PAST COURSES & EVENTS
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.
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
Ibn ‘Arabi and the Ecological Crisis: a Merciful Nemesis? Revisited
September 16th, 2023 (14:00–17:00 BST)
The October Gallery, London
A talk by Peter Coates about the ecological crisis and its deeper significance.
The Ways of the Heart III: The Compassionate Heart
5th September – 14th November 2023
Tuesdays, 20:00 – 21:30 GMT
An online Beshara course exploring a spiritual life in the contemporary world.
A field where we can meet…
RUMI 750 – a gathering
Saturday 2nd September – Monday 4th September, 2023
Chisholme Institute, Scottish Borders, UK
An immersive weekend marking the 750th anniversary of Rumi’s death, known as his Nuptial Night. Come and explore how Rumi’s relevance informs every aspect of the current era; from ecological to economic, cultural to spiritual, while also intimately connecting with our own lives.
Exploring the Meaning of Service in the Context of Self Knowledge
23rd July 2023 & 30th July 2023
(Sundays) 13:00–14:30 PDT
Two online sessions reading, discussing and contemplating short papers in the light of this title.
Singleness, Oneness & Singularity
Speaker: Avi Abadi
Saturday 15th July 2023
2:00-5:00pm BST
The October Gallery
The metaphysics of unity according to Ibn ‘Arabi
The Beshara Lecture 2023
The Coincidence of Opposites
Speaker: Iain McGilchrist
Sunday 9th July 2023 14:00 BST (via Zoom)
If there is Oneness, what are the Many? Are they the same? What do we mean?
Some Principles of Esoteric Education
Saturday June 17th, 2023
14:00 – 17:00 BST
October Gallery, London, UK
A conversational seminar with texts. Throughout history the “awakening of the potential for perfectibility” of the human being has been the aim of every school of esoteric education no matter how the outward forms differ. In this seminar we shall explore through conversations and readings how each one of us can nurture and develop this knowledge practically in the contemporary world.
Qualities of Love: Trust, Certainty, Patience, Resolution and Veracity
Friday to Sunday, 19th – 21st May 2023
The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire
These five qualities have been at the core of practice at Beshara and are considered essential attributes to be developed by those wishing to know themselves in order to know God.
This residential weekend will provide an opportunity to contemplate their meaning and practice through meditation, study and conversation in a tranquil setting.
Singleness, Oneness & Singularity
Metaphysical Foundations of the Fusus
Fridays 21st and 28th April 2023
Online 19:00 – 20:15 AEST
An exploration of the metaphysical foundations of the Fusus al-Hikam, as they are presented in the introduction to the commentary rendered into English by Bülent Rauf and Jandi’s commentary on the Wisdom of Singularity.
Intimate Dialogues with Reality
Saturday April 22nd, 2023
14:00 – 17:00 BST
October Gallery, London, UK
Reading and contemplation of some of Niffari’s “Spiritual Addresses” in English translation, exploring their relevance to us in the present moment.
‘How One Becomes What One Is’
Saturday March 25th, 2023
14:00-17:00 GMT
The October Gallery, London, UK
“Man is a rope, fastened between animal and superman – a rope over an abyss. A dangerous going-across, a dangerous wayfaring, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous shuddering and staying-still. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal; what can be loved in man is that he is a going-across and down-going” (Nietzsche, Friedrich. Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
Socrates’ exhortation was to “Know Yourself”: an exploration according to 4 wisdom traditions
22nd February – 31st May 2023
4 sessions on the final Wednesday of each month
19:00–20:30 GMT/BST
*NEW COURSE*
An online opportunity to contemplate this essential concept according to four major traditions of human wisdom – the philosophies of ancient Greece and India, Christian wisdom and Islamic mysticism.
Revisiting the Kernel of the Kernel II
16th–19th February 2023
An immersive three days at Chisholme, in conjunction with the Beshara Trust.
The Ways of the Heart II: Oneness
20th January – 28th March 2023
Tuesdays, 20:00–21:15 GMT
An online Beshara course exploring a spiritual life in the contemporary world.
Neoplatonism and the Islamic Tradition
Saturday, December 3rd 2022
14:00 – 17:00 GMT
The October Gallery, London, UK
The teachings of Plotinus and his followers, known today as ‘Neoplatonism’, became the dominant philosophy of Late Antiquity. Neoplatonism represents a common heritage shared by the cultures which arose out of the three monotheist religions. Its legacy bridges the divide between East and West, North and South. This presentation examines the question of the degree to which the Islamic tradition bears the imprint of Neoplatonism.
