Abode Village View, Monthly Update – Jan. 2017
Update from our Executive Director – Al Bellenchia
Dear Friends,
As I prepared to write this first message of 2017, I was reminded of a quote from author and poet T.S. Elliott:
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
Many words have been written and shared about 2016, and the many wonderful events, activities, plans and accomplishments over the past year. So it is appropriate, as we turn towards a new roster of days, to make that new beginning with a fresh enthusiasm for what’s to come.
Programs
Ibrahím will detail below the many exciting programs that are already on the schedule for 2017, which promises to be even more active than 2016. Programs will include an abundance of Inayati Order events, as well as those produced by the Abode itself, which will provide Sufi-oriented education and training. A growing number of outside programs will also add to the diversity and vitality of Abode activities in 2017.
Staff
As we begin 2017, we welcome Evan Thaler-Null to the staff as Manager of Ecology. Evan and his partner Sarah have managed the Abode Farm for the last several years and Evan will be bring his natural skill and passion to a number of areas: agro-ecological programming, forest and ecosystem management, and maintaining the Abode’s natural landscape and resources. He will also work closely with Evan Young, our new kitchen manager, to help develop local farm-to-community relationships and offerings, as well as Programs, Maintenance and other concentrations.
We are also creating a new Guest Services concentration, as part of our initiatives to upgrade the Abode experience for all: residents, community members and guests. Cherish Marie Church, who joined the Abode last summer as housekeeping manager, and Wahida Young, who most recently was volunteer coordinator, have agreed to take on this new initiative. They will be a powerhouse pair, with Cherish Marie’s experience as a hospitality manager, and Wahida’s long service to the Abode in many roles.
Meditation Hall
A current upgrade being spearheaded by Wahida is the replacement of carpeting in the foyer of the Meditation Hall. We’d love the community’s support for that, and if you’d care to help defray the cost, please consider making a donation to the Abode Re:Vision fund, which supports the Abode’s spiritual activities.
Thank you for your continued support and best wishes for the New Year.
Update from our Spiritual Director – Netanel Miles-Yépez
Dear Friends,
In December I offered three Thursday night Message Classes on the “Ten Sufi Thoughts” of Hazrat Inayat Khan drawn from The Inner Life, volume one of the new Sufi Message series published by Suluk Press. Thanks to all of you who attended and added so much to the discussion of these aphorisms, which are perhaps the best distillation of the Sufi Message that we have.
For the holiday season, I will be traveling to see my partner’s family in Maryland and my own in Florida, after which I will head to Boulder, Colorado, for the month of January. While there, I will to teach an intensive Sufism retreat course at Naropa University, covering the basic history, teachings and practices of classical Sufism, and an introduction to the universalist Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan. At the end of January, I will return to the Abode to begin teaching again, and look forward to seeing you all when I return.
Update from our Director of Programs – Ibrahím Pedriñán
Dear Friends of the Abode,
We just wrapped up our New Year’s Eve Retreat with Aziza Scott (33 in attendance) and our New Year’s Universal Worship (37 in attendance) here at the Abode, which was also the first LiveStreaming experience for the Abode (with 25 and 10 attendees respectively). Thank you to all who attended and made these events possible! We will be continuing and expanding our LiveStreaming over 2017.
What a year 2016 has been! And 2017 is looking like it will also be full and fantastic! I wanted to give you a glimpse of 2017 and make sure you save the dates for the programs that you want to attend. This year there will be many to choose from so save the dates!
The Abode Program Season starts March 24th with our first Village Visit, a monthly immersion into life at the Abode and in an Eco-Sufi village. The dates for these Village Visits are:
24-26 March
28-30 April
26-28 May
23-25 June
28-30 July
25-27 August
22-24 September
and 27-29 October.
In the spring, the Inayati Order will be holding multiple programs at the Abode – leaders trainings and Suluk Academy, Wisdom of the Prophets, and the Sufi Message classes with Pir Zia. Later, there are more Inayati Order programs – Way of Illumination and Suluk – and a LARGE Season of the Rose celebration right before the 4th of July. Check the Inayati Order’s website to register for their events held at the Abode.
The Abode will be offering:
April 16: Eggs, Herbs, and Hermeticism – an Eco-Sufi Easter Egg Hunt in the Herb Garden
April 21-23: Music, Story-telling, and Earth Day celebrations with various teachers and performers
May 05-07: Sacred Earth with Kainat Norton and Muinuddin Smith
May 12-14: The Art of Intimacy with Gulrukh Patel and Netanel Miles-Yépez
May 17-21: Federation of the Message Gathering with leaders and teachers of the Inayati lineage
June 16-19: Special event not yet unveiled
Lots of thrilling opportunities so SAVE THE DATES! I hope that gives you a glimpse into the first half of the year at the Abode for larger programs. As more programs and program details become available, we will communicate them in the Village View and will update the programs page accordingly.
May we soar into 2017 with
Wings out, hearts up!
Abode Weekly Village View
Tuesday January 3rd
– 6:00pm Community Dinner – Rezak
– 7:00pm Abode Sufi Center Meeting – Rezak Library
“The Abode Sufi Center Steering Committee is having an open meeting from 7pm to 8:30 pm for all to come and share ideas about our Sufi Center and the spiritual programs for 2017. The Abode Sufi Center goal is to develop a stronger relationship with the Abode Community and the extended Community. We will have a short agenda for Sufi Center business and then open the meeting to discuss possible programs for 2017 and how we can develop a stronger relationship with our Community.”
Thursday January 5th
– 6:00pm Community Dinner – Rezak
– 7:00pm Message Class and Zikr with Yaqin – Meditation Hall
Sunday January 8th
– 11:00am Universal Worship – Meditation Hall
– 12:30pm Sunday Brunch – Rezak Dining Room