Inspirational Whirling with Live Music (Ayin-i-Cem Sema)

(Ayin-i-Cem Sema)

Sema is a gathering rooted in the Sufi tradition that combines devotional chanting, live music, and whirling dance meditation. This whirling dervish tradition was founded by the 13th-century mystic poet Rumi, whose poems of love and union with the divine spirit remain widely celebrated today.

Through spinning movement and focussing on the music, you allow the ego to subside. The tangible world begins to melt away, tuning you into a greater unity. A sense of peace develops within. You remember that the divine life force is an inherent part of everything. The experience can be described as blissful, ecstatic, bewildering—definitely an altered state.

Step out of the self and return feeling lighter, more at ease, and peaceful.

Ziker is a physical practice that uses body movements and chanting to open the heart and experience the Unity of Love in the human body.

The evening begins with a short explanation and demonstration of how to whirl and what the chants mean.We will have one hour of instruction in Sufi whirling techniques.

Then we open the circle with invocations, the musicians start playing, and the whirling begins. Many first-time participants choose to take it slow, walking in meditation around the circle. This portion lasts around two hours.

We’ll close with conversation, tea, and a chance to share reflections on the Sufi path.

Come in peace with an open heart and mind—even if you’ve never whirled before.

Bring passion, patience, comfortable clothing, good socks, and a snack to share. Please eat lightly beforehand.

“Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” —Rumi

Aziz Abbatiello was raised in an American Mevlevi family and continues to walk the path of the mystics in the Sufi tradition. He was initiated as a Semazen (Sufi whirling dancer) in 1996 and has participated in Sema ceremonies with various Sufi groups in the United States and abroad.

Anna Whirling is originally from Ukraine. At the start of the war, she moved to Turkey and later relocated to the United States. Anna has been practicing whirling since childhood and has performed on stage with various groups for over 20 years.

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