MIAS education
Why MIAS education courses?
Education has been central to the work of the Society since its inception in 1977. In 2020 we launched our online education programme with Dr Rim Feriani as Educational Director and a small experienced team (Education Team). The approach of the courses follows Ibn ‘Arabi’s own non-linear way of experiencing reality – particularly apparent in the Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan Openings) and the Kitab al-Isfar (The Secrets of Voyaging) and the Fusus al-Hikam (Ringstones of Wisdom). The aim of the courses is to allow the participants to engage with their creative imagination by ‘diving’ into the ‘ocean’ of Ibn ‘Arabi’s ideas and exploring the mysteries of the ‘barzakh’ – the intermediary realm between the spiritual and sensory worlds. It is a precept that access to intuitive knowledge of the One Reality is directly available from any place of revelation, ‘interior’ or ‘exterior’. Places are limited on each course to enable intensive discussion and immersion to take place – as with an alchemical process.
What has happened in the first four years?
Students have come from all over the world mainly through the MIAS website & Facebook Group. They have been young and old, men and women.
Seventeen courses of ten weeks length have been run with 143 participants, and additional short intensive Introductory courses, guest courses and study sessions, including focus on the Arabic text as well as English translations .
What is the MIAS Education Programme?
The main programme is composed of four ‘journeys’: a journey across the ocean, a journey across the desert, a journey to heaven and a journey into language. Each journey comprises four courses. Students, or ‘voyagers’, may take the courses in any order (Programme overview).
What are the courses?
The courses are online using Zoom. They provide a supportive learning environment, established through conversation and shared reflection, during which students are encouraged to develop a deep engagement with Ibn Arabi’s texts. The sessions consist of mini-lectures, the study of texts by Ibn Arabi and also secondary reading. Discussion takes place within the larger group but also in ‘break-out’ rooms where a small number of students join to share their ideas. Assignments are given from time to time. These result in creative expression (poetry, painting, writing) many of which appear on the Creative Encounters with Ibn Arabi blog (https://ibnarabiencounters.wordpress.com/). Each course runs a dedicated WhatsApp group to encourage discussion between sessions.
Who are the courses for?
The courses are open to all who are interested in Ibn Arabi. They aim to bridge a gap between academic investigation and a more intuitive approach to study. Students are encouraged to integrate traditional approaches with contemporary tools of learning. We offer a student discount for those who are registered with a higher education facility and a reduced rate for those on low incomes (on application).