Earth-Sickness

Excerpt from Observation of a Sufi School
by Hoda Azizian
(1980)

'There are certain "tests" which occur while you are being prepared for enlightenment. If the negative side of these appeals to you, you will remain one of the "people of the world ", or "people with Earth-sickness." THE TESTS ARE NOT SECRET, SINCE YOU CANNOT CAMOUFLAGE YOUR REACTIONS TO THEM. They include:

1. Being given an ultimatum, or being asked to choose between two people or two courses of study or two forms of behaviour. Whoever asks you to choose between him and others is the false "Teacher".

2. If you are given anything to say or do in a language foreign to you (in the West this means such things as phrases in Persian or Arabic to repeat), this is done by a false teacher.

3. No true Sufi meetings are held more than once a week.

4. If you are told, or if it is hinted to you, that 'something important is going to happen soon,' know that you should abandon that group and seek the alternative.

5. Any supposed Sufi wearing clothes or other apparel foreign to the country in which he is living, or which he visits, means that you should avoid such a man.

6. Any alleged Sufi teacher who claims or implies that he is 'on the Path of Blame' (deliberately courting unpopularity) is false. This is never claimed by real Sufis, since the Path of Blame must be anonymously trod.

7. Anyone who says or does anything in your presence implying that he has influence in affairs of the world and is exercising it, is not a Sufi teacher; unless he is on the Path of Blame, in which case he is not an instructor but is only there to signal that you, too, must shun him, and approach the legitimate source of the Teaching which is always present under such circumstances.

8. No real Sufi will claim or imply supreme Mastership, or being a Qutub, or Concealed Teacher; though former dervishes (representatives for limited purposes) of Sufis may do so, if they have succumbed to the temptation of exercising power.

9. Similarly, the assumption of military, clerical or official rank is a sign of the deterioration of faculties (earth-sickness) which can attack anyone, and which is often found among channels, (i.e., people who, though not Sufis, may be related to some of them and employed for low-level and preparatory or 'test' work).

10. The following signs are common when Sufi teachership is claimed by those not entitled to it: assumption of importance; loss of physical co-ordination; convincing others (as a major characteristic) that one is taking a deep interest in them, especially when they are ill or in distress; mysteriousness and hinting; tolerating the deluded; confusing friendship with teaching; organizing inconsequential journeys; allowing one's hand to be kissed; appearing on platforms with "other mystics "; believing that Sufi teaching is a matter of individual opinion, not of inevitability in techniques; allowing exercises (Zikr) to be carried out without supervisors to intervene at appropriate moments. '

I sought elucidation of the foregoing statement from an authoritative Sufi source because of the problem raised by its method of phrasing. Reference is made both to 'testing' and also to 'falsity'. Which were we dealing with, I wanted to know: false schools or genuine schools which wanted to test actual or potential members?

The answer to this illuminated a further dimension of Sufi understanding:

'There are three conditions under which any or all of the considerations referred to may exist. These are: (a) the false Sufi school or the deluded one (former school now in decay); (b) the legitimate school applying tests; (c) the representative(s) of a Sufi school who have developed "Earth-sickness " (though not themselves Sufis, have through vanity arrogated to themselves the rank of Sufi, generally adopting high pretensions.)

In reality, though not in appearance, all these "work together", just as, say, fire and water "work together," to produce steam. '

I then asked what the observer, or individual desirous of approaching or remaining in a Sufi school, should do if he or she were confronted with any of the phenomena of 'Earth sickness' and supposed teachers.

'This condition,' I was told on high authority, 'never occurs unless the authentic Teaching is also accessible. The individual or group should turn to the legitimate teacher who will always be standing by. The commonest form is form (c), when the low level "messenger "of the Sufis decides to present himself as a teacher instead of a conduit. He will have been chosen as a secondary-ranking individual precisely because he will still have had such negative characteristics as vanity and the desire for power too strong in him. Such people are generally given these roles as a possible way of eliminating their bad characteristics. They tend, however, to fail in the attempt, and to choose the path of "false Sufism". It is these who are described in the (Sufi traditional) phrase, "The channel transmits the water but does not itself drink".'

As to why the errant 'channel' should develop such precise characteristics as 'loss of physical coordination, organising of inconsequential journeys, the assumption of military, clerical or official rank' and so on, the only answer obtainable from high Sufi sources was: 'All these tendencies are well-established symptoms of the result of the triumph of environmental influences on the weak mentation of those who have preferred power to enlightenment. To detail why this happens in this way would be unproductive. As with any illness, the areas attacked weaken first.'

But could this kind of malaise assail people of otherwise great achievements or of reputable Sufi connections?

'All Sufi connexions are reputable. All human beings are vulnerable to "Earth-sickness ". There cannot be any exceptions.'

'How is the ordinary individual to know when his (or her) "Sufi" teacher is afflicted in this way?' I asked.

'By applying the assessment of common sense to the problem, just as one does with anything else. It is not necessary for the Sufi to behave in an absurd fashion in order to carry out his mission. But it is likely that a false, deluded or maimed one will.'

'If such is the case with Sufi teachers, does it apply too to those of other persuasions?' was my next question.

'The Sufis are not a persuasion, they are people who have seen something beyond ordinary perception and who therefore know how to act to make this perceptible to others. But if you mean by this question, "are people who are involved in spiritual matters susceptible to deterioration?" the answer is, "Yes, all of them, as you will see from the abnormal behaviour of supposed teachers, from time to time, in all religious fields."'

'How, then, should the person interested in the Sufis, or in any other spiritual group, defend himself (herself) against false, deluded or disabled "teachers"?' I wanted to know.

'If there is anything about such a "teacher" which is regarded as abnormal, repulsive or objectionable by a majority of ordinary (non spiritually-minded) people, especially when they are informed of all the facts about this individual known to the followers of the "teacher", then you will know that he is undesirable. This is, again, because, although the true Sufi teacher is other-worldly, he has as a major task the need to present himself as thoroughly acceptable in every way, in every action, in all respects, as acceptable to the ordinary members of the wider community in which his work is set.'

'Does that mean that the unregenerate individual may well be better fitted to judge the Sufi teacher than the disciple?'

'No. It means that the unregenerate is better fitted to see through the false "Sufi" than the self-deluded. This is why real Sufis seek their disciples from among normal people, often those who have no background in metaphysics. Remember that those who stay with the false or untrue "Sufi" are almost always people who had a background of bizarre "spirituality" before they met him. He makes little progress with normal people, just as the legitimate Sufi makes real progress with virtually nobody else.'

I have dwelt on this subject because one can find so little featured on it in spiritual writings in general. It is felt that this fresh information, even though it is supported by traditional Sufi writings and other teachings, is neglected, and therefore contributes to the general knowledge of the subject, and adds to the information-stock available to researchers.

From Sufi Thought and Action, assembled by Idries Shah (Octagon Press, 1990) pgs. 131-135