There is a rhythm older than thought.
A pulse that moves beneath language, beneath belief, beneath the self that thinks it's separate.
The Mystics knew this. The Sufis practiced it in Majalis al-'Ushshāq. The Assembly of Lovers.
Not lovers of ideas. Not lovers of comfort.
Lovers magnetized by the Beloved.
Those who've tasted the Divine Honey and cannot forget. Whose hearts remember what the mind has been taught to ignore.
This is a gathering for those who feel the pull.
We don't come to feel better.
We come to remember what we are beneath the forgetting. To let the heart be polished until it reflects only what's real.
Through rhythm. Through repetition. Through presence.
The drum beats as the pulse of the circle. The voice follows. The self thins.
What remains is not you. Not separate. Not performing.
What remains is the longing itself, meeting its Source.
This is not meditation. Not therapy. Not a workshop on "finding your bliss."
This is Remembrance.
We chant Names of the Divine, sacred formulas, ceremonial songs. Simple, repetitive. Carried on breath and drum.
No performance. No expertise required. No belief system demanded.
Just the willingness to sit with others who feel the same magnetic pull.
The words are real. The rhythm is steady. The silence that follows is where the real work happens.
The Flow
Opening (5 minutes)
We set intention. A short prayer to open the way. To align the heart toward what is Real.
Chanting and Rhythm (30-40 minutes)
Using the Sufi Chants of the Heart as guide (our vision is for the chants to grow to what the individuals in the circle are inspired to invoke), we share simple chants. The drum holds the pulse. The voice follows. The meanings are offered, not explained.
Repetition is the technology. The heart softens through return. Through invoking the Divine until the one invoking dissolves.
Silent Resting (5-10 minutes)
After the chanting, we sit. No guidance. No instruction.
The echo of the words and rhythms settle. The heart rests in what was touched.
Closing (5 minutes)
A prayer of Unity. Of Oneness. We complete the circle and return to silence.
Gratitude for what was offered. For what was received.
Who This Is For
This is for those who've felt the pull and don't know what to call it.
For those tired of spiritual talk that never touches the ground.
For those who suspect that the heart knows a language the mind cannot translate.
For those who long.
Not for something. Not for someone.
Just longing itself. The flame that keeps you moving toward what you cannot name but cannot forget.
Who This Is Not For
This is not for those who need outcomes, insights, or "aha moments."
Not for those uncomfortable with the Divine, the sacred, the language of devotion.
If you need to understand before you participate, this isn't your circle.
If you can sit with not knowing, with just following the rhythm and letting something else lead
Stay.
The Circle
Our vision is for this to be a recurrent experience. A rhythm we return to, together.
The Assembly of Lovers meets twice each month, a bi-weekly rhythm of remembrance.
Each gathering deepens the last. The circle becomes a living pulse of devotion.
If you have a drum, bring it.
Medicine drums, frame drums, ceremony drums, all are welcome.
The circle grows stronger when every heartbeat joins the rhythm.
Details
Length: 45–60 minutes
When: November 17th at 7PM
Where: The Space, 356 Bloomfield Ave loft #2, Montclair, NJ 07042
Contribution: Sliding scale donation $20–$40 (no one will be turned away)
Hosted by: Bab Al Ilm in partnership with The Space Montclair
Let us know if you’re coming. Donation and RSVP link below.