Amira Ayad, PhD
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Online Courses
  • My Books
    • Body Whispers Book
    • Body Whispers Journal
    • Healing Body & Soul
    • The True Secret
  • Resources
    • Chakra Self-Assessment
    • Boost Your Immunity
    • Videos
    • Find the cause & Fix the problem
    • Washwasha
    • kitchen Dispensary
    • My Library
  • My Blog

30 Days With Rumi: Day 8

20/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“Shadow can indicate what is shinning bright
But it’s the sun which fills your soul with light.”


In this day and age, It is so hard to distinguish the fake from the true light… How can we follow the true sun? the true light and not the shadows?

Fake suns are shinning so bright. Sometimes even brighter -or seemingly brighter- then the true sun. It’s so hard and getting harder and harder every day.
How to stay connected and not get distracted by the fake lights?
How to stay on the Path?
And, am I even on the Path?
How do I know?​

O God! Protect me from my own feeble heart… Guide this little heart of mine to Your Path… Make my steps steady and firm only towards You - all the time!
Let me choose to always be of a beacon of love and service.. a spiritual warrior on Your Path.
0 Comments

30 Days With Rumi: Day 7

19/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“There is only one sun there before your eyes
But similar suns you still can visualize;
The soul’s sun, though, is from a loftier sphere,
You’ll not find any similar suns down here.”


The true light can only shine from within our soul and to reach it, we need this silence. Silence and seclusion, 2 pillars of the 4 pillars of spiritual transformation according to Ibn Arabi:
  1. Silence - of the tongue and the heart
  2. Seclusion - of the bodies and the souls
  3. Hunger - Fasting of the body and training of the heart
  4. Vigilance - awakening of the heart from its heedlessness and awareness to keep the passion and motivation alive.


This is the first time I am embarking on a journey with no specific goal or destination… Nothing is planned or laid out… It’s not neat and tidy, on the contrary, it is chaotic and random… and, isn’t this the nature of our life? of our journey? of our quest?


I need to learn to take it one step at a time… let the road reveal itself as I go along… let each step dictate the next… Trust that I will find some answers or maybe more questions… Let me focus on the Heart… on that “Sun” within me  and let me keep praying for God to guide the way so that I remain on the Right Path… on the Straight Path leading to Him and Him alone… To the Truth الحق!
0 Comments

30 Days With Rumi: day 6

18/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“How can my mind stay calm this lonely night
When I can’t find here my Beloved’s light?”


O God! Please bestow Your light upon me - I can only see with Your light. Darkness is surrounding me from all directions. The world does not seem to be a kind place and it seems to be getting worse by the minute. You have showered me with Your love, light, guidance and blessings all along. I’ve been blessed every step along my path… And, I’m forever grateful.

God help me… ease my burden. My heart is getting heavier. It is aching and bleeding…
God! help me create those “islands of sanity” in the midst of the frightening raging wild sea  we live in… Help me be the “spiritual warrior” who humbly offer herself as “a compassionate presences and trustworthy companions to those suffering in this world.”
0 Comments

30 Days With Rumi: Day 5

17/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“Love wants its tale revealed to everyone
But your heart’s mirror won’t reflect this sun
Don’t you know why we can’t perceive it here?
Your mirror is rusty - scrape it clear!”


كم بصدري من معان غالية
لكن المرآة ليست حاكية
إن مرآتك غامت دنسا
صدأ الطلع عليها طمسا


How do I scape this mirror clear?
How do I even know how rusty it is?
How do I know that its reflections are real not mere illusions?
The mysterious world is so mysterious… it is hidden behind the veil… well hidden out of sight. What about all those who think they “know”… who claim that they’ve already reached the “destination”… Maybe some did… but most didn’t.


“Say, “Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in their works? Those whose efforts in this world are misguided, while they assume that they are doing well. It is they who rejected the communications of their Lord, and the encounter with Him. So their works are in vain.” (18: 103-105)
Those verses are scary…



How do we know whether our blessings are “respite” (3: 178)?
I pray that I would never be among those greatest losers whose efforts are misguided.
O God! Grant me gratitude and humility…
God! I know you are there, I love You and I know You love me… God, guide me to Your Path! Let me know you and be humbly your slave through your blessings and love and mercy and not through trials and challenges…
اللهم اجعلني أمة احسانك وليس أمة امتحانك يا رب
May all the knowledge and blessings and sustenance You bestow upon me be a doorway for Heaven in this world and the Next… Scrape my heart’s mirror clean with Your love and mercy and let it reflect Your light beyond measure. Amen
0 Comments

30 Days With Rumi: Day 4

16/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“That we were friends each one was satisfied
But no one sought out my secrets from inside
My deepest secret’s in this song I wail
But eyes and ears can’t penetrate the veil.”


