May 2010
 
 
The Farm of Peace Newsletter
The Farm of Peace and Sufi Spiritual Retreat Center, Warfordsburg, PA

lambsfield

Our Mission: The Farm of Peace is a spiritual community that provides love, peace, healing, nourishment and spiritual guidance to all of creation. We seek to bring peace and healing to individuals -- adults and children -- and the world by putting into practice the Love at the core of all religions.

Dear Friends,

"Baah! Baah!" resounds through the pasture as our growing flock of sheep enjoys the cool, sunny weather and the delicious green grass. The lambs are so delightful to watch as they jump and play and learn to find their moms. (The photo above was sent to us by Russ Sprague, who visited the Farm -- twice -- with his family from Kensington, Md.)

The sheep were shorn in early April, producing 18 big fleeces. Maryam Richter, an accomplished spinner and weaver, brought her expertise to the Farm of Peace. Maryam shared her vision for turning the fleeces from the recently shorn sheep into prayer rugs and other products. She brought her spinning wheel and other implements, demonstrating how to clean, card, spin and ply the fleece into yarn. Inshallah some of the beloveds will be excited to continue to practice these skills to create yarn that can be used for knitting or weaving.

Spring brings many changes to the farm, including new residents. As you will read below, we welcome Amin Mills and Halima Willett and Kyle and Eyrie to the farmhouse, their new home!

The CSA garden is getting underway, and there is still opportunity for anyone who has not joined the CSA to become a member and enjoy the bounty throughout the summer and fall. Read more in this newsletter.

We have several exciting events lined up at the Farm this spring and summer. This year the Unity Music Festival expands to three days of music, camping, workshops, kids' activities and enjoying community. Read below for more information about this fabulous festival.

Salima will lead zawiyah spiritual retreat, May 18-23; this is such a great opportunity to come and taste the silence and sacredness of your deep heart. Also coming up are a Veterans' Spiritual Healing Workshop (May 13-16) and a Couples' Retreat (June 17-20). And once again this summer, there will be an amazing camp for children here at the Farm.

Looking ahead, the planning has already begun for this year's Sufi School East. Inshallah we will be welcoming Sidi and beloveds from around the nation and the world this summer. Also on the horizon, Sidi has given the direction to build a mosque, and there will be a community gathering in Bethesda, Md., on May 9 to begin to create a vision for the mosque. Everyone's contribution is invited, so plan on joining this discussion (see Upcoming Events for details).

There are many ways for you, your friends and your family to taste the beauty of the Farm of Peace. A recent Farm Vacation guest wrote: "Thank you for the wonderful and restful visit. I so enjoyed staying on the farm and spending time in an intentionally slow and mindful way. Thank you for your support of this by making the farm the special place it is, and your generosity. I hope to come again, and look forward to reconnecting then."

If you haven't visited the Farm lately, we would love to see you! Come and make a day of it -- have a picnic and visit the sheep, join us for a work day, help prepare for the Unity Music Festival, enjoy a heart-filling day of zawiyah -- there are so many opportunities here. This is such a wonderful time to visit the farm -- everyone is invited to come and share the peace and beauty of Allah's creation.

Peace and blessings to all,

Halima Reilly, Editor


Blessings of Living in Community
Welcome to Amin, Halima, Kyle & Eyrie
aminhalima Last month the farmhouse welcomed new residents Amin Mills and Halima Willett, and their sons, Kyle, age 9 and Eyrie, age 6. Amin is the manager of the CSA and has been busy starting seeds and getting the garden beds ready for planting. Halima is busy every day caring for Kyle and Eyrie, teaching them through everyday activities such as baking (lots of opportunity to learn math!).

Halima shares, "I am extremely grateful to be living here at the Farm of Peace. I have longed to live in community, and the way this happened is so Divinely serendipitous. Allah moved us here; I could feel that He knew what I needed more than I did - He knew what I needed and when I needed it. Our new situation has unfolded to be so much more generous than what I had imagined. Moving here has shown me the lesson of patience and in trusting that the longings in our hearts are being listened to and fulfilled when the time is right.

"This is such a great place to raise kids - so wonderful to look out the window and see the lambs in the field. I am reminded of the story of the honeybee - to be like the honeybee and take from the sweetness of Allah and turn it into honey to share. I feel that this is a chance for me to know what is my true service. This is the best place for me to learn and discover."

