Origins

It is scientifically recognized that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no being or object which does not revolve, because all beings are comprised of revolving electrons, protons, and neutrons in atoms. Everything revolves, and the human being lives by means of the revolution of these particles, by the revolution of the blood in his body, and by the revolution of the stages of his life, by his coming from the earth and his returning to it.

The practice of whirling may have its origins in the timeless shadows of Central Asian spirituality where shamans used it to induce altered states of consciousness. We know that in the time of Mevlâna it was already an ancient practice in use among Sufis. Shams of Tabriz, beloved friend and initiator of Mevlâna, tells us:

Come, come O Darling, You who are the Soul of the soul of the soul of Sema. Come, O Darling! A swaying cypress, You stroll in the garden of Sema. Come, O Darling! The fountain of the sun is under Your shadow. Thousands of Venuses You possess in the sky of Sema.

Threshold Society is sponsoring a North American tour of Turkish Mevlevi semazens and musicians performing the ancient ritual of sema.