Sufism and the Fiend

An important aspect of Sufism (or the Sufi path), as taught by the Rose Crescent, is to become an expert in the strategies of the enemy. We had said that the most pernicious enemy is the “false self,” a constructed identity (from the time of our infancy) that will do everything in its power to be god. All of us have a false self. We had also said that a necessary strategy to counteract the false self is to create an observer, a persona that watches, studies and reports on the machinations of the false self. We absolutely must realize that the enemy is within. In fact, the stronger the false self the less Divine Light our personal space.

As the Light dwindles to almost nothing, and the false self grows, we are in danger of becoming fiends (totally obsessed with either our own aggrandizement or our own abasement).

If you have developed spiritual sight you will see fiends around you. They are dark twisted creatures, hideous to behold. Fiends viciously attack all who stand in their way. The fiend takes pleasure in destroying (spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and physically) others. The fiend laughs at the misery and suffering of others. The fiend (obviously or secretly) promotes cruelty against humans, animals and the earth. Even in terms of entertainment, the fiend enjoys horror and mayhem.

Fiends rush to spectacles of cruelty. What could be more fiendish than Romans gathering in the coliseum to watch gladiator bouts, or television audiences enjoying the nightly sight of aerial bombings against cities or of so-called holy men gathered together in stadiums executing “sinners”?

To hide itself from the sight of others, fiends usually camouflage themselves. Some of the worst fiends are disguised as priests, rabbis, monks, mullahs, imams, politicians, philanthropists, doctors, etc. From these social positions they can easily prey on the unwary.

All over the world fiends stand at the pulpits of temples, synagogues, churches, cathedrals and mosques, at the political podiums of all parties, and attempt to whip the crowds up into orgies of bloodshed in the name of their ideology.

As seekers our task must be:

(1) Be observant: become completely aware of all the strategies and machinations of your own “false self”;
(2) Be vigilant: develop the spiritual sight, the “x-ray vision,” to identify a fiend, no matter how camouflaged he or she might be;
(3) Surrender more and more of yourself to Allah (Spirit, Light, Being, Divine Mind, Existence);
(4) Become familiar with the revelations of the Logos-Rasul through the chosen prophets (e.g. Lao Tzu, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad);
(4) Invite the Spirit of Wisdom in her Manifestations (e.g. Mary the mother of Jesus, Kuan Yin and Fatima) into your life and heart.

To learn more about the strategies of darkness, visit our site on the enemies.