I was surprised and really shocked to hear the news of Khadija’s passing — it’s hard to take it in that she’s not with us any more. Always such a solid presence, such a devoted teacher & leader! I only saw her now and then, at retreats and the like, but I won’t forget her positivity and her great generosity of heart, her laughter and her dedication to the Truth.
Khadija was always very proud that she was the first female semazenbashi to participate in a sema in Konya. This was under the tutelage of Jelalluddin Loras who founded the Mevlevi Order in the United States and is an honorary Murshid in the Ruhaniat. (I am not quite sure of the adab, here.)
Anyway, she had a falling out with Jellaluddin upon returning to the States and was estranged from the Mevlevis for many years, though the Seattle interfaith zikrs organized mainly by Khadija continue to include them.
While on retreat/pilgrimmage to Turkey with Khadija in 2014 I knew that she had hoped to repair that relationship at some point. Khadija led us to the Mevlevi museum in Istanbul where there was to be a public Sema which intermittently was performed for tourists. As we headed into the performance space we ran into a group of pilgrims led by Mariam Baker who coincidentally were also sojourning in Turkey. They were just leaving the performance space. Serendipity?- perhaps.
Then minutes later I was seated next to Khadija as she was explaining how the semazens and post would be positioned and some of the details of the Sema. As the celebrants walked into the space Khadija stood up and exclaimed, “Oh my god, there he is”. It was Sheikh Jelalluddin at the post. Khadija shared that he rarely was seen in public at that time and she took it as a sign that she was meant to connect with him after many years.
It turned out that Khadija called him and he was happy to receive our entire group at his home the next Sunday. There was a public hug and acceptance of Khadija back into the fold that afternoon. Alhamdul’illah.
Hours spent talking & reflecting while I trained to be a cherag under your wonderful & compassionate guidance. Encouragement to speak out & to not allow shyness & being in a woman body to stifle our expressions. A warrior woman who knew her importance & shared her heart without restraint.
How wonderful to hear of the healing with Sheikh Jelalluddin & the Mevlevis. It was always a strong part of you & I know the healing that you must’ve experienced was just what the Creator had planned for you on that trip.
Much love on your journey dear Friend of this heart.
Oh Holy One and Guiding Light,
I rest in the sweet memories of our togetherness.
Such a pure expression of Love’s flowing,
I rejoice, in the privilege of our knowing
One another on this path.
You first opened the door, wide, for me,
To Sufism’s Golden way
Of Lovering-Harmony:
such Beauty!
Thank you, Dear Friend and Brilliant Guide.
Fly free! For Freedom’s flowering.
Oh be, Dear One, Be!
You always told me this story again and again…about how, after Pir Moineddin’s passing, you dearly missed being able to simply pick up the telephone and talk with Pir Moineddin as you did on so many days for so many years. Now, I feel that same longing with you. Love and peace upon you, dear Friend.
Khadija officiated at our wedding in the 90’s, with a memorable Universal Worship service in a beautiful Redwood forest, moments I will never forget. She was a friend on the path, and saw both the truth and the outrageous in life, and shared both the spiritual perspective and a perspective of a strong woman walking the twisting and turning path of life with honesty, love, spirituality and a great sense of humor. While we have been out of touch in the recent years, I remember most the sparkle, love, friendship and strength in Khadija’s eyes and in her heart. Rest in great peace, friend, and know you have worn a deeper path for other women to follow.
Alhamdul’illah. We thank you for the gift of Khadija Julia Waduda-Majid Goforth in our lives. Her being gave of love open-heartedly, without hesitation. Being greeted by her presence was such an honor and a delight to my spirit and soul. I always felt completely accepted and encompassed by her compassionate radiance. Thank you, Thank you, for the experience of your fearless love, Khadija. May eternal peace and all blessings bloom and surround your soul in the heavenly gardens. Love, Rabea Caster
I can’t even think where to start. You were and are a constant guiding light for the entire Sufi community and for that and so many things you will be sorely missed. You walked the walk every day. I was privileged to know you as a co-worker and close friend for over 40 years.
I always loved our check ins and how transparent and human you always were. I kept your secrets and I still will. You let me see your struggles as a human being and never hid anything from view. I totally appreciated the depth and quality of our friendship and will always remember.