Seminar led by Stefan Sperl, Emeritus Professor at SOAS
Revisiting the Kernel of the Kernel
24th–27th November 2022
An immersive three days at Chisholme, in conjunction with the Beshara Trust.
The Letters of Bulent Rauf
Weekly from 19th November 2022
Saturdays 18:00–19:00 CST
Sundays 11:00–13:00 AEDT
A reading group for online study of the Letters of Bulent Rauf.
The Kiss: The Beshara talks of Dom Sylvester Houédard
Saturday, 5th November 2022
14:00–17:00 GMT
The October Gallery, London UK
Contemplative reading of extracts from “The Kiss”, a new collection of the Dom’s talks.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Fables as Contemplative Wisdom
“How if this be the truth – that all are a little true?”
Sunday, 30th October 2022
15:00–16:30 GMT (online via Zoom)
Robert Louis Stevenson’s fables are little-known masterpieces by this supreme story-teller.
This online seminar is the latest in a series under the general title Unity in Diversity.
Led by Robert-Louis Abrahamson
Dante’s Divine Comedy
Weekly from 25th October 2022
19:00–20:30 BST/GMT
An introduction to the spiritual journey (online via Zoom).
Endless Voyaging; Spiritual Journeying in ‛Attar and Ibn ‛Arabi
Saturday, 15th October 2022
19:00–20:30 AEDT
9:00–10:30 BST
An online talk followed by Q&A with Jane Clark.
The Ways of the Heart II: Oneness
14th October 2022 – 20th December 2022
20:00–21:15 BST/GMT
An online Beshara course exploring a spiritual life in the contemporary world.
The Writings of Bulent Rauf
Saturday, 8th October 2022
14:00–17:00 BST
The October Gallery, London UK
An afternoon devoted to contemplative reading of some of the writings and talks of Bulent Rauf.
The Ways of the Heart II: Oneness
Weekly on Fridays
7th October 2022 – 13th December 2022
19:00–20:30 AEDT
An online Beshara course exploring a spiritual life in the contemporary world.
Know Yourself & The 29 Pages
Weekly from 18th September 2022
Sundays 13:00–14:30 PST
Online study exploring the oneness of being in the teachings of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi
The Twenty-Nine Pages
Weekly on Sundays
11th September – 27th November 2022
19:00–20:30 BST/GMT
A 12-week online course by the Beshara Trust studying The Twenty-Nine Pages, which serves as an excellent introduction to Ibn ‘Arabi’s metaphysics of Unity.
The Meaning of Beshara
Saturday, 10th September 2022
14:00–17:00 BST
The October Gallery, London UK
An afternoon exploring the meaning and principles of Beshara as indicated in the recently published Letters of Bulent Rauf.
Jami: Lawa‛ih (Flashes)
Weekly from 27th August, 2022
Sundays 13:30–15:30 BST/GMT
Online study of the Lawa’ih (“Flashes”) by Jami, an exposition in poetry and prose of the Unity of Existence as expressed in the work of Ibn ‘Arabi and his school.
Fusus al-Hikam Study Sessions
Weekly from 24th April 2022
Tuesdays 19:00–20:00 AEDT
A reading group for online study of the Fusus al-Hikam by Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi, volumes 1–4.
Participants will be able to join in as they wish.
“Staff in hand”: selected poems of ‘Attar
Saturday 4th June, 2022
19:00 – 20:30 AEST / 10:00 – 11:30 BST
An exploration of a selection of poems by Farid al-Din ‘Attar translated by Ken Avery from the Farsi (Persian).
Contact: markvtemple@gmail.com
Üftade: The Nightingale in the Garden of Love
Weekly from 19th March 2022
Saturdays 18:00–19:00 CDT
Sundays 09:00–10:00 AEST
A reading group for online study of the spiritual poems of Üftade, one of the greatest Ottoman Sufi masters, in English translation from The Nightingale in the Garden of Love.
The 50th Anniversary Beshara Lecture-21
Unity in Humanity? Where Two Hands Meet
Sunday 29th May 2022 17:30 BST
Delivered by His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan.
Kernel of the Kernel
Weekly from 27th February 2022
Thursdays 16:00–17:30 PST
Fridays 10:00–11:30 AEST
A study of Ismail Hakki Bursevi’s translation of Ibn ‘Arabi’s exceptional treatise for those who undertake the journey with the aim of Union.
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