Abode Village View – Month of October
Letter from the Abode Executive Director
Al Bellenchia
Dear Friends of the Abode,
October is here, and the season is finally turning from summer to fall. Daylight is ebbing, and autumnal air has filtered into the Abode, after an unusually warm September.
Our program season has started to ebb as well, after a very active and energetic spring and summer. We are grateful for all who visited, and the staff, residents and community members who provided a warm and welcoming environment to all who crossed our threshold this year.
As we wrote in August, we have accomplished much in the year-plus since the Abode became independent. We have added staff to support residents, programs and guests; painted Razzaq; improved the Meditation Hall; rehabilitated the aging cabins on our Mountain Camp, and created the Eco-Sufi underpinnings of our future iteration.
These are all welcome accomplishments, but they are just a start to address the impact of underinvestment in the Abode in recent years. It is – and has always been — a challenge to adequately fund the needs of this campus and its 150-plus year old facilities, and to find the right model to generate the finances we need to sustain ourselves.
The Abode is not unusual in this challenge. As for any spiritual organization or non-profit, donations are essential to help cover our operating expenses. It is especially so for the Abode as we work to rebuild following our independence and the relocation of the Inayati Order.
We are heading into the final days of our annual Summer Appeal. We are far, far short of what is needed.
Over the past weeks, we have shared with you images and words that tell the story of the Abode’s impact on the many beings who have been called to this sacred space. If the Abode has touched your life, please contribute today so that we can continue to touch other lives and continue the work started 42 years ago by Pir Vilayat and his followers.
Please support the Abode’s rebuilding today by giving whatever you can. Click HERE to donate today.
With deepest gratitude,
Al
Letter from an Abode Board Member
Aimée Brodeur Johnson
Dear Friends,
I came to the Abode in 1988, met and married my husband here, and raised our 21 year old son in this community. After all these years, I am still so grateful to be part of the Abode community. I care deeply about this place, the beautiful land and old Shaker buildings, and what it represents, its work in the world bringing a message of love, harmony and beauty…
In just the last month we’ve had some wonderful and inspiring events. The Meditation Hall, now named Quddus by Pir Zia, was filled with ecstatic listeners for the Qawwali concert with Fanna-Fi-Allah. And just this past weekend we had a truly amazing Healers’ Retreat and were also visited by some of the grandmothers.
Only a couple of years ago it looked possible (though I never believed it!) that the Abode would not survive past its 40th year. A huge rallying effort by large numbers of people showed that many care about its continuation, and the crisis was averted. The intervening years have brought a lot of changes. The Sufi Order, now the Inayati Order, along with Pir Zia, moved to a new home in Richmond, Virginia. One of the reasons for moving was the difficulty in financially sustaining both the Order and the Abode.
We have come to realize that if we are going to continue—both as a residential community and a place of refuge for retreats, conferences and programs—we also need, as a not-for-profit entity, the support of donations. Before the Sufi Order moved back to the Abode in the early 2000’s, we had a program called “Lovers of the Abode” as a way for those who cared about and valued the Abode to help it succeed and thrive. I’m still a “Lover of the Abode” and I hope you are, too! We are at the very end of our Summer Appeal right now. If everyone who cares about the continued existence of the Abode were to contribute I know we could thrive! No amount is too insignificant – every little bit helps.
Pir Vilayat’s vision is alive and well at the Abode and I invite you to come visit. And more, I invite you to be a part of ensuring that his vision and heart-home continue—with the support of us all, it will.
Toward the One,
Aimée Brodeur Johnson
There are a few great events still left on the calendar: Our annual Abode Weekend celebration next week; The Soul’s Journey Retreat with Naima Khabira and Aziza in November, along with other recurring events including Dances of Universal Peace, Wild Woman Project New Moon Circle and our final Village Visit October 27-29. Please check the Programs page on our revamped website for the details.
Abode Weekly Village View
Tuesday October 3
– 6:00pm Community Dinner – Razzaq (Rezak) Dining Room
Wednesday October 4
– 5:00pm Ziraat Full Moon Lodge – Abode Herb Garden
– 7:00pm Healing Class and Circle with Nizam Ash – Abode Library
Thursday October 5
– 6:00pm Community Dinner – Razzaq (Rezak) Dining Room
– 7:00pm Message Class – Quddus (Meditation Hall)
“Starting this Thurs. night at 7pm, the Thurs. classes at the Abode will take up, for several weeks, the “Seven Leading Names”. We will go deeply into these seven primary wazaif, or Divine Qualities. This is the series that Pir Zia has taught at Suluk and on other occasions. These sacred “words” are given for three reasons: dealing with situations in life, for unfoldment, and for realization and illumination. We all want to see peace, compassion, justice in the world. If we strive to create these qualities in the world, without unfolding them in ourselves, our efforts will never be fully successful. The Thursday evenings will include a very short sharing from Hazrat Inayat Khans teachings in “The Inner Life”, and end with zikr. I hope you can join us.” – Yaqin Aubert
Friday October 6 – Sunday October 8
– Abode Weekend
Sunday October 8
– 11:00am Universal Worship with Nur Gale – Quddus (Meditation Hall)
– 12:30pm Sunday Brunch – Razzaq (Rezak) Dining Room