about "whirling ceremony" Sema

The Mawlawi believe in performing their dhikr in the form of a "dance" and music ceremony called "sema", which involves the whirling from which the order acquired is nickname. The Sema represents a mystical journey of man's spritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect". Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives at the "Perfect". He then returns from this spritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a geater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation to all creatures without discrimination of believes, races, classes and nations... At the start of each of the four movements of ceremony, the semazens bow to each other honoring the spirit whinthin. As their arms unfold, the right hand opens to the skies in prayer, ready to receive God's beneficence. The left hand, upon which his gaze rests, is turned towards the earth in the gesture of bestowal...