During the recent Jamiat Khas Leaders Retreat held November 7-11 near Columbus, Ohio, Sheikh Vakil Forest Shomer of Port Townsend, Washington was awarded the 2018 Sammy Award by Pir Shabda Kahn. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, the Murshids' Circle and the Ruhaniat community, we offer our heartfelt thanks to Vakil for his extraordinary service. Congratulations and Ya Fattah ~ upon all your works!
About Vakil ~
Vakil is a father, a Sheikh, an Experienced Farmer in Ziraat, a Soulwork practitioner, a master seed collector and an Earth steward. He was first initiated into Sufism 45 years ago.
In 1994, Pir Moineddin Jablonskiasked Vakil to lead the Ziraat activity, an assignment he accepted and then served for 22 years, along with his colleagues Mujahid Havill, Noorunnisa Joan Walsh, Asha Lela and others, until the Ziraat Council was formed in 2016.
Vakil's spiritual practice of Ziraat has always been integrated into his livelihood. Environmental activist Rob Greenfield refers to Vakil as a "master wild seedman" and writes "For 25 years Forest's livelihood has come from over 600 species of seeds, but he has no farm or garden to tend to. Instead, he harvests native seeds from the wild. He harvests sustainably, never harvesting more than the environment can handle, and he always aims to leave no trace. Because of this, Forest has been able to return to the same locations for 20 years. Many of the seeds are sold to be used for habitat restoration, erosion control, flowers for bees and butterflies and reforestation. Only a few dozen master seedmen like Forest exist in the USA." Watch Rob Greenfield's video about Vakil's work.
Vakil owns Inside Passage, a specialty seed service featuring the native and naturalized flora of the coastal Cascadian bio-region.
ABOVE: VAKIL RECEIVES THE SAMMY AWARD * PHOTOS COURTESY OF NURIA STEPHANIE SABATO
