While we eat another absolutely delicious potluck meal, we talk about H's new class called "Unity of Religious Ideals. It sounds really interesting to me -- I wish I could go, but H says no one has signed up yet, and it starts next week. T encourages her to advertise more.
We have a short list of 3 topics tonight!
Firstly, we ask J for news of Iptisam. She is definitely coming to Seattle, but it is still not clear what she will be able or willing to do. T points out that this is the limiting factor, and we need this information before we can really make plans. J hopes to find out this information in November. She would come the last week of April 2009.
Next D updates us on a weekend she attended at the Abode (the Sufi Order International’s "heart center" in upstate New York," to launch Seven Pillars: A Contemporary House of Wisdom, Pir Zia's latest initiative. While Suluk Academy focuses on intensive training in Sufism, Seven Pillars is our outreach of the Message of Unity to the public. The school offers workshops and publications exploring three themes: Revelation, Mysticism, Cosmology and Chivalry. About 200 people attended the inaugural event, including many prominent writers, spiritual leaders and activists representing many perspectives on these themes. The idea is to create a community to help the project evolve. The first graduating class of the Suluk Academy organized the meeting, which assured D that the younger generation is rising to leadership. D says it was just amazing, and very interactive, lots of people got up to speak.
An inspiring note at the meeting was that Pir Zia spoke of his meeting with Brother Wayne Teasdale, which planted the seed of the Seven Pillars idea, and then four months later he passed away, and so Pir Zia felt that the torch had been handed on to the younger leadership. The other main inspiration comes from Lindesfarne Associates, a group of intellectual leaders from many scientific, spiritual and literary perspectives, which has been meeting to synthesize ideas since the 1970s. One of its founders, William Irwin Thompson, was on hand and is a strong supporter of the new venture.
I ask where the "Seven Pillars" name come from - it is from the book of Proverbs, in the Bible: "Wisdom [Sophia]has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars. She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. (Proverbs 9:1) ".
T recommends a book called "The Great Turning: from Empire to Earth Community, by David Korten. The essence of it seems to be the idea of a transition from large imperialistic, power driven cultures (currently represented by global corporations) to a more earth and people-centered culture founded in humanistic values. Another recommendation is "Blessed Unrest" by Paul Hawkins, describing the millions of citizens groups around the world organizing to meet needs for food security, housing, health care, peace, environmental protection, etc etc.
Lastly, H talks a little about a seminar at a friend’s house, with visiting teacher Gayan Macher, which is being held to raise money for the Seven Pillars. She needs help with transport.
It seems as though the summer is coming to an end. We are all glad we got to eat outside once more before the weather changes.
