Why I named my shop Safia...
I was sitting at the back of a little synagogue in Safed, Israel, and listened to the beautiful yet intelligible Sabbat reading from the Torah. As I sat there listening to a ritual that has been passed on for thousands of years, I started praying. I felt my life was a standstill so I prayed for direction and a sign that would show me the next step in my journey. Suddenly I heard a clear voice in my head. It was the voice of an old man laughing. 'What are you doing there?' it said. 'You should be in Istanbul!'
I was in awe at having received such a clear answer, so as soon as I came back to Malta, I accepted a pending invitation to visit Turkey.
One evening we attended a Sufi ceremony which we knew was going to be presided by a very special man. As he entered I could see a calm and peace radiating from him. He sat down and started to speak in Turkish. I didn't understand a word but I definitely recognized the voice. It was the voice I had heard speaking to me in my head in Safed. I felt drawn to this gentle old soul and at the end of the ceremony, my foreign friends and I were invited to talk to him. When it was my turn he looked at me and invited me closer. Then he held my face in his hands and said 'Safet'. I couldn't believe it. He knew I had heard his voice in Safed. He confirmed that it was he who had spoken to me and then went on to explain that he was also calling me 'Safet'. Safet means pure, sincere, and clear in Arabic, it is also the meaning of the name of the Jewish town of Safed and the word 'Safia' in Maltese.
So Safia is a name given to me by an old teacher and I have made it a point to try to live up to it in all that I do. That's why the name Safia, because with this little venture that I have undertaken, bringing these beautiful clothes to Malta from my beloved Istanbul, I wanted to start a business that is sincere, clean, and clear. A business that would serve and honor both myself on my life journey and those who get to own these beautiful dresses from the orient.
I was in awe at having received such a clear answer, so as soon as I came back to Malta, I accepted a pending invitation to visit Turkey.
One evening we attended a Sufi ceremony which we knew was going to be presided by a very special man. As he entered I could see a calm and peace radiating from him. He sat down and started to speak in Turkish. I didn't understand a word but I definitely recognized the voice. It was the voice I had heard speaking to me in my head in Safed. I felt drawn to this gentle old soul and at the end of the ceremony, my foreign friends and I were invited to talk to him. When it was my turn he looked at me and invited me closer. Then he held my face in his hands and said 'Safet'. I couldn't believe it. He knew I had heard his voice in Safed. He confirmed that it was he who had spoken to me and then went on to explain that he was also calling me 'Safet'. Safet means pure, sincere, and clear in Arabic, it is also the meaning of the name of the Jewish town of Safed and the word 'Safia' in Maltese.
So Safia is a name given to me by an old teacher and I have made it a point to try to live up to it in all that I do. That's why the name Safia, because with this little venture that I have undertaken, bringing these beautiful clothes to Malta from my beloved Istanbul, I wanted to start a business that is sincere, clean, and clear. A business that would serve and honor both myself on my life journey and those who get to own these beautiful dresses from the orient.