Caravanserai Magazine
1989 No.3

Published semi-annually on behalf of the Sufi Movement by the Sufi Movement in Canada, a registered non-profit society.

Editor in chief: Nawab Pasnak; Design & Layout: Sufia Sill
Editorial Board: Virya Best, Ameen Carp, Joan Gaisford, Hidayat Inayat Khan, Nawab Pasnak, Karima Sengupta, Karimbakhsh Witteveen


This Issue:

The Mystical Meaning of Breath
by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Teachings of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan on Esotericism
interpreted by Hidayat Inayat Khan

The Role of Women in Sufism
by Petra-Beate Schildbach

The Aptitude of Women for the "Lamb's War"
by Nuria J. Lawrence

"Like a Pearl in the Heart"
by Ameen Carp

Tales Told and Retold: Once Upon a Time
by Hidayat Inayat Khan

Murshid's Words
by Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh Mahmood Khan

The Altar of the Heart
by Nawab Pasnak

About Three Day's Retreat
by Roshan Buwalda

Poems by Sharif Bryan Robinson

Earth & Sky: C

The Music of Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh Pyromir Maheboob Khan

Notes on the Symbology of the Sacred Element Ritualby
Sufia Carol Sill

Back pages

Dear Fellow Travelers,
In putting together this third issue of Caravanserai, I have the strong and happy impression that it is our best yet. In part this may come just from experience. Perhaps we are getting better at making a magazine! But I also believe that it reflects a vigorous surge of activity and expression that is pouring forth from Sufis around the world. I felt this very strongly at the International Summer School last August, where the fragrant perfumes of work in different cultures and languages mingled delightfully. And if this perception is correct, it is certainly not before its time. As evidence of this blooming, we have in our pages three articles arising from the Summer School, including a very informative lecture by Shaikh-ul-Mashaik Mahmood Khan and some interesting reflections on her own retreat by Roshan Buwalda; two articles about women — Women and Sufism by Petra-Beate Schildbach, and a look at the role of women in Quaker theology by Nuria Lawrence, an article which has much relevance to Sufi thought; we have a powerful condensation by Hidayat Inayat Khan of the thoughts of Murshid on esoteric study, as well as a talk by Murshid on breath; we conclude our two part series by Sufia Sill on the Elements; we also are privileged to have a song by Shaikh-ul-Mashaik Maheboob Khan and some fine work by the English poet, Sherif Bryan Robinson. My personal favorite, though, is Murshid-Zade Hidayat's personal memories of his childhood in our Tales Told and Retold section. By any standard, this was a most extraordinary childhood, and as Murshid-Zade says, its priceless worth becomes brighter as it recedes in the past. The recollections, therefore, are almost too tender to put in print, but at the same time they communicate too much through words and atmosphere to be veiled, and we are grateful to be able to include them.The next Caravanserai will be out in May of 1990. As always, we would be very happy to hear from anyone as to the events — personal or Sufic — in your area. We like articles, but we like news, too. And art. And music. And poetry. As good students of the Sufi path, we'll appreciate anything — if only you'll actually send it to us... Warmest regards, hearty greetings, and best wishes for your travels from the Caravanserai...

Nawab Pasnak