Study with Fawzia at her zawiyyah in
Vienna, Austria and Marrakesh, Morocco
A two year
training in Sufism and Sufi Healing Practices begins this
December in Vienna, Austria. The classes are a week long each
and will take place in December and June, beginning December
14th, 2009 and ending the end of June 2011.
Some of the
possible topics to be covered in the training:
-
Working with
feminine and masculine energy.
-
Traditional
healings following the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (sas).
-
Introduction
in Arabic medicine.
-
Concentration
practices and different dhikr techniques.
-
Traditional
Sufi breathing techniques.
-
Working and
healing with the Divine Qualities from Fawzia's book on the
Divine Names.
-
Rituals for
healing environment and the 4 Elements and 4 Kingdoms.
The training:
2 year training of
4 one-week sessions.
Dates:
December 14 - 21,
2009
June 21-28, 2010
Dates for the following year to be decided.
Location:
1st year: Fawzia's
zawiyyah in Vienna, Austria
2nd year: Possibly
one training will be held in Morocco and one here in the US.
Cost:
2000 Euros which
is about $3000 per session. This does not include airfare which
is about $1000.
NOTE: If
you cannot attend the entire training due to financial hardship,
we encourage you to attend when you can even if it's only one
session.
Fawzia
is the daughter-in-law of our guide, Sidi Muhammad al Jamal ar-Rafa'i and has studied very closely under his tutelage. Those
of us who have spent any time with her find her to be an
expiring example of "being the love". For most, it is not as
important what she is teaching as it is just being in her
presence and drinking from her wisdom. And for Americans, to
watch how she balances her busy schedule with strength and
softness is something to both admire and to exemplify. She is an
internationally sought after teacher and author and we are still
trying to coax her over here, but her busy schedule does not yet
permit. So, in the meantime, we must go to the teacher! But
observing Fawzia in her own environment with her family, her
students and her life blended in with our classes is truthfully
a big part of the teaching.
Although traditionally she has taught
women exclusively, Sidi has asked her to open up her teachings
to men as well and she now holds retreats for couples in her
zawiyyah in Vienna. Both men and women are welcome to this 2
year program. And as financial hardship seems to be hitting most
people in this country, the class will not be closed to those
who can only do the whole two years. We will have openings, most
likely, for those who want to go for a one-week session only.
Please contact Hakima@suficentersandiego.org if you are
interested.
Books by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi
are available at
www.sufigifts.com Midnight Tales - A Woman's Journey through
the Middle East and Grandmother's Secret's:
The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of
Belly Dancing.
Quotes from Fawzia
"Through the intensity of the dancing
moment, new worlds and possibilities open to one's
understanding. Through the movements of the body, the heart
opens and a great reconciliation with oneself and others can
take its course."
"Dancing offers the conscious and the
unconscious, the rational and the intuitive, a space in which
they may gradually flow into each other. In belly dancing,
feelings can surface gently and safely, acknowledged and win
acceptance, so that life may be seen from another perspective."
Excerpts from a talk on the situation
in Iraq in 2003 by Fawsia
http://www.women-without-borders.org/news/archive/18/
Rosina Fawzia Al-Rawi was one of the key speakers of the WwB
Matinee "Women in War" on March 9th 2003.
Fawzia's Bio:
Fawzia Al-Rawi-Al-Rifai
was born in Bagdad to a family with Sufi tradition following the
Rifa'iyya school. She spent her childhood in Bagdad and Lebanon.
Having a European mother, she learned from the beginning what it
meant to be inside a circle and outside at the same time.
Fawzia studied in
Austria, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and she made her
Ph.D. in Islamic sciences and linguistics.
A dream brought
her to Jerusalem where she met Sidi. There, a two week visit
became a twelve year stay. During this time she studied with
Sidi and also deepened the roots of her family tradition.
The Shaduliyya
path brought her also to Morocco where she works with different
Sufi schools and traditions.
Fawzia now lives
in Vienna with her husband and three children. She has opened a
zawiyya named "The House of Peace." This zawiyya is visited by
people from all over the world.
Fawzia's teachings
are rooted in the rich Sufi and Islamic tradition starting with
dhikr, fikr, muraqaba, working with the Divine Names, the Arabic
language, dance, whirling, femininity, breathing and healing
techniques, healing through music, and sound therapy.
"The House of
Peace" is carried by women and open for all seekers on the path
of Light and Oneness.
