Sufi Zikr and Whirling

Join us for a magical experience of Mevlevi Sufi dancing and singing in celebration of Divine Presence with Karim and Noor Kerima Payton, Suleyman Loras and musicians friends from Orkestra Marhaba. For over forty years, the Mevlevi Order of America has offered gatherings with music, poetry and dervish whirling and chanting. We will lead a Zikr practice in the Mevlevi tradition.

The Mevlevi tradition hearkens back to Sufi master Rumi (1207-1273), who has become the best-selling poet in America. Rumi’s poetry is filled with a longing for God the Friend and the Beloved. His realization expressed the Source of all religions and spiritual paths, the Way of Love, that unites those of many cultures and traditions.

‘Zikhr’, a Sufi chanting practice, means 'Remembrance of God’. It awakens us from the state of forgetfulness, forgetting why one has come to Earth. It is a channel opener which helps with attaining true knowledge.

Musicians from Orkestra Marhaba will share devotional music played on traditional instruments. Everyone attending a Zikr is a participant; as the gathering unfolds, all are tuned, by the music and language of the Heart, to the baraka (blessing)-filled atmosphere of love.

"When a human being performs zikr, their spirit—their heart starts to open. Their intelligence becomes more refined and more expansive. Their bodies become healthier. A beautiful condition comes about—similar to the one that is brought about by good music. The whole being opens up like a flower, and the divine secret—the things you couldn’t understand or know about before—begin to be revealed to you."

- Suleyman Hayati Dede, founder of the Mevlevi Order of America

About Marhaba:

https://www.orkestramarhaba.com/#about-marhaba

About Mevlevi Order of America:

http://hayatidede.org/aboutmoa

Suggested donation $20+ (cash or Venmo) can be accepted at the door.

Host or Publisher MOA East