Whirling Dervishes - lessons for cyberspace

A short while after leaving the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul last week, I looked up and saw a billboard advertising a Whirling Dervishes Sema Ceremony and Sufi Music Concert.  It was to take place that evening and as it turned out was not very far from where I was staying. I decided on the spot that I would attend and arrived there early that evening to take my place.

After a short film explaining the history and traditions of the whirling dervishes the ceremony began. 

It is difficult to put into words what I experienced and I am not sure whether I have as yet totally processed the whole experience.  I find myself returning to the images of what I saw and watching them again in my mind’s eye.

This whirling originated with Rumi, who is said to have dictated his poems while whirling. 

In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art. Rumi

As the dervishes began to whirl, at first slowly and then picking up speed as the ceremony progressed, one young dervish in particular captured my attention. His arms unfolded with grace as he began to whirl and I had the feeling that I was watching a flower of rare beauty unfurl before me. 

Whirling Dervish of Light 

(You can see further images in the gallery: Whirling Dervishes of Light)

Whirling dervishes, I believe, have much to teach us about making our way in cyberspace. 

Their whirling is not haphazard but takes place with intention. Aware that everything in the universe, from the smallest cells to the largest planets, is constantly revolving, the whirling dervishes whirl anti-clockwise, imitating the flow of blood from right to left in the heart, and the rotations of almost all planets. 

Modern technology allows us to access a wealth of information and provides us with wonderful tools of communication, but without intention one can easily get distracted. 

Distraction online is so easy, with tempting links opening onto inviting corridors of cyberspace. It is not uncommon for users to get  totally lost in this space and whirl about aimlessly, often forgetting the reason why they had gone online in the first place. 

As they dance, the right palms of the whirling dervishes are turned up towards the sky and the light, and the left palms are pointed to the earth.  They open themselves to blessings but then transmit these in service to others. They are a reminder to use the possibilities offered by modern technology for good. 

The whirling dervish always has to be aware of where he is, be aware of the space he is moving in, be aware of the music, be aware of how fast he is turning and be aware of the other dancers.

We have to learn to listen carefully in cyberspace, take note of the sites we visit, and remember to treat other online users with courtesy and respect.

Abstract: Online Whirling Dervish

An ambient awareness of other digital users can develop with time. We begin to pick up on moods through data shared and so begin to share in each other’s lives without being physically present. Used responsibly, this awareness can be a source of encouragement and support.   

As the whirling dervish begins to spin, one foot is grounded on the earth and the other gives momentum.  Groundedness is so vital to maintaining balance.

We can no longer talk about the “real” world and the world online, as if the world online is not real.  Both the physical world and cyberspace are very real and form an integral part of most people’s daily lives. With the current rapid rate of development in technology, however, the danger these days is to forget that the physical world is still very much there and that we need to be grounded.  

Electrical circuits are grounded to prevent users coming into contact with dangerous voltages should insulation fail. We need the grounding power of the earth and an awareness of the body as we decode and process all the incoming information from the web so that we do not become overstimulated. 

We instinctively know that grounding is essential.  There are numerous technologies that help us to find our location.  We often tweet or message about where we are. We share what we are doing or where we are going. 

When we log into computers to complete electronic business transactions we have to be very aware of our geographic location and the locations of the systems we are  using. In public places and using public systems one can be at risk.

There are times, however, when the importance of grounding is forgotten.  Recent studies have shown that some people hold their breath when they email or text. When I tweet a reminder to encourage people to stop for a moment and just breathe in and out, I always get a thankful response.

The web has its own monkey mind of constant chatter, and regular pauses to simply breathe encourage a gentle stream instead of a rapid! There are even apps providing such breathing reminders.

The whirling of the dervishes is a strong reminder that everything is in a constant state of motion.  Nothing is permanent.  Anthony Lawlor has recently written an excellent blog on this topic, entitled, “Each Place is a Bardo, A Fluid In-Between Space” 

In their training, the dervishes are guided to find a still point within themselves, revolve around that still point and dance around that still point. 

Except for the point, the still point, there would be no dance, and there is only the dance.  T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets. 

Those watching, although they are watching motion, have an experience of the calm from which the movement arises. 

Seated at our laptops, holding tablets or other mobile devices, we operate in outward stillness. Have we found the inward still point? Do others experience calm from the movement we are making in cyberspace? 

Grounding ourselves..., we repeatedly reestablish the still point, the clean slate from which we can encounter ourselves and the world afresh. John Daido Loori, Riding the Ox Home. 

In 2010 I attempted to capture some of these thoughts in a poem entitled “Awakening” which you can read in my post “Awakening to Light”.

Before they begin to dance, the dervishes stand with their arms folded together across their chests. 

 

Each dervish appears to represent the number “one” and this is a symbol for unity.  

It is my opinion that as we meet others of different nationalities, cultures and upbringing in cyberspace, we are beginning to recognize that our similarities are much greater than our differences. We are finding unity within diversity.

As the whirling came to an end, those of us present were strangely silent. There was a distinct pause before some applauded. 

What we had witnessed was both otherworldly and at the same time, very much in the present moment.