Dhul-Jalali Wal-Ikram: The Lord of Majesty and Bounty
Dhul-Jalali Wal-Ikram: The Lord of Majesty and Bounty; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.
Al-‘Adl: The Just
Al-'Adl: The Just; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.
Al-Afu: The Forgiver
Al-Afu: The Forgiver; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.
Al-Akhir: The Last
Al-Akhir: The Last; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.
The Selams
The musicians play as the semazenbashi approaches the sheikh; bows to him with right foot over the left and arms crossed at the shoulders; kisses the right hand of the sheikh, then steps away backwards to a position five feet from the post, in order to direct the sema. Each dervish then approaches the sheikh [...]
The Turn
All of the dervishes unfold their arms and whirl as the sheikh stands at his post, the musicians play and the chorus chants. The semazens extend their arms, right palm facing up and the left down. The energy from above enters through the right palm, passes through the visible channel of the body, then passes [...]
The End of the Ceremony
The sheikh arrives at his post, bows, sits, and kisses the floor. The semazens sit and put on their cloaks. The sheikh recites the Fatiha, the first sura of the Qur'an, then the dervishes kiss the floor and rise. The sheikh then sounds an invocation to Mevlana and Shams-i Tabriz and begins the sound "Hu." [...]
The Sobriety That Surpasses Intoxication
Veterans of the Psychedelic Revolution of the 1960's might recall with pathos the battles waged against the conventional consciousness of the day. The enemy, as they saw it, was the self-righteous state of mind which believed it had a monopoly on reality and which at the same time had a shadow side of cruelty and insanity. Tens of millions of volunteers opened up their synapses, let the uncensored truth into consciousness, and saw for themselves that most of modern life looked patently insane when seen against the backdrop of nature and eternity. For all its misguided power, they saw conventional consciousness as naively ridiculous. And they considered altering one's state of consciousness as a way of cleansing the unrealities of social conditioning. Such an approach was not only revolutionary, it may have been an evolutionary necessity. Perhaps it allowed enough people to see the disastrous fate society was hurtling toward and to begin to change that direction.
A Story about Suleyman Dede
The following is a story told on several occasions in Dede's house when visitors were present and there was much sohbet and discussion about the Way. The first part I recall as being complete [Dede] in itself as a response to some question or comment put by a European guest, and which I translated, and was referred to several times over the years. Part II I recall being told by Dede when there were Turkish dervishes or mixed company visiting, and I several years later retold the story of Part I when we were having a good time; Dede then related the story in Part II
Sustaining Presence in Zhikr
In order that these practices should not become too mechanical, I sometimes suggest that a student begin with a clear intention to recite 100 of any zhikr with full presence. If you find yourself at some point having lost presence for more than one La illaha il Allah, for instance, begin again from the beginning. It is good to have tesbih beads for this exercise. Don't worry if you blank out for a second or two. Noone's concentration is perfect. But if you find yourself counting beads and you know that you have not been present for one or more beads, then start again.