Study of Life: GOD – Self Guided
Gayan Macher - Pre-Recorded 4 hours video, 4 hours audio
Day One: God of Your Heart
Day Two: God Beyond the Sky
- Time: On Your Own Time
- Duration: 4 hours video, 4 hours audio
- Format: on Zoom
- Teacher: Gayan Macher
- Eligibility: open to all
- Questions? Contact us for questions about registration, eligibility and scholarships.
GOD
Whatever name we give to it, the ultimate longing of our heart is to make God real. We long to meet the living presence at the center of our lives.
“All that we know at first is the restlessness of our heart. And to the direction of our restless yearning, we give the name God.”
Day One: God of Your Heart
Our homesickness, our need for connection, is not a problem, but a sign. Follow it! There is a cure.
In this day we will learn to move closer to that cure: to the companion of our heart, our innermost being. Then we can say to the one within, as Rumi says, “we have always been together.”
We cannot worship the abstract. We cannot communicate, give anything to it nor take anything from it...it is a flower without fragrance.
When I am with you, we stay up all night. When you're not here, I can't go to sleep. Praise God for the two insomnias...
Day Two: God Beyond the Sky
Without Awe, there is a poverty in our souls.
Without Mystery, our lives may be efficient, yet we become dry.
We gather on this day to learn to expand our minds, to encounter the All-Encompassing Mystery beyond our conceptions.
My life is a wave on the ocean of Thy eternal life.
WHAT STUDENTS SAY
Gayan dives to the personal depths of the human condition and soars high on the expansive wings of inner freedom. I have been deeply touched, in a lasting and beautiful fashion, by his love, wisdom and embodiment of life’s purpose. ~Auriella
It is rare to be with someone as ‘clear’ as Gayan. He is not hampered by ego needs. His presence with others is sincere and nonjudgmental. ~Roy
Gayan supports the soul in answering its true questions. It is so obvious to see how people have grown with their work with him. To be witness to such a process is humbling and uplifting at the same time. ~Mary Azima
The Study of Life
Gayan offers a program series on the understanding of life, and of human maturation that is possible only through life’s experience. We see that the world is not meant to be perfect. But in trying to make it so, we become beautiful and life becomes sacred. What is required of us is an honest following of life's law. Nothing in this world is more important than the knowledge of human nature and the study of human life. ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan
The Practice of Inner Guidance
During the afternoon sessions we practice attuning to guidance. In this process, Gayan works with someone who is in touch with their “burning question”—a heart-felt desire to understand something more deeply. With Gayan’s support, they learn to deepen contact with the light of knowing coming from within, learning to hear the voice beneath incessant thinking. This is done in the presence of the rest of the group.
There is special value in practicing inner guidance in a group setting. On the surface our situations are unique, but as we look further, we recognize an underlying unity in our deepest questions. Secondly, and most importantly, witnesses observe how guidance functions. There are specific qualities we cultivate that are conducive to the revelation of meaning and truth.
Whatever name we give to it, the ultimate longing of our heart is to make God real. We long to meet the living presence at the center of our lives.
“All that we know at first is the restlessness of our heart. And to the direction of our restless yearning, we give the name God.”
Day One: God of Your Heart
Our homesickness, our need for connection, is not a problem, but a sign. Follow it! There is a cure.
In this day we will learn to move closer to that cure: to the companion of our heart, our innermost being. Then we can say to the one within, as Rumi says, “we have always been together.”
We cannot worship the abstract. We cannot communicate, give anything to it nor take anything from it...it is a flower without fragrance.
When I am with you, we stay up all night. When you're not here, I can't go to sleep. Praise God for the two insomnias...
Day Two: God Beyond the Sky
Without Awe, there is a poverty in our souls.
Without Mystery, our lives may be efficient, yet we become dry.
We gather on this day to learn to expand our minds, to encounter the All-Encompassing Mystery beyond our conceptions.
My life is a wave on the ocean of Thy eternal life.
Gayan dives to the personal depths of the human condition and soars high on the expansive wings of inner freedom. I have been deeply touched, in a lasting and beautiful fashion, by his love, wisdom and embodiment of life’s purpose. ~Auriella
It is rare to be with someone as ‘clear’ as Gayan. He is not hampered by ego needs. His presence with others is sincere and nonjudgmental. ~Roy
Gayan supports the soul in answering its true questions. It is so obvious to see how people have grown with their work with him. To be witness to such a process is humbling and uplifting at the same time. ~Mary Azima
The Study of Life
Gayan offers a program series on the understanding of life, and of human maturation that is possible only through life’s experience. We see that the world is not meant to be perfect. But in trying to make it so, we become beautiful and life becomes sacred. What is required of us is an honest following of life's law. Nothing in this world is more important than the knowledge of human nature and the study of human life. ~ Hazrat Inayat KhanThe Practice of Inner Guidance
During the afternoon sessions we practice attuning to guidance. In this process, Gayan works with someone who is in touch with their “burning question”—a heart-felt desire to understand something more deeply. With Gayan’s support, they learn to deepen contact with the light of knowing coming from within, learning to hear the voice beneath incessant thinking. This is done in the presence of the rest of the group.
There is special value in practicing inner guidance in a group setting. On the surface our situations are unique, but as we look further, we recognize an underlying unity in our deepest questions. Secondly, and most importantly, witnesses observe how guidance functions. There are specific qualities we cultivate that are conducive to the revelation of meaning and truth.
Teacher(s)
Gayan Macher
Gayan is a companion and guide to those who are called to the courageous path of love. He has practiced and taught the universal Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan his entire adult life. In addition, he has studied Buddhist practice, the Diamond Approach, and psychology, where he explored emerging understandings of the formation of the ego.
Gayan leads group retreats and has guided scores of individual students. He collaborated with Pir Zia Inayat Khan in designing Suluk Academy, and taught at Suluk for eight years. Along with Taj Inayat he created Sufi Retreats, and then New Rain, which became laboratories for the process of awakening and spiritual maturation.
A specialty of his work is leading Inner Guidance Groups, a process in which people learn the art of listening to the voice of truth and understanding coming from within.
Gayan also has a 40-year career as a consultant to executives of organizations, having worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profits of all sizes. Being a confidant to people in positions of significant responsibility has given him a front row seat for the study of leadership and human nature.
Among Gayan’s great loves is music. He plays guitar, and as a singer-song writer has recorded two CDs of original songs.
In the library
- Authors: Gayan Macher, |
- Themes: Spiritual Path, Truth, Witnessing,
If life is to have meaning, if guidance is real and we wish to find it, we must be sincere in our readiness to listen. We must want to hear what is in our hearts, and what has grown silent due to lack of attention.
- Authors: Zuleikha, |
- Themes:
"Someone fills the cup in front of us, we taste only sacredness”
Please rotate your device 90°.