From Hazrat Inayat Khan:
"There is one Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture that can enlighten the reader."
"The Sufi, when the eye of his soul is opened and his sight is keen, reads in the manuscript of nature the divine law, which has been read from the same source and taught by the teachers of humanity to their followers. Though language does not suffice to express the inner Truth, yet what little of it could be expressed in words has been inscribed by the pen and handed down to posterity, from time to time, as a sacred book. Men have fought and disputed over the authenticity of these books, and would not accept any other book of similar character; and clinging thus to the book and losing the sense of it, have formed diverse sects.
The Sufi has in all ages respected all such books, and has traced in the Vedanta, Zendavesta, Kabbala, Bible, Koran, and all other sacred scriptures the same truth which he reads in the incorruptible manuscript of nature, the only Holy Book, the perfect and living model that teaches the inner law of life.
All scriptures before nature's manuscript are as little pools of water before the ocean. To the eye of the seer every leaf of the tree is a page of the Holy Book that contains divine revelation, and he is inspired every moment of his life by reading and understanding the holy script of nature."
From Pir Shabda Kahn:
"Every form of the Natural World is the expression of the incorruptible, unchanging, Ultimate Reality as it continually manifests as impermanent relative existence.
In other words, we can uncover Divinity, our very Being, through seeing the face of God shining as the beauty of Nature. We illuminate our experience of Self, of God, through understanding the Essence in the rhythms and manifestations of Nature. This is Ziraat.
We learn by preparing the soil of the heart, planting the seed of intention, watering the soil of our efforts with flow and ease, weeding the soil of our confusion, composting it into more fertility for the Message to bloom, gaining strength and working together through our interdependence with the rhythms of day and night, the seasons and climates of other beings, and offering up the fruit of our experience for the benefit of all sentient beings. These are just a few examples of the unfolding of Ziraat….
Hazrat Inayat Khan began to form the 'school/concentration' of Ziraat shortly before his passing (1927) and so it didn't mature in his time. Now there seems to be new fertility for the seeds of this approach to Awakening, for Ziraat to serve humanity."
From Pir Moineddin Jablonski:
"Ziraat is a heart-based approach to gardening and food production outwardly, and to spiritual growth inwardly. The heart, like the earth, is regarded as sacred soil to be prepared for planting. Rocks and roots are removed; last year's stubble is plowed under. New seed is placed in the furrow. Sunshine and rain attend the turning of the seasons, and the ancient cycles of sowing, growth, fruition and harvest are realized in ourselves and in our gardens and farms."
From Murshida Vera Corda
"Ziraat is an inter-faced message. The outer fabric weaves a too brief outline with harvesting the fruits of the earth. The interfacing is the cultivating of the soul by individual workers under Allah's all-seeing eye. Ziraat enables the initiate to comprehend the qualities of the soul in every aspect of nature. By attunement of the breath while walking on Mother Earth and setting our sights on "Father Sky" we ground our beings to the planet. Through knowledge of the hydrologic cycle, seasons, and solstices, man learns how the veins of Nature circulate from earth's core through the vegetable kingdom. This exchange forever makes man dependent upon the exhalation of oxygen from foliage and the inhalation of carbon dioxide gas from our exhaled breath into the vegetable kingdom."
Vakil Forest Shomer has been a Ziraat practitioner since 1975, coordinating the Ziraat Activity for the Ruhaniat since 1996. Four years later he received from Pir Moineddin Jablonski the initiation of Experienced Farmer, an esoteric title given to the Ziraat Guide. More recently he is joined in that role by Mujahid Mark Havill, and Darvesha MacDonald. In turn, these three are joined by more than twenty Farmers, who offer Ziraat initiation in their localities and travels.
Vakil Forest, a Ruhaniat Sheikh, has led Dances of Universal Peace for over three decades, and frequently serves as a multi-instrumental musician at Dances and Zikrs. He is a Sufi Soulwork provider, working both one-to-one and with groups. A professional seedman since 1973, he has grown and wildcrafted seed of over 200 species of woody and herbaceous native plants, as well as all the familiar garden vegetable and herb varieties. An occasional guest speaker at permaculture and herbal gatherings, he has shared the Dances in those communities as well, on three continents. Traveling widely while residing near his grandchildren in Port Townsend, WA USA, his home is the Garden of Ziraat.
Email the Garden of Ziraat:
(Email link is encrypted. Click the event title above to view it.)
Links:
http://www.olympus.net/personal/ziraat/
http://www.insidepassageseeds.com/
The Ziraat Reader is an anthology compiled by Vail Forest Shomer and produced by Amrita Skye Blaine and is available for purchase through the Ruhaniat Secretariat's office.
The Ziraat Reader is a spiral bound, 134-page document filled with valuable articles and photographs. It includes prayers and practices, Ziraat Papers, essays, commentaries and inspirations, written works of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, Murshid Samuel Lewis, Murshida Vera Corda, Shamcher Bryn Beorse, Pir Zia Inayat Khan and many more, with a forward by Pir Shabda Kahn. It is designed with the intention to spread Ziraat among our greater spiritual family.
Cost is $20 plus $5 for shipping. For additonal copies purchased at the same time, add $1 for each copy. The Ziraat Reader is available only in English at this time. For postage outside of the USA, or for payments by credit card or PayPal, please contact the Vakil Forest Shomer.
(Email link is encrypted. Click the event title above to view it.)
(360) 385-6114 If paying by check, make the check payable to Vakil Forest Shomer and mail to:
Vakil Forest Shomer
PO Box 639, Port Townesend, WA 98368-0639