At last year's New Year's Eve khalwah, when the beloveds spoke their hopes and wishes for the new year, Amin expressed his desire to be in the world but not of it. "To see myself in the din, not feel I am in the dunya," says Amin. "The move to the Farm of Peace is fulfilling my wish, so quickly."

"I like to be able to walk out the door and walk to work," Amin says of his job as CSA manager. "I had a house and job that I liked; now I have a home and a job that I love."

"Kyle and Eyrie like it here - they like having their friends nearby and they enjoy the gatherings and potlucks at the farmhouse with the other kids. Halima Jen has incorporated egg collection into a home-school project for the boys. They keep track of the number of eggs and the different colors, and how many cartons are filled each week.

"I am looking forward to pulling fresh vegetables off the vine this summer, inshallah," says Amin. "And I'm looking forward to being so close that I can attend the entire Unity Music Festival this year - I won't miss any of it!"

What's Happening on the Farm
An Update from Kamila Dinning, Farm Manager
CSA The CSA garden, which has been expanded to two acres, is being prepared for planting. Some of the seeds have already gone in; however, most are in the seedling stage, being grown under lights in the warm basement of the IPC. Amin Mills, CSA manager, says there are about 2,000 seeds being sprouted, including peppers, seen in this photo.

Amin and lead gardener Ahmed DeOliveria are busy preparing the garden beds. If you'd like to get your hands in the soil (so fulfilling!) call Amin at 717-573-2956 to find out about volunteering in the garden. Deliveries of shares for CSA members begin the first week of June to Hagerstown, Frederick, Silver Spring and NW DC. There is still time to sign up to be a CSA member: call Kamila Dinning at 301-788-3632.

It is so delightful to welcome 15 new lambs (including 4 sets of twins) - Rifqa served as midwife for the lambs, with help from Maryam Hand. We have 6 male lambs and 9 females, along with the 17 ewes. The sheep are now out on pasture for the summer. We are in the process of improving the fencing in the sheep field.

The orchard, up the hill from the farmhouse, is looking better than ever, thanks to Maryam Hand, Orchard Manager, and Shakir Hayes.

If you peek in the glass door of the brooder at the pole barn, you will see that Rifqa and Habib Reineke are raising pastured poultry, some of which will be used in the zawiyah kitchen.

There are many opportunities for anyone who would like to spend some time volunteering at the Farm. Please call Kamila at 301-788-3632 if you would like to help out.

Returning for My Brother Workshop for Veterans, May 13-16
by Robert Reuben Driscoll
Driscoll This will be our second workshop for veterans at the Farm of Peace. It is open to all veterans worldwide, young and old. The workshop is a chance to address any issues associated with your military service, including war trauma or learning to fit back into society.

Our first workshop in March opened the path for one veteran to identify that his issues began before his enlistment into the service and his going to war. Another veteran said, "How can I talk about this? No one would understand." The last day of the workshop, he said, "I'm not guilty of anything."

The workshop is based on the book, Returning for My Brother (see www.returningformybrother.com for more information), which I wrote to educate veterans, their families and friends, mental health and medical personnel who work with these veterans and the general public about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The goal of the book is to help save one veteran from killing himself or herself and to prevent one family from separating due to war trauma.

If you know any veterans who might benefit from joining us in a new path to healing through this workshop, please give this information to them. For more information and to register, please call me at 717-573-4722.

A Summer of Fun and Learning
Children's Camp Begins June 14
children Once again this summer, children will have the opportunity to play, learn, create and share their hearts in a fun-filled, eight-week camp, June 14-Aug. 6, at the Farm of Peace.

This year's camp builds on the wonderful adventures that Ahmed and Na'ama Tyson have provided in past years, with Halima Jen Willett joining Ahmed as a camp leader. The camp is built on the foundation of teaching children in the way of Allah through the teachings of all the Prophets, knowing that they carried the message of unity, and teaching the children to be all that Allah has in His plan for each child.

The children will meet three times a week at the farmhouse for circle time, sports, arts and crafts, theater and nature walks -- and they will also be learning Spanish.

These rich activities will serve to give deeply to the children, through developing a sense of community and holding a deep caring for each child; nurturing the essence of each child; helping each child to learn freely; and allowing each child to taste and see what he or she really loves.

If you are seeking a loving, rewarding summer program for your children, register now for the Farm of Peace Summer Camp. Contact Mu'min Shay at 717-552-1925 or [email protected] for tuition information and further details.

