Edinburgh Mevlevi Tekke

Shaikh David shared a story today, which he gave to Shaikh Kabir Helminski to publish in his book The Knowing Heart several years ago. Here's the tale as Shaikh David tells it, remembered from his time with Suleyman Hayati Dede. The word "chille" in the story means "training period", literally "ordeal", and traditionally lasted 1001 days in the old Mevlevi lodges... The following is a story told on several occasions in Dede’s house when visitors were present and there was much sohbet and discussion about the Way. The first part I recall as being complete in itself as a response to some question or comment put by a European guest, and which I translated, and was referred to several times over the years. Part II I recall being told by Dede when there were Turkish dervishes or mixed company visiting, and I several years later retold the story of Part I when we were having a good time; Dede then related the story in Part ...

Here are a couple of photos from Shaikh David Bellak (David Dede)'s visit to Liverpool in December for Rumi's 'Wedding Night', the commemeration of his passing to the Realm of Beauty on Dec 17th 1273. Above, Dede can be seen wearing the tall 'destar' headpiece wound with green fabric at the base, a symbol of the Mevlevi Shaikh holding the place of Rumi on the red sheepskin, the 'place of burning'. The circle are reciting together the Divine Names in Arabic - for example 'La illaha ilallah', Reality is One - counting them on a huge 1001 bead tesbih which Dede commissioned long ago, based on an original at Rumi's tomb/museum in Konya. The ceremony took place in the home of a descendent of another great Sufi master, Shah Nimatullah, and the Persian carpet was beautifully appropriate as our mise-en-scene. In this second photo, the traditional Mevlevi 'sikke' headpiece can be seen, the same as that worn by the Shaikh, only without ...

A letter today from Shaikh David Bellak: Dear Friends: May this missive find each of you well and that the new year brings you untold blessings and peace in your hearts and in your world. It was an honour and such a blessing to be able to share with you together in December our evening of remembrance in comradery on the anniversary of the passing of the Master, Jelalud’din Rumi (Mevlana), on 17 December 1273 to become united with the Beloved. This annual commemoration is an acknowledgement of Rumi’s own words, that to be united once again in the presence of Almighty God, known as ‘the Night of Union’ is a time not of sadness for the Lover of the Divine, but joy at coming to journey’s end in union with Him. Today, 19 January, is also the anniversary of the passing of the late Murshid (Master) Suleyman Hayati Dede on 19 January 1985, through whose efforts much of the Western world came to know about Rumi. It was in his service in the 1970s that I became im...

Our weekly Rumi poetry gathering will be starting for the New Year in Waterstones cafe in Liverpool One from 5.30-6.30pm on Mondays, beginning 6th January. Anyone is welcome. We'll read Rumi's poems and hold reflective conversation on what they mean for our lives today. Please email willowtreeblues@gmail.com for more details.

We held our evening in remembrance of Rumi's passing, his "Wedding Night" in December 1273, in Liverpool yesterday. 23 guests of many different religions and nationalities came together for spiritual conversation, music, reading poetry, and sufi meditation in the manner of the Mevlevi tradition. Shaikh David Bellak brought his huge 999 bead tesbih for us to hold and use together in a big circle! A semazen visiting from Dublin whirled in the ceremony. We were especially happy to have Iranian guests read a couple of Rumi's poems in Persian for us, together with their own translations into English. Thanks to everyone who came along and who helped make the evening a success. Ya Hazreti Mevlana, Haqq Dost!

Under the guidance of Shaikh David Bellak of the Edinburgh Mevlevi Tekke, our living link to the tradition, we are holding a weekly group to explore the Sufism of Jelaluddin Rumi (1207 - 1273 CE) through his beautiful and profound poetry. We study his poetry to study ourselves, in the spirit of the saying of the Prophet Muhammad "To know yourself is to know your Lord". The group currently meets most Mondays from 5.30pm-6.30pm in the cafe of Waterstones bookshop in Liverpool One. Anyone is welcome, and there is no charge. The poetry reading group forms part of our training in the 'School' of Rumi, which includes self reflection, meditation and the appreciation of beauty, especially the beauty of the human heart. every moment a voice out of this world calls on our soul to wake up and rise this soul of ours is like a flame with more smoke than light darkening our vision letting no light through lessen the smoke and more light brightens your house ...

“Come, come, whoever you are....” As the sky turned to sunset radiance on the night of 17th December 1273, Jelalud’din Rumi, the great Sufi mystic and poet, passed into the realm of his Divine Beloved. Ever since, Rumi’s friends and lovers of God have gathered to celebrate what has come to be known as his “Wedding Night.” The Liverpool Mevlevi Circle invites all friends and lovers to come together on 14th December to celebrate Rumi’s passing with spiritual conversation, music and the turning dance which personifies the soul’s transformation from ordinary life to ecstatic union with Divine Being.  David Bellak, shaikh (guide) of the Edinburgh Mevlevi Community, a successor to the late Suleyman Hayati Dede, the last Mevlevi shaikh of Konya, will lead the gathering. There will be time for thoughtful conversation from and a ceremony of Sufi 'zikr', Divine Remembrance, in Mevlana ('beloved master') Rumi's tradition from 7.30pm, in which everyone is invited to pa...