabir Helminski, Music by Seckin.
 
 
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The Threshold Society,
rooted within the traditions of Sufism and inspired by the life and work of
Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi, is a non-profit
educational foundation with the purpose of facilitating the experience of Divine Unity, Love, and Truth in the world.
Sufism is a living tradition of human transformation through love and higher consciousness. While we seek to apply the essential principles of spiritual
development, we inevitably transcend much of the conditioning of our culture and identity. Our fundamental framework is classical Sufism and the Qur'an as it has been understood over the centuries by the great Sufis. The Society is affiliated with the
Mevlevi Order, and offers
training programs, seminars and retreats around the world.
These are intended to provide a structure for practice and study within Sufism.
Our programs and activities are open to all people, and you are welcome to join us for the next Saturday open meeting. For these events contact the Dergah Secretary
dervishcrier@gmail.com. For other inquiries, email us at:
mevlana #64;cruzio.com
In addition representatives and study groups can be found in several countries. We are a non-commercial spiritual organization and a description of our financial policies is open to all.
Upcoming events:
Shaikh Kabir in Konya. From December 14-17. Invited by the International Mevlana Foundation and the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Participating in a workshop on December 16.
February 11-13: Rumi in Nashville (Scarritt Bennett Center, details TBA)
Mid-February-Early March: France, South Africa: Rasooli Center Annual Gathering, March 4-6, near Praetoria with Shaykh Fadhlalla HaeriAcademy of Self-Knowledge
April 28 - May 1: London Residential Retreat (London Sufi Group)
Late May 20-22, Infinite Heart: The Way of Rumi. Shambhala Mountain Center, Colorado.
Our Approach to Sufism:
Basics of Practice in the Threshold Society
Suggestions for Approaching Sufi Practice
within the Threshold Society
Adab, The courtesy of the Path
Responsibilities of Dervishhood
Framework for Service
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Email Communication You Can Trust
Recently Threshold has been working to create a quot;big tent quot; for a broad collaboration to revive the transformative dimensions of Islamic spirituality. See:
Baraka Institute
Didn rsquo;t I say, quot;Don rsquo;t sit with sad companions? quot;
Don rsquo;t sit with anyone but those whose hearts are glad.
Since you are in the garden, don rsquo;t go to thorns.
Sit amidst the roses, jonquils, and jasmine.
Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Quatrain 1518
Translated by Kabir Helminski
***
The Path of Awakening
With Yogis, Buddhists amp; Sufis in Kyoto
November, 2010
* * *
Heart of Sufism
A Video Interview with Shaikh Kabir
embed
In this 45 minute interview, conducted by Conscious Media Network at the Science and Non-Duality Conference, February 2010, Shaikh Kabir discusses the principles, methods, history, and current situation of Sufism.
NOTE: The interviewer's claim that Shaikh Kabir was the first Westerner to be named as a Mevlevi Shaikh deserves some qualification. He was the first Westerner officially recognized, in 1990, by the Head of the Mevlevi Order, Celalettin Celebi.
***
Our Beloved Shaikh Suleyman Dede
who first showed us the Practicality of Sufism
An Interview from 1976!
Dede: Everyone should know that this is not my doing, or Reshad's doing, or anybody else's doing. It's God's doing. I always wanted to come to the United States and to travel, but there was no way to be able to afford it. But I wished this so strongly - God willed that this should happen. I am very happy to have come here and met everybody, but it is not my doing, or your doing, or anybody else's doing ... it is God's doing.
Read more
Download photo of Dede
***
Sufism as Applied Spirituality
Kabir Helminski
Sufism is the application of spiritual principles to
achieve full spiritual development for oneself in synergy with one rsquo;s community.
Sufism is an applied science that derives from a knowledge of all the subtleties of human energy, faculties of perception, states of
consciousness, and levels of reality.
