Nine-Day Study Retreat

December 3 – 11, 2016

A fully residential course in Cinere, West Java, reading from the Fusus al Hikam, by Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi. Organised by Beshara South East Asia and led by Avi Abadi

Course Description

The famous 13th century mystic Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi wrote: “Retreat brings knowledge of the world.”

This Beshara course, in the spirit of active and intentional retreat, aims to open a space for real knowledge to emerge through all dimensions of the retreat, be it focused study, devotional practice, private contemplation or service. All of these dimensions are held in equal regard as each is a direct way to be of service to Reality, to our fellow human beings and to the world.

The study will be of selected passages from The Wisdom of Spirituality in the word of Jacob, a chapter from Ibn ‘Arabi’s Fusus al Hikam.

The course is a residential retreat, starting on Saturday morning (Dec 3, 10AM) and running until after lunch on the following Sunday (Dec 11, 2PM). The timetable will incorporate meditation, study, conversation, devotional practice, private contemplation and service.

About the Fusus al Hikam

This seminal work by Ibn ‘Arabi, dating from the 13th century, describes the meaning of universal human spirituality through the medium of 27 prophetic figures, from Adam through Abraham, Moses and others to Jesus and Mohammed. Ibn ‘Arabi’s aim is to show how each of these luminary figures exemplified a particular wisdom available to mankind; a harmonious vision of reality which integrates differences without destroying them. Themes that arise range from explorations of uniqueness, fate and destiny, the place of worship and devotion, praise and service and the role of mankind. To read this book is to encounter the full scope of what it means to be truly human.

Course Facilitator

Avi b&w smAvi Abadi, who has been a student of the work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi for many years, and is currently based in the UK, will facilitate the course.

Booking & Fees

This retreat course is open to all who wish to attend it. Applicants who are not familiar with Ibn Arabi’s terminology and the central themes of the Fusus al Hikam, however, need to be advised that the ideas that will be presented and discussed on the course will be demanding.

The course will take place in Cinere, West Java. The fee is Rp 4 million, including accommodation and all meals. Please email beshara.sea@gmail.com for more information and to book a place.

Cinere, West Java, Indonesia

Love and Knowledge in the Light of Unity | the Direct Path

A Beshara Foundation Course

Introductory weekend at Sutton Courtenay Abbey, Oxfordshire
16th – 18th February 2024
(Zoom attendance also available)

10 x fortnightly online sessions
29th February – 4th July 2024
Thursday evenings, 19:00–20:30 GMT/BST

This is a new foundational course in esoteric education that 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 unity.

Contact: besharacourses3@beshara.org

The Alchemy of Human Happiness: Online Study Group

Weekly from late January 2024
Saturdays 13:30–15:30 GMT online via Zoom

An opportunity to study and explore a recent translation of an influential work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi.

This group is now full. If you would like to be added to a waiting list for a possible new group, please contact london@beshara.org

Cover Addresses 1

Addresses by Bülent Rauf

 

Weekly from 16th January 2024
Tuesdays:
21:00–22:00 GMT

 

An online study and reading of Address by Bülent Rauf. This is an existing group with a limited number of places. New participants are very welcome.

 

Contact: Yafiah Katherine Randall
yafiahkatherine@gmail.com

Nestled in the Womb of God

Hindu-Muslim comparative inquiry

9th December 2023
14:00–17:00 GMT
The October Gallery, London

A seminar by Hina Khalid

This seminar ventures into the relatively unexplored terrain of a Hindu-Muslim comparative inquiry into the intimate presence of the divine reality to the finite world. It offers a comparative analysis of the conception of the infinite in the worldviews of two major philosopher-poets of the Indian subcontinent – Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) and Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941).

Work by James Suzman: A Discussion

The history of work from the stone age to the age of robots

Sunday 3rd December 2023
15:00–16:30 GMT via Zoom

A chance to discuss the topic of Work as discussed by James Suzman in a book recently reviewed in Beshara Magazine.

“It is rather hearts, clinging to the door of the Divine Presence”

Learning from Ibn ‘Arabi

4th November 2023
14:00–17:00 GMT
The October Gallery, London

A talk and seminar by Eric Winkel

Mystic, philosopher, poet, sage, Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (1165–1240) was one of the world’s great spiritual teachers. Since 2012, Dr Eric Winkel has dedicated his life to the first-ever translation of and commentary on the entirety of Ibn Arabī’s al-Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah (The Openings Revealed in Makkah). Ten thousand pages of the original handwritten manuscript make up 37 books of the complete work. In this seminar, he will discuss Ibn ‘Arabi’s seminal work and its significance for us now.

Drowning in the depths of Rumi’s Masnavi

‘You are not a single you, o good comrade; nay, you are the sky and the deep sea’ – Rumi

30th October – 27th November 2023
Weekly Zoom sessions
19:00–20:30 GMT

This course is an opportunity to study and explore some of Rumi’s main spiritual teachings from the Masnavi, which is considered to be his masterpiece.

How Rumi Opens the Eye of the Heart

14th October 2023
14:00–17:00 BST
The October Gallery, London

A talk and seminar by Alan Williams

The 13th century Masnavi of Jalāloddin Rumi is not a story book, yet, like the Bible and the Quran, it is full of stories. What are the secrets the Masnavi reveals? They may be summed up in the phrase ‘the opening of the eye of the heart’. The primary question of this lecture is: how does the Masnavi effect the opening of the heart?

The Mysticism and Spirituality of St. John of the Cross

2 online series of 3 Meditation Workshops

30th September, 28th October, 26th November
Saturdays, 10:00–12.30 BST/GMT
and
October 12th, November 9th, December 7th
Thursdays, 17:00–19.30 BST/GMT

Two poems by St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night and The Spiritual Canticle, will form the basis of our meditation.

Gustav Klimt

Exploring the meaning of ‘Know Yourself’ according to five wisdom traditions

27th September – 6th December 2023
Fortnightly Zoom sessions
19:00–20:30 BST/GMT

This course offers the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of what it is to Know Yourself in the mirror of five Ancient Wisdom traditions and to explore their relevance to each of us and to the current modern era.

This course is now full. If you would like to join a waiting list for the next one, please contact admin@beshara.org