Ramadan Mubarak!

Dear Friends, Sufis and Watchers:

The Rose Crescent House of Peace wishes everyone a blessed Ramadan Mubarak!

Those of you who are open to the Spirit no doubt felt the quiet that fell upon the world in anticipation of the sighting of the crescent. These last few days have been special times of retreat, contemplation and anticipation of the crescent.

We celebrate Ramadan in honor of the revealing of the Glorious Qur'an to the Prophet through the agency of the Archangel Gabriel. As is commonly known, during Ramadan Muslims who are able traditionally refrain during the daylight from food, drink, intercourse and negative thoughts. It is the last point that we wish to address. How can someone claim they are keeping Ramadan but they engage in warfare, killing, anger and hate? By Allah, this is impossible! In fact, it is ridiculous. Those who commit acts of violence should refrain from calling themselves a Muslim (one who surrenders to the path of peace).

So mote it be!

Why do we fast?

We fast for two reasons: (1) in solidarity with those whose economic situation is such that they are living without food or water. For example, we fast in solidarity with those in Darfur. (And a shame on anyone who calls him/herself a Muslim and then injures the innocent farmers of Darfur!); (2) We fast to cleanse the body of toxins that have accumulated throughout the year.

Let's look at the second point more closely. The Rose Crescent takes issue with the glutony that takes place in the evening. Why fast throughout the day and then eat all night? That defeats the purpose of the second reason for fasting.

Because Rose Crescent Watchers are outside of the Shari'a, as Al-Khidr was not under the Mosaic law, the Rose Crescent has modified the terms of fasting. Rose Crescent members rise before sunrise, pray, and then juice and water fast throughout the day. This is followed by a light meal of fresh vegetables in the evening. Evenings are typically spent in prayer, meditation and contemplation.

Fatima & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The following is a Rose Crescent meditation to bring the Practitioner of Sufism in alignment with Fatima Umm Abi Ha, Queen of Heaven, (and beloved daughter of the Prophet - pbuh):

Begin by lighting a candle on your alter.
Say, "Bismallah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim"
Close your eyes and count from 13 to 1, focusing on your breathing.
Envision the following:

You are in an open field.
Off in the distance you see the four fearsome horsemen of the Apocalypse, dressed in flowing garments of white and red, riding four terrible horses.
You know that they are after you.
You begin to run, stumbling.
A beautiful horse, a comrade, a trusted friend and ally appears, inviting you to spring on his/her back.
The two of you gallop towards a tree line.
You hear the four horsemen behind you.
They are relentless in their pursuit.
Your trusted equine friend brings you into the woods.
You know that you are safe – for now.
You dismount.
Other animals appear.
You have gifts for them. You feed them.
Beyond the animals there is a being in the forest.
She, Fatima Umm Abi Ha, the Spirit of Wisdom, is waiting for you.
Go to her.
Listen to her.
Be with her.
Finish by saying, "Allahu Akbar"

Sufism: human purpose on earth

According to Sufism, what is the purpose of humans on earth?

Human beings are closely akin to plants. On the physical plane we inhale "air" (which has been purified by plants) and exhale "pollution." Likewise, we eat living plant matter and extrude waste.

From infancy on we spiritually "inhale" the atmosphere around us and "exhale" our transformed air, which others than breathe in. If we were in paradise, we would "inhale" pure light and "exhale" pure love. However, on this earthly plane we are forced to "inhale" all sorts of spiritual pollution from the environment (e.g. anger, hate, fear, etc.). The higher our spiritual development the more our ability to transform this pollution into compassion, love, joy and peace. If our spiritual state is very low we will find ourselves immediately "exhaling" the pollution (e.g. anger). Thus, a highly evolved individual will often have a wonderful effect on others (calming them, bringing peace and harmony). An individual operating at a low level will often immediately exhale the surrounding atmosphere. Thus, if someone is very angry in a room there will be others who will become angry as well.

According to the Rose Crescent, Sufism teaches that our goal as Sufis is to simply transform (on a spiritual level) whatever environment we find ourselves in at any given moment, just as a plant quietly and silently does its work of purefying the air.

There is one great challenge to this, though. The spiritual environment we inhabit is also populated by demonic creatures. These beings "eat" the negative energy that humans exhale. Thus, their strategy is to prompt humans towards producing negative thoughts (i.e. anger, hate, etc.). This is why Sufis often find themselves working against demonic elements in order to promote harmony.

The only way to transform human evolution is to have more and more individuals transforming the spiritual atmosphere until either the demonic beings themselves transform (because they are forced to change their "dietary" intake) or they depart this planet in search of other food sources.

Thus, our purpose on earth (as Sufis) is to promote healthy energetic environments, tranforming polluted spaces into harmonic zones of love, joy, peace and compassion. It is in this way that the Kingdom will grow from a small mustard seed.

Al-Khidr: The Spider

From the Secret Sayings (Book III. 5. v.

(1) And Al-Khidr gained the power of remote viewing. Without ever leaving his cave he could envision any place or person on the earth, beholding its past, its present and its future.

(2) And as he sat in his cave, deep in contemplation, a large black spider crept slowly towards him. And it drew closer and closer until it crawled onto his arm and made its way to his throat, where it stung him terribly.

(3) And the spider venom entered Al-Khidr’s veins and raced through his body.

(4) And he fell into a deep numbness spreading through his body.

(5) And fever, convulsions and paralysis quickly overtook him. And Al-Khidr, believing he would die, said Shahada and prepared to depart this earth.

(6) And then suddenly he found himself standing in the back of the cave, watching his petrified body, and the black spider that sat atop him.

(7) And slowly he began to grow legs. And his body transformed. And he found himself climbing up the wall and onto the ceiling. And he made his way to the mouth of the cave.

(8) And Al-Khidr learned the secrets of the spider. He learned its insights, ways, secrets and powers. He learned how to spin webs, how to catch good energy or how to trap evil. He learned how to draw illnesses out of others. And he learned the song of the spider, the worship offered to the Great Spirit (Allah).

(9) Then he crawled back towards his now lifeless body and stung himself again.

(10) When he awoke he saw the world anew, having gained a powerful new ally and learned the secret of spider medicine.

For more information on the legendary Al-Khidr click here.

Interested in the Rose Crescent? Click here.