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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Explore Sufism in New Brunswick

Sufism, the inner mystical dimension of Islam, is an experiential understanding of the Non Dual Reality which lies at the very center of Islam itself. Students on this path are known as Sufi dervishes.

Tragically, terrorists groups have tainted the American vision of Islam. The religion, whose cornerstone is set in peace, has now, ironically, become associated with violence. The original intention of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was a world rooted in harmony, justice, ecstasy, devotion and love. This is the world that the dervish aspires to live in and co-create.

Come experience the world of the Sufi and join in the Zikrullah, the sacred Sufi ceremony of remembrance. Rev. Annmarie “Zhati” Agosta, LCSW, offers Sufi gatherings at the New Brunswick Quaker Meetinghouse on the first Saturday of every month. The next gathering will be held on March 7 at 5:30 p.m.

Rev. Agosta is a long time activist in the LGBTQ, feminist and peace movements and is a senior dervish of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order International as well as an ordained Interspiritual Minister of the One Spirit Interfaith Alliance in NYC. She is founder of Authenticity Psychotherapy in East Brunswick.

Location: New Brunswick Quaker Meetinghouse, 109 Nichol Ave., New Brunswick. For info, see Meetup.com/NurAshkiJerrahiAll-EmbracingSufiCommunity/, call 732-955-6178 or AuthenticityTherapy.com.

Sufism News Briefs
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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