Sufi
Huh. So it's almost the end of August.
What a busy summer!
Of all the plans and activities, it was a random Friday evening that really stands out. I tentatively set one aside for myself so I could go to a sufi whirling meditation. The ad didn't say much other than "free" and "dinner", but ever since I read Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish (possibly from a Reader's Digest digest) I've wanted to see some proper whirling. Whirlers sometimes hang out with bellydancers who also like to twirl, but I wanted to see the real thing. The few descriptions that you might come across use the word "mystic" repeatedly but rarely say anything concrete.
This entry is pretty long, so I’ve stuck it behind a cut.
Anyway, I had little idea what to expect. It turned out to be like a church service except that the "master" (an experienced sufi, the leader of the group) was on vacation, which meant that the atmosphere was totally different and most of the congregation didn't turn up. There was only one chanter/singer and one dervish-in-training (dressed for the part). Everyone else was pretty normal.
I came straight from work, wearing a pink skirt (not the best attire) and so sat in the back on a chair, next to a family from Mexico (and their Chilean friend) who wanted to introduce their children to many religions so they could decide for themselves. Chileans have a confusing way of always appearing to be hitting on you even when they're not.
Everyone there was incredibly welcoming and so friendly. The chanter guy came by to give us a rundown on the evening and on Sufism in general. Though Islamic in definition, Sufism is really a just a form of meditation and aspects pre-date the religion (pretty standard as far as religions go). The following notes are based on what he said.
-Anyone can practice as long as they believe in a God (the congregation included a rickety, slow old white man, a creepy old white man, and one old asian Buddhist...yeeaahh...). Mr. Chilean was also Buddhist.
-The Sufi approach to meditation includes song and dance. Keeping your mind clear/undistracted is difficult if you have to be quiet. He suggested practicing at home by finding a song that connects powerfully and makes you cry and turning it up really loud.
-Sufism is all about destroying the ego. Humility in the extreme.
-Now my memory starts to get a little hazy. Either God is in Everyone, or Sufi meditation is a way to link yourself to God. This, of course, happens through the heart. You can’t look straight at God (your heart) or else you’d go blind (similar to the sun), so you look at its reflection in your hand while whirling (similar to the moon)
Before the whirling came the chanting/singing, accompanied by a couple drums. They handed out hymnals, which included translations about how great God is and asking for several favours.
Mr. Acolyte started off the whirling (to more chanting and drumming) and slowly people joined in. The children next to me gave it a try and soon wobbled out of the circle, managing not to fall down. After half an hour the musicians (and the acolyte) took a water break. I never had expectation that I could try whirling, and certainly no intention. But the Mexican parents egged me on and there was no reason but misplaced politeness and embarrassment to avoid it. So part way into the next half hour / 45 minutes, with the dervish whirling away nonstop, I stepped into the circle.
I tried to start slowly, but soon reached a zippy pace. I was quite comfortable there, but it seemed like a bad idea for my first attempt, so I tried to slow down. This threw my concentration, so I relaxed and ended up spinning more quickly again. I tried to slow down again and before I knew it my face was on the floor, though I never felt like I was horizontal. Despite my fear before trying, I felt absolutely no embarrassment. The whirling was so liberating and freeing, I felt quite light after. And everyone was so friendly anyway.
Whether or not that had anything to do with the fact that it was 9pm and dinner hadn’t been served yet, I don’t know. But I could definitely go again, maybe with a friend, and hopefully when the instructor is present.
I'll save the rest of my summer stories for another post
This week I'm plant sitting here and cat sitting there. And trying to clean my freezer, finish my log, meet boys, and get fit. Oh! and I've learned that there's a Vancouver version of the Tam Tams. How did I not know this? How come I haven't been yet? Tomorrow. I'll be there. Quick! before the summer is over!
And now for some fun links:
- a storm that looks like the Nothing from The Never-ending Story
- the coolest impromptu corner-store bhangra I've ever heard. The biker-looking drummer makes it just that much more wonderful
- crazy sculpture on the tip of a pencil
What a busy summer!
