DAY 1 LOVE / Arrival Day to St. Thomas VI!!!

Due to Sisters traveling from different locations arrival times will vary greatly. We will be staying at the Windward Passage Hotel located CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS; from the videos and pictures it looks to be a very beautiful hotel; just an 8 minute ride from airport. about $10 dollars. Sisters arriving around the same time should wait for each other to share a cab. The Hotel is complete with restaurants, spas, pool, workout room and casino. Plenty of space for us to convene our welcome group. Room assignments have already been determined; After getting settled in your rooms take time to tour the hotel and nearby town shops or perhaps relax by the pool enjoying a cool drink and conversation with your Sisters or perhaps a stroll around the locale area as the hotel sits in the heart of town.

SACI Welcome Dinner @ 7:30pm: We will have our first gathering at the Sisters Dinner of Love. We will wear the Turban color of purple as representation of our Sisterly Union of Love. We will have a moment of introduction sharing something brief about ourselves and our personal expectations of the SACI spiritual retreat. If not feeling too tried we can end with a stroll around the promenade while sharing a light desert; remember we have an early raise so not too late with the strolling.

DAY 2 TRUTH

Early Morning Mediation @ 8:00am: Ferry Ride to Water Island (Honeymoon Beach)

An early start to set the tone in a heightened spiritual experience with demonstrating our three forms of meditation in getting in tuned with our True form of being. We will meet in the lobby of the hotel at 7:30 am we will then travel from the hotel by way of bus shuttle to Crown Bay taking the ferry to Water Island which is about a 10 min ride. We will then venture to Honeymoon beach which is about a 10 min hike to the beach. The nice peaceful nature walk to the beach will surly set the tone.

It is through meditation we detach ourselves from this false world and immerse ourselves in reality being in the oneness with Allah. Only by cutting ourselves off from the unending onslaught of the senses, by tuning out the distractions of this world, can we hope to escape from its tyranny and oppression of the carnal things attached to the flesh.

First Phase: Group Salat to set the tone.
Second Phase: Spiritual Realm/ Blue ether Meditation.
Third Phase: Moorish Sufi Zikr Circle.
Forth Phase: Closing with a Spiritual bonding session with our Sister turban wrapping ceremony and a moment of silent reflection.

*Form of Dress: White turbans with lose comfortable bright clothing have prayer rugs and beads.

After our Mediation which should end around 12 noon we will hang around to enjoy the beautiful peaceful beach; Sisters bring a snack or lunch because their are no restaurants on Water Island just small huts that sell frozen drinks and fruit bowls. We will head back to the main island for lunch and determined the rest of our day and evening events will be a group diner and live music.

DAY 3 PEACE

Meditation of Peace @ 9am will meet in hotel lobby @ 8:30am

We will travel from the hotel taking the bus shuttle to Red hook to catch the 9:00am ferry to St. John which is about a 20min ride. There will be no particular from of dress other than to be comfortable and light. We will locate the prefect spot to engage in a hour peaceful mediation of mind and body. After the mediation session we will have a Sisterly Brunch of Peace sponsored by SACI; then off to a day that reflect in Peace. Upon return back to the Hotel around 5pm grab an early dinner and refresh with a nap, chilling by the pool or however you choose relax in preparation for Holyday Services. After Holy Services we will decided the next course of action. Transportation to Holyday services will also be covered by Sheik JaRule Islam El.

DAY 4 FREEDOM

A Personal Tour guided by Sheik JaRule Islam El @ 10:00am to the Western part of the Island to see some of the most breathtaking views of all the surrounding Islands. We shall meet with the towns people of his childhood community while enjoying the company of each other. Sheik JaRule will accommodate us with transportation for this day.

We will return back to the Hotel in enough time to refresh and get ready for the lecture which will start at 4pm, the lecture is set to be only 2 hours in length; transportation will also be accommodated by Sheik JaRule Islam El. Evening activities to be determine after.

*Saturday Lecture: “Faith & Culture” [Details about the lecture is available on website]

DAY 5 JUSTICE

Morning Sister Sail @ 8:00am: A early rise to meet the boat at 8am it will cast off at 8:30am sharp! Returning around 12 noon. Our 1/2 Day Sail Excursion departs from Yacht Haven Grande Marina located in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas (walking distance from the hotel). The cost includes all snorkel gear, flotation devices, open bar, snacks, fresh water shower, entertainment, relaxation and wonderful memories. This event is being sponsored by SACI.

