ABOUT US
Aside from the official International Mevlana Foundation Netherlands, there is also a intergenerational and diverse group of people in the Netherlands who are dedicated to practise an inner path of love, compassion and service in the tradition of tasawwuf (sufism) and in particular of the Mevlevi Order.
The Mevlevi Order is named after its Pir (spiritual leader) Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (Konya, 1206-1273). It is also known as the order of the whirling dervishes. The practices of the teachings of Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi take place in connection with Yildrim Ekin, who has been dedicated to the Mevlevi Order. The Mevlevi Order places great emphasis on not just theoretical knowledge, but also on the practical application of the teachings of Hazreti Mevlana Rumi in one's daily life.
The Mevlevi Order can be thought of as a school of Sufism, which is a mystical branch of Islam. In this "school," members learn about the spiritual teachings and practices of Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi and seek to deepen their connection with the divine through prayer, meditation, and service to others. Through spiritual education and practice, members of the Mevlevi Order aim to achieve a state of enlightenment and union with the Divine Source (Allah).
A story that has passed along about Hazreti Mevlana Rumi replying to his students:
In his last days, Rumi's disciples, anticipating his death, became deeply distressed, and they asked him, "What will happen to us after you're gone? How will we know what to do?" And Rumi told them "The world will be your tekke (mystical school), and the Masnavi will be your guidebook. Masnavi is a great sea, and you can dive in anywhere and come up with precious pearls."
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Our curriculum
We meet each other 13 Saturdays in a year in Amsterdam.
Our gatherings consist of:
Sohbets (spiritual conversation)
The conversation is led by the sheikh. A topic/theme is explained and knowledge is imparted. It is the knowledge that is ultimately aimed at its practical application in your own existence.
Dhikr (remembrance of Allah)
Practicing the Dhikr in your own daily life is an exercise in remembrance. In the midst of your daily life with all your activities, the Dhikr reminds you again of your longing for connection with Allah, in the depths of your own Heart.
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Sema (prayer)
The Mevlevi Sema ceremony is a form of dhikr, or remembrance of the divine, that is unique to the Mevlevi Order.
During the Sema ceremony, dervishes perform a series of ritualistic movements that symbolise their journey of awakening. The ceremony begins with a recitation from the Quran, followed by music played on traditional instruments such as the ney, a type of flute, and the kudum, a type of drum.
The dervishes then begin to spin, with one hand pointing upwards to receive the blessings from Allah and the other hand pointing downwards to share these blessings with the world. The spinning continues for several minutes, with the dervishes gradually increasing in speed and intensity.
The Sema ceremony is a powerful spiritual experience, inviting participants to connect with the divine and experience a sense of inner peace and harmony. It is a reminder of the unity of all creation and the infinite capacity of the human spirit to connect with Allah.
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Music
During our gatherings, we practise singing ilahi’s and making music.
Regarding music, Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi writes:
“We are the reed flute, but the Music is Yours.”
What does Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi want to say with these words?
The Metaphor of the Ney Flute:
Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi begins his great mystical teaching poem, the Mathnawi, with 18 lines that form a hymn of praise to the reed. In the first four lines of this hymn, Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi says:
“Listen to this reed how it complains, telling a tale of separations.
Saying, “Ever since I was parted from the reed-bed, man and woman have moaned in (unison with) my lament. I want a bosom torn by severance, that I may unfold (to such a one) the pain of love-desire.
Everyone who is left far from his source wishes back the time when he was united with it.”
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The Ney flute is a reed flute. To create the Ney flute, the reed is torn from the reed bed, separating it from its origin, the reed bed. The sound of the Ney flute is created when the Ney player blows breath through the Ney flute. In the sound of the Ney flute, you can hear the severed reed lamenting about its pain of being separated from the original reed bed, and within the complaining about the pain, the yearning of the reed to return to and unite with its original reed bed.
Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi uses the reed being separated from its reed bed and lamenting and yearning as a metaphor for the human being who, like the reed, has been torn from their original Source. Feeling deep within themselves the pain of separation from the Source, and within the pain, the yearning to return to Allah and the desire to unify with their original Source, from which we all exist.
The Ney flute itself is a hollow instrument in which the breath of the Ney player provides the sound of the Ney flute. For Hazreti Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, the whole human life is about becoming a Ney flute itself, about becoming empty like the Ney flute to be an instrument for the breath of Allah.
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