Once upon a time, a man walked up to his friend’s door and knocked. “Who’s there?” the friend asked. “It’s me”, the man replied. “Please go away,” the friend said. “There’s no place foe raw meat at this table.”

The man went away, and wandered around for a year. During this time, the hypocrisy and his puffed-up ego were burnt to cinders in the fire of separation. He returned “completely cooked” to his friend’s door again.
This time he knocked gently.
“Who goes there?” the friend asked.
“You,” was the reply.
“Please come in, my self there’s no place in this house for two,” the friend added. “The doubled end of the thread is not what goes through the eye of the needle. It’s a single-pointed, fined-down, thread end, not a big ego-beast with baggage. “The story of the eye of the needle and the merged egos that flow through it was first told by the 13th century mystic poet Jalaluddin Rumi. We were reminded of it recently as we watched a stirring performance called ‘500 years of love’ in Istanbul. The show featured whirling Dervish ceremonies and a Sufi music concert at the press museum in the world-renowned Sultana met precinct of the city.
Handed down by the great Sufi Master and his followers, the ritual consists of sema, which has seven parts. In the first, the Dervish whirls with his arms open, from right to left, with his right hand directed upwards ready to receive divine beneficence and the left one pointing earthwards. This is his way of conveying God’s spiritual gift to humans.

The second features a rhythmic riff symbolizing God’s creation, and a vocal improvisation with mutual greetings. This is followed by a reading of the Koran that says, “unto God belong the east and west, and whither you over ye turn, you are faced with Him. He is all embracing, all knowing. The concluding prayer seeks “repose for the souls of all prophets and all believers”.

Thus, the dancing dervish tries to depart from the individual ego, seeking communion with the all-pervading universal perfection. He is supposed to ‘return’ as a more mature and fulfilled individual full of love towards all creation. This is a state akin to Zen satori or yogic samadhi without prejudice or discrimination of belief. “ this also is love; to fly towards a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment; first to let go of life, to take a step without feet.” Our photos, too, fail to capture the feet.
http://ibhav.blogspot.com