Universal Worship-an introduction

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

Universal Worship was started in the early 1920s. It came as an inspiration to Haz. Inayat Khan, who came to the West from India to spread the Sufi message.

There is an altar, with 1 candle in the center, lit. This represents the Light of God. Below it, in a crescent, are other candles; each represents a particular spiritual path. The paths usually represented are Hindu, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic, but I have attended Universal Worship services with candles for the Goddess, Sikh, Native American, and Taoist paths. There is always one extra candle, the purpose of which I'll explain in a minute.

The Invocation is said, and then the Cherag (minister) lights each candle, saying "To the glory of the Omnipresent God, we kindle the light, symbolically representing the _____ religion". The extra candle is the last one lit, and it honors "all those, whether known or unknown to the world, who have held aloft the light of Truth amidst the darkness of human ignorance."

Prayers are said; passages from books from each path are read or recited; often songs are sung, and there can be Dances honoring the various paths. There is a time of meditation, and a sermon, which is always short. The Cherag ends the service with this blessing:

May the Blessing of God rest upon you
May God's Peace abide with you
May God's Presence illuminate your heart
Now and forever more.

Thank you for letting me share this way of worship.

[geardaddy]

1. That's cool!

So when the minister lights the extra candle and says:"To the glory of the Omnipresent God, we kindle the light, symbolically representing the _____ religion" he inserts the name of one of the religions in there? Does it then rotate the order of which religion gets put in the blank?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Yes

each religion, in turn, is honored. The taper goes from the Light of God candle (the one burning at the beginning of the service) to the candle being lit, showing that all teachings come from the same source.

We've had an eagle feather placed on the altar to honor the Lakota path (at my wedding;my husband is a pipe carrier in the Lakota tradition), and once we had a laptop computer on the altar for the Goddess tradition, as the person didn't have a way to download the verses!

[brer cat]

3. That's a really beautiful service.

Wish I could attend one someday. I don't personally believe that there is "one" path, and appreciate this service that honors all. Thanks for sharing.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. It will be called the Universal Worship Service

They are held in many areas in this country and around the world.