The Void

When I first talk to my clients, they tell me about their inability to get things done on time, lack of success in a job, the disappointment of a relationship, or the goals that seem out of reach. As the conversation continues, we begin to recognize, at the bottom of the void, we're all chasing a feeling. Some facing anxiety, want to feel calm and secure, others want to feel joy and excitement. We all just want to feel ok. You might not believe and insist "no, I really do just want that job..that person.. or my kids to behave." But just imagine, you had the dream job, person, perfectly behaved kids (whatever that is), it's likely your goals would just shift gears, or you'd find something new to worry about. Some people have everything, and their void is larger than when they had less.

When Adam and Eve were in Jannah, they had it all. They had ease and beauty of all that surrounded them. They had each other and above all, they had the Light of Light. In this glow, they felt complete.

When they came to earth, they lost each other, the loneliness and difficulty of this life descended on them. The void opened but the largest gaping hole was their separation from Allah. God on earth is veiled, His signs are everywhere and yet to be discovered. When we look, His face is everywhere but only through the eye of the heart. The journey of the heart is something that can take a lifetime, some aspects of it are a continuing journey but the arrival can be attained in the present. We can both arrive and simultaneously grow.

The experience of Allah and the angels was forgotten. Although we each have a natural fitra of knowing God, we are in a constant ebb and flow of remembering and forgetting. The earthly veil between us and the unseen causes us to get distracted and forget. It is our journey to find our way back and remember Allah often. When we do this with deliberation, we feel the serenity and peace in our hearts. The void closes and we live life the way it's meant for us to experience it, in connection with our Creator. Through my journey with my clients, we aim to get to the heart of the void. Yes, a part of the void, can be loneliness, worthiness, broken heartedness, loss, grief, anxiety, but when you delve a bit further you realise, truly, it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts find peace.