***
The Living Tradition:
A Conversation with Imam Feisal Rauf,
Founder of the quot;Ground Zero Mosque quot;
(actually called quot;The House at 51 Park Place quot;)
with Daisy Khan, Kabir amp; Camille
Garrison Institute, October 2009
In this discussion Imam Feisal asks: quot;What do we mean when we say we love God? And to love God with all of our hearts and minds and to love our fellow human beings? It involves different actions and different time and different context. It also involves responsibilities that we have. The love of a father towards a son, may manifest differently in some situations than love of a mother towards the son, or towards the child. And how do we express our love, both in terms of protection, education, discipline, all of those dimensions are part of our obligation in terms of people who are creatures of the Creator, who were created from a portion of the divine breath. quot;
* * *
Being a Person of Paradise (pdf),
Reflections on the Teachings of Shams of Tabriz
Camille Helminski, presented at the Conference:
Shams of Tabriz: Enlightened by the Sun.
MP3 Recording
***
Time as Spiritual Practice
Kabir Helminski
Most people these days, it seems, are running from time, or battling with time. Yet, it is possible to reconcile the self with time by opening the way to timelessness within time. While the practice of salaat (ritual prayer) has coordinates in time (in relation to sunrise, noon, sunset, etc.), the actual practice is the stopping of time and full attention on Being. During salaat or zhikr we enter into a timeless state of presence where we experience a ldquo;time rdquo; free from the pressures of time.
Time as it is experienced these days, especially under the domination of clock time, Gregorian calendar time, is mechanical, quantitative, and artificial. Our spiritual time, which is governed by the cycles of the moon, and the proportions of the solar day is an altogether different kind of time. Then, within those proportions and rhythms are the moments when the portals to timelessness are marked and we enter the presence of the Divine.
In such a time, the presence of the breath becomes very real. We live our lives in breaths not in minutes or seconds. (I shaped him and breathed My spirit into him. 38:72). Awareness of our breathing brings us into a different, more organic quality of time mdash;a human, rather than a mechanical time. Our spiritual practice takes place in this quality of time.
Time Profane and Sacred
Profane time is the state of feeling as if we have no time. Profane time is the time governed by fragmented attention and colored by the negative emotions of haste and anxiety.
Sacred time is a state of presence that brings with it the possibility of undistracted attention, direct relationship, patience, and openness. We can learn to enter that state of timelessness at will. Perhaps the first step is slowing down and consciously entering the present moment. The next step is more subtle mdash;it is experiencing and living the moment with awareness of the loving, nurturing, guiding presence of the Divine.
***
500 Most Influential Muslims in the World
FYI, Several close friends of Threshold Society have been included in this recently published document by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in association with Georgetown U.
Download the 3.8 meg pdf.
* * *
Dervishhood amp; Adab,
Transcript of a recent conversation
With Khadim Chishti, Kabir, amp; Friends
***
Framework for Service
Within the Threshold Society we have been working with the “Bashi” system of service. “Bashi” means “head” or “chief.” There is a “Chai Bashi” in charge of tea; a “Meydan Bashi” in charge of the sacred meeting space, etc. This work cultivates beauty of character and deepens our capacity for service. It is an essential aspect of a mature dervish. With this in mind we have created a framework where those participating in this work have a structure toreflect upon their service. (Read more)
* * *
Rumi amp; Hard Times, September, 2008
The Wednesday night before (9/24/2008), in the midst of the current financial crisis, we were gathered to read Mevlana's Mathnawi, III, 1721. . . It's interesting how Mevlana addresses worldly concerns from the perspective of the deepest spiritual understanding.
Hold to the Rope of God, June, 2008
If you feel as if you are living through uncertain, disturbing, hopeful, chaotic times, you're not alone.
* * *
Journey to the Heart of the World
We visit the Kogis/Arhuacos of the Colombian Sierra
1.5 meg PDF
* * *
Practical Aspects of Dervishhood
Mahmoud Mostafa
* * *
Khutbah on Love
Mahmoud Mostafa
***
Covenant of Peace
* * *
Kabir: Rumi amp; The Inner Journey. Streaming audio: Part 1 Part 2
Recent Articles Index
Sufi Lodge
streaming audio
(weekly meetings),
written reflections
are back!,
and Stories
The 99 Day Program is back by popular demand. This mentored home-study program will introduce you to the framework of knowledge, as well as some of the practices of Sufism.
Books amp; Music (Store)
You Are Joy, The Poetry of Rumi read by Kabir amp; Camille with great Sufi musicians from California, Iran, and Turkey.
CD $15
Call 831-685-3995 or order online
~
Copyright copy; 2010 All Rights Reserved,
The Threshold Society (Wednesdays. 11-3, 831-685-3995)