Mansur: everything self-explanatory.

Love, Moineddin

March 9, 1976

Dear Moineddin,

Beloved One of God:

I made a table enclosed of income and expenses for varying numbers of students, including $925 for staff travel. We can swing it, but of course the less travel costs, the more we benefit.

It would of course be wonderful if some of you could come early, so that details , supplies, and preliminary work for the pilgrim’s hut could be begun in conjunction with Shemseddin and Nasreddin. We will have a two week work intensive prior to the Maqbara retreat, and can use skilled help.

I have also listed a proposed schedule and listed some of the projects that we can work on. Although most people will not be actually working on the hut (except in small doses), I would hope that all work could be undertaken in Murshid’s spirit. Otherwise, it is just another work camp (not that that’s bad, but it misses the point).

Also I went ahead with a first draft of a description [immediately following this letter]. I don’t know how much space the brochure will allow, but it’s a beginning. Please feel free to rewrite, change emphasis, whatever. We have not gone over it here, I’m just getting a start. And we will probably have to go through a few drafts.

If Kent drives, some of the staff, his camp tuition could of course be charged to staff transportation. (I question anything heavy on top of a VW bus).

Yes. Skilled workers are much better off with their own tools, and they should be reluctant to let the tools far out of their sight. In community, tools have legs of their own, and travel far and fast; tracking them is time-consuming.

I think we can handle 60 people, and maybe more. 80 and up will strain our leadership capabilities in terms of work projects, and I think right now that over 60 might weaken the concentration of the whole retreat.

Be well. Our love. Ya Fatah.

In the Love of the One,

Siddiq

The opening of Siddiq’s rough draft:

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (1896-1971), a native of San Francisco, was an acknowledge master in the teachings of Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and everyday life. He chose to be buried at Lama Foundation, and his Mabara (grave site) is located in a forest clearing up the mountain. During this retreat we will follow Murshid’s example in prayer, practice, and work. Practice will include meditation, prayer, wazifa (mantram) zikr, and classes in spiritual dance, walk, breath, and art, as well as readings on spiritual architecture. The spiritual focus of our work projects (4 and ½ hours daily) will be the construction of a pilgrims’ hut near the Mabara, but actual project will include gardening, landscaping, consruction, kitchen work, housekeeping, and wood-gathering. The retreat will be led by Murshid Moineddin Jablonski, Fatima Jablonsky, Mansur, and three others of Murshid’s disciples who will supervise construction of the pilgrims’ hut.

This introduction was followed by a tentative schedule, a list of possible projects, money projections based on number of participants, and a design of the hut to be built.