New to Sufism?

Northwest Sufi Camp occurs within the stream of Universal Sufism, an approach to the essential Unity while recognizing the illuminating wisdom of all the world’s spiritual traditions.

Sufism is a path of the heart which:

- follows teachings and practices passed down teacher-to-student for millennia.

- provides guidance on how to use everyday life for ongoing spiritual development.

- offers a way of initiation—taking hands (bayat)—linking a student with the guide of their choosing.

- centers the human heart as the meeting place and the wellspring of Love.

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An ancient saying (Hadith Qudsi) expresses this beautifully:

Neither My earth nor My heavens could contain Me, whilst the heart of My loving servant does contain Me…

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At NWSC we share in the Dances of Universal Peace—which celebrate the Sacred Unity through movement, song, and atmosphere—and Zikr—chanting or singing the names of God (mostly Arabic), to call to heart the reality which transcends the limits of the human mind. We form a circle of joined hands, hearts, and voices. (Beware! Joy may erupt! Hearts will open!)

In the stream of lineages that trace back to Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927), we use the following Invocation at our gatherings:

Toward the One
The Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty
The Only Being

United with all the Illuminated Souls
Who form the embodiment of the Master*
The Spirit of Guidance

* The term “Master” refers to the Great Teacher, the One who has mastered. Many substitute the word “Messenger”. An esteemed teacher in the Ruhaniat lineage, Murshid Mariam Baker, has expanded our access to this unspeakable knowing, recommending, “the Master, Message, the Mystery, the Miracle, the Mother.”