Annmarie “Zhati” Agosta was an activist, gender nonbinary feminist, social worker, and Interfaith Minister with practices rooted in Sufism, Christianity, and Paganism. She was the product of an infinite amount of paths diverging into one. Her essence is impossible to express through words, but her journey began in an Italian-American household in Brooklyn, NY, followed by her life’s service of social work, and all culminating through the unveiling of her divinity as an Interfaith Minister and a devoted member of the Nur Ashki Jerahhi Sufi Community. Annmarie Zhati was a passionate and devoted lover of Allah, The Divine One, known by so many names. She lived a spiritually bold and full life, marked by her unyielding faith and her complete trust in the power and necessity of community. One of her favorite t-shirts encapsulated her relationship to both Christianity and Islam with the words, “Jesus Is My Heart. Muhammad My Soul.” She cherished her time at the One Spirit Learning Alliance, where she spent two years of seminary focusing on training in the experiential aspects of all major world spiritual traditions, to become an Interfaith Minister. Annmarie Zhati never met a person she didn’t want to help. At her memorial and celebrations of life, there were countless stories of how she helped others through her time, energy, guidance, love, and financial support. She was a generous and caring friend, ever willing to go the extra mile for anyone in need. Annmarie Zhati was the Practice Director of Authenticity Psychotherapy for nearly 20 years, from 2001 until her passing in 2020. Prior to this role, she worked as a mental health clinician and social worker at multiple mental health organizations, including the Pride Institute, of which she was so devoted. It was easy to see why she was such an effective therapist whenever someone spoke to her and needed guidance. In a Women’s eNews article (link below), Annmarie Zhati described her beloved Nur Ashki Jerahhi Sufi community. “Too often, we are defined by the groups that we belong to, along with assumptions about some of these groups being mutually exclusive. The only place that I personally have ever felt completely embraced for all of the aspects of who I am has been within our (Sufi) dervish community. In the dergah (Sufi Center), I do not cease to be queer, I do not cease to be genderfluid, I do not cease to be Christian, or Muslim, or Wiccan … but somehow, all of these distinctions transcend boundaries and take on a new life of their own … they are able to dance freely in the Open Space beyond religion, where they weave into a greater tapestry of Love.” Annmarie Zhati was the beloved wife of Caitlin Zangara Agosta, the cherished mother of MarieElena Byrnes and the late Christopher Junayt Byrnes; the tender mother-in-law of Mia Probinsky, and grandmother to Ravi Moon and Shaia River.

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