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Essence of the One

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Getting to know you…

Getting to know you…

Last updated on: October 12, 2015 at 3:33 pm by Mastura Debra Graugnard

Getting to know you… 2015-10-12T15:33:11-05:00 Mastura Debra Graugnard

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the Name of the One, Most Merciful, Ever Compassionate.

Hello! Greetings of Peace for you!

Welcome to Essence of the One. I feel honored and blessed to have this avenue for communicating with you about a subject which brings great joy to my heart. I hope that joy will leap over to your heart – and between our hearts – as we travel this journey together.

For this first post, I thought it a good idea to get to know each other…

Here are a few hints of what you can expect to find here:

Some basic principles of Sufism. One of the most basic is this: At the heart of all religions, there is only one religion – the religion of Love. Volumes can be written about this principle alone, so don’t worry – we will have plenty to talk about!
Highlights of how the teachings of Oneness show up in daily life, and how to recognize them when they shows up for you. I tend to shy away from politics, but this might include a look at current events to explore how God is working in the world, especially when it’s hard to believe God is there at all.
Audio and video interviews of the fascinating ways some of our graduates – healing practitioners, counselors, mediators, ministers, business people, artists and more – are incorporating these teachings into their work.
Stories from people who have healed from physical, mental and emotional challenges and what made the biggest difference for them in their healing journeys.
Poetry from some of our community members, and maybe music and art, too. We have great beauty flowering all over the place here. It yearns to be seen and heard, as we all do, and as is the One!

Who are we?

Essence of the One is the community blog for the University of Spiritual Healing & Sufism (USHS), so you’ll likely be hearing from many of our faculty and other community members as well.

USHS is a spiritual university that teaches divine knowledge that leads to peace, love, mercy, justice, healing and freedom. The teachings are for those who seek healing and spiritual transformation, as well as those who wish to become agents of divinely-guided service in the world.

Our teachings come from Shadhiliyya Sufism as brought to us by our spiritual guide, Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal ar-Rafa’I ash-Shaduli of Jerusalem. We simply call him Sidi, a term of affection and respect that has a meaning similar to father.

Who is speaking?

My name is Mastura Debra Graugnard. I’m your host. Mastura is my spiritual name, given to me by Sidi. Most of us have been given a spiritual name. The name represents the true essence within. The point of using the spiritual name is that when it is spoken, it calls in the essence and reinforces the inner divine truth.

For most of us, we take on all kinds of labels and beliefs about ourselves that keep us from living, being and expressing our divinity. Using the spiritual name helps to release some of those false pictures and labels, and it calls forth the truth – to remind us consciously and subconsciously of the deepest essence of who we really are.

Mastura literally means hidden and protected. When Sidi gave me the name, he said for me it means “one who knows the deep Secret but keeps it hidden and holy.” It’s not that I keep the Secret holy. The Secret is Holy. More accurately, I keep that place where it lives in the depths of my heart and soul protected so it remains a sacred space for me.

That definitely describes a significant characteristic of my life journey. I enjoy contemplation, sailing through a range of feelings, welcoming insights and exploring the many facets of human existence to see how they reflect God’s presence in the world and what they have to teach us about ourselves and our relationship to God.

However, for most of my life, I kept all of this inside, never feeling safe enough to share. My healing journey has helped me to wash away the fears. Kate, the editor of this blog channel, describes the Patheos blog site as a place where you can share those things you’ve been looking for a place to publish. So, those pieces I’ve written and shared with just one or two friends who said “no one will know what you’re talking about” – well, given that you’re here and you’ve read this far, I bet you will get it! In any case, this is the place we can talk about it and share reactions, reflections and insights.

Who is this for?

That said, this blog is open to most everyone, especially if you long to live in the experience of Oneness in your heart throughout all the experiences of your life – large and small, high and low, light and dark, up and down, inside and outside, and everything in between.

I ask one thing. Let’s keep this a sacred space that is safe for sharing. As I know from my own experience, it’s not always easy to put your viewpoints out there. Sharing from the heart can feel vulnerable. Yet that is what it takes to really find the inner truths. This is what builds richness.

Please let’s respect each others vantage points – we all view the world through different lenses. There is space for various perspectives and differing opinions. As I say in my workshops, if you have a reaction to what someone shares, let that be information for you about what is moving in you and how you relate to what is happening outside of you. This is an opportunity to know yourself better and to understand how God shows up in ways you might not expect. Everything is from the Essence of the One.

Now it’s your turn

So what about you? I invite you to share something from your heart. What intrigues you? What are your passions? What do you long to know more about? Please post in the comments below. I’m excited to get to know you.

Please like and share these posts as well. Let’s build a rich conversation. If you have questions or topics you would like to see addressed on this blog, click the “Contact” tab on our blog page and use the form to send me an email. I welcome you to this community. I look forward to learning and growing with you.

Blessings and Gratitude,

Mastura

P.S. Remember to share something about you or from your heart in the comments. I’m excited to get to know you.

 
Photo credit: ID 48529697 © Ahavelaar | Dreamstime.com

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