ظن كلٌ أنني نعم السمير
ليس يدري أي سر في الضمير
إن سري في أنيني قد ظهر
غير أن الأذن كلّت والبصر

It’s the plague of our modern world: Loneliness. ​And, here it is intensified by this new post-pandemic world. How can you feel lonely when you are surrounded by so many friends? Virtual friends…
We’re lonely despite the illusion of connection… and now the virtual connection seems to be gradually eating away at what was left of our feeling of belonging.


No one can see the deep heart-longing. Yes… we all have secrets, but this secret is different… it is hidden even from us… Well buried in the deepest darkness of the soul… Am I sincere?
God please grant me sincerity… I know I’m full of flows and drenched in mistakes and pitfalls, yet, I’m seeking your mercy, your love and your presence… Grant me sincerity in my quest… Quest for my life meaning and calling… Quest for the path that leads me to You.
My senses -outer and inner senses- can never penetrate Your Veil… There will always be the unknown … And, I believe in the Unknown, the unseen… We don’t know what we don’t know… at a point, all our human capacity becomes incompetent… It’s only the heart that can take us further along the path… It is only the intellect العقل that can lead us to You, my Lord. Ya Allah! Grant me a whole pure heart that can reach you, grant me the knowledge to be your true slave, my Lord!
0 Comments

30 Days With Rumi: Day 3

15/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“While ordinary men on drops can thrive
A fish needs oceans daily to survive.”


It’s this endless longing for God’s presence, for God’s company, for His guidance, love and light. But, the question always remains, am I on the Right Path seeking this connection? Am I walking in His light? I am not great on rituals… And, I recently grew poor tolerance to “silence”… I am always doing and doing and doing some more… and, if I am not studying, working, reading, or performing chores, I am too tired “to embrace the silence”… that’s so strange… Is silence that tiresome? How can this be?

Maybe because silence forces us to face our raw feelings, our bare soul… It is scary… and exhausting. This is why we are in constant need to fill our brain with non-sense… as if we fear the voice of the reed… the whispers of our aching souls… Am I avoiding it, or is it avoiding me?
​

Maybe this daily reflection will force me to slow down… I should be careful not to turn it into another “research project” or another task that needs to be fulfilled. It is my own soul search… the digging and excavation of the soul seeking connection… seeking to quench this everlasting thirst that seems unquenchable at times.
0 Comments

30 Days With Rumi: Day 2

14/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“Body & Soul are joined to form one whole
But no one is allowed to see the soul
It’s fire not just hot air, the reed-flute’s cry,
If you don’t have this fire, then you should die!" (M I: 8-9)

"The reed consoles those forced to be apart
Its notes will lift the veil upon your heart.” (M I: 11)


ليس بين الروح والجسد حجب
غير أن الروح عنا تحتجب
إن صوت الناي نار لا هواء
كل من لم يصلها فهو هباء

آنست هجراتنا أصواته
مزقت استارنا نغماته


How to find this fire, this passion? How to be consumed, like the reed, by the Divine warmth? How to keep this soul connected all the time to its Creator?
Life has absolutely no meaning without this burning fire inside the heart.
I long to lift the veil, but, maybe I was looking for answers in the wrong places. The veil cannot be lifted though rational thinking and brain/mind cognitive powers. It is lifted though the magical power of Divine love. How do I open my heart to receive it? How do I stay in His presence all the time? Or, at least stay aware of His presence all the time?

The soul seems to know its way, yet it just can’t hear the song of the reed among all the distractions of the outside world. I remember reading “I recognize the drinking place, but I’m not able to drink. Heart-thirsty, I weep in hope of a drop. The fountain cannot quench me – I’m seeking the ocean. I passed by a thousand springs and rivers in hopes of finding the ocean.”​

Reduce the noise. Simplify the clutter. Embrace silence among the chaos, seclusion among the crowd. You’ll hear it. Give it time and keep your intention sincere. You’ll hear it. When it is the only song you crave, the only sound you seek, the only voice you need… only then, you’ll hear it… Trust!


