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Dearest Family,
Thanksgiving - Gratitude - to all, especially those of us who celebrate the HolyDay. Blessings on all your family gatherings and blessings to all, with the feeling of deep gratitude for each of you and for our precious family and Lineage stream.
It seems appropriate to dedicate this note to you to our dear Murshid Wali Ali, who is in his transition out of this body.
What a treasure Murshid Wali Ali has been to our entire Sangha and the world and to me. From his dedicated service living with Murshid Sam and being his Esoteric Secretary to standing by and with Pir Moineddin in transmitting the treasury of guidance and teachings we received from Murshid Sam and the lineage, for being a guide to so many, and a friend to us all.
We first met in May-June1969 in Colorado Springs at Pir Vilayat’s first sufi camp in the US. There were about 35 people, 20 of whom were Murshid Sam’s mureeds. I had come from New York City, knowing in my heart that in July I would move into community with Baba Ram Dass in Franklin, New Hampshire.
By far the biggest feature of the Colorado camp was the introduction to the Dances of Universal Peace. As the camp came to a close, Wali Ali and another mureed of Murshid Sam's named Ayesha invited me to come to San Francisco to meet their teacher! I had time before my journey to Ram Dass and came to California, met Murshid and the dances under Murshid.
By October 1969, the New Hampshire experiment was complete and I was back in the Bay Area and becoming Murshid Sam’s mureed. After Murshid’s passing in January 1971, Wali Ali somehow was the anchor for San Francisco and I joined in support of Pir Moineddin as anchor in Marin County. Nearly all of the mureeds at the time lived that close.
I remember making one for the first journeys out of the Bay Area to Oregon with Wali Ali and Shirin to begin to share the treasures we received and were still receiving from Murshid Sam.
Wali Ali’s steadfastness in standing with and supporting Pir Moineddin was remarkable. And 30 years later when I was empowered to be the Pir, I felt the same steady support, friendship and guidance from my brother Wali Ali.
Wali Ali and his family lived in our home in the early 2000’s and we shared an office. His son Murali was born here.
Starting around 2001, I began the Wazifa Project with Imam Bilal and Faisal Muqaddam. When I would come home from our meetings, Wali Ali was always keen to hear what we had discovered that day. By 2006 we had more than 1000 pages of transcripts and sorely needed an editor to turn the transcripts into a book. I requested Wali Ali, to be that editor, he agreed, and we all know the profound result, which took another 5 years to take birth.
Wali Ali was a mainstay in the form of the Sufi Sesshin which manifested around the early 2000’s and taught with us every year, bringing his wisdom, presence and especially unfolding the walking practices Murshid had so graciously shared with the world.
My dear friend, teacher, companion and colleague, may your release from this decaying form be filled with ease and grace. I feel Murshid will be welcoming you and guiding you along the way.
Naturally I will keep the community abreast of the unfolding in the coming days and weeks.
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