Munajat: “whispered prayers,” or “intimate conversations with God” … {pointing} to the unspeakable majesty of the Real ~ Pir Elias Amidon

prayer majesty of the real

Munajat, a book of forty prayers, is recent book by Pir Elias Amidon. The beautiful and profound nature of these prayers is best appreciated with Elias’ opening Note from the book:

The forty prayers in this little book were originally inspired by the Munajat — “whispered prayers,” or “intimate conversations with God” — of the 12th Century Persian Sufi, Abdullah Ansari. Intimate prayer like this suits the sensibility of Sufis — Ibn Arabi, Rumi, Hafez and many others became masters of it. On the one hand praying in this manner is love-talk evoking the nearness of divine reality, and on the other hand it can’t help but go mute as it points to the unspeakable majesty of the Real. It’s a form of prayer that endears at the same time that it is in awe.

These prayers were written over a period of forty dawns as part of a practice (called a chilla in our tradition) that I gave myself. Writing them didn’t feel to me like writing in the usual way — it was more like waiting. Waiting and listening. Then my heart would start whispering and I’d try to write it down. Often when a prayer came to its end I’d find it bewildering, and not very well written. I’d do my best to close my notebook then and not fuss with it. Coming back to them later I’d begin to hear what they were trying to say. My hope in sharing them with you is that they may do that for you too.

Here’s one of Elias’ “intimate conversations with God”reflect … and enjoy!

prayers galaxies

Beloved
you strike my heart with fear
when I glimpse
the smallest corner of your immensity,
stars scattered everywhere,
galaxies flung into infinite space.

prayer cathedral

In the cathedral of your light
I am nothing.
How is it then, in your mercy,
you breathe with me here on this pillow?
How is it you care to be so intimate?
I don’t understand.

Forgive my questions.
I don’t need to understand.
I only need to love you
with this love that is yours.

  ~~ Pir Elias Amidon

— — — —

More teachings from Pir Elias Amidon are coming soon … so stay tuned. 


We are honored to offer this profound and beautiful prayer by Pir Elias Amidon. It is published here with his gracious permission and is sourced from his latest book, Munajat.

Below is a brief BIO for Pir Elias, excerpted from the The Open Path /The Sufi Way website, and is in lieu of his teacher page on Stillness Speaks, which will be added shortly … and as is typical of our teacher pages, it will provide a comprehensive view about his background, and work:

“Elias Amidon is the spiritual director (Pir) of the Sufi Way. He has been an initiate of the Sufi Way for the past 44 years, and was appointed as the Pir of the order in 2004 by the previous Pir, Sitara Brutnell. His root teacher in the order was Pir Fazal Inayat-Khan. Pir Elias has also studied with Qadiri Sufis in Morocco, Theravaden Buddhist teachers in Thailand, Native American teachers of the Assemblies of the Morning Star, Christian monks in Syria, Zen teachers of the White Plum Sangha, and contemporary teachers in the Dzogchen tradition.”

He “… has worked as a schoolteacher, carpenter, architect, professor, writer, anthologist, environmental educator, peace activist, wilderness quest guide, and spiritual teacher. He founded, co-founded, or helped to develop several schools: the Heartwood School, the Institute for Deep Ecology, the Boulder Institute for Nature and the Human Spirit, the graduate program in Environmental Leadership at Naropa University, and the Open Path.”

He is the “Author of the book The Open Path – Recognizing Nondual Awareness, and co-editor of the books Earth Prayers, Life Prayers, and Prayers for a Thousand Years, he has worked for many years in the fields of peace and environmental activism in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and with indigenous tribes in Thailand and Burma on issues of cultural continuity and land rights. He was instrumental in founding the Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil (Abraham’s Path), an international project dedicated to helping Middle Eastern countries open a network of cultural routes and walking trails through the region. He continues to travel widely teaching Open Path and other Sufi Way programs.”

Images: (all edited and logo added) 1 & Featured) Mt. Hood by Zach Dischner, CC BY 2.0, 2) Andromeda Galaxy by skeeze, CCO Public Domain, 3) Meditation by  Moyan BrennCC BY 2.0.

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