Sufi Heart with Omid Safi

Joshua Michael Schrei, podcaster, myth teller, and teacher of world mythologies, weaves a bardic lens through spiritual practice. They trace the common thread across traditions. Short takes on ecstasy, disciplined repetition, transmission, healthy boundaries, discernment, and making the heart a refuge.

Omid Safi, a scholar of Islamic mysticism and director at Duke University, explores the feminine heart of faith and divine love. He reflects on love amid global suffering. He speaks on the womb metaphor in Islam, embodied spiritual practice, breath as shared unity, the central role of women in freedom movements, and tender, ethical living rooted in beauty and mutual care.

A lively tour of Ibn ‘Arabi’s life, travels, and mystical writings. Conversations about kashf, unveiling, and the prayer of opening. Reflections on presence, humility, and the blurred lines between seeker and teacher. Poems and paradoxes that explore love, sensual alchemy, and being seen by the divine.

A tour of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s Sufi vision of radical love, universal harmony, and beauty as a path to the divine. Music is framed as a sacred bridge between cultures. Discussions explore perception and breath as portals to God, the unity behind multiplicity, and how inner disharmony mirrors global unrest. The power of beauty and contemplative practice to open hearts and transform communal life is highlighted.

Joshua Michael Schrei, podcaster, mythteller, and teacher of imaginative cosmologies, speaks about the pulse between ecstatic union and separation. He and Omid explore sensual spirituality, nature as spiritual teacher, balancing transcendence and immanence, longing as sacred fuel, and how lover-beloved imagination might re-enchant the world and inform compassionate activism.

Omid Safi, a scholar and teacher in the Sufi tradition of radical love, speaks about love as divine action and the heart as a sacred place. He explores interspiritual bridges across traditions, the Francis–Sultan encounter as a model of compassion, the balance of contemplation and action, and how language, art, and humility can heal divisions.

Getting down to the basics of Sufism, James Cooke and Omid Safi discuss the mystery of love and our enmeshment with God.This time on the Sufi Heart podcast, Omid Safi and James Cooke discuss:Sufism and mystical IslamGetting closer to a divine realityTypes of love within SufismRecognizing that we are interwoven with all thingsPure love as the antidote of egoHow we are enmeshed with GodMaking our daily life our practiceThe diversity within traditions of IslamMisrepresentations of Islam in mainstream mediaExtending love to absolutely everyoneSelf-love and growing in our practice of lovingAbout James Cooke, PhD:James Cooke started the Inner Space Institute with the aim of helping greater numbers of people to access spiritual growth, without any of the unscientific beliefs that are common in spiritual circles. James trained as a neuroscientist after an awakening as a teenager that showed him the reality of spiritual states of consciousness. He holds three degrees from Oxford University (a PhD and Masters in Neuroscience & a BA in Experimental Psychology). He has conducted scientific research for over a decade at institutions such as Oxford University, University of California, Berkeley, University College London, Trinity College Dublin, and Riken Brain Sciences Institute in Tokyo. James is the author of The Dawn of Mind: How Matter Became Conscious and Alive (coming December 2024), which synthesizes science and spiritual insight to offer a radical solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness.“I feel like for some people, this emphasis on love can be quite healing to hear, because I grew up in a time where there was a kind of grotesque, simplified caricature of Islam…it’s healing to have contact with the reality of these traditions.” – James Cooke, PhDSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A reflective talk on how faith can feel strange in a world of suffering and hypocrisy. Sacred sound, dhikr, and poetry are used to reclaim prophetic freshness. The countercultural roots of Islam and solidarity with the poor are highlighted. Listeners are invited to consider exile, belonging, and forming compassionate communities.

Omid Safi dives into the mystical connections between Sufism and modern myths like Star Wars. He draws parallels between Moses and Yoda, emphasizing how mythic narratives carry spiritual wisdom. The discussion also covers how movies can fulfill spiritual needs when traditional religion falls short. Safi highlights the concept of the Force and Sufi teachings, celebrating the interconnectedness of existence. Listeners are invited to embrace the mystery of the universe and discover the divine in everyday life.

A meditation on Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teaching about radical love and the heart as the direct place of presence. Topics include finding God in scripture, nature, and the self. Reflections on breath practice as antidote to distraction and the tension between mystic experience and formal religion. Stories and metaphors—wings, water, pilgrimage—illustrate an inclusive, living path of love.