The Doily meditation, as an experience of both movement and stillness of duality and unity, resonates deeply with the teachings of many mystical traditions. Whether through the lens of Guru Nanak’s vision of divine unity, the spiritual journey of Sant Mat, the transformative path of Sufi mysticism or the compassionate insights of the House of Empathy, the meditation reveals profound truths about the relationship between form and formlessness, the known and the unknown.
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, taught extensively about maya, the illusion of the material world that conceals the deeper reality of the divine. In the Doily meditation, the wind that moves the curtain can be understood as maya—an invisible force that stirs the world of form, yet itself remains unseen. Nanak’s teachings emphasize that behind this ever-changing world, there is a single, formless divine essence: Ik Onkar.
In this meditation, the wind’s silent movement reveals the fine line between the known and the unknown, mirroring Nanak’s vision of the human experience—caught between what we perceive with our senses and the deeper, formless truth that lies beyond. The meditation begins in darkness, where form and formlessness are indistinguishable. The red glow that emerges can be seen as the beginning of spiritual awakening, the first realization that there is more to existence than what appears on the surface. This red, the color of passion and attachment, represents the ego’s hold on the self. But as it shifts into gold, it reflects the soul’s journey toward divine purity, a journey of liberation from maya into the ultimate reality of Ik Onkar.
For Nanak, the curtain—the Doily—represents the veil between illusion and truth. Through meditation, devotion and understanding of divine unity, this veil can be lifted. The Doily is not an obstacle but a thin boundary, gently moved by the divine wind, revealing glimpses of the formless essence that underlies all forms.
In Sant Mat, the path of the soul is described as a journey through inner light and sound, known as shabd. The silent wind that moves the Doily in your meditation parallels the subtle, imperceptible energy of the shabd that guides the soul through different planes of consciousness. The distinction between movement and stillness, between the known and the unknown, echoes the stages of awakening in Sant Mat.
The red glow, followed by the golden light, mirrors the soul’s progression through higher states of awareness. In Sant Mat, red often symbolizes the lower planes of existence—the attachment to the material world and the ego. As the meditator deepens their practice, this red transforms into gold, symbolizing the soul’s purification and ascent toward the ultimate source. Gold represents divine wisdom, the light of the higher realms where the soul merges with the formless divine.
The Doily, in this context, serves as a metaphor for the thin veil that separates the soul from its divine source. It moves gently in the wind, suggesting that the boundary between the physical and spiritual realms is permeable. The unseen energy moving the Doily is the divine current, the shabd, which can guide the soul beyond the world of forms into the formless essence of the divine.
In Sufi mysticism, the journey of the soul is often described as a dance between form and formlessness, between the seen and unseen. The wind that moves the Doily without making a sound can be likened to the nafas, the divine breath that animates all life. This breath, though invisible and silent, is the force that gives life and moves all things, just as the wind gently stirs the curtain in your meditation.
The dual experience of stillness and movement in the Doily meditation reflects the Sufi teaching that God is both immanent and transcendent. In Sufi thought, the divine is present in all things, moving through the world in subtle ways, but at the same time, it exists beyond form, in a state of pure unity. The wind that moves the Doily symbolizes this divine presence—unseen, yet deeply felt.
The red-to-gold transition in your meditation mirrors the Sufi concept of fana (annihilation of the ego) and baqa (remaining in God). The red represents the ego’s grip on the soul, the attachment to the material world and personal desires. As the red transforms into gold, it symbolizes the soul’s surrender to the divine will, its purification, and the realization of divine truth. Gold, in Sufi poetry, often represents the light of divine wisdom, the ultimate realization that the self and the divine are one.
The Doily, then, is like the veil described by the Sufis—a curtain between the material world and the spiritual reality. It moves, hinting at the divine presence beyond, but it is through surrender and devotion that the veil is lifted, and the soul can perceive the truth that lies beyond form.
At House of Empathy, the focus is on cultivating empathy and understanding, both for oneself and others, as a pathway to deeper spiritual awareness. The Doily meditation aligns with this practice by emphasizing the balance between the known and the unknown, between movement and stillness. In this space, the wind that moves the Doily without sound represents the subtle energies of emotions, thoughts and spiritual currents that we often overlook in daily life.
Through the practice of empathy, one learns to feel the movement of these subtle energies, to recognize the invisible forces that shape our inner and outer worlds. The meditation’s duality of motion and stillness can be seen as a metaphor for the balance between the active mind and the quiet heart. At House of Empathy, this balance is cultivated through compassionate self-reflection and mindful awareness.
The red-to-gold transition reflects the journey of self-realization that many at House of Empathy experience. Red represents the raw, passionate emotions and attachments we all carry, while gold symbolizes the clarity and wisdom that come from understanding and embracing both ourselves and others with empathy. The meditation ends with the realization that, like the Doily, we are all gently moved by unseen forces and through empathy, we can come to understand and embrace both the known and the unknown aspects of our lives.
The Doily meditation, with its gentle movement between the known and the unknown, offers a powerful metaphor for the spiritual journey across different mystical traditions. Whether through Guru Nanak’s vision of divine unity, the inner journey of Sant Mat, the Sufi path of surrender or the compassionate practice of House of Empathy, the meditation reveals a profound truth: that beyond the veil of form lies a formless essence, a higher energy that moves all things.
The wind that moves the Doily is the subtle, invisible force of the divine—the energy that shapes both the physical and spiritual realms. The red-to-gold transition represents the soul’s journey from attachment to liberation, from ignorance to wisdom. The Doily itself is a symbol of the thin boundary between the world of forms and the infinite formlessness beyond. Through meditation, empathy and spiritual practice, this veil can be lifted, revealing the deeper truths that lie beyond the surface.
In the end, the Doily experience is one of awakening—a realization that while we may live in a world of forms, there is a higher, formless reality that moves us all, gently guiding us toward the divine.
