"Art as a Sacred Calling": An Interview with Tasleem Jamila Firdausee

Tasleem Jamila Firdausee, the executive director of Art as a Sacred Intiative, here talks about her Baptist upbringing, her immersion into mystical Islam, and her academic scholarship into the role of women in Sufism.

She shares of her spiritual journey and the teachers she's encountered along the way, and illustrates them with readings from her two books, Black Baptist Muslim Mystic: from the Cosmos and From Mississippi Clay to African Skies in Search of Sacred Presence.

By chance, this interview was conducted during the birthday week of the Prophet Mohammed.

"There are traditions all over the world and every country from Malaysia to Sudan, to the hills of Russia, to Senegal... to Morocco, where you have the tradition of Muslims writing poetry, singing praises to the Prophet Muhammad.  And so I, as a poet as God,  want to be a part of those who actually write poetry in the praise in English, because this is my first language," Tasleem said

Tasleem Jamila Firdausee is an internationally award-winning poet, author, multi-disciplinary artist, interdisciplinary scholar, cultural curator and organizer and holistic wellness therapist who uses heart-centered storytelling to examine the intersections of culture, spirituality, and indigenous holistic healing modalities.

She's the founder of the Art As Sacred Initiate, an initiative and curatorial organization created to produce and curate experiences that strive to challenge unimaginative conceptions of spirituality, art, and the healing effects of artists' often marginalized cultural production. 

Links:

• Tasleem's site
• Her most recent book
• A video about her work
• Sacred Inclusion Network
• Sacred Inclusion Network's Sacred Inclusion Network Facebook Group
• Sacred Inclusion Network's YouTube Channel 
• Like the podcast? Support us on Patreon!