I find myself beginning this section many times, only to discard the words almost as soon as they appear. How can I possibly begin to describe what a Sufi is, how the spiritual path works, and what we are all here for?
Hazrat Inayat Khan, the Sufi mystic and musician who brought the message of Universal Sufism to the West, said that if we are truly honest with ourselves, each of us has our own path and our own spirituality. Whenever we try to put our divine insights or experiences into words, we ultimately limit the Divine to our own understanding and station in life. It is like trying to contain the ocean in a cup.
The Path of the Heart
While many find their way to this path through the Dances of Universal Peace, the journey of a mureed is an internal one that transcends any single form. The true goal is to live life to its fullest—not by escaping the world, but by refining oneself within it.
Polishing the Heart: The work of the mureed is the continual “polishing of the heart”. It is a process of softening the “sharp edges” within—those rigid places of ego and reactive habit—so that we may better serve humanity. This refinement allows us to develop a wider capacity: the ability to see life not only from our own perspective but from the perspectives of others.
Embodied Remembrance: We use the Breath as the link between the finite and Infinite, Body Prayer to anchor devotion in our cells, and Chanting to harmonize our internal vibration.
The ultimate aim is to tie these practices so closely to everyday actions that they become inseparable. Like Kabir, we strive to perform “all works” while remaining “apart” from the ego’s attachment to them. We strive for a state where no breath is drawn without conscious awareness—a living realization of the Divine presence residing in one’s very heart and being. In this way, every mundane task becomes an act of meditation, and every interaction becomes an opportunity for love.
The Paradox of the Path
The journey of the Sufi is one of “unlearning” as much as learning. It requires us to step beyond the labels the world has given us. The 15th-century mystic Kabir captured this beautifully, describing a state of being that sits “unmoved” by the dualities of life:
“I am neither pious nor ungodly.
I live neither by law nor by sense,
I am neither a speaker nor hearer,
I am neither a servant nor master,
I am neither bound nor free,
I am neither detached nor attached.
I am far from none: I am near to none.
I shall go neither to hell nor to heaven.
I do all works; yet I am apart from all works.
Few comprehend my meaning:
he who can understand it, he sits unmoved.
Kabir seeks neither to establish nor to destroy.”
This is the goal: to be fully present in our lives while remaining anchored in the Infinite. As Rumi famously invited us, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” The Sufi path is the walking of that field—a journey toward a heart so wide it can hold all contradictions.
Initiation and Spiritual Guidance
How do we find our way to this field? Often, it begins when one sees the light shining from a teacher—when the heart recognizes a resonance and the “flowing of love” begins.
The first lesson (and often the most difficult) is learning to become a student: to open oneself to guidance that sheds light on the parts of ourselves that are rigid or stubborn, and to allow for the possibility that there is still something to learn.
This process involves letting go of the nafs (the ego), which can be uncomfortable and even painful. Most of us carry deep wounds around authority, hierarchy, and power dynamics. For healing to begin, the unconditional love and acceptance of the guide are essential. As Hafiz wrote of the spiritual friendship: “I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through—listen to this music.” The guide acts as the flute, a friend who supports, protects, and loves the mureed—together, they pass through the fire of transformation to discover that the Spirit of Guidance has been singing in their hearts all along.
Murshid SAM described the relationship between a mureed (student) and a guide as the negative and positive sides of a battery: the more the mureed opens their heart, the more freely the teachings flow through the guide.
Living the Path
“In every breath, there is a chance to be reborn. In every moment, a chance to see the Divine.” Rumi
Moving Toward Commitment
If you feel a resonance with this spiritual current and find your heart responding to the “presence in the air,” you may be ready to move from curiosity to commitment. The journey of the seeker eventually leads to the threshold of the Inner School—a space of deeper heart-attunement and personal guidance.
- Regular Classes — Join our ongoing circles for Meditation in Ormskirk, Online Sacred Sound, and in-depth study of The Inner Life, providing a consistent space for remembrance.
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- Original Dances and Zikrs — Enter a library of sacred movement and sound; find dance descriptions and recordings of Zikrs to support your devotional practice.
- The Path of Initiation — Explore what it means to enter this sacred relationship and learn more about the path of the mureed, where we work together to turn philosophy into a lived, daily reality.