Every year again I think it necessary to say some words before the Spiritual Healing Ceremony. Some practical things: after the first healing prayer all rise and form a closed chain by placing one’s left hand over the right open hand of the partner on the left side so as to leave a small space between the palms of the hands and you feel the stream of energy. If you don’t have a partner you put your hand on the shoulder of the person standing in front of you.
Perhaps there are some people disappointed because they didn’t have the opportunity to put the name of somebody who needs healing on the list which was on the table in the corridor yesterday. We have the maximum of ten names, but the last healing prayer is said for everybody in the world , known or unknown, who is in need of the divine healing power. So keep the name of that person you have in mind in your heart and send to him or her all the love you have.
But what is the meaning of what we are doing and what is the purpose of spiritual healing? It is important to be aware of the basic principle of it. As it is said in the book “The soul whence and whither”: “The soul being the divine breath, purifies, revivifies and heals the instrument in which it functions, our bodies and our minds”. And the purpose of spiritual healing is to awaken people to a greater realization of the healing power of the divine spirit. To become more and more conscious of the divinity of our souls, of the divine Healer outside and within ourselves.
And during the ceremony we don’t think any moment of illness. We empty ourselves from all thoughts and feelings, of our ego’s and attune ourselves to the Divine Healer and the Divine Healing Power. That is the reason the Invocation is said so many times during the ceremony. Each time again we attune ourselves to God. We open our hearts to the Divine Love and Light. The leader says the special healing prayers and then the participants in the circle try to concentrate as long as possible on the name of the person in need which has been mentioned. The Leader says in silence , as a fikar, on his/her breath Ya Shafi – Ya Kafi, that means the Divine Healer and the Divine Healing Power, and tries to send energy, prana, Divine Healing Power to the person in need. We are not healers, we only try to be instruments, open to the Divine to receive and then to send it to the person in need.
This year the theme of our Summer School is: “To meet everybody with whom we come in contact with a smile”. But not only a smile on our face, but a smile coming from the depth of our heart. For of course this is a natural result of the theme of last year: “Open our hearts”. When our hearts are open, we feel our relation with other human beings. We feel we are connected with each other and with all beings, with the whole world and the universe. To be aware of that will give us the feeling of great joy!
We are not standing apart, we are not closed and separated, we are One! A part of the Whole, of the Only Being. And that Being is experiencing this life through us as well. What a tremendous wonder, what a marvelous thing to be conscious of! And then we meet another being with a smile, we recognize in him or her another ray of the Divine Sun!
“The light which comes from the soul, rises through the heart and manifests outwardly in man’s smile, is indeed the light from heaven”, is a saying from the Gayan and it is mentioned in the announcement of this Summer School. But the light of the soul may manifest not only in man’s smile, but also in what we do and what we say.
There is a story of Hazrat Inayat Khan where he says to somebody with a sick child: “And now your daughter ‘ll be healthy again”. A man standing there and hearing these words, did not believe the influence of the words of our Murshid. And then Murshid said to the man: “You are a very stupid being”. The man got red and became very angry and then Murshid said to him: “If my words are able to make you so angry why don’t you believe my words are also able to heal this child?” These words were very special words of Murshid, but also the influence of our words are very important. Everything we do, say or think, our glance and our whole atmosphere has its influence. We can make this life on earth a hell or a heaven.
In spiritual healing the different activities of the Sufi Movement come together. The Universal Worship is to bring the message to the world, but how is it possible to do that without our love and compassion for our fellowmen? What is more important in this world then trying to heal all the wounds, perhaps invisible wounds, there are? We are God’s hands, feet and heart here on earth! In one of the Gita Dhyana’s is said: the power of the magnetism of a heart overflowing with love is so great that it can benefit people miles away. The Brother-/Sisterhood, how is it possible, if you know all beings are coming from the One, not to see another being as your brother or sister? We are all belonging to the Only Being! The Inner School: we try to empty ourselves from our ego’s and to be more and more conscious of the divinity of our souls! To become one with the Divine Healer within ourselves, with our divine spark. We use the symbol of the flute: trying to be an empty reed and it is not the solid wood which makes the flute. And the holes of the flute are symbols for the pain in our lives, but a deep feeling heart knows that pain and joy are so close to each other! The holes make the music as well. Spiritual healing is a deepening of our mureedship.
Let us have silence now.
