“Hundreds of years before Jung, a Sufi Islamic mystic explored the nature of the imaginal world and the figures that inhabit it. This master, Ibn ‘Arabi, wrote that the imagination was intermediary between the world of human life and the Divine Reality.” –Jeffrey Raff
We begin 2025 from Seville, Spain—the birthplace of Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240) and a historical center of contemplative wisdom. Our online session will be hosted in intimate proximity to the Church of San Salvador, formerly the main mosque of Seville, where Ibn 'Arabi engaged in spiritual practice and community in the first half of his life. As we step into the new year, we'll deepen our connection with the ally while drawing inspiration from the place where Ibn 'Arabi began his spiritual journey over eight centuries ago.
In this session, we'll explore how to cultivate and strengthen our relationship with the ally at this temporal threshold. Through guided reflection and community dialogue, we'll work with questions that help clarify our aspirations for spiritual growth in 2025. What guidance does the ally offer as we enter this new year? How might we deepen our practice in ways that serve both personal and collective transformation?
The session will focus on:
Setting intentions for ally work practice in 2025
Understanding how Ibn 'Arabi's legacy informs our contemporary work
Creating space for the ally's guidance in shaping our year ahead
Exploring the relationship between location and spiritual practice
We'll follow our established practice structures while drawing inspiration from the presence of Seville—where the architecture of the medieval city that shaped Ibn 'Arabi's spiritual formation still stands in dialogue with our vibrant contemporary life of 2025.