Earth Spirits
Workshop with Pir Zia Inayat Khan, Scherto Gill, Mir Ravanbakhsh Yüzkhan
Week 1A, July 25th – 30th, 2022

Do we arrive on Earth when we are born and depart when we die? Consider, instead, the possibility that we have always been earthlings. We lived first in Earth’s soul, then in her mind, and now at last in her body. We will return to her mind and soul; in fact, our minds and souls already live there.
In this week of meditation, conversation, and music, we will rediscover ourselves, each other, and every being – elemental, mineral, vegetal, and animal – as Earth spirits.

Pir Zia Inayat Khan carries the Sufi lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. He received his Ph.D. in Religion from Duke University. His books include Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity, and the Mystical Quest, Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions, and Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Suluk Academy. Now based in Richmond, Virginia, he and his family live both in the United States and France.

Professor Scherto Gill (PhD) is Director of Global Humanity for Peace Institute, University of Wales. She is also Senior Fellow at the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace (GHFP) and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA). Scherto leads a UNESCO Initiative on Collective Healing and Educational Transformation, and chairs the G20 Interfaith Forum‘s Education Working Group. Amongst her most recent publications are: Lest We Lose Love (Anthem Press) Happiness, Flourishing and the Good Life: A Transformative Vision of Human Well-Being (Routledge), Understanding Peace Holistically (Peter Lang), Being Peace, Making Peace (Spirit of Humanity Press)

Mir Ravanbakhsh Yüzkhan currently studies Religion at the Honors College at George Mason University and works at the university. He plays traditional Turkic music and is proficient in several instruments, with a focus on the oud and dombra. Some of his recordings can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4g4rpc3nGApnzBo6Aeofig