Virtual Sohbet with David Dede, 21st September 2020

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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 become a dervish."

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