Know Yourself

Wednesdays from 5th August 2020 (20.00 – 21:00 BST)
& Mondays from 10th August 2020 (20.00 – 21:00 BST)
One session per week (5 week period)

Online study of Know Yourself, an explanation of the oneness of being attributed to Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi and Awhad al-din Balyani, translated by Cecilia Twinch (via Zoom)

Course Description

This short text on the unity of existence explains that to realise your essential oneness with reality is not to eliminate your ‘separate’ self or ego because that illusory self never existed. Rather, it is necessary to know your true self to realise your oneness with all being. Nothing essentially changes. When you know yourself ‘ignorance simply disappears’ and how things really are becomes clear.

Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi (1165-1240AD), mystic, philosopher, poet, sage, is one of the world’s great spiritual teachers, whose writings provide a beautiful exposition of the Unity of Being. His wisdom has much to offer us in the modern world, in terms of understanding what it means to be human.

These sessions are supported and sponsored by The Beshara Trust.

Booking

Cost: FREE via ZOOM
Although these courses are free to join, participants will be expected to purchase a copy of the book. It is available from Beshara Publications and Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

*Donations to support the running of these courses are welcome – DONATE HERE

Please note: both Know Yourself courses are now full, please contact besharacourses@beshara.org if you would like to register your interest in further courses and be notified when they become available.

The Beshara Lecture 2018

‘Something from Nothing’

An examination of the foundations of present day atheism from the perspective of unity of being.

Speaker: Avi Abadi

October 20th
at The Royal Asiatic Society, London

October 27th
at The Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh

October 28th
at The Cornucopia RoomHawick, Scottish Borders

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.

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.

40 Day Retreat Course

October 16 – November 26, 2017
Chisholme Institute, Scottish Borders, UK

What does it mean to be human? How do we relate to ourselves, to others, to the world?

Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries

October 6th – 7th, 2018
The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, UK.

A residential weekend studying one of the major works of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi. Facilitated by the co-translator Cecilia Twinch.

The Transformative Power of Beauty: Joseph and the Myth of Reconciliation

14th March, 2021
16:00 – 17:30 GMT

An online seminar exploring the Joseph myth. Joseph is understood as one of a community of prophetic figures, whose story emerges as the epic and emblematic story of divine knowledge revealed to humanity. The centrepiece here is beauty, and the focus of the presentation will be on beauty and its intimate relation to truth.

Registration via Eventbrite

What is the single most important point that must be understood by a person who wants to know?

April 8 & 22, May 13 & 27
June 10 & 24, July 8
(11am – 1pm)
The Salisbury Centre, Edinburgh, UK

A series of themed explorations on the Way of Love

The Reflective Heart

Weekly on Tuesdays
21:00–22:00 BST/GMT

Online study of chapters from James Morris’s, The Reflective Heart: Discovering Spiritual Intelligence in Ibn ‘Arabi’s Meccan Illuminations.

Aspects of Imagination, Science and the Mystical

Aspects of Science, Imagination and the Mystical

Saturday 14th June 2025
14:00–17:00 BST
The October Gallery, London

With Peter Coates

This talk will consider the vital role of the Creative Imagination in Natural Science and in the Mystical Philosophy of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi.

Contact: Michael Cohen  london@beshara.org

William James

In Defence of Mysticism: William James and Ibn ‘Arabi

June 17, 2017   (2–5pm)
The October Gallery, London, UK

A talk/seminar by Peter Coates investigating the parallels between the writings of William James and the vision of Ibn ‘Arabi.

The Holy Spirit in the Counselling of the Soul

September 15th – 22nd, 2018
Melbourne, Australia

A week dedicated to studying largely unpublished material by Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi. This includes an outline of a cosmological framework for understanding the place of the human being in the universe, and consequently, our correct attitude towards other living beings.

Jonah and the whale

Beyond Religion?

Saturday March 11, 2017

A seminar exploring the relevance of the story of Jonah to the contemporary world, facilitated by David Hornsby at the October Gallery, London.