It was on one April weekend in a quite area in London when I was introduced to the world of Ibn Arabi, and ever since I have been a person with a different view of the world than before.
It was a casual setting; the room has cushions and lanterns around the corners... Amber infusions fill the space while the room softly soak in the daylight from outside...
The reading group consisted of 8 people coming from different walks of life... It was intimate, and that was necessary as it spread along two full days of reading the Introduction of the Metaphysics of Ibn Arabi's Unity of Being. Some were coming for their second or third time to the reading session, and some like me, were walking into this vast world for the first time.
As an artist-in-research, it was essential to delve into the world of Ibn Arabi and understand his premises as “first-hand” user of his knowledge. Ibn Arabi, "named the Great Scholar", was considered one of the main scholars in Islam who combined strands of knowledge in metaphysics, cosmology, philosophy in Islamic doctrines. Thus, it was important to understand the essence of his philosophy that was the main inspirational source for Islamic creative concepts in order to know how to expand it... and be inspired by it..
Much of what Ibn Arabi was describing feel so natural, so simple, yet very complex and layered. The reading was quite intense in the sense that it pushes intellectual boundaries to understand the Islamic philosophy of Being and Reality of the existing world. Being in a group setting helped a lot in trying to understand certain meanings and collectively analyzing parts of the text from different perspectives.
While reading I found myself visualizing and sketching some diagrams to understand certain meanings in the text. Even with massive amount of information and findings, I found myself at ease at the end of the session. Suddenly the fast pace of everyday life slowed down and everything around me was a window to self-contemplation.
To know more about the reading and zikr sessions visit:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/188255528207134/