0 Comments

Invitation for 30-day of Deep Reflections!

13/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Following my theme for 2021: “Connecting,” I chose to spend some time during the holy days of Ramadan connecting with my heart and my Lord through daily reflections.
Each day, I will choose a few verses of Rumi’s Masnavi and reflect on them in the light of my current reality and how I can apply the wisdom for a better connection with God.
 
I am not sure how the daily reflections will go. I am not trying to find specific answers. I am at a stage in my life where I am trying to embrace ambiguity - “the not knowing”. I am still learning to “walk in the dark” while enjoying my journey, every step along the way even if the journey seems scary at times. Through the reflections, I will be opening my heart and my soul to receive guidance, much-needed guidance in our chaotic noisy world.
 
I am inviting you to join me… I will be sharing my reflections on my blog and in the private Facebook group, but this is just for ideas and hopefully inspiration … you need to do your own reflection, walk your own path, and start your own journey…

So, I am inviting you to join me on a 30-day reflection… 

Note that, my reflections are not aimed at explaining or clarifying the selected poetry. In fact, sometimes, it might seem that they have nothing to do with the verses. Yet, it is about the feelings, thoughts, and insights the verses have evoked in me. So, let your Imagination roam freely and allow those:
  • Visuals,
  • Estimation,
  • Memories,
  • Reflections, and
  • Narratives to develop…

These are the faculties of your soul. Your five inner senses as Traditional Islamic Medicine calls them… These are our path to knowing ourselves so we can better know our God.

Picture
Here is my Day 1… It’s short and sweet:
​
“Now listen to this reed flute’s deep lament
About the heartache being apart has meant
Since from the reedbed they uprooted me
My song’s expressed each human’s agony,
A breast which separation split in two
Is what I seek to share this pain with you.” (M I: 1-3)





Nothing can kickstart this practice of reflection better than Rumi’s Song of the Reed. We’re just like this poor reed, uprooted and disconnected from our origin. Our hearts are heavy, overwhelmed, and weary by life challenges; so entangled in the web of daily hassles that it drifts away from its one and true consolation, from God. Like the reed, I lament. Lament about this deep yearning, this longing for connection, this heartache that splits my chest in two. Like the reed, I’m in agony, agony caused by separation, estrangement and disconnection. And, like the reed, I know that it is a journey I’m destined to travel – until we meet again!


Now, it’s your turn. Grab your journal and start writing.






0 Comments

Ramadan... Let's Tame the Elephant!

6/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ramadan is approaching fast… One week to go.
In our daily life, our hearts grow unavoidably heavy, exhausted, and weary. Our fast-paced life, our endless mental chatter, our daily chores and tasks urge us to run and rush all day long. Even when we rest our bodies at the end of the day, we rarely give our minds a break. Our mind keeps running while watching the news, surfing the net, scanning social media, or following the latest soap opera. Once a year, Ramadan comes to help us reach inner peace in our hearts and souls. Ramadan is the perfect opportunity for soul regeneration, for renewing our intention and reconsidering our life mission and meaning. It is time when we are reminded to live in the moment, truly embrace our sacred connection with God, and let it touch our hearts and revive our souls. Once a year comes the time to recharge our spiritual energy, purify our hearts, and clear our minds along with ridding our bodies from toxic burdens. It is time for refueling and recharging for a whole year to come. But How?
 
Jonathan Haidt in his book The Happiness Hypothesis compared our subconscious mental reality to an elephant that has its own will. And, our analytical, logical conscious mind is the rider on the back of the elephant. The rider seems to hold the rein and direct the elephant right and left… But, don’t be fooled, the rider can never force the elephant into a direction it does not want to go. The elephant is the one running the show… If the rider wants to stay in control, he better tames the elephant… And the best way of doing that is by LISTENING to what the elephant needs.
On one hand, the elephant is wired for self-protection, he only sees what is directly in front of him. He feels immediate pains, seeks immediate pleasures, and is motivated by pure survival instincts (well, food and sex mainly!) … In other words, our elephant has the control button for dopamine release- our feeling good and motivation neurotransmitter. The rider, on the other hand, is a visionary. He can delay gratification for future upcoming success. Yet, he possesses limited strength. Long struggles against willpower exhaust him so his hands get loose on the reins and he lets the elephant roam freely.
 
