Maqabbaleh (Dervish turning)

[Paul.Gillingwater@actrix.gen.nz (Paul Gillingwater)]

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a Maqabbaleh ceremony last
week, as one of the audience.  For those who have not seen this
before, (and I guess that's most of us!) this is a traditional
Sufi/Dervish mystical dance which incorporates a great deal of
spinning around.

For those who are interested in Kate Bush, you will find that her
video "The Sensual World" includes one track that features both
ballet and Dervish "turning".  ("Love and Anger"?)

As was explained to us, the "turners" start off wearing black robes,
which symbolise the darkness of the grave.  They wear a tall hat,
similar to a fez but around 18 inches high, of a brown colour.  This
is worn slightly tilted to the right.   The hat is said to symbolise
a grave stone.  Under their black robes, they wear white garments,
which are symbolic of a funeral shroud or winding clothes, including 
a type of pleated skirt that is designed to emphasise the
circularity of their turning.  As they spin, the skirt lifts up,
revealing white trousers underneath and small dark shoes.  They
remove their black robes when the dancing starts, and replace them
again when finished, implying emergence from and return to the
grave.

The dance is very formal, involving procession and much bowing,
especially to the "sheik", who seems to act as a still focus for the
turning.  Another "skeik" acts as 2IC, walking around within the
circle created by the dancers.  The arms begin folded up around the
shoulders while passive; as they start to spin, the arms go out,
with the left hand pointing downwards, and the right palm up, with
thumb sticking out.  The head is turned to point to the thumb, on
which they seem to focus whilst turning.

We were told in a short talk beforehand that the Dervish Maqabbaleh
tradition was started by disciples of Rumi, the 13th century poet
and mystic (1207-1273), who noted that when in states of divine
ecstasy, he would spontaneously begin to turn.  The dance seems to
be in three distinct stages.  There are also references to a type of
spiritual journey, which starts as the divine essence manifests
through the kingdoms of mineral, vegetable, animal and finally
human, then journeys back to the source in a mystical progression.
The strong references to death are emphasised by the music --- a
heavy drum beat reminds us that we are alive right now, and should
dance with joy while we live!  A Turkish traditional flute, the
"neh", winds through with a soaring melody.

Here is an example of a poem by Rumi.  It is taken from an
*excellent* book called "The Enlightened Heart, An Anthology of
Sacred Poetry", edited by Stephen Mitchell.

Morning: a polished knifeblade,
the smell of white camphor burning.

The sky tears his blue Sufi robe
deliberately in half.

Daylight Rumi drags his dark opposite 
out of sight.  A happy Turk comes in.
A grieving Hindu leaves.

The King of the Ethiopians goes.
Caesar arrives.

No one knows what changes,
changes.

One half of the planet is grass.
The other half grazing.

A pearl goes up for auction.  No one has enough,
so the pearl buys itself.

We stand beside Noah and David and Rabia
and Jesus and Mahummed.

Quietness again lifts and planes out,
the blood in our heads gliding
in the sky of the brain.

(Translated by Coleman Barks with A.J. Arberry)

-- 
Paul Gillingwater, paul@actrix.gen.nz