Unity Music Festival Coming Soon
by Camela Widad Kraemer
UMF On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 11, 12 and 13 we will be hosting our third annual Unity Music Festival! That's right, it's three days this year and we extend to you our heartfelt invitation to join us for camping, music, workshops, kids' activities and growing community.

Visit our web site via the link below to see who is joining us and get your early-bird tickets before May 15.

We've been working hard to find some of the best music that represents Unity of any genre or background, and not only are we excited about our artists this year, the artists are very excited to join us! Each year that we connect with the arts community in the region, we are met with pleasant surprise. Many are expecting an event that represents one religion, mainly Christian since many Christian music festivals are named "Unity" in some way. But when we explain that we are open to all music provided it represents Unity -- Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, bluegrass, classical, rock, reggae, and so on -- people can't believe that an event like this exists.

But that's not all! We have a community contra dance on Friday night, an awesome kids' village, three camping areas (family camping, quiet camping, community camping) and a campfire this year for jamming after the main stage is done! So far we have workshops for you on guitar skills, voice, and managing everyday conflict, and new this year -- an emerging songwriters' stage. Don't miss this year. Early-bird tickets are available until May15 (unless you volunteer, which gets you a free weekend pass).

We also invite you to host a vendor booth for your business during the weekend. Or maybe your business would like to purchase an ad in our programs. However you join us, we do hope you'll join us and bring friends, your frisbees and your camping gear!

For more information: Booking/General - Camela Widad Kraemer 717-386-5061; Marketing/General - Mu'min Shay 717-552-1925; Vending - Halima Willet 717-573-2956 or 240-351-2562; Program Ads - Na'ima Bastress 240-313-5373.

So Much Love to you all, see you on June 11!

Is Your Relationship Ready for a Tune-Up?
Come to the Couples' Retreat, June 17-20
Are you and your beloved looking for a deeper, more loving relationship? If so, you will want to register now for the Couples' Retreat coming up June 17-20.

Salima Adelstein and Habib Carpentieri once again lead this powerful, transformative workshop at the Farm of Peace. Together, you will

  • Explore the five pillars of an everlasting, loving marriage
  • Travel deeply into your beloved's heart to the heart of the One
  • Practice exercises to build balance and beauty into your relationship
  • Address the myriad situations that you face in your marriage

This retreat will shower you and your beloved with love and attention! Participants in the Couples' Retreat this past February experienced deeply rewarding changes:

"My beloved and I came to the workshop at a time of great need when almost everything in our lives seemed to take us to the same old corner where we desperately needed to find a way through, but couldn't. The workshop helped us to make the shift necessary for us to be able to find the door and go through it." -- A'amina

"I would encourage any couple that wants to deepen and enrich their relationship to 'take your chance.' This is truly a transformational experience you don't want to miss!" - Nuh

Registration for this retreat, including teachings and meals, is $1,800 per couple, with lodging at the International Peace Center; $1,580 without lodging. The retreat is limited to eight couples. Call to reserve your space: 717-573-4722.

The Kitchen's Bounty
A Favorite Recipe from the Farm of Peace
recipe One of the special experiences for the group who traveled with Salima to stay at Riyad Tasneem in Marrakech was the amazing food! Every day brought dish after exquisite dish of fresh vegetables, meat, fish, grains, fruits, all created with layers of heavenly flavors. The recipe below is reminiscent of some of the delicious salads lovingly prepared by the cooks at the riyad.

Moroccan Cooked Carrot Salad (Shlata Chizo Metbucha)

  • 1 pound carrots
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • 2 to 4 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon harissa (Northwest African chili paste), 1 tablespoon minced green chilies, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Cut carrots on a diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cook in gently boiling water until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to allow the flavors to meld and permeate the carrots. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serves 5-6.

Variation: Moroccan Carrot-Orange Salad (Shlata Chizo): Instead of cooking the carrots, grate them finely. Omit the cumin and add 1 1/2 teaspoons orange blossom water or 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup chopped fresh spearmint, and, if desired, 1 tablespoon sugar or honey.

Getting Ready for Sufi School East 2010
by Wahida Kass
Sufi School Where does the year go? It's time again to begin planning for Sufi School East! This year we will again host Sidi during Ramadan, inshallah. The dates are not yet finalized, but will be either the second or third weekend in August. (Ramadan begins around the 10th.)

