Khilvat Revelations

I have been blessed last week with an opportunity to rest in deep silence in the mountains and forests around Lake Coeur de Alene in Idaho.

We call this silent meditation, “khilvat” in our Sufi tradition, and I was held by my dear teacher Saladin and in the container of 13 other beloveds for a full week of deepening.

Resting in that beauty I found myself reminded of the cycle of distress, fear, and anger that is so often elicited by the workings of our world as it slides and stumbles through this painful dark night and birth canal which is our current reality.

I was gifted with practices that allowed me to move from that state of pain to acceptance of the Divine One as the only compassionate, omniscient, all-knowing power that has the true ability to re-balance, and to access the flow of that balancing energy, as it surrounded me in natural beauty.

I also had a wonderful and shocking wake-up call from the full moon early Thursday morning, which elicited the following poem.

Rude Moon

Well before dawn
Spotlight moon rudely
Kicked my ass
Out of bed.

Cowering beneath her glare
Shivering in the frozen night
The interrogation began…

“Just who do you think you are?”
She inquired.
“What makes you think it’s ok to sleep
Through my magnificent glory!”
“And where were you at 5:30 am
On January 28th, 2021! Hmm!?”

I mumbled
I stammered
I might have whined
And moaned a bit…

But then I lifted my eyes
(After checking my watch)
And boldly spoke
into her blaze…

“Why,
I am here,
now,
just this,
only me,
with you,
beloved,
terrible,
most venerable
One.”

I heard a light chuckle
Then
She laughed!
At once joyful
And full of
Mysterious meaning.

And more gently spoke,
“Of course you are
Little one.
Of course you are.”

So,
Slowly, cautiously
I ducked my head
Beneath the sill,
Onto my pillow
Where She couldn’t
See me or
Hold me
In her brilliance.

And drifted back
Into
Lunatic
Dreams.