Ya Salaamo Murshida, go in peace. Your work is done for this time.
Love and MORE love,
Hassan
We went to a party she hosted for Jelaluddin after a Sema in the early eighties. Hamza al din was also a guest. Our friendship began later when our daughters were at Cornish Junior Dance program. I found her struggling to park and parked her old volvo for her. We talked regularly for years and worked to create the NW Unity Zikr and NW Rumi Fest.
Always a creator, making flyers, tee shirts. The nitty-gritty of getting people together. A Fountain of Endless Love, Ashk Olsun
Khadija was a strong and beloved presence in my life for more than 40 years. We were always partners in sufism and for 20 years partners in life. I still feel her sometimes, see her beautiful laughing eyes, hear her acerbic comments.
This poem is my tribute to her:
Goodbye, Beloved
For more than
40 years of knowing each other
and 20 years of marriage
and 7 years of divorce
we loved each other
and called each other Habibi.
I remember when I first saw you.
You have told the story many times
of being a murette and going to lead your first big Sufi Dance,
feeling that you were going to disgrace yourself and Sufism,
and suddenly Murshid Sam was present within you
and took charge.
I was there.
I had never experienced anything like it.
I felt the dance was wonderful.
The next time you came my way,
I realized you were wonderful too.
One thing followed another,
and shortly afterward I followed you home.
Your devotion to spiritual work and Sufism
never faltered.
You did the work for yourself and for others,
selflessly.
You were a birther and sustainer of spiritual circles:
Northwest camp, Inland camp, local zikrs, Unity zikr,
Seattle Mevlevis, Rumi festival, New York dance meeting, Turkey trips,
and many others for which my memory falters.
Your ideal was to be a co-creator and servant to the group.
You always served your mureeds
to the highest of your considerable ability.
I saw you grow into a vast being.
I saw a major part of my spiritual work as
supporting and being present for you in all the ways that I could:
financially, emotionally, physically, and musically.
I remember our last meeting well, Thursday afternoon.
I brought you a lovely Mothers’ Day card from Perry and Richard,
whom you called ‘your boys’.
It lifted your heart.
You said you wanted to have some time in my comfortable arms and car.
We drove to Sakya monastery.
While driving, you were making sure Amira Sara knew
where your Babu should go in the event of your demise.
We sat and talked peacefully of many things.
You spoke of your desire to, in your words,
“Leave the house of Peter Kahn
and go to the house of Inayat Khan.”
Your struggle against dismissiveness and patriarchy
took so much energy
and you were tired.
The next morning you were dead.
Thank you for having been,
and been so much for so many people.
Goodbye, beloved.
God be with you, Habibi.
The Great Mother hold you dear.
Ya Salaamo Khadija, Beloved Initiator, Sufi Guide and Dear Friend of nearly 38 years. I am moved to tears by all the wonderful tributes to you by your Sufi family. I share my story to help those who didn’t know you catch some of your fragrance.
So much love and appreciation for your very big heart and the banquet of gifts, teachings, guidance, encouragement, and life lessons. From the moment I met you as Waduda Majid at my first Northwest Sufi Camp when you included me in one of your many pageants and colorful rituals, followed by initiation that fall in the backyard of your home in the Garden of Noor in Spokane, you led me on a deep and rich path. You fed my spiritual quest.
I was one of your “distant” mureeds from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, so our relationship developed from annual treks to NWSC, to all-night drives to Spokane for Zikr in your kitchen with Jelauddin Loras, to bringing you to Edmonton to share your magic, to your suggestion that I go on pilgrimage to India which I did for 6 months in 1987. Waduda said it was important that I attend the Urs of HIK in India and that I meet Mother Krishnabai. She was right, as she was in sending me to San Francisco after a trip to Lama the following year. “You must meet Joe and Guin Miller. It will be wonderful for you to spend time with Moineddin and drink from his well so go to Jamiats”. Ultimately this led to going on retreat at Mentorgarten for a year. In the 90’s Khadija encouraged me to apply to be the executive director of Peaceworks in Seattle so for the first time I was able to delight in living in the same city as her, hanging out with her family and sharing in our passion for thrift store shopping.
