Editor’s Note

Publishing the one hundredth issue of SUFI is indeed a milestone. But what does this marker signify? Perhaps more than anything else it signifies perseverance and endurance, traits essential to any serious endeavor on a spiritual path. Over the years a group of dedicated volunteers have devoted their time, skills, and energy to producing and publishing SUFI despite the demands of their busy professional and personal lives. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one for their labor of love.

Many contributors have also enriched the content of the journal over the years and helped us create a community of writers, researchers, poets, and artists, interested in the pursuit of truth and beauty, each in their own way. I also want to thank them for their unwavering support.

However, in the midst of a deadly pandemic, our celebration of SUFI’s hundredth issue is bittersweet. As we begin a new year, many people have lost loved ones, many more have lost incomes, and some have difficulty feeding themselves and their families. There is still a long road ahead of us before we see the end of this global suffering.

This issue of SUFI therefore partly addresses our present challenges in a mosaic of short responses by long-time contributors who have been asked to write about inspiration and hope amid so much suffering and pain. One could argue that to inspire has been the aim of SUFI all along. Whether it be a poem by Mark Nepo about finding beauty in unlikely places, an interview with Krishna Das about devotional music and spiritual journey, a conversation with Carl Ernst about his translation of Hallaj’s poetry, or a podcast by Fatemeh Keshavarz about Bayazid’s spiritual vision, we read, listen, and watch for a moment of connection, a flash of realization, a glimpse of the divine.

— Alireza Nurbakhsh