The Dissolved Self: Sound & the Sufi Imaginal With Sahar Farooqui Khundmiri

The Dissolved Self: Sound & the Sufi Imaginal

In the PRS Lecture Room

There is a realm the mystics have always known where the self becomes permeable allowing something deeper to move through. The Sufis and Henry Corbin called it the IMAGINAL: a real and living world accessible through the surrendered body.

At the heart of the Sufi tradition are two divine qualities: Rahman and Rahim, boundless mercy and compassion. This evening asks a quiet, radical question: what would it mean to offer that same mercy to our own nervous systems?

Led by South Asian artist Sahar F. Khundmiri, we begin with an ancient breath practice drawn from the Sufi devotional tradition; a conscious, rhythmic breathing that gently shifts the body out of vigilance and into what science now calls parasympathetic resonance, or the physiological state in which we stop defending and begin to receive.

From there, we are carried by an immersive sound bath woven from sitar, harmonium, singing bowls, gongs, drum, voice, and more...instruments that span centuries and traditions, each chosen for its capacity to dissolve. The sitar traces the shape of longing, its resonant strings drawing the nervous system into stillness. The harmonium breathes beneath it all. The bowls open the overtone world. The gong washes form away.

This is the Sufi teaching of fana, or the dissolution of the ego. You are invited to lie down, close your eyes, and disappear a little.

Ticket price: $30 (in-person event only)

Please Note: The PRS Lecture Room is only accessible via stairs. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] or call 323-663-2167 before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.

Sahar Farooqui Khundmiri is a LA-based sound artist and sitarist whose work bridges Hindustani classical music, Sufi mysticism, and vibrational healing. Rooted in her South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Muslim heritage, she creates immersive soundscapes that evoke a safar, or spiritual journey through sound. Trained in sitar, raga, and voice, Sahar blends classical technique with crystal bowls, chimes, and devotional elements like zikr and Sufi poetry. You can follow her on Instagram @soundsbysahar and her website www.saharsound.com.

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The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.

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