Tonight I began a course on the Sufi Way of the Beloved taught by scholar Andrew Harvey. What brings me there and here on my path?

First and foremost, I long for the mystic depth of Hafiz, who wrote:

“I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath/moves through–listen to this music”

That is the kind of follower of Christ I desire to be and I do not find it elsewhere in my life right now. This blog, ISO: the Faithful and True, came about as a way to chronicle my path to and with Him.

His connection and Oneness with the Source of all is so exemplary and to Him do I turn for guidance. He leadeth me beside the still waters and restoreth my soul through finding this course and the way of the Sufi mystic poets.

In the introductory lesson, Andrew Harvey taught that Sufi poet Rabia was the first known in history to address the Divine as “Beloved.” I looked her up in a book I have called, “Love Poems From God: Twelve Sacred Voices From the East and West.”

Sure enough, she was the first poet in the volume. The book itself I found in a profound way. I had spoken in therapy of my struggles with my desire for God and the psychoanalyst tried his best to help me, but I left with a very heavy and burdened heart. I felt the urge to go to the local Barnes and Noble bookstore and I wandered in and came to that book, “Love Poems From God.” It was very clear to me that He was guiding me and He was and is there for me. It was a Godsend, literally and literarily.

So is this course, as I find those who are kindred spirits on this mystic’s quest. The Sufi way includes sacred dance as a way to worship the Divine and this blog began as my quest for the Faithful and True to teach and train both my equine partner and me. A former trainer used to ask me what my goals were in riding and I used to always answer that my goal was to someday become worthy to ride with the Faithful and True.

When Splendid High aka Mel, my equine partner, was once at the veterinarian being x-rayed, it turned out to be a shoeing issue and the wonderful vet, Dr. Mark Robinson, had to take a shoe spreader and widen his shoes. That relieved the pressure and he then moved perfectly. At the time, Dr. Mark said to me, I do not know any other horse owners who would even pick up that something was amiss as you have with Mel.

Mel was only slightly off and really just not fully extending his front leg, not favoring it. At the time, it came to me very clearly that Mel was a dressage horse. He was and is a dancer in training. How do I do him justice? Perhaps we are yet encountering our Trainer. Tonight was inspirational, and so I will end with the ending of the poem:

“We are a hole in a flute, a moment in space, that/the Christ’s body can move through and sway/all forms–in an exquisite dance–as the wind in a forest.”

from “Listen to this Music” by Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky in “A Year with Hafiz: Daily Contemplations”