Of all the plans and activities, it was a random Friday evening that really stands out. I tentatively set one aside for myself so I could go to a sufi whirling meditation. The ad didn't say much other than "free" and "dinner", but ever since I read Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish (possibly from a Reader's Digest digest) I've wanted to see some proper whirling. Whirlers sometimes hang out with bellydancers who also like to twirl, but I wanted to see the real thing. The few descriptions that you might come across use the word "mystic" repeatedly but rarely say anything concrete.
This entry is pretty long, so I’ve stuck it behind a cut.
Anyway, I had little idea what to expect. It turned out to be like a church service except that the "master" (an experienced sufi, the leader of the group) was on vacation, which meant that the atmosphere was totally different and most of the congregation didn't turn up. There was only one chanter/singer and one dervish-in-training (dressed for the part). Everyone else was pretty normal.
I came straight from work, wearing a pink skirt (not the best attire) and so sat in the back on a chair, next to a family from Mexico (and their Chilean friend) who wanted to introduce their children to many religions so they could decide for themselves. Chileans have a confusing way of always appearing to be hitting on you even when they're not.
Everyone there was incredibly welcoming and so friendly. The chanter guy came by to give us a rundown on the evening and on Sufism in general. Though Islamic in definition, Sufism is really a just a form of meditation and aspects pre-date the religion (pretty standard as far as religions go). The following notes are based on what he said.
-Anyone can practice as long as they believe in a God (the congregation included a rickety, slow old white man, a creepy old white man, and one old asian Buddhist...yeeaahh...). Mr. Chilean was also Buddhist.
-The Sufi approach to meditation includes song and dance. Keeping your mind clear/undistracted is difficult if you have to be quiet. He suggested practicing at home by finding a song that connects powerfully and makes you cry and turning it up really loud.
-Sufism is all about destroying the ego. Humility in the extreme.
-Now my memory starts to get a little hazy. Either God is in Everyone, or Sufi meditation is a way to link yourself to God. This, of course, happens through the heart. You can’t look straight at God (your heart) or else you’d go blind (similar to the sun), so you look at its reflection in your hand while whirling (similar to the moon)
Before the whirling came the chanting/singing, accompanied by a couple drums. They handed out hymnals, which included translations about how great God is and asking for several favours.
Mr. Acolyte started off the whirling (to more chanting and drumming) and slowly people joined in. The children next to me gave it a try and soon wobbled out of the circle, managing not to fall down. After half an hour the musicians (and the acolyte) took a water break. I never had expectation that I could try whirling, and certainly no intention. But the Mexican parents egged me on and there was no reason but misplaced politeness and embarrassment to avoid it. So part way into the next half hour / 45 minutes, with the dervish whirling away nonstop, I stepped into the circle.
I tried to start slowly, but soon reached a zippy pace. I was quite comfortable there, but it seemed like a bad idea for my first attempt, so I tried to slow down. This threw my concentration, so I relaxed and ended up spinning more quickly again. I tried to slow down again and before I knew it my face was on the floor, though I never felt like I was horizontal. Despite my fear before trying, I felt absolutely no embarrassment. The whirling was so liberating and freeing, I felt quite light after. And everyone was so friendly anyway.
Whether or not that had anything to do with the fact that it was 9pm and dinner hadn’t been served yet, I don’t know. But I could definitely go again, maybe with a friend, and hopefully when the instructor is present.
I'll save the rest of my summer stories for another post
This week I'm plant sitting here and cat sitting there. And trying to clean my freezer, finish my log, meet boys, and get fit. Oh! and I've learned that there's a Vancouver version of the Tam Tams. How did I not know this? How come I haven't been yet? Tomorrow. I'll be there. Quick! before the summer is over!
And now for some fun links:
- a storm that looks like the Nothing from The Never-ending Story
- the coolest impromptu corner-store bhangra I've ever heard. The biker-looking drummer makes it just that much more wonderful
- crazy sculpture on the tip of a pencil