Anyone interested in helping organize, please contact Wahida Kass at [email protected] or 540-822-4828. We have some coordinator positions open. Work study will again be available, so stay tuned for work day announcements!

As always, we want to get the word out and give people a taste of what Sidi offers us. If you are interested in hosting an introductory gathering in your home or office for friends, clients or family, please contact Halima Reilly at 717-573-2956.

Thank You!
Your Giving Makes A Difference
volunteers Thanks to everyone who gives to nourish the heart of our Farm of Peace community.

Mu'min Shay, Abd al-Qadir Davies, Habib Reineke, Abdul Rahman Goodwin, Ahmed DeOliveria, Shamsa Bowman and Jamil Bastress worked to fill many potholes on Haven Lane this spring. Thanks so much for your work and for chopping wood for next winter.

Thank you to Zaina and Abdu Rahim Keeley and Jamil Bastress, who helped in the CSA garden on a recent Farm community work day. (The kids love to come along, too!) Thanks also to Shakir Hayes who helped with the CSA workday and did lots of work with the orchard. Shamsa Bowman also worked in the CSA garden -- thank you!

Thanks to Jamila Davies and Wafa Driscoll for helping to clean and care for the International Peace Center.

Maryam Hand helped with birthing lambs and put up deer fencing; Reuben Driscoll mended some fencing. Thank you both! Isa Koenecki unloaded fencing materials; thanks, Isa.

Thank you to Habib Reineke, who moved compost and hay bales, planted clover seed, and is building a CSA tool shed. And many thanks as well to Mu'min Shay for organizing farm work days, helping with the CSA and for generously doing whatever is needed.

We are grateful to all who are making financial donations to help the Farm continue its mission to bring the real love to the world and to care for the creation. For everyone whose heart is called, your donations are most welcome. You may send your check made to "Farm of Peace" to 1212 Haven Lane, Warfordsburg, PA 17267; or call us at 717-573-2956 and we will take your credit card information for your donation. Thank you!

Upcoming Events
May 9: Visioning for our new mosque: 4 p.m. We will be gathering for a sohbet (enlightened discussion) about building our mosque at the Farm of Peace. Location: 5 Bay Tree Lane, Bethesda, MD 20816. Dhikr and potluck follow.

Mar. 17-21: Returning for My Brother Spiritual Workshop for Veterans. Helping veterans find a path to healing. Call Bob Reuben Driscoll at 717-573-4722 for information and to register.

June 11-13: Unity Music Festival. Tickets are now on sale for year's three-day festival of music and more. Visit www.unity-music-festival.com for tickets and to find out about artists, the program, vendor and volunteer opportunities.

June 17-20 Couples' Retreat with Salima Adelstein and Habib Carpentieri. Explore the foundations for a loving and lasting marriage. $1800 per couple with lodging; $1580 without lodging. Call 717-573-4722 to register.

Dhikr: Sundays, 5:30 p.m. & Thursdays, 7 p.m. Sufi healing circle for healing of body, mind, heart and spirit. All are welcome! (Potluck supper follows Sunday's dhikr.)

Jumah: Every Friday, 1:30 p.m. Gather in community for prayers and teachings from the Qu'ran and Sidi's writings.

Community Free Healing Day: Second Saturday of the month, 2-4 p.m. This is a great way to introduce your friends to Sufi teachings and healing. There is no charge. Next: May 8. Call 717-573-2956 for information. Community Free Healing Day also held in Silver Spring, Md. Next: May 16 (call 301-565-7878 to RSVP).

Zawiyah Spiritual Retreat: Give your heart the gift of walking more deeply in proximity to God. Zawiyah is ongoing at the Farm of Peace. Cost: $130 per day includes teachings, room & board. Salima guides zawiyah, May 18-23. Call the Farm for information and to register: 717-573-2956.

Salima Healing Seminar. In this individual five-day seminar, Salima offers a unique opportunity for deep healing. You'll receive individual assessments and healings with Salima, and a series of complementary sessions and bodywork. Call the Farm at 717-573-2956 to schedule.

Farm Vacations: Enjoy a vacation in the country for a weekend -- or longer. Stay at the farm (in the IPC) and enjoy the woods, fields and animals in a peaceful, secluded environment, restful and revitalizing in all seasons of the year. Call 717-573-2956 to make your reservations. The Farm of Peace is a member of the Pennsylvania Farm Vacation Association, www.pafarmstay.com.

phone: 717-573-2956 or 877-FOR-SSCE

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