“If you are quiet and in a state of prayer when you turn, offering everything of yourself to God, then when your body is spinning, there is a completely still point in the center. The heavens respond; and all the invisible kingdoms join in the dance. But the world does not understand.
They think we turn in order to go into some sort of trance. It is true that sometimes we do go into that state you call ecstasy, but that is only when we know and experience at the same time. We do not turn for ourselves. We turn around in the way we do so that the Light of God may descend upon the earth. As you act as a conduit in the turn, the light comes through the right hand, and the left hand brings it into this world. We turn for God and the world, and it is the most beautiful thing you can imagine.” --Mevlevi Sheikh Süleyman Hayati Dede (b. 1904-d. Jan. 19, 1985)
Friends from the United States were recently in İstanbul for a short visit. It was their first time in the country, so they did many of the usual tourist activities, wanting to see as much as possible in the small amount of time they had here. Included in their itinerary was an evening watching the whirling dervishes.
The day after they saw the dervishes, we met up for a bit of shopping and they were still captivated by the sema ceremony they had witnessed the night before. As we wandered through İstanbul”s Grand Bazaar, they had many questions about the dervishes and the meanings behind what they witnessed in the sema. I related what little I know of the life of Mevlana, known in the West as Rumi, and the Mevlevi order of dervishes.
Born in 1207 in Balkh, Afghanistan, Muhammed Jelaluddin Rumi was born into a well-known family. His mother was a member of the Khwarazm royal family and his father, Baha”u-din, was a renowned scholar and spiritual teacher. Leaving Balkh before the Mongols descended upon the city, the family traveled for 16 years before permanently settling in Konya, in Central Anatolia. From an early age, Rumi exhibited signs of spiritual advancement. During their travels, the family met with many Sufi masters, including the famed Farid al-Din Attar. He told Baha”u-din that “the day will come when this child will kindle the fire of divine enthusiasm throughout the world.”
After settling in Konya, Baha”u-din”s fame spread as a great theologian and mystic. Now a young man, Rumi was also a well-known scholar of the Quran and the secrets of the dervishes. Upon his father”s death, Rumi became his successor at the university and attracted hundreds of students. In 1244, a stranger entered Konya, and the meeting between him and Rumi set into motion a series of events that continue to influence people today.
Shems-i Tabriz was a wandering mystic with an intense, almost overwhelming love of God. When he and Rumi met, they both recognized the divine in the other and fell into deep states of God-consciousness. Rumi”s grief at the death of Shems, his soul brother, was expressed in a wave of mystical music and lyric poetry.
On Dec. 17, 1273 Rumi passed from this world. He referred to the day of death as the “wedding day” because that is the time that the Lover is reunited with God, the Beloved. Drawing people from all over the world, the night of Dec. 17 is commemorated with a special sema ceremony.
The ceremony has set steps, which are always followed. The red sheepskin is the post of the sheikh, and the white sheepskins are for the dervishes who will perform the sema. As the ceremony begins, the musicians, singers and semazens (dervishes who will do the sema) enter the hall, bow as they enter and take their places. The semazens stand with their arms folded across their chests, a position of humility. Dressed in the outfit unique to the Mevlevis, they wear a tall, honey-colored hat that represents the tombstone, a long white skirt representing the shroud they will be buried in and a black outer cloak that represents the tomb itself.
The sheikh enters last, bowing as he enters. He walks to the red sheepskin, which represents the manifestation of God to man; the sheikh himself represents Mevlana. A recitation from the Quran begins the ceremony, followed by an improvisation on the ney (reed flute). The ney acts as a reminder of the breath that gives all being life. After the ney solo, the music begins.
The sheikh and semazens bow to the floor, slap the floor with their hands and then rise to their feet. This symbolizes how everything came into being following God”s command “Be!” As the music plays, the sheikh and the semazens circle the hall three times. These circuits represent the three levels of understanding -- knowing, seeing and becoming. As they pass the red post, they bow to each other, a sign of soul recognizing soul.
The semazens then remove their cloaks, symbolizing spiritual rebirth. Each steps before the sheikh and kisses his hand. The sheikh, in turn, kisses their hat. Moving away from the sheikh, each semazen begins to turn, holding their right palm upward and left palm downward. In this position, they act as channels for divine blessings to come to earth.
The music ceases abruptly and the semazens stop. This sequence is repeated three times. The final time, the sheikh slowly turns in the center, representing the sun, and the dervishes the planets. After the final turn, the sheikh and semazens return to their places, donning their black robes. This final motion represents a return to the world, but with a new sense of awareness. The music ends and a recitation of the Quran follows. Afterwards, the sheikh, semazens, musicians and singers silently file out of the hall.
Over the years since I have lived in Turkey, I have witnessed the sema many times. Each time, I come away feeling reconnected spiritually. Some people view the sema ceremonies that are held in December in Konya as merely tourist attractions and a remnant of the past. However, to me, they are a much-loved reminder of the message of Mevlana -- one of peace, forgiveness and unity. These are messages that the world desperately needs today.
Resource: Today”s Zaman
