Whirling into Ecstasy

From Africa to Russia, from Australia to North America the world has been celebrating the 800th anniversary of the great Sufi philosopher and mystic poet Mevlâna Jalaluddin Rumî (1207-1273).

Story and Photos by: Füsun Atalay ~ Copyright © 2007

Celebrating the 8OOth anniversary of their philosopher’s birth, followers of Mevlâna Jalaluddin Rumî have travelled the world sharing his ideas of peace and spitiual freedom.With them, Whirling Dervishes joined in to take participants for a spin.

I was fortunate enough to attend Rumî’s 8OOth birthday symposium held at Concordia University, Montreal: the Mevlâna Rumî and Intercultural and Civilization Dialogue dedicated to the International Year of Rumi, 2007 UNESCO. The symposium was sponsored by Dialog Foundation Canada — the first of its kind in Montréal — and was followed by a magnificent Sufi music and Whirling Dervish ceremony at Oscar Peterson Concert Hall.

A panel of Canadian and Turkish scholars — Kenan Gürsoy, Bilâl Kuspinar, Lynda Clarke and Samir Salha — discussed Rumî from ethical, epistemological, political and ecological points of view and showed how his messages to humanity have transcended history, religion, political and geographical tensions, and are more alive and relevant in the contemporary world. They demonstrated the universality of Rumi’s words on the unification of humanity and how peace, dialogue and enlightened knowledge can transcend all nations and religions and overshadow all political misunderstandings.

Natural wisdom

Concordia’s Clarke explained how Rumî perceived nature as an entity that possesses wisdom and communicates with God, its creator. He wrote that processes of nature are controlled by God, and all atoms of Earth and heaven are God’s army. Nature is articulate — it speaks (literally) and only the mystic (enlightened) mind hears it.

Rumî believed the unenlightened man lives as a slave to the dictates of the material world. The spiritual practices his followers pursue are aimed at achieving enlightenment through submission to a higher order of spirituality, without which the real self is but a slave to the ego and is destined to live in an eternal state of conflict.

The true self, he said, cannot receive spiritual guidance and nourishment if it’s cut off from the heart, which is the centre of divine love, faith, music and poetry. Humanity is nurtured by overcoming the enslavement of the soul. Thus, in Rumî philosophy, “… the love of God leads to the lover forgetting himself in the love of the Beloved.” (Source: “The Life and Spiritual Milieu of Mevlâna Jalaluddin Rumî,” translated by Camille and Kabir Helminski)

Whirling Dervishes are known as Semazen after the whirling dance ceremony. They are members of an Islamic sect, the Sufi, and followers of the order Rumî founded. The philosopher lived in Konya, Turkey during the Seljuk period (13th Century). The Mevlevî Order influenced many aspects of Ottoman culture from the 14th to the 20th century,xleaving indelible marks in calligraphy, visual arts and poetry, although its greatest impact is probably in music.

In his voluminous verses, Mevlâna emphasized that “music uplifts our spirit to realms above, and we hear the tunes of the Gates of Paradise.” Consequently, the meeting places of dervishes became academies of art, dance and music.

World tour

Whirling Dervishes have been travelling around the world in 2007 to offer an insight into Rumî philosophy. Through the whirling ceremony called Sema, they seek unification of the three principal components of man’s nature: emotion, mind and spirit, and the purification of all three by turning to Divine Unity.

A fundamental premise of Rumî philosophy maintains that everything in life revolves within its structural atoms, and humans live — however natural and unconsciously — by means of the revolution of these particles. Since everything in the universe, from the minutest cells to the largest planets, is constantly revolving, the Semazen participate consciously in the shared revolution of existence because they believe free will and intellect are what distinguish human beings from other creatures.

Observing the Whirling Dervishes was one the most captivating spiritual ceremonies I have seen in my life. The Sema ceremony started with very deliberate, gentle turns.

The unique attires of the dervishes were just as symbolic as the ceremony: their conical hats represented the tombstone of their egos. White robes with full skirts symbolized the shrouds of their egos.

Over these, they wore full black cloaks which they removed before they started their whirling. These black cloaks were representations of the worldly tombs which they shed as an indication of their will to be born to spiritual truth and be delivered from the attachments of the material world.

The Semazen stood very straight, with their arms crossed over their chests — a posture which symbolizes the number one, expressing God’s singularity. Then they greeted their sheikh (the leader of the order), who symbolizes the sun illuminating the universe.

One by one they shed their black cloaks, greeted their sheikh and each other before they started whirling.Their arms unfolded gently like the wings of a bird as they turned like Earth turns around its own axis. With one foot grounded on the Earth and other giving them momentum and encompassing all nations, they started spinning into a trance, through which they seek divine love, truth and self-transformation to unite with their Creator before returning to life as servants to all creation.

