A Three-Part Sufi Exploration of Love, Unity, & Sacred Presence
Transforming Ourselves to Transform the World
Transforming Ourselves to Transform the World
Join us for our upcoming workshop series:
Join us for our upcoming workshop series:
The Divine Within
The Divine Within
Where: 2300 Garden Street Chapel, Santa Barbara, CA
(The former St. Anthony's Chapel)
When: October 16-18th, November 13-15th,
(The former St. Anthony's Chapel)
When: October 16-18th, November 13-15th,
& December 11-13th
Schedule: Friday 7pm-9pm PT
Saturday 9:30am-5pm PT
Sunday 9:30am-4:30pm PT
Lunch on your own.
Cost: $325 per weekend
$800 for all 3 weekends
Schedule: Friday 7pm-9pm PT
Saturday 9:30am-5pm PT
Sunday 9:30am-4:30pm PT
Lunch on your own.
Cost: $325 per weekend
$800 for all 3 weekends
Friday Night Only - by donation
Generous scholarships and a couples discount are available.
Email info@marifafoundation.org before filling out the registration form
for the scholarship or discount.
Come to one weekend or all three.
Generous scholarships and a couples discount are available.
Email info@marifafoundation.org before filling out the registration form
for the scholarship or discount.
Come to one weekend or all three.
*New to Sufism and want to see if it resonates before you commit?*
Join us just for Friday night to get a taste of what we offer.
We warmly welcome people of all faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds
to join us on this inner journey.
If you can't join us at any of these weekends but want to stay in touch and learn about future offerings, let us know here.
Workshop #1
Workshop #1
The Nature of Love
The Nature of Love
Experiencing the Reality of Relationships through Divine Love
October 16-18, 2026
Experiencing the Reality of Relationships through Divine Love
October 16-18, 2026
October 16-18, 2026
What could happen if we saw every relationship as a doorway to deepening our connection with the Divine? What if Divine Love and Wisdom were our compass for the lives we build and navigate together? How might this transform our lives and our work in this world into gardens of love overflowing with peace, joy, and connection? In Sufi teachings, we learn to embark on the journey to move from human love to Divine Love, a path through which we leave the separate self and awaken to deeper states of Oneness and connection with the Divine. When it comes to our relationships, rather than trying to move beyond their difficulties, Sufi practices show us how to meet them as doorways to deeper Love, understanding, and Unity. We start to deepen our connection to the Divine, to love ourselves in new ways, to listen underneath words to what a soul is truly seeking, and see the hidden roots of misunderstanding and conflict. We begin to meet one another not from the need to be right, but from the longing to be in Love. Through this path, relationships can become a place of inner harmony, awakening, and a new way of knowing the Divine.
In this workshop we will explore ancient Sufi teachings and practices for opening the heart and moving from human love toward Divine Reality. We will explore ancient principles for building a strong foundation of Love and Unity, examine what prevents us from fully receiving and embodying Unconditional Love inside ourselves, and learn practices for moving through difficulty. We will taste what it looks like to surrender the need to be right, listen from the heart, and lay down inner weapons that keep us separate. Experience how our hearts and souls can open to unconditional Love beyond anything we have experienced and how our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the Divine become a path to deeper realization.
Workshop #2
Workshop #2
Into the Heart of Oneness
Into the Heart of Oneness
Finding the Light of Unity So True Peace Can Be Established
November 13-15, 2026
Finding the Light of Unity So True Peace Can Be Established
November 13-15, 2026
November 13-15, 2026
What if this is the moment in history when we are invited to look more deeply at the roots of separation? What if we learn to recognize how these roots arise within us, to heal separation in ourselves and the world around us, and to rediscover the deeper unity through which peace becomes possible? What becomes possible when we trust that there is enough for everyone, honor the sacredness in one another, and allow Love, generosity, and Unity to guide the way we live and serve? So much of human conflict arises from the perception that there is not enough; that our needs, security, belonging, or resources must somehow compete with one another. Yet from a spiritual perspective, another possibility emerges - that the Divine has created a way for each of us to receive what we truly need without taking away from what is available to another, and that we are all here to learn from one another. Sufi teachings invite us to travel beyond the limitations of the separate human perspective and toward a deeper trust in Divine abundance, where we are reminded of the truth of who we really are and invited to witness the goodness within ourselves and others.
This workshop will explore the roots of conflict and the spiritual principles through which peace can be restored within ourselves, our relationships, and our communities. We will explore selflessness not as self-denial, but as freedom from the sense of separation, the sacred balance of giving and receiving, and how peace emerges when we recognize and align ourselves with the Divine order. Join us to explore the idea that we are all created from one soul and placed among different peoples and tribes so that we might truly come to know one another to return to Divine Unity.