Upon returning we can take our last breathtaking view via the Skyride to Paradise Point that takes you 700 feet above sea level to the most spectacular views on the island and close out our day with another trip to the beach. Farewell Dinner TTBD: SACI will host the Farewell Dinner & Jazz; closing out with our Sister Secrete Gift Giving.

Day 6 / Checking out

Sisters who flights are leaving around the same time will share a cab to the airport. …WOW looking forward to a awesome time.

We wish to thank the entire Membership of The Moorish Science Temple of America-1928 for support with donations and love for which would not been possible. Praises to Allah for a awesome Moorish Islamic community that is in complete unity with each under the one love of Allah.

We will be making plans for our next Sisters Spiritual Retreat as well as our Sister Hug Weekend in October of 2015, if you are a Sister that embrace the faith of Islam we welcome you to sign up for of mailing list. We will have a pre-registration in October to determine how many Sisters would be interested in the next Sisters Spiritual Retreat to St.Thomas VI.

Moabites Day Celebrated by Moorish American Woman

Moabites Day was first celebrated on May 17th, 2007; it was a collaborated idea of the Sister Auxiliary of The Moorish Science Temple of American-1928; instigated by Imam Rasul Hasan Bey of Grand Temple #1, Indiana; he saw a great need to honor our own Moorish Queens through our own tradition giving birth to Moabitess Day. That we should be celebrating our own holidays according to our beliefs and way of life. As Moorish American Moslems we have a heightened respect and pride for our own culture and customs which places a foundation of our Moorish traditions to be passed down from one generation to the next. As it is written within our Circle 7 Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of American; “Men comprehend the inner life by what they see and do. They come to Allah through ceremonies and forms.” It is through our ceremonies and forms that strengthen our outer display to be always attuned with the Divine.

Moabitess Day is the celebration of humanity; it is the celebration of all Sisters of all ages who have chosen to attach themselves to the organization which qualifies a person to be deemed and recognized as a Moorish American Moslem according to the dictates of our so beloved Prophet Drew Ali. Our Holy Koran Circle 7 gives a perfect example of the true essences of a Moabitess; Chapter XXI, Marriage Instructions of Man and Wife from the Noble Prophet.

“Give ear, fair daughter of love, to the instructions of prudence and let the precepts of truth sink deep in thy heart; so shall the charms of thy mind add luster to the elegance of thy form; and thy beauty, like the rose it resembleth, shall retain its sweetness when its bloom is withered.”

May was chosen because it is the time of fresh bloom; our Moabitess Queens are likened to beautiful flowers pulling towards the sun and spring forth in life during May. A perfect time of year when nature gives birth to beautiful blossoms and vegetation; however it is not to be confused with anything relating to celebrating of the spring equinox. The 17^th day was chosen representing we are ‘1’ with Allah and the ‘7’ is attributed to the seven degrees of womanhood.

Virtuousness
Modesty
Humility
Meekness
Kindness
Frugality
Faithfulness

Our day of celebrating our Sisters has been adopted by other Moorish Americans across the country with every year gaining greater acknowledgement. It is in the sharing and honoring our symbol of Humanity; the Moabitess Queens. Moabitess Day is a day to honor our Sisters, Mothers and Daughters the young and seasoned who chosen to live a life of faithfulness in Islam and to the one God whom we call Allah.

Mother’s Day Celebrated in America

According to the Journal of Southern History 68.4 (2002); “The modern American holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which now holds the International Mother’s Day Shrine.^[ Her campaign to make “Mother’s Day” a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her beloved mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Anna’s mission was to honor her own mother by continuing work she started and to set aside a day to honor mothers, “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”. (Journal of Southern History 68.4 2002)

Mother’s Day is considered a modern celebration honoring one’s own mother, as well as motherhood in general, which can include maternal bonds, along with the overall influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. In America it is celebrated annually on May 10^th. It was first celebrated in March it complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father’s Day and Siblings Day.

The celebration of Mother’s Day is said to have originated as a Greek cult to Cybele, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration (originally a celebration of the mother church, not motherhood). Despite this, in some countries, Mother’s Day has become synonymous with these older traditions.

In closing, many Moorish Americans will tend to honor those who acknowledge and celebrate the American Mothers Day; as it is no compulsion for anyone to recognize and honor our Moorish Islamic customs and tradition. We honor anything that is reflective of Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom and Justice, even if it is under another banner; as truth is but one.

Reference

American Mothers Day.

Enstam, Elizabeth York. “The Dallas equal suffrage association, political style, and popular culture: grassroots strategies of the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1913–1919.” Journal of Southern History 68.4 (2002):817+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.