Dear Friends,
Let’s look back and pause… Think of what and who has inspired us, the journeys we’ve taken, the people we’ve met… Loved ones we have lost… Let us thank all of them… For each person and each moment has helped us to be the person we are today. An old Russian proverb states “Hope is the last thing to die.” How do we find hope when we face such an uncertain and chaotic world? A powerful way to develop a sense of meaning and cope with crisis is to step outside of ourselves and be of service to others. When we can put ourselves in another person’s shoes it helps us transcend beyond our own problems and concerns. Perhaps a primary way to find hope is to challenge ourselves to make a commitment to growth and find hidden inside us what we are truly capable of.
A big thank you to all who came and contributed to make our second annual online Yalda celebration a success on Dec. 21 with live traditional music, dances, poetry reading, presentations, quizzes, stories, workshops, cooking workshops and your participation! Artists included Farima Berenji, Seyed Salman Hosseini, Nariman Assadi, Dr. Lloyd Miller, Rashid Sadat, Katherine St. John, Simorgh Dancers, Eastern Arts Dancers, Jeffrey Paul, and others.
This month I recall fondly our largest and most lavish dance production yet to a sell-out crowd–our January 2020 performance of the Journey of the Simorgh, a retelling of the 12th century epic The Conference of the Birds in dance and music (pictured above). I hope the chance comes again soon for us to perform before such large audiences.
I am looking forward to resuming my Sacred and Persian Classical dance classes Saturdays this February. Classes are online or in-person by reservation. Good news! I will make class recordings available online for my whirling student Patreon members no later than February 1. Visit my class page or Patreon page for more details soon.
Sundays 10-11am Pacific join Master Seyed Salman Hosseini and I for an international gathering of friends for meditation, live music, Sufi lecture and discussion, and healing in Sacred Circle. Master Seyed Salman Hosseini and I also host a study of Yarsan Sufi Music Theory Wednesday evenings online. See below for all details.
Wishing you safety, love, and health in 2022!
Farima
I sail with you on the ocean of my dreams
to a far away distant Place of great beauty and tranquility.
where suffering and pain do not exist,
where we give praises for our joy and happiness,
where our Love intertwines with Love for all things.
― Rumi