“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.”
— Rumi
✦ A Path That Turns Within ✦
There was a time when I thought spirituality demanded certainty — a firm voice, a sharpened creed, a banner raised against doubt. Now I stand softer, uncertain, yet strangely more awake. Perhaps the path of the Mevlevi Order of America (MOA) is not about certainty at all — but about turning. Turning away from ego. Turning toward Love.
The MOA, inspired by the 13th-century mystic Rumi, continues a living Sufi lineage in America. In Seattle, throughout 2026, seekers gather not for spectacle, but for remembrance — a quiet revolution of the heart.
✦ The Living Gatherings of 2026 ✦ 1️⃣ Remembrance in the Heart of Rumi (Zikr)
Mondays | 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM PST
📍 Interfaith Community Sanctuary, Seattle
Through repetition of the Divine Names and sacred music, participants enter a rhythm that softens the restless mind.
The tongue repeats. The heart responds. The soul listens.
2️⃣ Mathnawi Study Circles (Zoom)
Rumi’s monumental work, the Mathnawi, is explored in depth:
Here, poetry becomes instruction. Story becomes mirror.
“In your light I learn how to love.”
3️⃣ Sitting in Silence
Thursdays | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST
No performance. No argument.
Only breath… and the possibility that silence is not empty, but full.
✦ The Sacred Sema ✦
Though weekly gatherings nurture the inner life, the Sema Ceremony — often held at the historic Ballard Odd Fellows Temple — embodies the tradition’s visible beauty.
The white robes.
The turning bodies.
The still center within motion.
The whirling is not dance for display. It is theology in motion — a declaration that all existence revolves around the One.
✦ A Tradition of Responsibility ✦
The Mevlevi path respects all sincere faith traditions. It calls humanity not to division, but to refinement. It firmly rejects violence justified in the name of religion and upholds compassion, cultural exchange, and interfaith dialogue.
Over three hundred trained Semazen and thousands of participants have witnessed or joined MOA gatherings since its first public Sema in 1982. What began decades ago continues in 2026 — not as nostalgia, but as necessity.
✦ Why This Path Still Matters ✦
In an age loud with opinions, perhaps remembrance is rebellion.
In a world obsessed with identity, perhaps turning is surrender.
I ask myself — do I write these words for pride? For recognition? Or because something ancient still whispers within the human chest?
The Mevlevi Order of America does not promise instant enlightenment. It offers discipline. Devotion. Study. Community.
It offers the possibility that:
✦ Final Reflection ✦
Seattle, 2026.
A sanctuary room.
A circle of seekers.
Music rises.
Names are repeated.
A silence deeper than thought descends.
And somewhere inside, unseen but undeniable —
the heart begins to turn.
skills:
The Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan, is the largest mosque in the U.S., fostering unity and offering spiritual services, education, and cultural events for Muslims and the local community.
availability:
Permanent
