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