In his verses, Rumi emphasized that music uplifts
traditional Turkish instruments) and 12 dancers.
our spirit to realms above, and we hear the tunes of
There is also a master of ceremony. A performance
the Gates of Paradise. The meeting places of the
is broken into two parts with the introduction
dervishes, consequently, became academies of art,
conducted by the master followed by 3 or 4 pieces
music, and dance. Today, the Performances of The
of music. This is followed by a 4-part whirling
Whirling Dervishes include twelve musicians (on
ceremony.
The Ritual of Sama
T
he 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 Samazens, the ones who whirl, participate consciously in the shared revolution of all existence. The Sama 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 Samazen (with a camel’s-felt hat representing a tombstone and a wide white skirt symbolizing the death shroud), upon removing his black cloth, is spiritually born to Truth. The samazens 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 Jalaluddin 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 samazens 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 beneficence or grace. The left hand, upon which his gaze rests, is turned towards the earth in the gesture of bestowal.
Fix-footed, the samazen 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 Sama ritual consists of seven parts: 1. It starts with the singing of the Nat-i-Serif, a eulogy to the Prophet Mohammed (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. This follows the call of the drum and the slap of glory, calling the samazens to awaken and Be Awaare. This begins the procession known as the Sultan Veled Walk. It is the salutation of one soul to another, acknowledged by bowing. 3. This is followed by the Sama ritual itself. It consists of four Salams or salutations. The First Salam is the birth of truth by way of knowledge. The Second Salam expresses the rapture of witnessing the splendor of the creation. The Third Salam 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 Salam is the samazen’s coming to terms with his destiny and his return to his task in creation. In the fourth Salam, the sheikh enters the circling dervishes, where he assumes the place of the sun in the center of the circling planets. 4. The Sama end with a reading from the Quran. The sheikh and dervishes complete their time together with the greeting of peace and then depart, accompanied by joyous music of their departure.