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Ready for 2022? Reflection # 7

21/12/2021

It is time to build some habits… Studies show that mere positive visioning of the desired outcome is not enough to take us there. The “Law of Attraction” does not work if we do not do the work.

If you have been following with me so far, you should now have the feeling that you want to embody in 2022. You have some goals in mind, be they material or psychological or spiritual. It is time to set some habits that will take you to your desired goals.
I like to divide my habits into 3 categories: Body, Mind & Spirit.

Body – What healthy food, exercise, or sleep practices do you need to put in place that will help you reach your goals and desired feeling?

Mind - what mental habits, states, or beliefs do you need to adopt for your specific goals? What daily, weekly or monthly habits do you need to set in place? Ex. studying time, reading habits, silence and reflection time, accountability and tracking habits, reminders, social connection, self-care practices, relationship habits…

Spirit– In our daily life, we feed our body and mind, but we forget to feed our spirit – The only food for the spirit is its connection with its source, with the Divine. How do you do that? Focus on your heart. Our heart is the gateway between this earthly realm and the Unseen – between the body/mind and the Divine spirit within us.
So, what habits of heart purification do you need to set in place for this heart to be able to reflect the beauty of your spirit?

Set some time this week to work on those habits and plans… Let’s make this New Year the best that we can.

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Ready for 2022? Reflection #6

14/12/2021

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Now that you decided how you want to feel in 2022, it is time to dig deeper.

For me, once I decided I want to feel At Peace, I started to ponder what does “at peace” mean to me? The same feeling can mean different thing to different people.

I took time to reflect and journal and three meanings came to mind:

Persistence, Congruence & Connection

Persistence: Reaching peace and tranquility is a hard task… it needs work and persistence. Persistence means continuing firmly on my course of action in spite of difficulty and opposition… Continuing to strive, to endure... Persistence is part of being resilient, content and patient… “Just keep going!” as Little Dori says.

Congruence: At peace requires that I work on keeping my body, mind, heart, and soul in agreement and harmony all the time. Again, hard task… but, hopefully doable.

Connection: Keeping my connection to my heart and soul, to God, to His Book, to my family, my community, to the world and to life itself.

These might not sound like “goals” in the conventional, western sense of the word, yet, at this stage of my journey, these psychological and spiritual goals seemed more important and more of a priority than any material achievements.

You might be at a different stage of your life, you might add some material goals like passing exams, buying a house or focusing on your family… That’s totally fine… Think and craft your list…

Have a beautiful week

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2021: My Favorite Books

7/12/2021

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Books are my life… my addiction… In 2021, I kept my practice of one book a week… Yet, I decided to slow down on buying new books and try to re-read, re-explore some of my old favourite and classics. Here is the list of my favourite read and re-reads in 2021:

1. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

With all the talk about inclusivity, tolerance and diversity; and, with all the polarization happening right now, this is a must read book. It explores how Western education have shaped or changed our definition and interpretation of ethics and morality. Although I disagree with some of the author’s ideas, I still see it as a brilliant unpacking of a serious dilemma we are facing.

2. Ideas Have Consequences

A classic! How simple seemingly innocent and harmless idea could shape the future of human kind and change our lives forever.

3. Entering the Castle: Finding the Inner Path to God & Your Soul Purpose

This book is Caroline Myss’ take on St. Teresa of Avila’s masterpiece, The Interior Castle. It explores the interpretation and application of st. Teresa's teachings in our modern everyday life. How to be a mystic without a monastery?

4. Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

At a point in our life, we find ourselves craving deeper connection with our soul that takes our spiritual/religious practice into a higher level. Although it is written from a Christian perspective, I believe that the teachings are universal pertaining to all traditional schools of thought.

5. The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe

This book is a much more accessible and reader-friendly description of the Polyvagal Theory than dr. Porges’ first book, The Polyvagal Theory. If you work with stress, trauma, or attachment theories, this book is an important addition to your practice.

6. Soul Searching: Why Psychotherapy Must Promote Moral Responsibility

With all the hype of self-help, self-empowerment, individualization, personal freedom and all those post-modern ideas, are we taking it too far? Are we, as counsellors and therapists, catering to narcissists? Where does morality fit in our practice?

7. Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions

Written in 1965, this book discusses the radical difference in worldview between the traditionalists and the modernists. It is written from a Sufi perspective and discusses whether what we call “ancient beliefs” are superstitions or are our modern theories (which are just that: theories and hypothesis) the real superstitions?

8. Physicians of the Heart

This book takes us into a deep dive into the 99 Names of God in the Muslim faith discussing how to apply and embody their meaning to reach our full potential as human beings.

9. Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health Care

Finally!!! A book on Islamic psychotherapy that does not simply Islamize Western views. Yet, it does not ignore Western, modern, or conventional science either. It combines the best of both worlds in the ultimate benefit of the Muslim client. The book is written by Western trained psychologists and psychiatrist who are deeply rooted in their Islamic tradition.

10. The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings

The book discusses the Worldview of Tolkien as a Christian author who wrote one of the best stories/myth/fairy tale in the modern era, and how he brilliantly yet subtly portrayed this worldview in The Lord of the Rings…
Although there is some ontological difference in Tolkien's worldview and the Islamic cosmological standpoint, yet, the book is valuable in showing how a well-written novel can re-enchant our arid profane world.

11. Unimaginable: What We Imagine and What We Can't

Imagination has been considered as a faculty of the human soul since the time of Plato, passing by St. Augustine till our modern era. Imagination is such a powerful tool yet it is a double-edge sword that could wreck havoc if left to roam “freely.”

12. Layers of Meaning: Elements of Visual Journaling

An art therapist’s beautifully illustrated colourful book that teaches the basics of the use of art journaling as a tool for excavating layers of meaning from deep within our soul.

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Ready for 2022? Reflection #5

7/12/2021

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The feeling I aimed for in 2020 was “safe” and for 2021 was “connected.” It took me some time to realize that both words are some how “connected”. Safety comes from within, from feeling connected to my authentic deepest soul and thus connected to God on a much deeper level.

If we look at it from a worldly perspective, 2020 was as far from safety as one could imagine especially if you work in the health care sector engaging with Covid patients on a daily basis. Yet, I was safe, I was protected on a much deeper level, protected physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually by an All- Powerful, All- loving, All-merciful Creator. I was safe within the chaos of the world and the chaos of my own personal life challenges.

And, then, came 2021. I guess when I chose the word “connected”, I was thinking about my social isolation, I had moved into a new city, a new setting, a new job; I was harshly judged by my own community, rejected and alienated by many people who I once considered close friends – yet, God had intended for me a much deeper connection… connection with Him SWT. I spent so much time during this year in what Joseph Campbell calls, “the Belly of the Whale,” trying to make sense of the chaos of my life.

One thing I learned about the nature of this Belly of the Whale is that you do not get to choose when or how you get out… you just surrender… totally surrender and once you reach that stage… once you are ready, you’ll find yourself in the world again totally renewed and rejuvenated, totally transformed and restored – a better and more wholesome version of you… a version that is free of judgement, free from anger or resentment, a version that is filled with love for the world even if this world still seems unfair and unfriendly.. a version that is “connected” to herself, to God and to the world… a version that is at peace with life ambiguity and paradoxes… AT PEACE! This feels like the my needed word for 2022... Feeling at peace.

So, how do I want to feel in 2022? I want to feel At Peace... peace of mind and heart. I am craving for a tranquil soul (Nafs mutma’inna), satisfied, and content… A soul that is working for love & service, a soul embodying the beauty that God created deep inside all of us… a soul that trust God in the dark as well as in the light moments… a soul that surrenders yet keeps working and striving for spiritual excellence (Ihsan). A soul At Peace!

Now, it is your turn, how do you want to feel in 2022?

Have a beautiful week.

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Ready for 2022? Reflection # 7

Ready for 2022? Reflection #6

2021: My Favorite Books

1. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

2. Ideas Have Consequences

3. Entering the Castle: Finding the Inner Path to God & Your Soul Purpose

4. Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

5. The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe

6. Soul Searching: Why Psychotherapy Must Promote Moral Responsibility

7. Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions

8. Physicians of the Heart

9. Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health Care

10. The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings

11. Unimaginable: What We Imagine and What We Can't

12. Layers of Meaning: Elements of Visual Journaling

Ready for 2022? Reflection #5

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