Although I couldn’t understand all of the words in their chants, I was fascinated by the hauntingly beautiful music and the voice of the singer. Five musicians played Turkish instruments: the ney, which is a type of flute; the tanbur, a long-necked lute; kemenche, a three-stringed fiddle; an ud, which is akin to a lute, and the kanun, a zither.

The Sema ended with a reading from the Qu’ran as the sheikh and dervishes greeted each other once more with a gesture of peace and left to the accompaniment of joyful music.

Mevlâna symposiums and Sema ceremonies are scheduled to continue in Edmonton and Vancouver.

Anyone who would like organize Rumî panel presentations and Sema ceremonies in St. John’s, NL can contact the Dialog Foundation at http://www.dialogfoundation.ca/

A short clip of a Sema can be viewed on YouTube at :

http://www.istanbullife.org/whirling-dervish-ceromony


Copyrighted Material. All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay Copyright © 2007

Spectacular Squash

SPECTACULAR SQUASH

Winter squash comes in elongated, round, pear-shaped and scalloped shapes with flesh ranging from golden-yellow to brilliant orange. It can be stored for months in a cool basement and enjoyed in a multitude of recipes.

Text and Photo by FÜSUN ATALAY © 2007

When markets and roadside stands are piled high with mountains of colourful squash and pumpkins of many sizes and shapes, my thoughts invariably turn to Halloween and jack-o'-lanterns before images of pumpkin pies or spicy squash medleys dance before my eyes.

Then, to find solace in bidding farewell to yet another summer, I seek out recipes to welcome these ambassadors of autumn. Squash is one among many foods native North Americans introduced when Europeans first arrived. What's called squash in English actually comes from "askutasquash," the Narragansett Indian word which means green-raw-unripe. And that's how Narragansetts ate it. They probably didn't know how to use butternut squash in curried soups, acorn squash stuffed with cooked grains and dry fruits, or pumpkins in breads or coffee cakes.

Today, we identify squash as one of the many fruits of the gourd family and divide it into summer and winter squash. Both types are nutritionally healthy. The edible skin of summer squash such as zucchini or yellow crookneck provides lots of beta-carotene, whereas winter squash, whose skin is hard and inedible, is higher in iron, vitamin A, riboflavin and complex carbohydrates.

The peak season for winter squash is October through December. Most, like acorn, butternut, Hubbard and sugar pumpkins, vary slightly in texture and flavour, so they can be used interchangeably in recipes. The spaghetti squash, which requires unique treatment because of its stringy flesh, is an exception.

Watch for ...

When you shop for winter squash, look for hard, blemish-free, deep-coloured skins. The squash should feel heavy for its size and have a shiny complexion.

Cooking winter squash is as easy as cooking potatoes. You can bake, fry, mash, microwave, steam or purée squash. Boiling causes a loss in flavour and nutrients. Baking, on the other hand, concentrates the flavour and retains the nutrients. To bake, cut squash in two, remove seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Add a few tablespoons of water and cover with foil. Bake in a 350 F oven for 45-60 minutes or until the pulp is tender.

Another delicious method for squash is roasting it. Peel and cut a butternut or acorn squash into chunks, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Place in a casserole and roast at 375 F for 35-40 minutes. You can offer the delicious yield as a side dish or puree and for a satisfying roasted butternut squash soup.

Don't forget to save the pumpkin and squash seeds to make delicious, protein-rich snacks. Rinse all pulp and strings from the seeds, spread them on a double layer of paper towels to dry for several hours. Toss with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and coarse salt to taste. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes. Cool. Store in an air-tight container.


Chicken and Pasta in Creamy Pumpkin Sauce Serves 6

3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
2 Tbsp butter + 1 Tbsp oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 2-cm strips
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin or squash
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup 15 per cent cream
5-6 fresh sage leaves, julienned
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.Meanwhile, melt butter in 12-inch skillet until it bubbles; add oil, chicken and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in centre (8 to 10 minutes).

Add cooked pasta.Combine pumpkin, chicken broth, whipping cream, pepper, sage and salt in medium bowl. Pour over pasta mixture; gently toss to coat. Cook over medium heat until heated through (3 to 5 minutes). Sprinkle with walnuts before serving.

Pumpkin-Spice Muffins Makes 12 muffins

2 eggs
1 /2 cup plain yogurt
1-1/4 cups pumpkin purée (canned is OK)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 /2 cup butter, melted
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 /2 tsp baking soda
1 /2 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground ginger
1 /2 tsp cloves
Pinch of white pepper
2/3 cups raisins

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick vegetable spray, set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, pumpkin purée, brown sugar and butter. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet, stirring until just mixed. Fold in the raisins.

Spoon batter equally into prepared muffin tin.Bake muffins in the middle of the oven until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean (20- 25 minutes).Remove from the tin when they're cool enough to handle. They freeze well.

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