8 week Online Course

May 5 - June 30, 2025

You think yourself merely a drop within the ocean, but you are also the entire ocean in a drop.

—Rumi, The Masnavi

“In a word, there is nothing closer to you than you.  If you do not know yourself, how can you know anything else?  ....  You must seek out the truth about yourself: What sort of a thing are you?  Where did you come from?  Where are you going?  Why have you come to this stopping place?  For what purpose were you created?  What is your happiness and in what does it lie?  What is your misery and in what does that lie?”

—Ghazali, The Alchemy of Happiness

ABOUT THE COURSE

This 8 week online course is an exploration of the key frameworks and terms of Sufi psychology and spirituality. We will cover the path from ego-consciousness to self-mastery and self-realization as articulated by the great scholars and mystics of Islam such as Ghazali and Rumi.

In addition to the weekly lessons we will also implement various Sufi practices such as dhikr, meditation, written reflection, and spiritual dialogue. Taught by Baraka Blue, with special guest teachers TBA

COURSE details

Baraka Blue will guide us through the vast literature within the Sufi tradition on the levels of human consciousness, with special consideration on the methods used to illuminate consciousness and awaken higher levels of awareness and the relevance of these ancient spiritual traditions for our modern world. 

What is the nafs (ego/self)? The ruh (spirit)? The qalb (heart)? The ‘aql (intellect)? How do we pass beyond the limitations of the lower self and come into an awareness of our true nature? What practical tools can we implement in our lives to deepen our practice and live with presence and God-consciousness? What is the nature of happiness? How can we distinguish between fleeting happiness and that which is everlasting. What is unveiling? What is the path to inner knowing? What are the  diseases of the heart and what are their cures? Do ancient spiritual traditions still possess wisdom for our modern world? How do Sufi approaches to psychology differ from modern approaches? How do the outer dimensions of religion relate to the inner spiritual dimensions? These questions and more will be explored in this 8-week course. 

COURSE COMPONENTS

  • 8 Modules of Pre-Recorded Teaching Videos and Readings

  • Weekly Practices including Dhikr, Meditation, and Written Reflections

  • Biweekly Live Sessions with Baraka Blue & Guest Teachers

    Weekly virtual sessions with Baraka Blue and guest teachers provide opportunity for dialogue and discussion as well as sharing writings and reflections.

  • Online Community Group

    In addition to our weekly sessions the online group serves as a place to connect and share your writings and reflections as well as read those of others around the world who are sharing the experience.

  • Certificate of Participation

    • Available to those who complete all teaching modules and attend live sessions (a total of 14 hours).

    • Please note that this is certificate does not count towards continuing education units for psychology clinicians.

registration details

COURSE DATES

Course starts on May 5 and runs for 8 weeks until June 30th, 2025

Teaching modules will be released weekly starting on May 5th.

Bi-Weekly Live Sessions with Teachers will be hosted on Saturdays

May 10th at 9AM PT / 12PM ET

May 24th at 9AM PT / 12PM ET

June 7th at 9AM PT / 12PM ET

June 21st at 9AM PT / 12PM ET

COST & REGISTRATION

Payment can be made as a one-time registration fee of $399*

Monthly payments are available at $222/month* for 2 months.

Payment is processed automatically and due whether you complete the course or not

about your teachers

B a r a k a B l u e — P R I M A R Y T E A C H E R

is a poet, musician, author, and teacher from Seattle, Washington. After reading the works of Rumi and Ibn Arabi he traveled to study with contemporary Sufi teachers in Morocco, Turkey, Yemen, Egypt and beyond. He is the founder of Rumi Center for Spirituality and the Arts - a community organization dedicated to teaching and transmitting the wisdom of the Sufi spiritual path to seekers from all walks of life through online courses, retreats, and artistic productions. 

In addition to releasing multiple studio albums, authoring books of poetry, and performing internationally, Baraka Blue is a prolific educator with a master’s degree in Islamic Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

a b d a l l a h r o t h m a n — G U E S T T E A C H E R

is a leading expert in the field of Islamic Psychology. He is the Head of Islamic Psychology at Cambridge Muslim College, founder of Dar al-Shifaa and co-founder and Executive Director of the International Association of Islamic Psychology, working at the intersection of Islamic spirituality and mental health practice.

Dr. Rothman is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist (ATR-BC), licensed in the United States and currently living abroad in the UAE.

A. h e l w a — G U E S T T E A C H E R

is a writer and author who has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers through her passionate, poetic, and love-based approach to spirituality.

Her book Secrets of Divine Love is an international bestseller and her popular blog @quranquotesdaily, was established while obtaining her Masters in Divinity, as a means of helping others overcome personal and spiritual struggles on their journey of experiencing divine love. 

With over 15 years of experience writing and speaking on Islam and spiritual development, A. Helwa draws from her personal experiences and traditional sources to help her readers access ‘Divine love in everyday life.’

m i c h a e l s u g i c h — G U E S T T E A C H E R

is an author who has kept company with some of the greatest Sufi saints of the age from many parts of the world. His book Signs on the Horizon: Meeting with Men of Knowledge and Spiritual Illumination is an immersive contemporary memoir of his spiritual journey and interactions with men who have transcended the ordinary and achieved stations of spirituality and enlightenment that in the modern world we only attribute to the Biblical fathers of ancient times or to myth.