All beliefs are simply degrees of clearness of vision. All are part of one ocean of truth. The more this is realized, the easier is it to see the true relationship between all beliefs, and the wider does the vision of the one great ocean become.

­ Hazrat Inayat Khan

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The Light of Guidance Center is the New York City Center of the Inayatiyya (www.Inayatiorder.org), an international organization dedicated to spreading the Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan, who first introduced Sufism to the Western world in 1910. The Sufi Message proclaims the knowledge of divine unity—of all peoples, all religions, and all existence—and the religion of the heart awakened to the beauty in all creation.

The Inayatiyya affirms spiritual liberty, and the One Truth behind all names and forms, and all authentic spiritual and religious traditions,  a Living Reality that exists and manifests through our lives.  Our classes emphasize the cultivation of the heart and the bringing of spirituality into everyday life. All classes and retreats are open to all.

­­The Sufi teachers at the Light of Guidance Center are Kainat Felicia Norton and Muinuddin Charles Smith.  They are senior teachers and retreat guides within the Inayatiyya and the Ziraat tradition.  They are authors of An Emerald Earth (see below).   

An Emerald Earth- A Guidebook to the Natural Self

 

AN EMERALD EARTH
by Felicia Norton and Charles Smith
ISBN 978-0-6152-3546-2
Price: $19.00
trade paper, 6 x 9, 192 pages

An Emerald Earth expresses universal teachings of the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan on the “natural self,” likening  the unfolding of our being to the process of cultivating a field or garden to bring forth fruitfulness. Our natural state is one of resonance with Nature, receptive to the beauty and creative of the harmony that ever seek expression in our lives. Incorporating meditation practices, rich teaching stories and poetry from Sufi, Buddhist and other mystic traditions, An Emerald Earth affirms the infinite power of the heart, pointing the way to an uplifted world and a spirituality that is grounded in service to all of life.

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“The word ‘mysticism’ often brings to mind suspicions of an obscure hobby having little or nothing to do with real life. What the reader of An Emerald Earth will discover, however, is exactly the reverse: a mystical orientation that is accessible, relevant, and eminently natural. —Pir Zia Inayat Khan, Spiritual Leader of the Inayati Order International

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“With the environmental crisis finally recognized throughout the world, is it too late? No! An Emerald Earth celebrates Sufi wisdom that, since its very beginning, has held the sacred green earth at its center. Today this wisdom guides us toward restoring ourselves and our relationship with the natural environment.”  —The Very Reverend James Parks Morton, pioneer in sacred ecology, Founder of the Interfaith Center of New York, Dean Emeritus of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City

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“This book is filled with much gentle wisdom and its message is one of peace and service. I hope that the authors’ call for a life devoted to doing what is beautiful will find its way into many hearts.”   —Tom Cheetham, author of “The World Turned Inside Out,” and “Green Man, Earth Angel”

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“An Emerald Earth is an open invitation to those who are longing to re-discover the primordial harmony of the human soul and the natural world, both mirrors of each other and helpers to each other, both woven from the same cloth by the same Weaver. This wonderful book is constructed as an actual spiritual travel, using the stepping stones of meditation practices which guide the reader to experience how contemplation of the creation reveals human reality, and conversely how awakened humanity protects and elevates the creation to its own divine potential.” —Shaykha Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi, Spiritual Guide of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order

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For more information:  www.anemeraldearth.org

Full review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat at:  www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=19397

To purchase An Emerald Earth:  Cultivating a Natural Spirituality, please click here.

 

For the French translations of An Emerald Earth see

Une Terre d’Émeraude   (French edition purchased in France or other Euro country)
Une Terre d’Emeraude (French Edition purchased in United States)
Une Terre d’Emeraude (French Edition purchased in Canada)