A 7-Week Online Course Exploring Mystical Poems & Songs Woven Across Spiritual Traditions

Songs of the Mystics

November 2nd - December 14th, 2026

Every Sunday on Zoom

Led by master musicians, spiritual teachers, and poets from across traditions, sharing the songs and prayers of their lineages as living doorways into realization.

Mystical poetry and song have always been pathways in the quest for self-realization — opening us to beauty, presence, and connection where words fall short.

In Songs of the Mystics, we gather each week with teachers from Sufi, Tibetan Buddhist, Vedantic, Baul, Indigenous, and Jewish mystical traditions. Each guest will share a song, poem and sacred chants from their lineage, guiding us into its wisdom as a living practice.

Together, we’ll discover how these offerings can serve as doorways into self-realization, awakening, and a shared field of devotion across cultures — and how, in these turbulent and tender times, the mystical path calls us into embodied service, justice, and care for humanity and the earth.

Week 1: November 2nd

Songs of Realization in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition with Pema Khandro

Pema Khandro is a teacher and scholar in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. Recognized as a tulku (lineage holder), she is the founder of Ngakpa International and the Buddhist Studies Institute. With warmth and clarity, she makes Tibetan Buddhist teachings accessible and relevant to modern seekers.

Poem for this session: Tibetan Songs of Realization

Session 2: November 9th

Poetry and Non-Dual Wisdom in the Advaita Vedanta Tradition with Swami Sachidananda

Swami Sachidananda Saraswati is a contemporary teacher of Advaita Vedanta. He is one of the resident teachers at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, PA . Swamiji is known for presenting subtle teachings of Vedanta in an accessible manner, helping seekers integrate the wisdom of Life into daily living. He conducts regular classes, meditation sessions, retreats, and satsangs accross the US and India, guiding students toward a life of understanding, freedom, and inner peace.

Poems for this session:

  • Jal mein kumbh, kumbh mein jal hai — “The water is in the pot, and the pot is in the water” — by Saint Kabir Das

  • Sarvam brahmamayam — “All this is pervaded by Brahman” — by Sadāśiva Brahmendra

Week 3: November 16th

Mystical Song and Spirit in the Jewish Tradition with Rabbi Zach Asher

Rabbi Zachi Asher has spent more than twenty years pursuing the oud and Arabic maqam. He is an expert in the literature and music of Hebrew piyut, song-poems from the Arab Jewish communities of Syria, Iraq, Morocco, etc. As bandleader, Asher has collaborated with masterful artists including his teacher Bassam Saba, Yacouba Sissoko, Alsarah, and composed four albums exploring new influences in Maqam music that honor the traditions and aesthetics of the old sound. Asher is the creative director of the Temenos Center for the Arts, a New York 501c3, and has been a vocal supporter of Palestinian liberation.

Poem for this session: Yedid Nefesh — “Beloved of the Soul” by Rabbi Elazar Azikri 

Week 4: November 23rd

Prayer, Song, and Ceremony in the Indigenous Tradition with Lyla June

Dr. Lyla June is an Indigenous musician, poet, scholar, and activist of Diné (Navajo) and Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) ancestry. Her work blends prayer, song, and social action, focusing on Indigenous rights, ecological healing, and intergenerational resilience. Through voice and ceremony, she invites a vision of harmony between people, land, and spirit.

Song for this session: All Nations Rise by Lyla June

Week 5: November 30th

Sacred Song and Devotion in the Anatolian Mystic Tradition with Cem Baba & Ayna Ayna

Cem Baba, a Sufi teacher based in Turkey, received his ijazet (master initiation) from Sherif Baba, a guide in the lineage of Pir Ahmed Er Rifai (11th century). After exploring many spiritual traditions, his path crystallized upon meeting his master in New York in 1991.

In this session, Cem Baba will be joined by the all-female Sufi ensemble Ayna Ayna as they journey through a mystical Anatolian poem—interweaving sacred song, rhythm, and remembrance. Together, they invite us into the living current of devotion that flows through centuries of Sufi practice.

Song for this session: Erenler Cemi — “Assembly of the attained” by Shah Hatayi 

Week 6: December 7th

Ecstatic Song and Story in the Baul Tradition with Parvathy Baul

Parvathy Baul is a renowned singer, storyteller, and spiritual practitioner of the Baul tradition of Bengal, India. Trained by masters of her lineage, she has carried the Baul way to audiences worldwide. Her songs, dance, and teachings embody devotion, simplicity, and the ecstatic union with the Divine.

Song for this session: Probhate Uthiya — “Rising in the morning”

Week 7: December 14th

Remembrance and Devotional Music in the Sufi Tradition with Sidi Abdel Fattah Mouttaqui

Sidi Abdel Fattah is a Moroccan Sufi mystic and musician, carrying forward the devotional songs and practices of his lineage. Rooted in the tradition of remembrance (dhikr), his music and teachings open a pathway to the Divine through beauty, presence, and love.

Song for this session: Ya Talib al-Fana — “O You Who Seeks Annihilation in the Divine” — by Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib

WHAT’S INCLUDED

7 live weekly sessions (2 hours each) on Zoom with guest teachers from diverse wisdom traditions

Session recordings available to revisit anytime

Audio recordings of teachers reciting, chanting or singing the pieces for personal practice

Translations & transliterations of poems, songs or chants, so you can learn and follow along

Community connection — shared time for questions, reflections, and dialogue across cultures

REGISTRATION

Each session will be 2 hours long and will take place every Sunday on Zoom.

12PM NYC • 9AM California • 5PM London • 6PM Paris • 7PM Cairo & Istanbul • 10PM Delhi

*A commitment to participate in at least 5 out of the 7 sessions is mandatory in order to enroll.

Sliding Scale Early Bird Pricing (ends September 21)

$599: Supporter

For those with more than enough financial resources and a desire to support access for others.

$299: Standard

For those with sufficient financial resources and who can pay fair value for their experience.

$199: Supported

For those currently with limited financial resources who will benefit from access supplemented by the community.

*In an effort to make this course accessible to all, we are offering a limited number of scholarships — apply here.

This course supports the initiatives of the LILA Devotional Arts Non-Profit, dedicated to preserving sacred arts traditions from around the world.

Join us for Songs of the Mystics and experience the power of sacred song and poetry as living doorways into presence, realization, and community.

FAQs

  • Songs of the Mystics is a seven-week online series exploring sacred songs and poetry across spiritual traditions. Each session is guided by a guest teacher who shares from their lineage, inviting us into reflection, embodiment, and community connection.

  • Once you register, you’ll receive an email with Zoom links and instructions for each weekly gathering. You’ll also get reminder emails before each session.

  • All sessions will be recorded and available for registered participants. You’ll receive access to the recordings within 48 hours after each gathering.

  • No — the series is open to all. Whether you are new to spiritual practice or deeply rooted in a tradition, you are welcome.

  • Your ticket grants access to all seven sessions, recordings of each gathering, and community resources shared during the series.

  • Yes. We want this series to be accessible. A limited number of scholarships are available for those with financial need — apply here.

  • Sundays from November 2 – December 14, 2025 at 12 PM New York / 5 PM London / 6 PM Berlin-Paris / 9:30 PM India / 9 AM Los Angeles.

  • Echos of Devotion is offered by the LILA Devotional Arts Non-Profit, dedicated to cross-cultural dialogue, sacred music, and community gatherings that honor the universal language of devotion.

  • You can reach our team at lilatheseries@gmail.com. We’d be happy to support you.

Questions? Contact us.