Reflection on January’s theme: Consciousness aware of Itself is a Divine gift Like a lot of people there are times when I tend to sleepwalk through what seems like a whole day, living somewhere in my head, unaware of my surroundings and even my own breathing. And then there are those moments when it seems [...]
Filmed at Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Bismillah arRahman arRahimThe Mevlevi SemaOffered by Camille HelminskiThe PreparationBefore one begins the Sema ceremony, one makes the ritual ablution and prayer, cleansing and focusing the body and the mind, heart, and soul. Then one dons the ritual garments. First one puts on long loose fitting white cotton pants and a collarless buttonfront shirt and black [...]
Then the final fourth round, the “fourth selam,” starts. It is different from the others in that all the semazens whirl in the exterior circle. When they are all so arranged, the semazen bashi takes his place and salutes the shaykh. The shaykh returns the salute. Holding the right side of his khirqah with his [...]