Irina Tweedie (20 April 1907, Russia – 23 August 1999) was a Russian-British Sufi and teacher of the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiya order.
Born as Irina Tamara Karpova (Ирина Тамара Ка́рпов) in Russia, she spent her early life in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France and England after her family fled the Bolscheviks. She studied in Vienna and Paris, and after World War II married her second husband, an English Navy officer surnamed Tweedie.
Due to her second husband's premature death in 1954, she went through a personal crisis that launched her on a spiritual quest. She became an active member of the Theosophical Society and eventually she travelled to India in 1959. On 2 October 1961, through her friend Lilian Silburn (1908-1993), a Sanskrit scholar and translator at the Sorbonne, she met her guru, Radha Mohan Lal (1900-1966), a Hindu Sufi sheikh from the Naqshbandiyya-Mujadiddiya order, living in Kanpur, where she subsequently became one of the first Western women trained in the Naqshbandi system.Her teacher's first request of her was to keep a complete diary of her spiritual training—everything, all the difficult parts, even all the doubts. He predicted that one day it would become a book and would benefit people around the world. Indeed, it became the book, Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master.This diary spans five years. It is an account of a spiritual training with a Sufi Master and is the most detailed account of the relationship between disciple and teacher that exists in Western Literature. From a psychological viewpoint, the diary maps the process of ego dissolution, gradually unveiling the openness and love that reside beneath the surface of the personality.The book was first published in its abridged form as The Chasm of Fire which has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into five languages. Later the unabridged book, Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master, was published. This title has sold over 40,000 copies worldwide and is now being published through The Golden Sufi Center.After her guru's death in 1966, she returned to England, where she started a Sufi meditation group in North London. Gradually the group spread throughout Europe and North America. Irina Tweedie retired in 1992 after having named Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee as her successor. She died in 1999, aged 92.
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Some of their strengths
Irina Tweedie has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Energetic, Confident, Intelligent, Imaginative, Passionate, Generous, and Bold.
Independent and Brave
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Irina Tweedie is someone who is an independent, brave, and honest person who approaches life with energy, intuition, passion, and generosity. A person who is charismatic and resourceful.
Active and Precise
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Irina Tweedie well know them as someone who can be tough, active, and sharp, like a sword.
Truthful and Kind
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Irina Tweedie as someone who is honest, compassionate, imaginative, and instinctual.
A person who enjoys new challlenges, is a magnet for attracting other creative types, good at identifying opportunities, and who is good at forming loyal, lifelong friendships.
Influential and Dynamic
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Irina Tweedie is someone who tends to be focused on spreading ideas, information, and activities.
They are also someone who is curious, dynamic, and positive, and who enjoys inspiring and communicating with other people.
Independent and Dynamic
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Irina Tweedie tends to be someone who is independent, dynamic, and courageous. Who can be positive, energetic, self-reliant, and adventurous, and who can make friends easily.
Some of Irina Tweedie's challenges
While Irina Tweedie has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Irina Tweedie can be Short-tempered, Impulsive, Arrogant, Status-seeking, Unrealistic, Indecisive, and Non-confrontational.
Short-tempered and Impulsive
One of Irina Tweedie's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as short-tempered and impulsive.
Irina Tweedie must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs.
Unrealistic and Indecisive
Irina Tweedie is someone who can be unrealistic, indecisive, and lacking in confidence, who can be impulsive when it comes to making important decisions, have difficulty collaborating with others, can be argumentative and not willling to accept criticism, and who can be disappointed by the high expectations they place on others.
Aggressive and Domineering
Finally, Irina Tweedie also can be aggressive, impatient, impulsive, and short-tempered.
