Table of Contents
Autumn 1991
The Autumn 1991 issue of the Sufi Journal explores themes of absence and presence, the flight of the spirit, and the heart’s vision of God.
In his discourse, Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh teaches that true absence from self arises only through presence with God, unfolding in the stations of breath and heart.
Essays consider Ruzbehan Baqli’s bird imagery, the Qalandariyyat in Persian mystical poetry, and the heart as the temple of the imaginal.
Stories recall the life of Abu Sa‘id Abo’l-Khayr and portray the closeness of ordinary neighbors, while poetry by Annemarie Schimmel, Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Robert Bly, Peter Lamborn Wilson, and Merida Blanco gives lyrical voice to longing, love, and remembrance.
Discourse
- Absence and Presence — Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh
Articles
- The Symbolism of Birds and Flight in the Writings of Ruzbehan Baqli — Carl W. Ernst
- The Qalandariyyat in Persian Mystical Poetry — J. T. P. de Bruijn
- The Heart: The Eye and the Temple of the Imaginal — Hugh Urban
Stories
- The Grand Shaikh of Khurasan: Abu Sa‘id Abo’l-Khayr — Jeffrey Rothschild
- Neighbors — Shulamit Benn
Poetry
- In Flight — Annemarie Schimmel
- Love and Desire — Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh
- Joseph the Lost Will Return — Robert Bly
- Travel — Peter Lamborn Wilson
- Words From a Friend — Merida Blanco