I had one of my strongest mystical experiences with Khadija turning with her as a bridesmaid at her wedding to Mansur at NWSC. Khadija was a great story-teller and that formed a lot of her teachings as well as doing astrological charts for her mureeds. Her generosity was remarkable…. books and meals and shawls from her travels. She and Mansur gifted mureeds with travel points for many years and I was the lucky recipient of a ticket to Bali the year after my diagnosis with breast cancer. In February of 2020 she gifted me with a 3 day stay with her and Babu in Seattle to participate in the Urs of HIK, which of course she organized, and to receive a refresh of her love, teachings and friendship.
Khadija’s gifts to the Ruhaniat included her deep regard for process and collective wisdom, for nurturing the growth of the circle as an important addition to hierarchical leadership, and her ever-present emphasis on listening to the divine feminine. She truly lived welcoming to all. Khadija was a skilled organizer of innumerable Sufi events over the years complete with her beautiful flyers, including the magnificent 2019 Jamiat Khas in Port Townsend, Washington. Attendees received this Liberte’ card, which was the theme of the JK. May spiritual Liberte’ be yours Beloved Khadija as your soul makes its transition. All love and deep gratitude, Hamida
Khadija was a friend to all, and especially as Murshida to all who guided mureeds in the Pacific Northwest. She married tradition to the present moment in her teaching, guiding and organizing.
Khadija’s generosity, insight and devotion will always shine forth as an inspiration in my life.
Beloved friend,
I first met you when Paul Swanson and I traveled together from a tree planting gig in Idaho. On our way home to Eugene, he said let’s stop and visit a friend in Spokane. We spent one night at your house. I recall the morning together, you were so hospitable, a housemate/renter was doing Tai Chi in the dining room and I joined him. You gave me a set of simple wooden prayer beads that you brought back from Hazrat Inayat Khan’s tomb. You set me on my path. I still have those as my primary prayer beads forty some years later. We were together at NW Sufi Camps, we both ended up living in NY State, we met up at DHO Camps at Lama & Mount Shasta, the Abode of the Message. You were a fount of Joy and Generosity. I can still feel your warm radiance and smile. I love you and sensed you died from a broken heart. You dwell on the altar of my heart continuing to inspire my ways. Carry on Bodhisattva! See you around the bend.
I was surprised and really shocked to hear the news of Khadija’s passing — it’s hard to take it in that she’s not with us any more. Always such a solid presence, such a devoted teacher & leader! I only saw her now and then, at retreats and the like, but I won’t forget her positivity and her great generosity of heart, her laughter and her dedication to the Truth.
Khadija was always very proud that she was the first female semazenbashi to participate in a sema in Konya. This was under the tutelage of Jelalluddin Loras who founded the Mevlevi Order in the United States and is an honorary Murshid in the Ruhaniat. (I am not quite sure of the adab, here.)
Anyway, she had a falling out with Jellaluddin upon returning to the States and was estranged from the Mevlevis for many years, though the Seattle interfaith zikrs organized mainly by Khadija continue to include them.
While on retreat/pilgrimmage to Turkey with Khadija in 2014 I knew that she had hoped to repair that relationship at some point. Khadija led us to the Mevlevi museum in Istanbul where there was to be a public Sema which intermittently was performed for tourists. As we headed into the performance space we ran into a group of pilgrims led by Mariam Baker who coincidentally were also sojourning in Turkey. They were just leaving the performance space. Serendipity?- perhaps.
Then minutes later I was seated next to Khadija as she was explaining how the semazens and post would be positioned and some of the details of the Sema. As the celebrants walked into the space Khadija stood up and exclaimed, “Oh my god, there he is”. It was Sheikh Jelalluddin at the post. Khadija shared that he rarely was seen in public at that time and she took it as a sign that she was meant to connect with him after many years.
It turned out that Khadija called him and he was happy to receive our entire group at his home the next Sunday. There was a public hug and acceptance of Khadija back into the fold that afternoon. Alhamdul’illah.
Hours spent talking & reflecting while I trained to be a cherag under your wonderful & compassionate guidance. Encouragement to speak out & to not allow shyness & being in a woman body to stifle our expressions. A warrior woman who knew her importance & shared her heart without restraint.
How wonderful to hear of the healing with Sheikh Jelalluddin & the Mevlevis. It was always a strong part of you & I know the healing that you must’ve experienced was just what the Creator had planned for you on that trip.
