Ashgar Gholami will be the guest speaker at The Salon, East-West Mosaic: Alchemy of Transformation."  Persian by birth and scientist by training, Gholami has studied Sufism for over three dacades within the lineage of Hazrat Shah Maghsoudi Schooll of Sufism based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

Composed in 12th centrury during a period of poetic blossoming in Persia, The Confrence of the birds is a magnificent allegorical rendering of a mystical journy undertaken by birds of the world, including peacocks, swan, nightingales,partridges, sparrows, ducks, and parrots. The calatst for their journy was to find their King Simorgh. A bird presonifying wisdom Hood Hood, is a messenger from the invisive world offered the birds to lead them to thier king who live in the highest mountain named Kooha Ghaff. As they were traveling each birds gives elaborate and passionate excuses for why they cannot undertake the arduous voyage and quets. Thirty birds finally reached the distination, where there was a huge calm lake. The Hood Hood saidf that thier king lives in this lake. As they all look into the kake what they saw was their own reflection.