Edinburgh Mevlevi Tekke

  We had another virtual gathering in the Edinburgh Mevlevi Tekke this evening. David Bellak Dede shared sohbet (spiritual conversation) with us, exploring among other things the need for a spiritual group to come together with a kind of desire, especially a desire for "the unknown" - creating a space through our conscious intention whereby 'something' can manifest, something you could say of the Divine. He spoke of the simplicity of Rumi's way - becoming nothing, not trying to learn something or know many things, but simply Remembering the Name of God (Zikr). From the heart to the heart runs the Way, he stressed in Turkish. He said Suleyman Hayati Dede was once asked about being a dervish, and he replied something like this: "When I was 12 I began to learn about Mevlana. When I was 18 I entered the tekke as a student. Later they gave me a Destar (dervish hat wrapped in green cloth) and made me a shaikh. Now I am 74 years old. God willing, before I die I may

  Fortnightly online Zikr and Spiritual Conversation (Sohbet) with Shaikh David Bellak of the Edinburgh Mevlevi Tekke Next gathering - Monday 14th September 2020. 7pm-8.30pm UK Summer Time (20:00 GMT) Come! Come! Whoever you are! Join us for an hour or so of practice in the lineage of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, mystic saint of love and music. Here grapes ripen in the sunlight and secrets are discovered beyond anything words can tell... A path of human unfolding and growth, taught afresh in each generation. Email willowtreeblues@gmail.com for more details. There is no charge for our gatherings, and all are welcome, of any religion or background. David Bellak was in the service and a student (murid) of the late Suleyman Hayati Dede, Mevlevi Shaikh (master) of Konya, Turkey (d.1985). In the 1970s David Dede served as student, translator, secretary and confident to the sheikh at a time when the teachings and philosophy of Rûmî were finding their way to new Western audiences. Today Rûmî has