Village View – Week of February 9
Dear Friends,
If you (and/or someone you know) are interested in living and volunteering at the Abode, now is the perfect time to take a look at our recently updated volunteer website. This year’s program has been rebuilt to incorporate feedback from previous volunteers and teachers. The spiritual study component focuses on an offering of Sufi and nature-oriented teachings and practices, spearheaded by Kevin Bose with support from me (Khaldun) and Yaqin. Read more below and visit the website for more details: https://theabode.org/volunteer/
From the website:
Connect with your spiritual path and heart-aligned service. Learn and experience Sacred Hospitality, Sufi teachings, mindfulness, meditation, living in community, core routines of nature connection, eco-literacy, village building skills, organic and biodynamic farming, permaculture, and regenerative design. Join the Abode Volunteer Experience working in heart-aligned service at the Abode Retreat Center where you will learn new skills, develop a fluency in Sacred Hospitality, live in community, and have time and support to explore the spiritual dimensions of life. Sacred Hospitality is a core practice at the Abode, stemming from the idea that in serving others from the heart, we serve and develop the sacred in them and in ourselves.
Feel free to email Kevin Bose with any questions about the program at volunteer@theabode.org
In service,
Khaldun
During Black History Month the Abode is sharing quotes by American civil rights and spiritual leaders from a variety of faith backgrounds. Last week we shared a quote from Rev. angel Kyodo williams, a Zen priest. This week we highlight Bayard Rustin.
From the website of the book, Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints by Daneen Akers:
“Bayard Rustin is the Civil Rights hero most people don’t know about. He was a key advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and helped convince Dr. King to fully embrace non-violent resistance as an ideology. Bayard was the chief organizer of the March on Washington in 1963 where Dr. King delivered his ‘I Have a Dream”’speech. However, Bayard was also a gay man in an era when that was considered a liability (not to mention a crime), so he had to stay in the background. Bayard credited his Quaker faith for his activism and his firm conviction that all people are equal and part of one human family.”
At the time of his death in 1987, The New York Times reported, “Looking back at his career, Mr. Rustin, a Quaker, once wrote: ‘The principal factors which influenced my life are 1) nonviolent tactics; 2) constitutional means; 3) democratic procedures; 4) respect for human personality; 5) a belief that all people are one.'”
Just this week, on February 5, 2020, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new clemency initiative that will affect those Californians who had been prosecuted under discriminatory laws targeting the LGBTQ community. Rustin had been arrested in 1953 and was in jail for nearly two months due to one of these unjust laws and was posthumously pardoned by the new program. This initiative is thanks to the push of several lawmakers who wished to see Rustin pardoned. From The Los Angeles Times, “Rustin’s case was emblematic of California’s need to remedy the ‘abuses of the past,’ Newsom said.”
Upcoming This Week
Langar Lunch
Wednesday, February 12 | 12:30 pm | Razzaq Dining Hall
Wednesday lunches are a free service oriented gathering, community discussion, and a chance to spend time with the Abode’s extended community.
Healing with Light Led by Iman Taj Martel
Sunday, February 9 | 9:30 pm | Quddus Meditation Hall
With study and experiential understanding of healing through the message volumes and beyond, we can find alignment of our many systems both energetic and physical. Our awareness can grow to included new understandings of our body and how it orients us and the rest of our inner and outer worlds. Importantly, we can also send these healing energies to our Earth as she is showing signs of strain, imbalance and depletion. Please join Iman Taj Martel as she reads a short passage and offer a healing practice to support awareness and growth through meditation.
Sufi Message Class Led by Atayna
Thursday, February 13 | 7:00 pm | Quddus Meditation Hall
Please join us on February 13th at 7 p.m. in Quddus for a quiet evening of meditation (including brief instructions) and zikr, facilitated by Atayna.
Universal Celebration Led by Nur Gale
Sunday, February 9 | 11:00 am | Quddus Meditation Hall
Universal Worship is the inter-religious activity of the Inayati Order, promoting harmony between the world’s major religious traditions, primarily through the Universal Worship service.
Dances of Universal Peace
Sunday, February 16 | 1:30 pm | Quddus Meditation Hall
Join us for movement and chanting to live music using sacred mantras and poetry dedicated to world peace. All are welcomed; no experience in singing or dancing is needed.
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