In the middle of the Twentieth Century . . .

. . . Irina Tweedie, a Russian-born woman mourning the death of her British naval-officer husband, sold their home in England to travel. In 1961, however, her travels ended in northern India where she encountered her spiritual teacher, a Sufi master. And her inner journey began. The man she called Bhai Sahib, or Elder Brother, trained her according to his own ancient tradition of the heart.

So when Mrs. Tweedie returned to England, six years later . . .

. . . this Mujaddidiyya tradition of Naqshbandi Sufism came with her. And it turns out that Sufism is not a religion at all, but rather a way of life; a way of living according to the wisdom within your own heart.

Sufism teaches that there are three parts to the inner journey . . .

. . . the journey out from God, the journey back to God, and the journey in God. The outbound journey ends when your heart turns back toward your Creator, your true Home. The tauba, or turning of the heart, happens when a person comes to know that his or her outbound journey is no longer working well. It is said that then, one may even feel a deep despair that is actually the longing for God.

This longing calls forth the compassion of the Creator, the mystery of Light upon light. And then God, whom Sufis may experience as their  Beloved, causes the heart to be turned so the seeker can begin the homeward journey. The turning of the heart can be the most significant event, or process, of one’s life and people say you are never the same afterward.

On this line you are given very little outward instruction . . .

. . . instead you are taught to look inward for guidance . . . through dreamwork in the way of Carl Jung, as well as a special heart-meditation; and also through simple heart-to-heart transmission.

At the behest of her teacher Mrs. Tweedie kept a diary of her training, published now under the title DAUGHTER OF FIRE. The diary is available in theosophical and other bookstores, or from the Golden Sufi Center of Inverness, California at www.goldensufi.org.

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