This healing e-class is dedicated to the memory of our beloved Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, who died July 3, 2014. He was the Pir of the Inayati-Maimuni Sufi Order,(a Sufi-Hasidic order affiliated with the SOI.)
Towards the One, the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty, the Only Being, United with All the Illuminated Souls, Who Form the Embodiment of the Master, the Spirit of Guidance
In the Pirke Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, a wisdom book in the Jewish tradition, Rabbi Tarfon says: “It is not your place to complete the Work; but neither are you free to abandon it.”
All of us taking this e-class have accepted part of our work as being spiritual healers, for humanity and for the Earth. The mystical view in Sufism and other traditions is that the One Being is living the One Life through the manifested universe(s), and that each of us is a sense organ of the Divine, feeding back our experiences so the Beloved can experience everything possible in the realm of existence (and non-existence).
Although our planet is a tiny speck in the unimaginably huge universe, it is unique and special because of the life it supports. At this time, the Earth is in great need of healing, with physical (climate) environmental changes, and difficult interpersonal situations (wars, inequalities, hostility between people and peoples). Each of us in our own way, whether by doing private healing practices or participation in group healing activities, can contribute “good healing vibes” to the planet and to the totality of the energy of the Universe, which we are made of. There is no contribution which is too small!
In the Jewish tradition, (Reb Zalman was a Hasidic master and great Kabbalist), TIKKUN OLAM, or Repairing the World, is a main purpose of our lives. It is necessary to work on healing ourselves first, to be better prepared to help heal others and the Earth.
The root of healing is “forgiveness”: forgiving oneself, discovering acceptance, and finding healing. There is a blessing (prayer)that starts “Heal us, Adonai (Lord), and we will be healed”. It is asking for permanent change so that we realize that holiness is in everything, even in our illnesses and problems. When we accept that everything comes from the Beloved, we can be healed and have energy to give out healing too.
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The Sufi (and Hasidic) traditions place importance on awareness of our body experience, since we live and work right in the world. Part of the Jewish morning blessings is one of gratitude for the body’s function and healing. This is Reb Zalman’s translation from the Hebrew:
I worship you, Yah, our God, Cosmic Majesty; You formed me, a human being, so wisely;
You created in me all manner of hollows and ducts,
Inner organs and intestines.
As I am completely transparent before You, It is apparent and clear,
That if any of these openings would clog, Or if any of these enclosures would seep,
I could not exist and live in Your sight, Not even for a moment.
So I’m grateful and bless You For healing me in amazing ways.
Try reciting this in the morning when getting up, after going to the bathroom. It brings holiness to the most mundane parts of life!
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Here is a Hasidic meditation for healing the body:
First, relax and let your mind’s eye perceive a point of light. Inhale slowly, and draw this light into your body. Feel it circulate through all of your limbs; feel it vitalizing your spirit and emotions. The light will begin to increase in clarity. Inside of your body, let it travel where it will, especially allowing it to fill the places that need healing.
Exhale, and sense the light leaving through your feet. As it leaves, it removes any tensions and negativities that you may have been harboring, either consciously or unconsciously. Feel yourself becoming refreshed and cleansed.
Breathe a few more times. With each breath, feel connected to God. ****************************
And now, for Tikkun Olam, ready to heal the world: here is Pir Zia’s beautiful Zikr of the Earth, given as an early Muraqaba practice in January, 2005. I suggest doing it daily if possible, for one month.
MURAQABA 3: ZIKR OF THE EARTH
“The first day or so we all pointed to our countries. The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents. By the fifth day we were aware of only one Earth.”
Sultan Bin Salman al-Saud (Astronaut)
“After an orange cloud—formed as a result of a dust storm over the Sahara and caught up by air currents—reached the Philippines and settled there with rain, I understood that we are all sailing in the same boat.”
Vladimir Kovalyonok (Astronaut)
Instructions:
ZIKR OF THE EARTH
Sit kneeling or cross-legged, with eyes closed and back erect. (OK to sit in chair).
Watch the breath, allowing it to pervade the body, inducing deep relaxation and awareness.
Exhaling, rotate the upper body clockwise, turning toward the left shoulder, the left knee, the right knee, the right shoulder, and finally returning to the vertical position. While doing this, imagine standing above the Earth (on the Moon, perhaps), scanning its round surface with the arc of your revolving glance. The Earth appears as an iridescent pearl of incredible beauty floating in black emptiness.
Inhaling, lower your head vertically, descending toward the solar plexus. Pause briefly, then raise your head again, continuing to inhale. While lowering your head, purposefully descend from your lofty vantage point in space, to witness and participate in the drama of life on Earth, with its innumerable and conflicting conditions, encompassing the polarities of gain and loss, peace and aggression, exaltation and debasement, joy and pain. While raising your head, extend your solidarity to all of Earth’s inhabitants, and lift them, in prayer, toward the compassionate and illuminating embrace of the Divine presence, the perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty.
Suspending the breath briefly, incline your head slightly toward the heart in the left breast, relaxing into the awareness of the Unity of Being and its essential perfection. [my boldface].
Repeat the cycle eleven times.
Blessings,
Alia Eileen Yager