CIRCLES
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From: Sharon M.
Date: Friday, May 23, 2008, 5:43 PM
Subject: Circles
ID: 261352

Dear friends:

I've been traveling a lot this year since I moved to Costa Rica and haven't had time to post although I've kept up with themes. I was interested in the circle discussion and wanted to respond.

Are you in a circle?

Yes, my Sufi circle. There are three circles in which I participate. One consists of a large group who share a love of the Aramaic teachings of Jesus, another is the Dances of Universal Peace and then there is the larger Sufi order that is the container.

What is your circle about?

It is about love and also about peace in how we live our lives amidst diversity and differences. The founder of our Sufi Order, Murshid Samuel L. Lewis, believed that words did little to create change, but that eat, dancing and singing together had a greater impact.

Does your circle follow principles and practices? Do you have an "agreement"?

Yes, our principles are built upon honoring diversity and practicing peace. There are some formal policies on ethics written up for leaders in the group to protect from sexual abuse, etc. Our agreement is to "eat, dance and pray together." Literally!

Does your circle have a "center"? Tell us about the center...

The center is the heart. All of our practices center on purifying and opening it (through community, through breath, entoning the divine names, etc.) and through the practice of Zikr (the Remembrance of our Unity).

Blessings and LIght, Sharon