Words of Power - Wazifa and Mantra
On Wazifa and Mantra
In this blog you will find me referencing words of power, which in Sufi terms are called Wazifa and in Yoga terms Mantras. These are not normal words; they are words that manifest divine attributes or qualities. The essential point is that each word (for example Ya Nur, meaning Light) is a living cosmic vibration, and that vibration IS the reality of that divine attribute so that when it is spoken (Dhikr), wispered (Fikr) or thought (Fikr-Asir), it manifests.
The power of a wazifa or mantric word is beyond what our minds can comprehend but they are not beyond what the heart can know. These divine attributes are centered in the One Reality, the Only Being, they are the universal living expressions of this One Reality and thus, in the mystical schools and orders, they are considered quite scared. It is like holding an aspect of the divine beloved in ones arms; The Sufi Master Pir Vilayat has called them ‘the signature tune of angels’.
In past times is was forbidden for these sacred words to be given in public, only passed on as deep spiritual practice from teacher to initiate (a practice that still exists today). However, due to a need and a key aspect of the awakening consciousness of humanity, a seal has been opened on this divine treasure giving those who are attuned to these sacred names permission to share them as appropriate because they function to empower ideas and concepts with reality. This is what I call the ‘direct manifestation’ of concept. Ideas and concepts are mental constructions, they are useful but they are not direct reality, a wazifa is the reality itself. It’s like the difference between someone telling you that the water in a lake is wonderful and refreshing versus you jumping in the lake!
The divine names I use will largely be from the Sufi tradition of Asma`ul Husna, the ‘Ninety Nine Beautiful Names of God’ and there are a number of wonderful books written explaining the meaning of these beautiful names (see references below).
So what does this mean to you? Probably not a great deal, and that is perfectly ok, I simply ask that you treat these wazifa or mantric words with respect as you would a prayer. Thanks.
A few good references to the 99 Names of God:
Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the 99 Names of Allah,
By Wali Ali Meyer, Bilal Hyde, Faisal Muqaddam, Shabda Kahn - Sufi Ruhaniat International (2011) - Paperback -
By Tosun Bayrak, Tosun Bayrak Al-Jerrahi, Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti, William C. Chittick, Ghazzālī - Fons Vitae (2000) - Paperback.
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