Ziraat
The Sacred Manuscript of Nature
The word “Ziraat” means “agriculture” and is used as a metaphor for spiritual development. “The sacred manuscript of nature” might be one of Murshid’s most evocative phrases. It opens the awareness to the abiding wisdom available all around and within us. Observing, understanding, and admiring the natural world is an excellent Ziraat contemplation and can keep us busy for a lifetime!
As a Ray of Sirat-i Inayat, Ziraat is an invitation to seek, find and celebrate God in all aspects of nature and life. Murshid assigned the elemental purification breaths to all mureeds, breathing in rhythmic attunement with the elements of earth, water, fire, and air, then reciting the healing prayer, Nayaz:
Beloved Lord, Almighty God,
Through the rays of the Sun,
through the waves of the air,
through the all-pervading life in space,
purify and revivify me,
and I pray,
heal my body, heart and soul.
If we are to understand ourselves, we must study the life within and around us. All that we discover and witness in nature is within us, ready to be strengthened, harmonized, and utilized. Our lives flow with more ease and success when we align ourselves with the natural rhythms of the seasons, the tides, the moon phases, the intelligence of nature.
Ziraat activities include prayers and rituals that help us understand and attune to the wisdom of the natural world. Ziraat initiates are encouraged to choose a “watchword” that feels most aligned with their life themes at that moment. Choosing a watchword to keep in our awareness can help us in our conscientious tending to the process of our own lives.
The watchwords include: toil, courage, hope, joy, strength, and thanksgiving. Ziraat practices can help us see and understand the essential nature of each moment and how our own lives can harmonize with that reality. Murshid said:
A Sirat-i Inayat Ziraat Initiator can offer a Ziraat initiation, which is an acknowledgement of one’s sincere love and dedication to the earth, and a benediction of stability, inspiration, a flow of life force, strength, and wisdom, gathered up from the elements and poured forth for the lover of Nature.
Rahima Rain
Mu’alim of the Ziraat Ray
Rahima Rain is the mu’alim for Ziraat. She can offer Ziraat initiations, leads a monthly Ziraat class online, and posts frequent inspirations on Facebook and Instagram.
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No single plant is grown the same way in any two different gardens or farms, and yet the essence remains the same. The center of the Sufi teachings and practices is a pathway of cultivating the heart through our connection to Nature so we can be more productive in healing ourselves, humanity and the planet. We can enrich our inner life by reading “the sacred manuscript of Nature…the most Holy Book.”
Join us for The Journey to the Heart of Nature – A Ziraat Exploration. In this monthly class, we will use the ceremonies given by Inayat Khan in the Ziraat papers as guidelines for attuning to the elements and other rituals. We will have readings and teachings from Inayat Khan, along with discussion. There will be an attunement of our hearts to Nature through song and various breath practices.
See our calendar of events to find the next Ziraat class or contact Rahima for more information.