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How do we apply the theory of Progressive Development
to Advance our Spiritual Growth?
From Divine Remembrance - Winter 2005
 
In previous issues of the Divine Remembrance journal, Murshid has introduced us to the theory of "Progressive Development." It embodies the ideas expressed by his Teachers concerning a spiritualist's role in society. This article addresses the question: How do we apply the theory of Progressive Development to advance our spiritual growth?

Progressive Development is a theory that takes into account one's internal and external reality. It accounts for personal, interpersonal, economic, political, environmental and cultural expressions. These expressions are like spokes on a wheel in which spirit, or Allah, is the hub. Everything in this theory is an expression of Allah.

Unlike materialism, which states that reality is primarily matter, or idealism, which states that reality is primarily ideas, Progressive Development states that reality is primarily spirit, and all things are a manifestation of spirit.

Progressive Development holds that there is no true progress without progress in the spiritual realm. Without a connection to the spiritual core, any expression is merely a wave of motion, a peak and trough, having positive and negative repercussions. Human inventions may make our life easier, but in each case there is a negative aspect that balances the positive gain. Life changes with advancements in technology, but individuals make no progress in realizing their humanity.

As life moves in its natural flow, we speak of evolution. There is an evolution, because all things manifested of spirit return to spirit. Thus, through Allah's Mercy, human beings may advance in spite of themselves. When life moves faster than normal, we speak of revolution. Revolution means a quickening. All expressions have their periods of revolution. There are revolutions in the personal, interpersonal, economic, political, environmental and cultural spheres. Are these progressive? Not necessarily. They are only progressive if they are based upon spiritual values and practice. Only spiritual revolutions are progressive. When people are involved in spiritual revolutions everything changes for the better. Spiritual revolutions are not just for the welfare of a particular group but for the welfare of all.

Progressive Development essentially means spiritual revolution.

The Dayemi Tariqat is a Community engaged in spiritual revolution. In more common terms, we call it Progressive Development. While the goal of Progressive Development is always the realization of the One, the work of Progressive Development changes according to time, place and person.

Today, for the Dayemi Tariqat, Progressive Development entails working to meet our basic needs in a sustainable manner. Many projects have been developed to meet these basic needs, while providing a medium for the individual to grow toward greater self-realization. These projects include Dayempur Farm, a comprehensive educational model for sustainable living. Dayempur features systems for organic food production, food preservation and storage, renewable energy systems, eco-based construction, herb growing, tincture production and permaculture workshops. These land-based projects are linked to our in-town projects that include the Long Branch Coffeehouse, Ms. Bulky (a cooperative food buying club), Sufi Park Organic Community Garden, the beginning of a health care clinic, a parent-child collective, an audio-video lab, a graphics department, a revolving loan fund, a fundraising department and an administrative office. We have also established working relationships with local businesses through our Sustainable Living Guide, the Historic Town Square Business Coalition and the sustainable agriculture community by developing the Shawnee Ecological Farming Association (SEFA).

These projects constitute essential steps in meeting our basic needs as a Community. This is especially important in this period of rapid social transformation. According to Murshid, social transformation indicates a unique period in human history when the entire social structure falls and is replaced by a new social structure. It is a time in history when the old order dies and a new order is born. An example is the fall of Rome and the rise of dominance by the Catholic Church. Another example is the fall of the aristocracy in Europe and the rise of the merchant class with the Industrial Revolution. The first example signifies the end of warrior rule and the beginning of rule by the intellectuals. The second example signifies the end of the rule of intellectuals and the beginning of the rule by the capitalists.

Historians refer to these distinct eras as ancient history, medieval history and modern history. Social transformations are the periods in which one era changes into the next. Today, we stand at the cusp of another great social transformation. Capitalism is coming to an end. It will be replaced by a new era. What this era looks like will be determined by those who live through it and create the models for surviving under very different conditions. Will the future be benevolent or malevolent? We don't know, but our intention and efforts are to create a benevolent model for humanity.

Why do the Masters in our lineage expect the end of capitalism and the beginning of a new era? It has to do with internal contradictions that play out over the course of time. For example, industrialized agriculture began with the invention of chemical fertilizers around 1950. This event triggered the quadrupling of the human population in a mere 50 years. This stunning surge in population has catapulted humanity beyond the resource base as defined by capitalism as a system. Capitalism as a global system will fall because its mode of production won't be able to adjust to the diminished supply of raw materials that are required to meet the needs and wants of a human population that has become too large for the carrying capacity of the planet.

Of these essential raw materials, oil and gas are extremely critical. Oil is the life blood of our modern industrial consumer society. It makes possible the heating of our houses, the running of our vehicles, the production of our food, the electricity for our machines and the basic material for innumerable essential goods. Without oil, a social transformation of global proportions will occur. The supply of oil and gas have recently begun to diminish relative to increasing demand. We are now consuming 4 barrels of oil for every 1 barrel we discover. Most countries' oil supplies are on the wane.

Given this scenario, what is our work as spiritualists? Our work is to create a "lifeboat" for ourselves that we can share with our neighbors in order to weather the period of social transformation and to set the stage for the next era in human evolution. This is our work. This is Progressive Development.
 
All of the projects of the Dayemi Tariqat are interconnected purposefully, and they are all focused on meeting basic needs in a sustainable manner. A key concept of sustainability is gaining independence from fossil fuels. To save energy and resources, we must bring our projects into sync to be able to do more with less. We must save energy in every form. We must meet our basic needs more independently of the consumer economy.

We need to ask ourselves critical questions like, "What knowledge do we need to live without fossil fuels? How did people live before fossil fuels? What did they do? What can we improve upon?

How do we set up our agriculture projects so that the food produced is more nutritious and that they also provide our medicine? How do we replenish our soil to feed the plants that feed us? What products beside food and medicine can we grow and develop at Dayempur to meet our basic needs and transportation requirements? How do we improve our communication systems? How do we pay for this process? How do we link up with our neighbors to meet basic needs and create a sense of security for everyone. These are the kinds of questions that we need to address collectively and continue to refine.

In the coming years, we will put an emphasis on developing Dayempur so that its resources can be used to support us and our neighbors. In town, Sufi Park will be developed as an urban household model in which sustainable building materials, renewable energy methods and nontoxic supplies can be tested, as well as provide a model for organic home gardening. Our clinic will be based on nutritional consulting and preventive health care. Our children will continue to learn cooperation and the values of living a sustainable way of life. These "links," and many more, will be developed as we strive to make true progress in realizing our humanity. This is Progressive Development.