In our everyday life, we exhaust our ‘rider’ by too many choices, decisions, and useless struggles… We end up stressed and drained because we wear ourselves out with 100s of little daily choices and temptations… from resisting this doughnut with our morning coffee to controlling our temper with daily traffic, to choosing the outfit that makes us look thin or sexy, to managing our cool with the new boss or new employee or teenage boy or toddler…. We face 100s of tiny choices, temptations, and self-control decisions that wear us out. Trying to just go through life with the illusion that only by willpower we can achieve everything is just that: An illusion.
We keep beating ourselves up because we are lazy, we are weak or we didn’t try hard enough. Cut yourself some slack… regardless of how hard you try or how strong you are you can never pull the elephant if he does not want to come along with you.
As we are talking about Ramadan, We have always learned that Ramadan fasting is there to strengthen this self-control muscle… it is there to train us to be more in control of our desires… but unfortunately, we got the mechanism all wrong… if we treat our fasting as a mere training of self-restriction and self-control… we will be further wearing off our self-control muscle… this is why we see fasting people in this holy month more irritable, stressed, angry, and doing all sort of wrong stuff that fasting should actually solve not cause.
 
For Muslims, Ramadan fasting is not a mere physical exercise that trains us to withstand hunger.
Neither is it a mere psychological exercise that trains us to control our desires, temptations and urges.
Rather, Ramadan fasting is first and foremost a spiritual practice. “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain piety (God-consciousness).” (Quran, 2: 183)
 
Training our self-control muscles does not mean pulling harder on the rein and fighting the elephant. On the contrary, it means making peace with this elephant and motivating him to walk the path we want to walk.
We can only do that if we slow down, silence the chatter, purify our hearts, and LISTEN.
We can only do that if we reach inner peace within our hearts and souls.
This peace is achieved by slowing down and silencing the mind chatter… reaching this inner stillness in an increasingly noisy world. The silence we cultivate should strengthen our connection with God, with ourselves, with our family, with the whole society, and with our life meaning and purpose.
 
So, as we are approaching the holy month, I invite you to slow down… relax… take a deep breath… roll back your shoulders… and LISTEN! Deep inside, your heart knows its path… it knows its mission, it knows its direction and its ultimate purpose… You just need to LISTEN… The silence you cultivate will strengthen your connection with your purpose, will refine your intention, and add to your sincerity.
And, of course, we cannot ignore that “elephant in the room! The pandemic… For the second time, Ramadan is coming during these challenging times. As we won’t be able to congregate in the mosques; and extended families and friends won’t be allowed to gather over dinner tables, this Ramadan offers yet another special opportunity for deeper reflection, deeper connection with God, and deeper restoration of the soul focusing on Divine love and service.
​
0 Comments
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    About the Author

    Hi, I'm Amira... I'm all for simple, natural, uncomplicated life... My core values are derived from my Islamic faith... My definition of wellness includes lots of smiles, human interactions, delicious food, music, joy, colorful paint, Mediterranean sunshine, blue sky and turquoise sea, care, love, compassion and deep heart-felt peace.
    I love learning… I love books and art supplies… And, I am saddened by human conflict and intolerance.
     
    I am an introvert who loves being around people... I love building communities and gathering around the kitchen table... I am a teacher at heart... I simplify complex health science and speak openly about heart and soul stuff...

    I've been helping people on their health and healing journey for more than 20 years now and I am committed to be authentic, caring and a beacon of love and peace.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    July 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Art Healing
    Body Whispers
    Emotional Healing
    Energy
    Functional Nutrition
    Holistic Healing
    Holistic Living
    Islamic Medicine
    Mental Body
    Mind/Body
    Nutrition
    Recipes
    Spirituality
    Stress Management
    Stress Mangement
    Workshops
    مدونات باللغة العربية

    RSS Feed

 Disclaimer
My wellness coaching, workshops, teachings, and all the services I provide are at all times restricted to education, teaching and training on the subject of natural health matters intended for general natural health well-being and do not involve the diagnosing, prognosticating, treatment, or prescribing of remedies for the treatment of any disease, or any licensed or controlled act which may constitute the practice of  medicine. 
Any questions? Please email me at info@amiraayad.com 

Privacy Policy    Terms of Service