The Bond with the Beloved: The Inner Relationship of the Lover and the Beloved [Paperback]

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1993

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee portrays the awakening of the seeker to the bond of love that has existed within the human heart since the beginning of time. Drawing on sources both Sufi and Christian, he details the unfolding of this eternal love affair between the human seeker and the Divine Beloved. As it explains the tremendous importance of this mystical relationship not only to the lover but to the world, this book suggests that through the inner relationship with the Beloved the lover brings this higher consciousness into every day life and helps the world remember that it belongs to God.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee is a Sufi teacher. In recent years the focus of his writing and teaching has been on spiritual responsibility in our present time of transition, and the emerging global consciousness of oneness. He has also specialized in the area of dreamwork, integrating the ancient Sufi approach to dreams with the insights of modern psychology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 155 pages
• Publisher: The Golden Sufi Center; First Edition edition (March 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963457403
• ISBN-13: 978-0963457400
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #736,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D., is a Sufi Teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujadidiyya Sufi Order. Born in London in 1953, he has followed the Naqshbandi Sufi path since he was 19. In 1991 he moved to Northern California and became the successor of Irina Tweedie, author of "Chasm of Fire" and "Daughter of Fire." In recent years the focus of his writing and teaching has been on spiritual responsibility in our present time of transition, and the emerging global consciousness of oneness. He has also specialized in the area of dreamwork, integrating the ancient Sufi approach to dreams with the insights of modern psychology. Author of several books, Llewellyn lectures in the United States and Europe. For further information, please see: www.goldensufi.org and www.workingwithoneness.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanted, September 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bond with the Beloved: The Inner Relationship of the Lover and the Beloved (Paperback)

About ten years ago I read Dr. Vaughan-Lee's book, THE LOVER AND THE SERPENT, in which he used Jungian terms to describe Naqshbandi Sufism and spiritual transformation. The simplicity and power of Dr. Vaughan-Lee's writing made a deep impression on me, and I looked forward to reading more of his writings on the subject. In THE BOND WITH THE BELOVED, Dr. Vaughan-Lee continues and elaborates on this Sufi tradition brought to the West by his teacher, Irina Tweedie. This book focuses on the stages of spiritual transformation, what the seeker can expect to encounter at each stage, and the practices that aid the seeker in the journey. He draws from both Sufi and Christian sources to illustrate that the mystical journey in any tradition is basically the same. In fact, he uses the four stages of prayer identified by St. Tereasa of Avila to illustrate what the seeker can expect to encounter. The practices Vaughan-Lee describes that put the seeker into the arena of transformation are very simple. He writes, "In our Naqshbandi group meetings we meditate, drink tea and discuss dreams. The lack of outer form or collective ritual (music or the chanting of the dhikr) emphasizes the individual inner journey." But he also stresses the powerful transformative effect of these simple practices - especially the stillness of meditation. "In deep states of meditation there is absolute stillness, darkness and nothingness. . . . We Leave the mind completely behind in order to enter the uncreated, dark light of God." He writes like someone who has been there. Though the methods Dr. Vaughan-Lee describes seem so simple, they were verified for me by the work of the renowned Jungian analyst, Marie-Louise von Franz, in her book, THE WAY OF THE DREAM. Her description of dreamwork, which she says she used almost exclusively with her patients, echoes the dreamwork and transformation that Vaughan-Lee describes in THE BOND WITH THE BELOVED. Another book that corroborates Jungian theory and Sufism is J. Marvin Spiegelman's SUFISM, ISLAM, AND JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY. All three books are excellent material on the inner dynamics of spiritual/psychological transformation. BOND WITH THE BELOVED. TABLE OF CONTENTS. (1)The Shadow Side of Spiritual Life (2)Pregnant with God (3)Stages of Prayer: The Birth of the Beloved (4)Stages of Prayer: Living in the Two Worlds (5)Stages of Prayer: Ecstasy (6)The Dhikr (7) Meditation.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bond With the Beloved, July 21, 2005

By 

Roseanna (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bond with the Beloved: The Inner Relationship of the Lover and the Beloved (Paperback)

This book is the best I have read on this topic. I have looked for a LONGGG time for a book that could give me this information without religous dogma or preaching. I highly recommend it for anyone who is searching for a spiritual path.