The purpose of this meditation is to facilitate the opening of the heart and the willingness to receive.
We invite you to set that as an intention now.
Ensure that you're comfortable in a way that allows you to focus and relax while remaining attentive and feeling supportive.
Ishkala Mabudala God is love and God is the beloved.
The Sufi teacher Llewellyn Van Lee writes,
At the core of all Sufi practices is the element of love and devotion.
Devotion is the inner attitude of the lover and the nature of the Sufi path is devotional.
The Sufi aspires to give herself to God as a lover to the beloved.
Devotion is an opening of the heart to the grace that flows through love.
It is an attitude of surrender in which the ego and the mind are surrendered to a mystery beyond their comprehension.
As your heart opens and yearns for the ever-present beloved,
So too does the beloved reach and yearn for you.
Bring your attention to your chest,
To the location of your physical heart and the abode of your inner energetic heart.
If you wish,
If it assists you in any way,
You can bring one or both hands to your heart,
Allowing the sensation of your touch to help maintain your attention.
Breathe in deeply and fully yet without forcing.
Allow first your belly to expand and then your chest.
Then simply relax and allow the air to release at its own rate and rhythm.
If you wish,
You can silently repeat the phrase,
Isk Allah,
Mahbood Allah,
As you breathe.
Breathing in,
Isk Allah,
God is love.
Breathing out,
Mahbood Allah,
God is the beloved.
Continue this process for a bit,
Following your own rhythm,
Breathing fully into the belly and then the heart space,
Isk Allah,
Relaxing and exhaling without forcing,
Mahbood Allah.
You Having established this rhythm Imagine now that there is a light a flame in your heart that burns brightly Just as you might in the material world blow on a flame to facilitate its growth Imagine now that your inhalation is a breath blown upon this inner flame Causing it to grow and burn brighter Ishkala the flame grows Ma'bood Allah Relax and release Ishkala the flame grows Ma'bood Allah Relax and release Continue this breathing at your own rate for a minute Imagine this flame growing corresponding to your heart opening Becoming primed and ready to receive you In the words of Rumi the mystic Sufi poet Become silent and go by the way of silence toward non-existence Moving now into that sacred space within even deeper Rooting in the depths of your inner being Here in the secret recesses of your heart Your relationship with the beloved is nurtured expanded deepened Here in the sanctuary of your inner being You align yourself with the inner vibrations of your essential nature Here in the perfect refuge from the whirlings and happenings of the outer world The inner purification of your heart unfolds The integration continues Welcoming back those parts of yourself that have been in the shadows Those parts that want to be seen To be held To be acknowledged Here in this innermost cavern of love Release any resentment Any residue of anger Let go and surrender any grievances Surrender into that universal field of love Surrendering is this dynamic state of falling deeply into your heart And allowing the energy of love to energize and revitalize you Empty Let go Let go to be made empty so as to feel the beloved within In this complete surrender you open You allow You accept Knowing and feeling the beloved Relating with the beloved as the living reality within your heart You are the beloved of God You are the beloved of God Breathing in Ishq Allah Breathing out Mabood Allah Mabood Allah Mabood Allah
