BESHARA
Beshara is a name for the perspective that there is only one unlimited existence, expressing itself infinitely as a gift of love.
The potential to realise this truth lies within every human heart.
The awakening and realisation of this potential is the aim of this education.
The word Beshara is originally Aramaic, its meaning can be rendered as “good news” or “omen of joy”. It indicates the very positive and valuable effect that any movement towards a more inclusive and harmonious perspective represents.
COURSES & EVENTS
Open Meetings
Monday 13th & 27th January, 2025
Monday 10th & 24th February, 2025
18:30–19:30 GMT
Are you interested in sharing your thoughts and in contributing to the development of Beshara? We are excited to invite you to a series of four fortnightly online Open Meetings launching in January 2025.
Love and Knowledge in the Light of Unity | the Direct Path
A Beshara Foundation Course
Introductory weekend at Sutton Courtenay Abbey, Oxfordshire
14th – 16th February 2025
(Zoom attendance also available)
10 x bi-weekly online sessions
27th February – 3rd July 2025
Thursday evenings, 19:00–20:30 GMT/BST
This course provides a full introduction to the principles of Beshara in terms of both knowledge and practice. Taking the metaphysics of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi as a starting point, the course explores what it means to understand oneself and the world in the light of the Unity of Existence.
Contact: besharacourses3@beshara.org
Love Divine: a conversation between Rumi and St. John of the Cross
Meditation and poetry workshops
Fortnightly from 18th January – 29th March
Saturdays: 10:00am – 11:30pm (GMT)
or
Fortnightly from 25th January – 5th April
Saturdays: 10am – 11:30am (Pacific Time), 12:00pm-13:30 (Central Time), and 5:00pm-6:30pm (UK time).
Meditation workshops following a format of reading some lines of poetry with contemplative meditation and shared reflections. There are a few places left.
Know Yourself & The Twenty-Nine Pages
Weekly from November 1st, 2024
Fridays 18:00–19:30 GMT
Weekly from November 24th, 2024
Sundays 13:00–14:30 PST (timed for US and Pacific Rim)
Mondays 8:00 – 09:30 AEDT
Weekly from November 12th, 2024
Tuesdays 21:00–22:00 GMT
Note: this group will be studying the Twenty-Nine Pages only
Online study of texts that form an introduction to Muhyiddin ‘Ibn ‘Arabi‘s metaphysics of Unity
Contact: Michael Cohen, london@beshara.org
The Alchemy of Human Happiness
Weekly on Saturdays (USA)
19:00–20:30 CDT online via Zoom
Weekly on Sundays (Australia)
10:00–11:30 AEST online via Zoom
An opportunity to study and explore a recent translation of a seminal work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi from his famous Meccan Illuminations (al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya).
This study group is timed for participants in the Pacific Rim.
Contact: Mary Boyd-Brent, mboydb3.11@gmail.com
BESHARA MAGAZINE
The intentions of Beshara Magazine: an interview with the editor, Jane Clark
Beshara Magazine provides a platform for intelligent and thought-provoking material embodying a unifying perspective. Its concern is not with one particular field of activity, but with unitative ideas and initiatives as they arise in many different areas of contemporary thought.
LATEST ARTICLES
Love Will Not Be Idle: Mysticism and Activism
Jane Clark reports on a conference put on by the Mystical Theology Network in March this year, and talks to the organiser, Dr Louise Nelstrop
Bringing Light to the World: The Vision of Ibn ‘Arabi
Dr Eric Winkel talks with Jane Clark and Richard Gault about what the wisdom of the great philosopher/mystic can offer us in these troubled times
‘At some point we have to get out of the head and out of the intellect and ask: Can we look with our hearts?’
AI and Spiritual Intelligence
Mark Vernon dives into the debate surrounding digital technology
‘Where AI processes what is concrete and known, spiritual intelligence is alert to the ineffable, the paradoxical, the mythological.’
The Art of Conducting
British conductor James Lowe talks about the nature of music and the influence of the Tao Te Ching on his work
‘Great art and music dissolves barriers, allowing us to touch on something transpersonal, something above ourselves.’
Bernardo Kastrup and Swami Sarvapriyananda: A Dialogue about Consciousness
Charlotte Maberly appreciates a wide-ranging video conversation about Eastern and Western concepts of the self and mind
‘We might expect a western scientist philosopher and Hindu monk to have conflicting perspectives on the concept of consciousness, but in this fascinating dialogue, Bernardo Kastrup and Swami Sarvapriyananda explore the potential common ground between ancient wisdom and western science.’
RECENT TALKS
Ibn ‘Arabi and the Ecological Crisis: a Merciful Nemesis? Revisited
Speaker: Peter Coates
Delivered at the October Gallery, London, September 2023
A talk and discussion with Peter Coates about the ecological crisis and its deeper significance.
“Hubris against the essential divine order of nature would be followed by its appropriate nemesis” (Aldous Huxley)
BESHARA LECTURE 2023
The Coincidence of Opposites
Speaker: Iain McGilchrist
Delivered online on 9th July 2023
If there is Oneness, what are the Many? Are they the same? What do we mean? Iain McGilchrist suggests that the coincidence of opposites is a truth of unsurpassed importance, but that we have been educated into believing that it is, quite simply, nonsense; and that this plays a neglected role in our failure to make sense of the world.
PUBLICATIONS
Letters
Bulent Rauf | This book presents letters full of profound insights to students corresponding with Bülent Rauf (1911–1987), who was Consultant to the Beshara School of Intensive Esoteric Education.
Kernel of the Kernel
Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi | “For the one who is ready to look into the depth of his or her own being, to the kernel of the kernel which is his essence, this book is invaluable, pointing out the path of progress for those who may become entangled along the way.”
Know Yourself
Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi / Awhad al-din Balyani | The power of ideas has been expressed in many ways. It is also true of a wrong idea, illusion, and the most deep-rooted and limiting of ideas is the idea of our own existence. “Know Yourself” is a clearing away of misconceptions, so that a true perception may appear.
The Trust is supported entirely by philanthropic donations and voluntary work.
BESHARA WORLDWIDE
Beshara courses and events are held around the world, organised by independent groups and individuals who share a common belief in the importance of this education.
To find out more about our worldwide groups, follow these links:
The Beshara Trust (UK)
Beshara Netherlands
Beshara North America
Beshara Southeast Asia
Beshara Australia
© The Beshara Trust (UK) 2022. All rights reserved