Workshop #3
Workshop #3
Embodying the Jesus & Mary of Our Time
Embodying the Jesus & Mary of Our Time
A Gnostic Journey into Christ Consciousness, Love, & Unity
December 11-13, 2026
A Gnostic Journey into Christ Consciousness, Love, & Unity
December 11-13, 2026
December 11-13, 2026
What would it mean to be the Jesus and Mary of our time? Join us in an exploration of the gnostic Sufi understanding of the Divine Qualities embodied by Jesus and Mary, and what it might mean to carry their essence of Love, Unity, purity, and sacred presence into the world today. We will explore Jesus Christ not only as a man, but as a profound spiritual reality and consciousness—an invitation into Divine Love, transformation, and the healing of separation. As we contemplate the return of Jesus Christ, we will ask what it means to prepare our hearts not simply to await his return, but to recognize, receive, and embody the qualities of Love and Unity now. We will learn about the golden light of healing, compassion, and gnosis and experience what it means to embody this light and live from it.
Through Sufi teachings and practices, we will explore the pillars of Divine Love and Unity, learn from ancient gnostic teachings, and examine the veils that keep us from fully embodying these qualities, as well as why they are so deeply needed in our time. This is an invitation to listen for what our moment is calling forth from us. How might we become vessels of Love, Unity, compassion, and sacred presence? How might we carry the light of Jesus and Mary forward by becoming more fully who we were created to be?
If you can't join us at any of these weekends but want to stay in touch and learn about future offerings, let us know here.
Workshop Leaders
Workshop Leaders
Join Sufi Spiritual Teachers, Healers, and Guides, Dr. Ibrahim Jaffe, MD, Salima Adelstein, DDiv, and Kamila Shenmen, PhD, for a profound exploration of love, unity, and the timeless spiritual embodiment of Jesus and Mary within ourselves.
Leaders of the Shadhiliyya Ma'rifa Tariqa and its affiliated organizations, the Ma'rifa Foundation and the University of Sufism, they have spent decades guiding thousands of people toward a deeper relationship with the Divine, profound inner healing, and a life of greater peace, purpose, and service. Their work brings together the wisdom of the Sufi tradition and the practical invitation to transform ourselves, deepen our connection with one another, and become a greater force for healing and unity in the world.
Ibrahim Jaffe, MD, is a physician and the shaykh, guide, and founding leader of the Shadhiliyya Ma'rifa Tariqa, a branch of the Shadhili-Darqawi-Alawi lineage of Sufism brought to him by his teacher, Sidi Muhammad al Jamal ar Rifai. Dr. Ibrahim's work and spiritual leadership are focused on opening what he calls the Way of Love - a way of being with Sufism that is for Western consciousness to embrace and discover; where love, healing, unity, and spiritual expansion are the heart and door of the teaching; while remaining faithful to the classical Sufi tradition. Through this approach, people are invited to taste real healing and Divine connection from the inside out through this deep, Divine Love.
Dr. Ibrahim has helped over 50,000 people worldwide heal chronic conditions, awaken their hearts, and transform their lives and he is devoted to his life's calling to carry Shadhiliyya Sufism, Sufi spiritual healing, the University of Sufism, the Ma'rifa Foundation, and love out to the world in a form rooted in freedom, unity, peace, and gentleness. He serves as Chancellor at the University and Foundation and is author of God's Way, a book that speaks to Sufi Spiritual Healing and how it can be learned by anyone anywhere.
Salima Adelstein is a beloved Sufi leader and guide, spiritual teacher, international speaker, and lifelong world peace changemaker who helps individuals, communities, and world leaders deepen their connection with the Divine, find inner and outer healing, and live from unity and peace.
Salima has been the leading female guide for Shadhiliyya Sufis in the United States for years and is a spiritual leader and senior teacher in the Shadhiliyya Ma'rifa Tariqa. With over 35 years of teaching, healing, and guiding, she co-founded the University of Sufism, currently serving as its Co-President, where over 40,000 students have trained as peacemakers, spiritual healers, Sufi chaplains, and ministers. She also founded the Farm of Peace in Pennsylvania, a spiritual retreat center where she serves as Spiritual Director.
Salima has spoken around the world, including at the Parliament of the World Religions, American Holistic Medical Association, Shadhiliyya Sufi Schools, and the Goi Peace Symphony of Prayers.
Kamila Shenmen, spiritual leader & senior teacher of the Shadhiliyya Ma'rifa Tariqa, is Co-President of the University of Sufism, a Sufi guide, teacher and healer practicing since 2003, and a certified practitioner of Oriental Medicine. She is co-author of the book A Drop in the Ocean of Love.
Previously, Kamila worked at the National Institute of Health where she received the NIH Director’s Award for her work on mapping the cancer genome in the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project.
She stands strong in her soul’s commitment to create a world where every human knows their beauty, wholeness, and truth. She has deep love for her students, community, and clients, and is known for her ability to transmit gnostic wisdom.