Awakening: A Sufi Experience

The retreat looms large in the spiritual universe of Sufi master Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. Away from mundane concerns, the retreatant takes steps to see through the eyes of God, or in Inayat Khan's words, "to think like the Universe." Inayat Khan's synthesis of Indian and Islamic mysticism creates an attractive and palatable spiritual program, couched in the modern language of the new spirituality--Jungian archetypes, Cosmic Christ, spectrum of consciousness, Being of light. Through human beings, Inayat Khan says, the universe itself is alive, and as human beings, we can participate actively in the evolution of the universe. Awakening is a handbook for revisioning God as the universe and transforming our own consciousness. Collected from transcripts of his retreat talks, Awakening guides the reader beyond the self through meditative practices, visualization, whirling, and dhikr, the traditional Sufi ritual of remembrance for inviting the Divine Presence into the heart. At the same time, Pir Vilayat insists that we be awakened in life by loosening the ties of conditioning, challenging deep-seated assumptions, and living a life of simplicity and service. Although its roots are in age-old traditions, Awakening is at the cutting edge of mysticism. --Brian Bruya