The Great Simurgh is none other than The Great and Powerful Awes. In many ways, Akbarian lore reminds each part of us to stay together for the whole. Isn't the whole always more or greater than the parts? May we be whole, rather than one, could begin again to invite each bird to first be and then become part of the whole, again.
What touches me most is the recognition that our deepest guidance does not arise from certainty, control, or the search for someone to save us.
Again and again, I have found that wisdom emerges in the space between us — when we are willing to listen deeply enough to one another, to ourselves, and to the quiet movements of Spirit beneath the noise.
Sacred Listening asks us to loosen our grip on being right, to release our attachment to certainty, and to enter relationship with curiosity, a commitment to discovery, and humility instead.
The thirty birds discovered that what they sought was already emerging among them through the journey itself. In much the same way, I hold that the future we long for is not waiting somewhere ahead. It is born whenever we gather with open hearts and remember how to listen.
Thank you for this beautiful reflection.
And there is something else.
The prayer itself could almost be read as a prayer for Sacred Listening:
"Teach us how to remain together without demanding perfection from one another...
Help us become people capable of listening deeply, grieving honestly, and walking gently beside one another..."
In 2025, I became obsessed with the pre-Easter, historical Jesus. I had to ask myself: How can I claim to live out a faith I’ve never actually investigated? Would I have followed this man then? Would I follow him today?
Historically, I’ve rushed into relationships, ignoring red flags, accepting whatever stuck, and calling it macaroni. That is the exact trap many Christians fall into. We are told what to believe before we ever get the chance to fall in love with Jesus. We just go through the motions and fall in line with a transactional, "free grace bologna" illusion.
Realizing I needed a courtship period with Jesus, I created one. In one year, I read over 50 books, developed a deep centering prayer practice, and spent Advent reading Tolstoy’s The Gospel in Brief. Fittingly, it ends with Jesus on the cross.
Now what?
I sat with that for weeks. Having deconstructed, I cannot unlearn the facts I've absorbed. Paradoxically, what happened after the crucifixion no longer matters to me. What I know without a doubt is that I would have surrendered to Jesus of Nazareth. I would have kept my eyes locked on his calloused heels and the dirty hem of his garment, chasing after him. My teacher, my love, my heart.
He showed us how extraordinary humanity can be when nothing blocks love. My best guess is that when we finally wake up from the illusions of the false self, we can replicate his life the only way that matters: collectively through the action of the Beatitudes. The beauty is that we can start right now.
Reminds me of a great book I read in my undergrad theology class called “The Myth of Certainty.” We can have confidence that God acts in specific ways or values specific things based on a pattern of actions, but never certainty of how things will pan out.
Also, two of my favorite bands use that Rumi quote in their songs 😁
As Anne Lamott says, "The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty."
I'll meet you in the field.
Can’t be said any better!!!
The Great Simurgh is none other than The Great and Powerful Awes. In many ways, Akbarian lore reminds each part of us to stay together for the whole. Isn't the whole always more or greater than the parts? May we be whole, rather than one, could begin again to invite each bird to first be and then become part of the whole, again.
Beautiful words , inspiring ❤️🙏❤️
What touches me most is the recognition that our deepest guidance does not arise from certainty, control, or the search for someone to save us.
Again and again, I have found that wisdom emerges in the space between us — when we are willing to listen deeply enough to one another, to ourselves, and to the quiet movements of Spirit beneath the noise.
Sacred Listening asks us to loosen our grip on being right, to release our attachment to certainty, and to enter relationship with curiosity, a commitment to discovery, and humility instead.
The thirty birds discovered that what they sought was already emerging among them through the journey itself. In much the same way, I hold that the future we long for is not waiting somewhere ahead. It is born whenever we gather with open hearts and remember how to listen.
Thank you for this beautiful reflection.
And there is something else.
The prayer itself could almost be read as a prayer for Sacred Listening:
"Teach us how to remain together without demanding perfection from one another...
Help us become people capable of listening deeply, grieving honestly, and walking gently beside one another..."
So very beautiful, and so very real.
Beautifully said! One of my favorites! We are in this together!🥰🙏🏻
Love this! “Real change happens in relationships.” Amen to that. Thank you, Cameron.
In 2025, I became obsessed with the pre-Easter, historical Jesus. I had to ask myself: How can I claim to live out a faith I’ve never actually investigated? Would I have followed this man then? Would I follow him today?
Historically, I’ve rushed into relationships, ignoring red flags, accepting whatever stuck, and calling it macaroni. That is the exact trap many Christians fall into. We are told what to believe before we ever get the chance to fall in love with Jesus. We just go through the motions and fall in line with a transactional, "free grace bologna" illusion.
Realizing I needed a courtship period with Jesus, I created one. In one year, I read over 50 books, developed a deep centering prayer practice, and spent Advent reading Tolstoy’s The Gospel in Brief. Fittingly, it ends with Jesus on the cross.
Now what?
I sat with that for weeks. Having deconstructed, I cannot unlearn the facts I've absorbed. Paradoxically, what happened after the crucifixion no longer matters to me. What I know without a doubt is that I would have surrendered to Jesus of Nazareth. I would have kept my eyes locked on his calloused heels and the dirty hem of his garment, chasing after him. My teacher, my love, my heart.
He showed us how extraordinary humanity can be when nothing blocks love. My best guess is that when we finally wake up from the illusions of the false self, we can replicate his life the only way that matters: collectively through the action of the Beatitudes. The beauty is that we can start right now.
Reminds me of a great book I read in my undergrad theology class called “The Myth of Certainty.” We can have confidence that God acts in specific ways or values specific things based on a pattern of actions, but never certainty of how things will pan out.
Also, two of my favorite bands use that Rumi quote in their songs 😁
Grateful for this! The reminder about Jewish, Christian and Muslim similarities, and the excellent unpacking of the Journey of the Thirty Birds.
Relationships, humility, slow change.
❤️