Out of Darkness, Into Light Quotes

“Hineini means Here I am at this very moment, all of me: a spiritual being who is breathing divine breath and exercising divine gifts, a child of God, a sister or brother of all God’s children, one with the universe, one with the One.”
― Ann Holmes Redding, Out of Darkness Into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Jewish and Christian Sources

“PRACTICE There is an excellent Sufi technique for dealing with the pain and sorrow that life has to offer. This technique, called Sacred Holding, is the compassionate art of acknowledging, accepting, and integrating feelings that are painful or negative, feelings that we tend to avoid or deny. Whenever painful or negative feelings arise, practice this four-step process at the earliest opportunity. First, allow yourself to experience the feeling. Tell yourself that every feeling, no matter what we call it, is energy that is begging to be acknowledged and healed. Simply give yourself permission to feel. Second, ask yourself, “Where do I hold this feeling in my body?” Locate the feeling. It definitely has a resting place in your body. We are able to experience a feeling because it registers as a physical sensation somewhere in the body. Third, receive this “holding” in your body with compassion for yourself. Encompass the physical sensations in your body with the embrace of your soul. Give yourself an affectionate name and talk to yourself with gentleness. Tell yourself, for example, “Beloved one, I am sorry you feel this. I know this is difficult. Allow me to support you in your pain.” At this time there is no need to fix or analyze these sensations. Simply hold the feeling with mercy for yourself, for as long as you want. In the final step, focus gently on the place in your body where you are holding the pain, and intend to inhale and exhale through that part of you. Allow Divine Breath to caress you there. If you persist with this technique, you will experience an amazing shift in the way you process life’s difficulties: that which was negative and painful will become integrated and transformed into a source of strength and wholeness. Something deepens and matures within you, and the doorway to your heart is open to the Beloved.”
― Ann Holmes Redding, Out of Darkness Into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Jewish and Christian Sources