Beloved Ones of God,
Much love and peaceful greetings from Pir Shabda and Hakim Saul:
We felt it was important to send out a joint message to all to overcome the misunderstandings that were reflected in our recent exchange of letters about the future of the Dervish Healing Order in the Ruhaniat.
We both feel it is essential that these impressions be cleared from the atmosphere so that we can proceed in the best way to serve the Sufi Message in our time. The letter offering the four choices to the DHO arose from a misunderstanding of discussions at our recent Murshid’s council.
In the interest of clarity, and so that we may return our focus to the real and important work before us, we would like to offer the following observations:
1. The Dervish Healing Order is the “healing ray” of the Ruhaniat. Always has been, and still is. Period.
2. All centers of Ruhaniat activity are encouraged to select one or more of their mureeds who have an attunement to the healing ray, wish additional training, have the initiative to develop this, and wish to go forward in this concentration.
Training in the DHO is without charge. Interested parties may contact any of the Shifayats or Initiators listed on the DHO web site for information.*
3. For those who have additional questions about the relationship between the DHO and the Ruhaniat, please see the DHO charter published in the organizational issue of “Bismillah” magazine in 1977 and which is on the web page. See also the Ruhaniat handbook.
And to those who may be unaware of the training offered by the DHO, we work with breath, prayer, visualization, wazifa, zikr, attunement walks, concentration, and meditation, among others. Almost all of our practices are directly from, or inspired by, the written and oral transmission of Hazrat Inayat Khan and Murshid Samuel L. Lewis.
We would like to thank all those who took the time and effort to communicate to us their concerns and feelings. Thank you all for caring.
Healing is a profound and essential part of the training of all mureeds and it is our hope in the DHO to develop mastery in the many avenues of healing, to make room for many styles of guidance, and to make all feel welcome.
Love and Blessings,
Hakim Saul and
Pir Shabda
Monday — March 21, 2005
* Note: For training please see page Healing Circles under heading for Our Work.