The European Sufi Summer School
is open to all. It is rooted in an open spiritual tradition of the ancient Chistia lineage of Sufism. Our transmission (ruhaniyya) is through Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, Murshid Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti (Samuel L.Lewis) and Murshid Moineddin Jablonski. Threads of their individual spiritual practice also include Zen Buddhism, mystical Christianity, Bhakti and Advaita Yoga, and Kaballah.
The Summer School is staffed by dedicated students connected in various ways to and through this line of spiritual transmission. It is not legally or financially connected with any other Sufi corporation, organisation or project.
Our Summer School celebrates the living way of the many paths of the heart through Sufi zikr (Remembrance), sitting and walking meditation, healing, spiritual music, Soulwork and Spiritual Psychology, art and Dances of Universal Peace, and more.
We emphasize teaching “in the footsteps of” our spiritual ancestors with language and practice adapted to the current challenges of humanity and the planet as a whole. No prior experience is necessary except a heart open to wisdom from the world’s many traditions.
All classes are conducted in English and German.
21st European Sufi Summer School
24 June - 1 July 2023Registration is now open
Tawhid:
The Shared Language of Unity,
Spoken and Silent
Personally and globally, we face enormous challenges today. Institutions that previously served us seem to be breaking down. At the same time, the earth’s ecosystems—at least as they are habitable for human beings—are in dire peril. In this light, where can we find security, contentment, and joy? What shared spiritual resources, old and new, can we bring to our path, when each person seems called to forge their own way in life?
As we return in person our 2023 Summer School will explore these current life issues and apply our practice to them. We will embrace various approaches to a deeper sense of unity and shared contentment which is nothing but Unity in and with the nameless Reality itself. Experiencing this affects the way a person perceives and acts in everyday life. The Sufis call this life-changing experience tawhid, from the “Beautiful Name,” Al Wahid. The word implies that there are as many ways to this wordless mystery as there are beings in the seen and unseen worlds.
Just as we have done for the past 20 years, classes will offer periods of teaching, practice, and prayer as well as periods of silence and meditation, sitting and moving together. Shared practice includes Sufi dhikr, walking meditation, and Dances of Universal Peace. The overall effect is a retreat within a supportive community.
Open to all. You are welcome to join us!
If you're new to the Summer School...
We will draw not only from the Sufi lineage of teaching (primarily but not exclusively the Chishti one through Hazrat Inayat Khan) but also from a wider range of the world’s spiritual wisdom in which our teachers have immersed themselves.
Our aim is to nurture a community of seekers–and finders!–from across Europe and the rest of the world.
What you can expect...
We offer a range of classes, all focused toward present-day challenges, personally and globally. These include meditation, chanting including Sufi dhikr (“remembrance”), body prayer and times of silence. The meditative walks of Murshid Samuel Lewis are a virtually untapped treasure about the truth of where each of us is right now, as doorways to Unity. His dances, inspired through vision and dream, offer the possibility to experience meditation in movement, and stillness in motion. Participation in all classes is optional.
Generally, the day begins with an all-school class, this year by our director, and then multiple classes are offered throughout the day. In the evening, we join together again for shared practice, Dances of Universal Peace, meditation, and wisdom stories, usually from the Sufi tradition.
And this year...
We will have a special focus on the Pathways of the Heart, the “beautiful Names” found in the Qur’an, as doorways to Unity, including:
• The most important shared names and practices in the Biblical and Aramaic Jesus traditions. These are the “mothers of the names” in the Qur’an.
• New Dances of Universal Peace based on dozens of these names.
Also in the program:
• Classes on Sufi healing
• Walking meditation
• Rhythmic personal body prayer
• Various forms of contemplative meditation
Our staff for the 2023 Summer School will include Saadi Neil Douglas-Klotz (Scotland, director), Alima (Germany), Baraka (Germany), Jelaluddin (Germany), Jean-Pierre Salik (France), Khabir (Germany), Nur Jahan (Scotland, assistant director, webmaster), Raaja Hakim (Germany), Rafia (Germany), Tara and Maboud (USA), Rahmana (Germany, inshallah), Zahira (Germany, manager) and Renate (England, translation team).
You can read about our classes here
Seminar house Proitzer Müehle
Our gatherings take place in Protzer Müehle in North Germany, in the hills of a nature reserve park of the Elba River. Surrounded by forests, meadows, and lakes it is an old water mill, whose history goes back to the 14th century.
The buildings are on a 10-hectare site and have been remodeled to a high standard. It is now a venue for spiritual seminars and dance groups.
The main house features a large dance hall with a wooden spring-floor, where we hold our main sessions. Two more meeting rooms provide us with the opportunity to have a few classes running simultaneously.
The venue has plentiful accommodation in the main house, as well as in two newer houses. A few single rooms are available, the majority of rooms are shared with one-two-three (in case of the overflow) other persons. Many rooms are en-suite. Camping in one’s own tent is also a possiblity, as well as staying in a bigger shared (dormitory style, aka “Mattress room”) accommodation.
Meals are as abundant as they are delicious. Over the years many have noticed that clothes seem to shrink by the end of the seminar, so this might be something to be conscious of.
There are multiple dietary choices, from vegetarian to vegan and gluten/dairy free.
There is plenty of space, both indoors and outdoors, to spend time over a meal with friends or if one so chooses, to have a quiet contemplative dinner.
The area provides a lot of opportunity for spending quality time outdoors, weather permitting. Be that a long walk along the fields and even into the forests, a courageous dive in a local pond, or simply dining al-fresco or just having a cuppa at one of the many sitting areas around the mill, fresh air of the German countryside gives us a pleasurable summer experience.
For more photos and to see the room charts, please visit Proitzer Müehle at https://proitzer-muehle.de Some parts of the website are only in German, but all the main browsers will be able to help you with the translation.
Have a question about our program? Write to us here:
We will never rent, sell, or share your data with anyone. Your email will only be used for the purposes of this event related communications.
Registration and Logistics
Registration for the 2023 Summer School is now open
Tuition
Tuition donations are to be paid to the Summer School account, separately from the room&board cost.
This year we are asking for the tuition donations on a sliding scale, in the range of €400-€600
Limited number of tickets with discounts is available, please enquire early!
We also have a separate discount program for people from 18 to 28 years old.
Accommodation and Meals
All participants now need to book accommodation and meals directly with Proitzer Müehle.
Please go here for more details. You can check out the room charts at the Proitzer Müehle website
ROOM PRICES
Single: €600
Double/Shared: €460
Tent/Mattress/off-site: €341
Bedding (if desired): +€10
MEALS
The main meal option – vegetarian in 2023 – is included in the accommodation price.
For the additional payment of +€56 one can request vegan/special diet (gluten, dairy free)
Transportation
Closest airport is Hamburg (HAM) Hannover (HAJ) and Berlin (BER) have also been used by many participants.
Closest train station is Schnega. You can check the train schedule on the https://bahn.de
Full transport details will be sent 4 weeks before summer school, and there will be help for non-German speakers.
You can ask questions about registration and logistics here:
We will never rent, sell or share your data with anyone. Your email will only be used for the purposes of this event related communications.
