Patricia Agheli and Lynn Wilcox

Recorded January 6, 2021 34:31 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: mby020301

Description

Friends Patricia Agheli (60) and Dr. Lynn Wilcox (85) discuss the religious journeys that led them to Islamic Sufism and the way their lives have shifted for the better.

Subject Log / Time Code

P.A. and L.W. share some information about themselves.
P.A. gives an introduction to MTO School of Islamic Sufism.
P.A. asks L.A. about her family and religious background.
“I went out searching for a spiritual home for me,” L.W. shares her story of arriving at Islamic Sufism.
P.A. shares about her own religious journey.
“How did you discover MTO?” P.A. asks L.W.
“I was in my teen years and I began to questions my religion... I felt like I needed something deeper, something higher, something better…” P.A. describes her journey towards finding MTO.
“What attracted you to MTO once you found it?” P.A. asks L.W.
“I was extremely skeptical about how Muslims treated women, because I was involved in the women’s movement…” L.W. talks about the skepticism and the way she educated herself about the difference between cultural practices and religious ones.
“I didn’t understand the meaning of the words, but I felt it in my heart. I felt it,” L.W. explains the way she felt about the prayers that were all in Farsi.
“Rituals all have a background behind them… MTO gave a practical application to what had only been words before to me,” P.A. says.
“They just make good sense,” L.W. speaks on the importance of MTO teachings being logical.
“While the teachings involve your heart more than your head, the teachings made sense,” P.A. agrees.
L.W. shares a statement that has always stood out to her. “It’s not what happens to us, it’s how we deal with it, how we respond, that creates the rest of our lives in many ways,” she says.
“When the storm comes and you feel like you’re being blown out of the earth, you need a pole to hold onto,” P.A. says of her faith.
P.A. shares one of her favorite teachings with L.W.
“When did you start teachings and how was that experience for you?” P.A. asks L.W. about her experience teaching meditation.
“The teaching Is where I have learned the most,” L.W. shares.
“Saying prayers 5 times a day calms you, centers you, and it’s very helpful. Never underestimate the power of prayer,” L.W. says of the way prayer has helped her during the pandemic.
“My life could have been an empty shell, like a lot of people, but instead, thanks to Sufism, it has been so fruitful,” L.W. says
“It’s neither my good deeds or mistakes that define me,” P.A. says of herself. “What’s most important to me as I’m playing all these roles, is my dedication to myself.”
“This process has been learning to control my brain, instead of my brain controlling me, and to let my heart be the source in this life,” L.W. says.

Participants

  • Patricia Agheli
  • Lynn Wilcox