The history of whirling and Mevlana
The current position of the Sema
The Sema and Saraswati Society.
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pageTHE HISTORY
The ceremony of whirling is very ancient. There are ancient paintings which show the dance of the Lord Shri Krishna with the Gopis of Vrindavan (approx. 5000 years ago). It was clearly a whirling movement showing music played with cymbals, flutes and drums.Lord Krishna with the Gopis Self development methods rise and fall in human history and the use of whirling had become corrupted in the 13th century AD. In that time there lived in Konya (Iconium) a man who's whole life was devoted to Self development. His name was Jalal, the son of a theological teacher.
It is known that Jalal revived the practice of whirling in his lifetime and gave it renewed status as a method of concentrating the mind on one point and developing the art of devotion. His association with a particular mystic gave him the key to enlightenment (Self Knowledge) which he used in combination with whirling and music to become a Self Realised soul, a man who understood that his own Self and that of the Creator are one, just as the waves on the sea are not separate from it.
His use of whirling was continued by his family and other followers and has been kept alive through the turbulent times of Anatolia over the last seven hundred years or more. Every aspect associated with the Sema is tinged with a divine touch. Therefore the practise of any part of it requires a reverent attitude and has a beneficial effect on the whole community within which the Sema is performed.
Jalal became known as Mevlana (teacher) because he taught his followers a method of Self development. This method included three elements which transcend the barriers to human communication. They are music, poetry and whirling; all divinely inspired and incorporated into a ceremony of worship and remembrance (Sema), they alter the balance of the human psyche. If one element is missing then it is not a Mevlevi Sema.
After Mevlana, the small groups expanded as more discovered the value of the sema (whirling ceremony) in providing the main driving force in their search for Truth and Self development. They built semahanes (whirling ceremony rooms) which also became meeting places and centres of education in the community. These became known as Tekkes, their effect was to lift the whole community in which they practised the sema and the ancient music.
Concurrent with this spread of the Mevlevi was the expansion of the Ottoman empire into many countries around the Mediterranean and into the Balkans and Eastern Europe. In most of these countries the Mevlevi spread and Tekkes were built. Many of the buildings still exist today but the whirling ceremony has not always survived in the traditional Mevlevi style.
THE CURRENT SITUATION
The ceremony known as the Mevlevi Sema was practised until 1923 by a few dervishes who were part of the Mevlevi Order under the guidance of the family and descendants of Mevlana. The gradual shrinking of the Ottoman Empire was one factor in the cessation of the Mevlevi, since secretive Sufi groups could not always survive in the changing political situations.In the second quarter of the 20th century the cultural changes of the new Turkish Republic meant that the practice of whirling was outlawed, along with traditional dress, the way of writing their language. Sufi music and Ottoman Art Music, and other Ottoman practices were not allowed to be taught. The gathering of Mevlevi to make a sema is still illegal in Turkey. The Government shows put on are not made by Mevlevi dervishes, instead they are paid employees of the Turkish Culture Ministry.
Fortunately some Mevlevi found it impossible to stop the whirling ceremony and they continued to sing hymns and make the sema at home. These were the descendants of Mevlana who's family tradition was whirling and remembering him. This has continued from the 1920's into the 1990's.
In the 1950's the Sema was begun again in Konya. The Turkish government of the 1950's took over the control of the Sema and made it into a public show (spectacle).
The Mevlevi have given private instruction in the second half of the 20th century to others coming from outside of Turkey. This has ensured its continuation into the third millennium as a private ceremony, not as a public show.
A number of groups have sprung up in different countries worldwide, practising various aspects of the ceremony. Most of these groups have learned the whirling technique the ceremony and the music from recordings instead of by the traditional personal instruction methods. It would benefit any of them if they were to learn the Mevlevi music correctly.
For the sema to serve its purpose in Self development it must contain the correct method of whirling and live music played with the correct tonal understanding of the musical makams. The Sema is a focal part of the everyday life of the Mevlevi Dervish. These requirements are part of the handed down tradition of the descendants of Mevlana.
THE SEMA AND SARASWATI SOCIETY
Members of the Society have had close contact with the Mevlevi in Istanbul over many years. This has lead to the transfer of important attitudes and information related to the Sema which have been put to weekly practice in the UK since 1976. Teaching of these aspects is available from the Society members.
Members of the Society also study the Mathnavi of Mevlana Jalalu'ddin Rumi.
Invitations to the Sema have been given to those who are seriously interested.
(for more details read the Research Interview).
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