Chicago Gnosis Podcast

Repentance, as the first state and station of the spiritual path, is the doorway to enter genuine knowledge of divine reality. Rather than constituting a stale moral code to adhere to through blind obedience, repentance is the conscience and remorse of the consciousness when recognizing its own faults. Through acknowledging mistakes, the meditator can practically work towards their elimination from the psyche, so as to achieve internal purification and clarified perception of the truth.

Divinity's presence is personal, conscious, and intimate to each practitioner. While some have experienced glimpses of their innermost Being, few know how to practically develop and sustain such profound states on a daily basis. Meditation is the direct perception of reality without conditions, yet to maintain and deepen such a connection requires that the meditator abandon forgetfulness, distractions, and dreams.

Everything in nature functions in accordance with rhythms, tempos, ebbs, and flows. The same with the consciousness. Through concentrating one's attention on internal states and expanding one's awareness of external phenomena, meditators learn to access a significant range of their conscious potential. By comprehending how consciousness can both focus and amplify our understanding, we establish a foundation for overcoming the psychological causes of affliction.

"And by the night as it closes in, and by the dawn when it breathes..." ―Qur'an 81:17-18 Breath is an essential dynamic in every mystical tradition, especially Sufism. By combining breath with spiritual longing, aspiration, and conscious love, the practitioner elevates solar or creative forces from within one's sexual organs, up the spine, to illuminate the mind. In this manner, meditators master the three types of soul in the Qur'an, so as to acquire perfect serenity and illumination.

"The best act of worship is watchfulness of the moments." ―Al-Wasiti Meditation is based upon alert novelty, awareness, watchfulness, vigilance, and directed attention in the moment we find ourselves in. Without comprehending our psychology from instant to instant, it is impossible to experience the fruits of meditation: serenity, transformation, and the internal states of liberation.

Sufism describes varying levels of direct experience and contemplation of divinity. While stations are the result of inner effort and initiatic work, mystical states, profound experiences, and the ecstasies of the soul result from divine blessings. Learn how through an explanation of Kabbalah and the testimonies of the Sufi masters.

There exist infinite degrees, qualities, or levels of consciousness, defined within Sufism as the stations in the spiritual path leading to divine realization. Through profound works of meditation, practitioners can permanently establish themselves within these higher degrees of being, known within universal gnosticism as initiations. Discover how to enter and travel the path through an exploration of the Tree of Life and the Sufi scriptures.

The state of meditation is experienced when spiritual principles and divine laws are fulfilled. Similarly, meditation can only be understood through the harmonious balance of daily study and practice. See how through a profound exploration of the Qur'an and the three forms of certainty, the steps for acquiring genuine, experiential wisdom, and the means to recognize such states within one's life.

The science of meditation​​ is based upon observable facts: what we can verify through repeatable experimentation and practice. Discover the foundations for how to study, approach, and experience the state of meditation. This lecture explains the three levels of meditative instruction within Sufi schools, the path of ethics, as well as the psychological qualities of genuine realization and spiritual conduct from the prophetic tradition.

Everything in life is in a state of transformation. Just as the human body provides life through digestion and breathing, the consciousness needs to transform different impressions, experiences, and psychological reactions to develop intelligence. The Essence derives spiritual nourishment through comprehending the causes of affliction, which is only achieved through revolutionizing our perception in the present moment.