Much love on your journey dear Friend of this heart.
Khadija
Oh Holy One and Guiding Light,
I rest in the sweet memories of our togetherness.
Such a pure expression of Love’s flowing,
I rejoice, in the privilege of our knowing
One another on this path.
You first opened the door, wide, for me,
To Sufism’s Golden way
Of Lovering-Harmony:
such Beauty!
Thank you, Dear Friend and Brilliant Guide.
Fly free! For Freedom’s flowering.
Oh be, Dear One, Be!
You always told me this story again and again…about how, after Pir Moineddin’s passing, you dearly missed being able to simply pick up the telephone and talk with Pir Moineddin as you did on so many days for so many years. Now, I feel that same longing with you. Love and peace upon you, dear Friend.
Khadija officiated at our wedding in the 90’s, with a memorable Universal Worship service in a beautiful Redwood forest, moments I will never forget. She was a friend on the path, and saw both the truth and the outrageous in life, and shared both the spiritual perspective and a perspective of a strong woman walking the twisting and turning path of life with honesty, love, spirituality and a great sense of humor. While we have been out of touch in the recent years, I remember most the sparkle, love, friendship and strength in Khadija’s eyes and in her heart. Rest in great peace, friend, and know you have worn a deeper path for other women to follow.
Alhamdul’illah. We thank you for the gift of Khadija Julia Waduda-Majid Goforth in our lives. Her being gave of love open-heartedly, without hesitation. Being greeted by her presence was such an honor and a delight to my spirit and soul. I always felt completely accepted and encompassed by her compassionate radiance. Thank you, Thank you, for the experience of your fearless love, Khadija. May eternal peace and all blessings bloom and surround your soul in the heavenly gardens. Love, Rabea Caster
I can’t even think where to start. You were and are a constant guiding light for the entire Sufi community and for that and so many things you will be sorely missed. You walked the walk every day. I was privileged to know you as a co-worker and close friend for over 40 years.
I always loved our check ins and how transparent and human you always were. I kept your secrets and I still will. You let me see your struggles as a human being and never hid anything from view. I totally appreciated the depth and quality of our friendship and will always remember.
Ya Salaamo Murshida, go in peace. Your work is done for this time.
Love and MORE love,
Hassan
We went to a party she hosted for Jelaluddin after a Sema in the early eighties. Hamza al din was also a guest. Our friendship began later when our daughters were at Cornish Junior Dance program. I found her struggling to park and parked her old volvo for her. We talked regularly for years and worked to create the NW Unity Zikr and NW Rumi Fest.
Always a creator, making flyers, tee shirts. The nitty-gritty of getting people together. A Fountain of Endless Love, Ashk Olsun
Khadija was a strong and beloved presence in my life for more than 40 years. We were always partners in sufism and for 20 years partners in life. I still feel her sometimes, see her beautiful laughing eyes, hear her acerbic comments.
This poem is my tribute to her:
Goodbye, Beloved
For more than
40 years of knowing each other
and 20 years of marriage
and 7 years of divorce
we loved each other
and called each other Habibi.
I remember when I first saw you.
You have told the story many times
of being a murette and going to lead your first big Sufi Dance,
feeling that you were going to disgrace yourself and Sufism,
and suddenly Murshid Sam was present within you
and took charge.
I was there.
I had never experienced anything like it.
I felt the dance was wonderful.
The next time you came my way,
I realized you were wonderful too.
One thing followed another,
and shortly afterward I followed you home.
Your devotion to spiritual work and Sufism
never faltered.
You did the work for yourself and for others,
selflessly.
You were a birther and sustainer of spiritual circles:
Northwest camp, Inland camp, local zikrs, Unity zikr,
Seattle Mevlevis, Rumi festival, New York dance meeting, Turkey trips,
and many others for which my memory falters.
Your ideal was to be a co-creator and servant to the group.
You always served your mureeds
to the highest of your considerable ability.
I saw you grow into a vast being.
I saw a major part of my spiritual work as
supporting and being present for you in all the ways that I could:
financially, emotionally, physically, and musically.
I remember our last meeting well, Thursday afternoon.
I brought you a lovely Mothers’ Day card from Perry and Richard,
whom you called ‘your boys’.
It lifted your heart.
You said you wanted to have some time in my comfortable arms and car.
