MIAS education: programme overview

MIAS online courses

Our MIAS programme of courses is composed of four journeys. As the diagram below shows, there is ‘a journey across the ocean’, ‘a journey across the desert’, ‘a journey to heaven’ and ‘a journey into language’.

The journey in Ibn Arabi’s teachings

The generic title of our courses is inspired by the concept of the journey which occupies a central position in Ibn Arabi’s teachings. The multifaceted meanings of the journey in Ibn Arabi’s works can be found in his Kitab al-Isra (The Night Journey), Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan Openings) and Kitab al-Isfar (The Secrets of Voyaging).

According to Ibn Arabi, the spiritual journey towards the Divine is a continuous process that reveals a path through several spiritual openings:

In reality we never cease voyaging from the moment we and our roots are originated, ad infinitum. Whenever a waystation appears to you, and you say that is the goal, another road opens up before you. You supply yourself with provisions for the road and take off. Whatever waystation you come upon, you may say: ‘This is my goal.’ But when you reach it, it is not long before you set out once more travelling (The Secrets of Voyaging 2015: 43).

In the same way that Ibn Arabi speaks about the endless voyage in the Divine Ocean, our students are encouraged to embark on a personal journey that can allow them to gain a taste of Ibn Arabi’s teachings while sharing their knowledge with others.

Our education programme is planned to include 16 courses. Each 10-week course is part of a ‘journey’ (Ocean, Desert, Language or Heaven) and each course is assigned a ‘round’, depending on how many times that course has been run. To help you plan ahead we have announced forthcoming dates. If a course is full there is a waiting list on the Eventbrite system that we use – so we can invite those on this waiting list next time the course is run. You may choose to do the courses in any order – there is no set progression – and we hope that in time ‘voyagers’ will come back and complete all the journeys.

A journey across the ocean

Creativity is integral to the human being. Undeniably, our imagination is a force that impacts our daily life. The notion of imagination occupies a significant position in Ibn Arabi’s teachings since the Divine Imagination constitutes the very force that inspired the Great Master’s works.

As Henry Corbin succinctly puts it: “To the initial act of the Creator imagining the world corresponds the creature imagining his world, imagining the worlds, his God, his symbols.” Such a correlation between the Divine act of Creation and His creatures is an open invitation to those who wish to explore the realm of imagination. Thus, in this course, we invite you to dive into Ibn Arabi’s world of imagination. You will have the opportunity to connect your appreciation of Ibn Arabi’s text with your own creative expression such as poetry, writing, storytelling, drawing, painting and music etc. Such an interaction echoes James Morris’ observation on “the remarkably active approach which Ibn Arabi expects and constantly demands of his truly qualified and spiritually ‘ambitious’ readers, those who begin to interact with his work with the appropriate intentions and preparation.” (source: https://ibnarabisociety.org/how-to-study-the-futuhat james-morris/).

We are currently offering the following courses in 2024 which study Ibn Arabi’s Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan Openings) ,The Secrets of Voyaging, and The Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al Hikam)

“Embark therein: from Noah’s ark to Adam’s fall”

Exploring imagination in The Secrets of Voyaging

Oct 23, 2023 to Jan 8 , 2024 (incl. break for New Year)
Mondays
17:30 to 19:00 London time

Follow this link for course details.

 

Courses offered in previous years

 

Ocean 1 “In each thing He has a sign”

An Introduction to Ibn Arabi’s spiritual openings
Follow this link for course details.

Ocean 2 “With which eye do I see Him”

Exploring imagination in The Meccan Openings
Follow this link for course details.

Ocean 4 “I fled from Myself to Him

10 & 4 week courses: Exploring stations and passageways in The Secrets of Voyaging
Follow this link for course details

A journey to heaven

Course overview

In the first heaven course, we focused attention on the Prophet’s journey and its symbolic relation with the spiritual journey towards God in The Secrets of Voyaging. In Heaven 2 course, we will explore the multi-layered meanings of Ibn Arabi’s own ascension by focusing on his first encounters with Adam and Jesus in the Fusus al Hikam (The Ringstones of Wisdom or also translated as The Bezels of Wisdom).

 

Heaven 2 “If not for Him, and if not for us”

Exploring the multi-layered meanings of Ibn Arabi’s own ascension by focusing on his encounters with Adam and Jesus in the Fusus al Hikam.

Feb 19 to April 29 (+ May 20)
18:30 to 20:00 London Time

Link to Eventbrite

 

The following course also forms part of ‘A journey to heaven’ and was run in 2023 – other courses in the Heaven journeys are in the planning stage.

Heaven 1 “The voyage by Him in Him”

Exploring the nocturnal journey of the Prophet Muhammad in The Secrets of Voyaging.
Follow this link for course details

Further courses in the series ‘a journey across the desert’ and ‘a journey into language’ will be announced in the future.

Intensive Introductory & Guest Courses

Intensive Introductory Course

Meeting Ibn Arabi: His Life and Teaching

 

Guest Courses

Connections 1: Sufism & Taoism by Toshihiko Izutsu

Connections 2: Chapters from the Fusus