Sufism: The Transformation of the Heart

In Sufism, The Transformation of the Heart, Vaughan-Lee brilliantly describes a spiritual tradition that cannot be nailed down in words--a path of inner union between lover and Beloved, "a bridge from the world of forms to the formless." In this book he introduces the major teachers of different branches of Sufism, while distilling the essence of the path taught by all of the masters: the cry of the soul to God. For those who have tasted this desire for God, Vaughan-Lee's passages will blow on the fire of their longing. For those new to Sufism, this book is an excellent introduction to a spiritual path that leads to the heart's transformation. I love how simply and lovingly Vaughan-Lee points our attention away from ego-identification with this transformation, reminding us that we are here for the Divine to reveal the Divine to Itself. (It is so easy to get caught in the ego's games of claiming spiritualness for itself.) Vaughan-Lee's unique contribution to Sufi literature is his application of Jungian psychology to help Westerners understand this process of transformation. I found the chapter "Polishing the Heart" particularly helpful, where he describes a woman's relationship to her animus much more clearly and more intimately than Jungian texts covering the same subject. Vaughan-Lee also gives attention to the suffering of the feminine in Western culture and how we have collectively repressed feminine qualities, inner experiences, and a mystical connection with God. This book is very accessible and a valuable resource.

What is written in The Transformation of the Heart speaks to the basics of the spiritual path, the fundamental questions a seeker has when she yearns to embark on this strange journey of the heart. "At the core of all Sufi practices is the element of love and devotion," the author says in the introduction, and everything that follows is invitation and methodology to go deeper and deeper into one's heart. I particularly appreciated the chapter in which Dr. Vaughan-Lee discusses the relationship with the teacher. It's so different to the way we've been culturally conditioned to experience relationship in the West, as some form of association between person and person, ego and ego. The author shows the real relationship with the teacher, that the teacher is an empty space through which the love and grace of the path flow.