We drove to Sakya monastery.
While driving, you were making sure Amira Sara knew
where your Babu should go in the event of your demise.
We sat and talked peacefully of many things.
You spoke of your desire to, in your words,
“Leave the house of Peter Kahn
and go to the house of Inayat Khan.”
Your struggle against dismissiveness and patriarchy
took so much energy
and you were tired.
The next morning you were dead.
Thank you for having been,
and been so much for so many people.
Goodbye, beloved.
God be with you, Habibi.
The Great Mother hold you dear.
Ya Salaamo Khadija, Beloved Initiator, Sufi Guide and Dear Friend of nearly 38 years. I am moved to tears by all the wonderful tributes to you by your Sufi family. I share my story to help those who didn’t know you catch some of your fragrance.
So much love and appreciation for your very big heart and the banquet of gifts, teachings, guidance, encouragement, and life lessons. From the moment I met you as Waduda Majid at my first Northwest Sufi Camp when you included me in one of your many pageants and colorful rituals, followed by initiation that fall in the backyard of your home in the Garden of Noor in Spokane, you led me on a deep and rich path. You fed my spiritual quest.
I was one of your “distant” mureeds from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, so our relationship developed from annual treks to NWSC, to all-night drives to Spokane for Zikr in your kitchen with Jelauddin Loras, to bringing you to Edmonton to share your magic, to your suggestion that I go on pilgrimage to India which I did for 6 months in 1987. Waduda said it was important that I attend the Urs of HIK in India and that I meet Mother Krishnabai. She was right, as she was in sending me to San Francisco after a trip to Lama the following year. “You must meet Joe and Guin Miller. It will be wonderful for you to spend time with Moineddin and drink from his well so go to Jamiats”. Ultimately this led to going on retreat at Mentorgarten for a year. In the 90’s Khadija encouraged me to apply to be the executive director of Peaceworks in Seattle so for the first time I was able to delight in living in the same city as her, hanging out with her family and sharing in our passion for thrift store shopping.
I had one of my strongest mystical experiences with Khadija turning with her as a bridesmaid at her wedding to Mansur at NWSC. Khadija was a great story-teller and that formed a lot of her teachings as well as doing astrological charts for her mureeds. Her generosity was remarkable…. books and meals and shawls from her travels. She and Mansur gifted mureeds with travel points for many years and I was the lucky recipient of a ticket to Bali the year after my diagnosis with breast cancer. In February of 2020 she gifted me with a 3 day stay with her and Babu in Seattle to participate in the Urs of HIK, which of course she organized, and to receive a refresh of her love, teachings and friendship.
Khadija’s gifts to the Ruhaniat included her deep regard for process and collective wisdom, for nurturing the growth of the circle as an important addition to hierarchical leadership, and her ever-present emphasis on listening to the divine feminine. She truly lived welcoming to all. Khadija was a skilled organizer of innumerable Sufi events over the years complete with her beautiful flyers, including the magnificent 2019 Jamiat Khas in Port Townsend, Washington. Attendees received this Liberte’ card, which was the theme of the JK. May spiritual Liberte’ be yours Beloved Khadija as your soul makes its transition. All love and deep gratitude, Hamida
Khadija was a friend to all, and especially as Murshida to all who guided mureeds in the Pacific Northwest. She married tradition to the present moment in her teaching, guiding and organizing.
Khadija’s generosity, insight and devotion will always shine forth as an inspiration in my life.
Beloved friend,
I first met you when Paul Swanson and I traveled together from a tree planting gig in Idaho. On our way home to Eugene, he said let’s stop and visit a friend in Spokane. We spent one night at your house. I recall the morning together, you were so hospitable, a housemate/renter was doing Tai Chi in the dining room and I joined him. You gave me a set of simple wooden prayer beads that you brought back from Hazrat Inayat Khan’s tomb. You set me on my path. I still have those as my primary prayer beads forty some years later. We were together at NW Sufi Camps, we both ended up living in NY State, we met up at DHO Camps at Lama & Mount Shasta, the Abode of the Message. You were a fount of Joy and Generosity. I can still feel your warm radiance and smile. I love you and sensed you died from a broken heart. You dwell on the altar of my heart continuing to inspire my ways. Carry on Bodhisattva! See you around the bend.