Today we welcome a new group of students to the University and the Shaddhiliyya Sufi Retreat Center. Our Year 1 Spring class formally begins their UOS journey tomorrow.
I’m not sure if this feels more like a time of conception, birth, marriage or death. The journey is filled with cycles of transformation – a range of diverse experiences lies ahead for each traveler.
I feel like a parent when they drop their child off for their first day of school, or when their young adult goes off to college or is about to get married.
There’s so much you want to say about the beauty that awaits and the challenges they will face. But every person has a unique path with unique trials and gifts that are to be uncovered. They certainly don’t need my pictures – good or bad – to cloud their own perceptions.
I do know they are blessed to have some of the most skilled and gifted guides for their journey, and one of the most beautiful sacred spaces to hold them and nourish them in their transformations.
The video below was done by one of our beloveds, Ahmed Michael Campbell, as a gift to the Shaddhiliyya Sufi Retreat Center where our classes are held. With his permission, I share this with you today. The photos capture the beauty of the land where the UOS classes are held, and the music captures the tranquility.
This is the land on which the feet will walk, and the skies to which the hearts and souls will soar – and I’m sure they will each travel so much farther beyond. This is only the beginning, and there is no beginning and no end.
Please enjoy the video, and if you feel called, join us in a prayer for all who embark on this path to know the truth of their existence, the purpose for their lives and the love of God in their hearts.
If you’ve been to the land, or if you’re still making your way out there, feel free to share about your experiences. Just click “leave a response” at the bottom of the blog post. Sometimes the heart just needs to share its song…
Have a beautiful weekend.
Blessings and gratitude for you!
Mastura Graugnard on behalf of your friends and family at UOS
