WHIRLING DERVISHES
Known to the west as Whirling Dervishes, the members of the Mevlevi
Order (named for their founder Mevlana) from
Konya lived
in what we might call coisters or monasteries - what to them was a Mevlevihane.
The one at Galata in Istanbul
is a product of late Ottoman architecture,
and quite elaborate in having a tomb, a large chamber for the ceremony
of the whirling dance (Sema), a fountain from which water was charitably distributed
to the public, a time keeper's room, cells for the dervishes, separate
quarters for the Master, a section for women, a
chamber of silence, a large ornate fountain for ablutions, and a laundry
room.
The Mevlevi Order founded by Mevlana
in Konya during the Seljuk
period is made
up first and foremost of tekke analogous
to the monasteries of the West. The first of these tekkes
is named for Mevlana and was considered as the
originator of all the rest. One figure stands out in the early spread of
the order: Divani Mehmet Celebi. The celebis or gentle ones who went out
to break new ground and make converts saw themselves as disciples of this
great master, and an astonishing number of tekkes
were established during Divani Mehmet celebi's lifetime and thanks to his
efforts; in Aleppo, Egypt and Algeria, on the islands of Chios (Sakiz)
and Mitilene, and of course on the Turkish mainland.
The Galata Mevlevihane is among these latter.
The rituals of the Rumi's followers (Whirling Dervishes) are among the
enduring as well as the most exquisite ceremonies of spirituality. The ritual whirling of the dervishes is an act of love and a drama of
faith. It possesses a highly structured form within which the gentle turns
become increasingly dynamic as the individual dervishes strive to achieve
a state of trans. The music that accompanies
the whirling from beginning to end ranges from somber to rapsodical; its
effect is intended to be mesmerizing. Chanting of poetry, rhythmic rotation,
and incessant music create a synthesis which, according to the faithful,
induces a feeling of soaring, of ecstasy, of mystical flight.
The Mevlevi sect belongs to the Sunni
or orthodox mainstream of Islam. Its doctrine never
developed a revolutionary strategy - and although it was occasionally criticized
for its heretical ideas, it always enjoyed the respect of the officialdom.
Many later Ottoman Sultans, including Mehmed,
the Conqueror of Istanbul, were enamored
of Mevlevi ideals. The reformist Sultan Selim III was virtually a member.
Suleyman, probably the greatest of the
Sultans,
held the Mevlevi dervishes in high esteem and their semahane (whirling
hall) constructed for them as his imperial gift. The hall/mosque stands
next to Rumi's mausoleum in Konya.
The Whirling Dervishes played a vitally important part in the evolution
of Ottoman high culture. From the 14th
to the 20th century , their impact on classical poetry, calligraphy,
and the visual arts was profound, while music
was perhaps their greatest achievement. Since the dogmatists of Islam's
orthodoxy opposed music as being harmful to the listener and detrimental
to religious life, no sacred music or
mosque music evolved except for the Mevlud, a poem in praise of the Prophet Muhammed,
chanted on high occasions or as arequiem. Rumi
and his followers integrated music into their rituals as an article of
faith. In his verses, Rumi emphasized that music uplifts our spirit to realms above, and we hear the tunes of the Gates
of Paradise. The meeting places of the dervishes, consequently, became
academies of art, music, and dance. Today, the performances of The Whirling
Dervishes includes twelve musicians (on traditional Turkish
instruments) and 12 dancers. There is also a master of ceremony. A
performance is broken into two parts with the introduction conducted by
the master followed by 3 or 4 pieces of music. This is followed by a 4-part
whirling ceremony.
The Ritual of Sema
The fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There
is no object, no being which does not revolve. The shared similarity between
all created things is the revolution of the electrons, protons, and neutrons
within the atoms that constitute their basic structure. From the smallest
cell to the planets and the farthest stars, everything takes part in this
revolving. Thus, The Semazens, the ones who whirl, participate consciously
in the shared revolution of all existence.
The Sema ceremony represents a spiritual journey; the seeker's turning
toward God and truth, a maturing through love, the transformation of self
as a way of union with God, and the return to life as the servant of all
creation.
The Semazen (with a camel's-felt hat representing a tombstone and a
wide white skirt symbolizing the death shroud), upon removing his black cloath, is spiritually born to Truth. The semazens stand with their arms
crossed, ready to begin their turn. In their erect posture, they represent
the number one, testifying to God's unity. Each rotation takes them past
the sheikh, who stands on a red sheep
skin. This is the place of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi
, and the sheikh is understood to be a channel for the divine grace. At
the start of each of the four movements of the ceremony, the semazens bow
to each other honoring the spirit within. As their arms unfold, the right
hand opens to the skies in prayer, ready to receive God's beneficience.
The left hand, upon which his gaze rests, is turned towards the earth in
the gesture of bestowal.
Fix-footed, the semazen provides a point of contact with this
Earth
through which the divine blessings can flow. Turning from right to left,
he embraces all creation as he chants the name of God within the heart.
The Sema ritual consists of seven parts:
1. It starts with the singing of the Nat-i-Serif, a eulogy to the Prophet
Muhammed (peace be upon him), who represents love. Praising him is
praising the truth of God that he and all the prophets before him brought.
2. Then follows the call of the drum and the slap of glory, calling
the semazens to awaken and Be. This begins the procession known as the
Sultan Veled Walk. It is the salutation of one soul to another, acknowledged
by bowing.
3. Then begins the Sema ritual itself. It consists of four selams or
salutes. The first selam is the birth of truth by way of knowledge. The
second selam expresses the rapture of witnessing the splendor of creation.
The third selam is the transformation of rapture into love; the sacrifice
of mind and self to love. It represents complete submission and communion
with God. The fourth selam is the semazen's coming to terms with his destiny
and his return to his task in creation. In the fourth selam, the sheikh
enters the circling dervishes, where he assumes the place of the sun in
the center of the circling planets.
4. The Sema end with a reading from the Qur'an.
The sheikh and dervishes complete their
time together with the greeting of peace and then depart, accompanied by
joyous music of their departure.
One of the beauties of this seven-centuries-old ritual is the way that
it unifies the three fundamental components of man's nature; mind, emotion,
and spirit, combining them in a practice and a worship that seeks the purification
of all three in the turning towards Divine Unity. But most significantly,
the enrichment of this earth and the well-being of humanity as a whole.