Updated Day: RSVP 04/13/25 Spiritual Seclusion hike w/ Sam McCausland
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Updated Day: RSVP 04/13/25 Spiritual Seclusion hike w/ Sam McCausland
Date: Sunday, April 13th
Time/Location: Grand Central Station promptly at 8:15 AM. We will be riding the 8:50AM train to Cold Spring, NY.
*NOT Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island!!* Please join Whatsapp group for updates on RSVP form
As-salaamu Alaikum,
Please join the Islamic Center at NYU for our fourth Spiritual Seclusions gathering : A Sacred Silent Hike.
We will be meeting at Grand Central Station promptly at 8:15 AM on Sunday, April 13th. We will be riding the 8:50 AM train to Cold Spring. Due to the nature of transportation we will not be able to wait for anyone or delay our departure.
This adventure halaqa will consist of setting our intentions on heightening our awareness of our natural surroundings and using all of our senses to reflect on the diversity and beauty of creation.
We will be challenging those who join us to practice silence during the hike as well as individual and communal reflections throughout the adventure.
Participants should be mindful that you are bound to break a sweat.
Please come prepared:
a water bottle
lunch, snacks for the day
something lightweight to pray/sit on.
You should wear loose comfortable clothes or active wear.
Rain jacket
Wear comfortable sneakers that you arent afraid to get dirty/muddy!
It is forecasting to be a little wet outside iA any rain we encounter may it cleanse, refresh, and bless us. Make sure to come prepared for the elements.
HIKING NOTES:
Just to touch base on some things about Sunday:
We are taking the Metro North to Cold Spring, NY. NOT Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Tickets are approx $30 round trip from Grand Central. Train north is at 8:55am and we wont be able to wait for anyone. Ill be at the clock in the main hall at 8:15am iA. The train ride is about 80mins.
Clothing/attire: It is forecast to be 50F and cloudy. Well be walking about 3+miles/5km. Only a 10% chance of rain. It is a well-traveled and clearly defined trail. Some sections are steep at the beginning, but to see a view you sometimes must climb a mountain. Wear clothes that are comfortable and loose but probably not flowing or could get caught on things Sturdy and comfortable sneakers. Try to wear layers rather than just a heavy single jacket, that way as you warm up from walking you can regulate your temperature better than the on/off switch a big coat provides.
Pack a backpack Bring water. Bring your lunch. Bring a snack. Cold Spring is a small town on the Hudson River. They have some shops, but it would be best to pack whatever youd like to have on the trip before we leave the city.
Bring a lite weight prayer mat or something to pray/sit on if youd like. Just a reminder that earth and dirt is not objectively dirty. If there is filth on the ground that is another story. But you can pray on the direct earth.
Well be setting an intention to be off of our phones and dialing down conversations while hiking. With the constant bombardment of stimulation in our world, the Spiritual Seclusions series was inspired by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his isolated silence in the cave of Hira. How will you use this time to unplug and align with the divine, observing creation in all its splendor?
Ill have a stack of small notebooks for those who dont have something to write/sketch upon. Shout out to Amira for the donation.
We can try to catch the return trains from Cold Spring to Grand Central at 3:20pm, 3:52pm, 4:20pm, or 5:18pm. The trip will take approximately an 1.5hrs. Were anticipating this being a fairly large group so if people make it back to the station in waves alhamdulillah.
Sam McCausland is a public school teacher, sculptor, emcee, and outdoorsman with roots in Vermont and across New England. He has called NYC home since 2010 and has been a part of the IC community since January 2023.
Community Access Form
If you are not a current NYU student, faculty, or staff member, you must request in-person access via our Building Access Form before arriving. If the form is not submitted, you will not be able to enter the IC building.
Upon arrival, all visitors will be required to present a physical, government-issued photo ID to gain access to the IC building. Digital copies will not be accepted. No exceptions.
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**Note on Inclusion and Accessibility: As a part of NYUs commitment to global inclusion, our events and initiatives are open to all backgrounds and identities. It is a priority to make our events inclusive and accessible. For any questions or to make a request, please email [email protected] at least 72 hours before the event.