Fierce Spirit
Nov 16, 2024 10:01 pm
Hi there,
NOTE: My Tuesday, November 19th Sufi Zoom class has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict. Seda will teach this class on her Zoom account, which you may obtain from Janet's weekly Sufi email or the Sufi Signal post. If you do not have access to either and wish to attend, please contact me by replying to this email.
Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now, coined the term "fierce grace" to describe the impact of a stroke he suffered in 1997, which changed his life and his perspective.
Fierce grace invites us to treat any difficulty as an opportunity to learn and grow in spirit -- a valuable perspective to adopt when facing a major life challenge.
In the U.S., we are currently facing a major challenge.
The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election have left nearly half of Americans in turmoil. Although the voting maps make this election appear to be a landslide, there was only a 2% difference in the popular vote. Forty-eight percent of Americans, if they are anything like me, are dumbfounded, appalled, and in despair. There is grief about the loss of women’s rights, social justice, diversity, equality, and the survival of life on this planet.
Grieving is a good response to loss. When we have finished grieving, what is next?
What if we viewed the 2024 U.S. election as Fierce Grace? What if the election results are a kick in the pants by the universe urging us to meet this challenge in a different way?
At last Tuesday’s class, I presented the idea of Fierce Spirit as a viable response to Fierce Grace. By Fierce Spirit, I mean doing our spiritual practices, especially chanting, with the intention of shifting the world.
The vibration of chanting is a powerful force. It can change the cells in your body and the way you behave in the world. I have often observed Adnan transform his students simply by sitting near them. His energy was so potent he could shift the state of another, with his proximity. I have experienced his energetic impact myself. I have also experienced it with some of his advanced students. Contact with like energy magnifies both.
Alone, we may not have much effect on the world because our singular efforts can easily be diminished and deformed by all the misery, fear, and negativity that currently abounds in our world. Together, as a group, we might make a difference.
In 1994, a scientific study was conducted in Washington DC to determine whether prayer could affect its rate of violence. See the article here. During the height of the experiment, the rate of violence in the city was reduced by 23%. Conducted over the summer, a time when violence usually peaks, this experiment revealed that the greater the number of people praying, the greater the reduction in violence.
Plenty of people have tried to debunk these results. The possibility that prayer could have such an impact is contrary to their worldview and simply unacceptable.
Sometimes prayer does not work the way we hope. The Divine operates from a bigger world view and we must be patient and willing to surrender to its wisdom and will. Complaining and hand-wringing have little effect. Doing something, like fierce spirit, may.
When you chant set your intention on healing the world, imagine you are casting a spell.
Below are some Arabic chants you may try. They all yield a positive result, at least for you.
Yah Sha Fi – healing,
Rachman – mercy,
Racheem - compassion,
Yah Hadi – guidance,
Fah tih - gathering energy, releasing what is no longer needed,
Yah Wadud – love, not emotional love, but the deep experience that binds us to the world, universe, and spirit
Muh Ti -- Bringer of Wisdom, Illumination, insight, perception, intuition, understanding
Allah Noor – Divine light, illumination, insight, perception, awareness.
Sufi Camp Sunrise July 2024
If you want to go further, try increasing your spiritual practice. For example, chant twice a day instead of once a day. Or, visit more Sufi Zoom classes throughout the week. Or go to an in-person spiritual retreat.
We are on the precipice of a new world age . . . provided humans can survive the destruction of forests and wild habitats, extermination of species, depletion of aquifers, pollution of rivers and oceans, and global warming.
We cannot wait four or even two years for Americans to wake up to the dangers of our new political regime. We must act now.
Albert Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”
In my experience, Spirit has always been the best solution to ego and the negative self
Are you ready to take action? Join Sufi Class: Sunday, November 17th, 8:00 am PST. We will chant to heal ourselves and illuminate the world.
The Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88050735178?pwd=zkrVoc4Mtg0pSXtAAWmoCrHWQb2qb1.1
Don’t forget to use SUFI all in caps if you are asked for the password.
Be brilliant,
Dr. Michelle
Life Transformation Coach
Empowering Women to Reinvent Their Life After Loss
Secrets of Life and Death
