Birthdate: October 20, 1937 URS date: May 24, 1993
Yakzan Hugo Valdez (Hugo Salvador Valdez, Oct 20, 1937 – May 24, 1993) was a Sheikh of the Sufi Order International initiated by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and of the Mevlevi Order initiated by Suleyman Hayati Dede, Sheikh of Konya. Yakzan was additionally a celebrated master of the Dances of Universal Peace as originated by Samuel L. Lewis and an acknowledged peer of the Sheikhs of the Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society. Yakzan was a long term resident of Honolulu, Hawaii. He established Sufi communities in Hawaii, Chile, and Spain.
Yakzan was born in Jujuy, Argentina, and was tutored as a child under the educational curriculum of Rudolf Steiner. He moved to New York City as a young man where he studied design and Ikebana. Enamored with the teachings of Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan as taught by his son, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Yakzan received multiple initiations culminating in initiation as Sheikh of the Sufi Order. Yakzan created a series of trainings or “intensives” that distilled the teachings of Oscar Ichazo of the Arica School and the principles of Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way in combination with the tenants of Sufism as derived from the work of Ibn ‘Arabi, Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, and Murshid Samuel L. Lewis.
In 1978, on our way back home after a honeymoon in Maui, we stopped over in Honolulu and it happened to be the night Yakzan led the dances. There were around 300 people in a very large room. Yakzan divided us into several circles, gave simple, clear instructions, and started us all dancing. The experience was like being part of the mechanism of a Swiss watch: everyone moved perfectly and the whole atmosphere was one of perfect harmony. Sometime after that he came to an event in Tucson and publicly performed the same miracle with people who had mostly never danced before. I have had the privilege of dancing with most of the renowned dance leaders, but none has ever come close to Yakzan. He was truly a magician.
I only met Yakzan once, when I went by myself to Maui for a retreat with Pir Vilayat in 1977, where I became initiated. I faintly remember staying at Yakzan’s…. I wish now that I had kept in touch with him because I live half the year in Southern Chile. He is still much beloved in Chile and Argentina. When his name is mentioned, even now, smiles abound and hearts open.
Yakzan was actually my godfather. I grew up on Maui but regularly flew over to Honolulu to spend time with him. My fondest memory of Yakzan was seeing him lead the dance for Ishq Alla (All I Ask of You).
Just last night, for no particular reason, I starting singing that song to my 7-year old daughter and reconnected with the pure joy of the melody and the lyrics.
Yakzan passed on when I was about 15. I am filled with gratitude to have known him and to find this site where everyone can share their memories.
Yakzan was the first teacher to bring Inayati Sufism to South America, through the dances and mostly through his loving presence. He came to Chile, in the late 70s falling in love with what he called “the love of Chile” and everybody felt in love with him. When we say his name a smile of greatfullness, a softness of the heart, an aroma of infinite grace comes to us.
I was his guitar player and shared whith him the 8 times he came for periods of a month or so to Chile.
This October we will celebrate his 77th birthday in Santiago de Chile, dancing and singing…giving thanks for the enormous legacy he gave us!
Before I moved from California to Hawaii in 1987, I talked with Taj Inayat about who I could connect up with in the Inayati Order over there, so I could continue my Sufi studies. She told me of Yaksan. I couldn’t wait to meet him. After I got settled, I called Yaksan up on the phone, and he invited me straight away to join him and his group for weekly singing and meditation. I couldn’t believe my good luck. He was just about to start a new women’s group, which was to run for about 10 weeks. I felt I had hit the golden jackpot!
I was nervous the first time I drove in from the Windward side to Honolulu and navigated the streets on my own to find him and the group at the beautiful First Unitarian Church of Hawaii. My nervousness was soon quelled though, as I came into the field of aloha with Sheikh Yaksan and the wonderful group of Oahu Sufi women. Because Yaksan was initiated in numerous Sufi traditions, he was able to pull together a diverse but dedicated group of students, as he created a warm atmosphere of acceptance in which to learn and grow. Inayati, Ruhaniat, Mevlevi and Buddhist practitioners all gathered together to share in his realization.
Meeting Yaksan and coming into his sweet, gentle presence was like being with someone from another era, one of the ancient ones, one of the extraordinary ones, one of the ones who knew and felt and saw so very much. Yaksan was a very striking man, who spoke softly and taught through pure presence and through pure love. He had a great singing voice and was able to share the Message skillfully through the songs and dances.
When our son Kila Orion was born on 8-8-88, Yaksan agreed to come out to our home in Hau’ula shortly thereafter, to officiate at a formal Sufi baby blessing. He dressed all in white, and was wearing lovely Hawaiian flower leis. Frankly, he looked stunning. I had not lived in Hawaii for long, but many of Fred’s old friends and many of my new friends from Yaksan’s group were in attendance. It was so very, very special for me and I think for others as well. I have the ceremony on video, and do need to get it converted to digital for posterity’s sake, not just because of the milestone event of my infant son, but also because of beautiful Yaksan.
I am so grateful to Yaksan for all his wisdom, and for introducing me to some lifelong friends from Hawaii. He also helped lead me to study with the Mevlevi’s on Oahu, fall in love with Rumi, and learn the turn. When Yaksan passed, he left a void. All were in agreement that he left this earth way too soon.
Thank you Yaksan, I am forever grateful for your love and guidance, and for the beauty and music that flowed through your soul.
Auriella
Dears ones.
Because of my not fluently english. I would like to left my memories in spanish. Thank you for your understanding.
La primera vez que Yakzan vino a España fué en 1989 a través de unos amigos comunes chilenos. En aquel entonces yo formaba parte de la escuela Arica de Oscar Ichazo. Nos juntamos un fin de semana en un pequeño local y fué tan impresionante lo que vivimos. charlas acerca sufismo y los chacras, danzas, meditaciones…que acordamos preparar un intensivo en el verano del año siguiente. Este intensivo lo realizamos en la Plana (Barcelona) y se llamó” La alegría del ser humano”. fueron 10 días maravillosos. fué literalmente descubrir al Divino a través del amor, la armonía y la belleza. Su manera de trabajar con nosotros parecía fácil, pero se notaba que había una larga experiencia detrás. Ese verano, yo junto con cuatro compañeros más nos casamos y la ceremonia la realizo él, pasando a formar parte del training, también bautizo, si no recuerdo mal a dos niños. Ahí descubrí la embriaguez de la que hablan los místicos, a la vez que las dificultades de trabajar con el corazón. Después de esto decidimos organizar otro training al año siguiente.
Fué en Cambrils, se llamó:”recuperando el entusiasmo original”. También resulto ser una preciosa experiencia. Aunque él se puso un poco enfermo hizo lo que pudo, que resulto ser mucho, para que todo fuera un éxito. Yo y otros le pedimos ser iniciados pero el, por motivos que ignoro, pero seguramente del todo justos rehusó. También esta vez le pedimos que volviera al año siguiente.
Pero al año siguiente murió, para gran consternación nuestra y no se pudo realizar.
Sembró en nosotros tal cantidad de semillas, que por años y supongo que por muchos más, siguieron brotando flores y dando frutos en el sendero de nuestra realización. Para mí el fué una bendición y lo sigue siendo y lo invoco a menudo en mi “silsilah”.
Pasaron muchos años hasta que en el 2013 tome “bayat” con murshid Maris Warrior de la Ruhaniat y de nuevo estoy en casa.
“Ya Shakur Allah”
Tomorrow May 24 you left this earthly plain for the far reach of infinity.
Yet you remain embedded in my heart for eternity.