Even though he is ailing, Moineddin takes the time to reflect what Mansur presented to him in his last letter.

Garden of Inayat

December 30, 1977

My dear Mansur,

Your letter of December 15 [a rambling 3 page screed] reminds one very much of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teaching on the open gemstone: Its light is not centered. (He remarks that opals should not be worn by mureeds.) Your letter has a rambling, diffuse light, but none of the centered kind of solar or diamond energy that operates as if from a strong center and sends its light out through rays or facets. But who cares, I just like hearing from you.

The new Bismillah shoud reach you in about two weeks via bulk mail. I feel pretty good about all of the statements therein, with the possible exception of the statement on the Flower Service—but hat is due more to Pir’s change of mind on the subject than anything else. If I thought that he was going to permit the original Universal Worship Service to be carried out by Ministers of the Ruhaniat, on condtion that e call it by a different name, I certainly would never have channeled the alternative Flower Service. Nevertheless, one’s whole emphasis in the Flower Service has been to maintain and preserve the spirit of the original Service.

Farid and the Berkeley group are taking charge for Murshid’s URS this year. As I look at the calendar I see that January 15, 1978 promises to be very full indeed. I believe that the Super Bowl is set for that day, and my own schedule calls for a Worship Service to be followed by a Land meeting [meetings preliminary to the purchase of the acreage in New Mexico named Voice of the Turtle, where Moineddin is buried]. I believe that some international meeting, possibly something to do with Israel and Egype, is also on the docket for January 15.

I guess I don’t really have too much more to say right now. I’ve been going through some pretty severe tests with regard to my physical condition [Moineddin is speaking here about his continuing issue with his kidneys; there’s more about this in the next letter, January 7, 1978], but I seem to have turned the corner with the Blessings of Allah and the help of His friends.

You are ever in one’s heart…

As-salaam aleikhum,

Moineddin