Happy Diwali!
Happy Diwali! Diwali is a celebration of light over darkness and good triumphing over evil. The significance of Dipavali is a re-enacting of this banishing darkness from within yourself, of … Continue reading
Affirming the Real: Ya Haqq
Some reflections on Haqq [Truth] inspired by the Quran and Rumi’s work by Tazeen Ahmad. Affirming the Real: Ya Haqq The Quran states: Alhaqqah, Mal-haqqah, Wa maa adraka mal haqqaqah. … Continue reading
Happy Islamic New Year!
Today is the first day of the Islamic new year, the 1st of Muharram, 1437! We wish everyone a Blessed New Year — may it be full of love, … Continue reading
Happy Birthday Mevlana!
Today is Mevlana Rumi’s birthday. May his light be blessed and continue to shine down upon us. And here are his words about the wondrous birth of his namesake… The … Continue reading
Eid Mubarak!
Eid Mubarak friends! Eid al-Adha is the festival/feast of sacrifice, honouring Prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) trust and willingness to sacrifice what he held most dear – his son Ishmael. Before he … Continue reading
Ramadan Rewards
At Rumi’s Circle, we are blessed to be making new friends all the time, and growing this community of lovers. We thought it would be heart-nourishing if these friends were … Continue reading
Turning to the Quran: Reflections on Learning to Whirl
The Quranic verse most often associated with whirling is Wheresoever you turn, there is the face of God [2:115]. However, as I have struggled to learn the practice, another passage … Continue reading
Eid Mubarak!
Eid Mubarak to all celebrating! May your celebration be joyous and full of Love. *** Life After Ramadan Ramadan is like a beautiful landscape we enter once a year. The … Continue reading
Ramadan Mubarak!
Ramadan Mubarak to all those who are fasting during this time! May it be blessed with worldly emptiness and spiritual fullness! O moon-faced Beloved, the month of Ramadan has arrived. … Continue reading
A Quaker Connection
We are pleased to share an article by Camille Helminski about her exploration into her heritage and the beautiful connections she discovered with the Quakers, the Native Americans, Mevlana and … Continue reading
Sharings from Ruminations
A belated thank you to everyone who came to the Manchester Ruminations, kindly hosted by Faith Network for Manchester. We had a wonderful evening and are pleased to share a … Continue reading
The 99 Names of Allah children’s book
Rumi’s Circle are proud to support Chickpea Press, a children’s publishing company that aims to create engaging, contemporary and imaginative books and digital apps for younger readers, drawing inspiration from … Continue reading
Brief Encounters
Didn’t I say, don’t sit with sad companions? Don’t sit with anyone but those whose hearts are glad. Since you are in the garden, don’t go to thorns. Sit amidst … Continue reading
The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World
The recent scholarship of The Covenants Initiative highlights how the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sought to protect Christian communities, not only in his own lifetime but for perpetuity. … Continue reading
Rumi’s Mathnawi by MG Gupta
My grandfather, Dr M.G. Gupta was a practitioner of Surat-Shabd-Yoga and was initiated into Radhasoami Faith, Soami Bagh, Agra in 1962 and this Faith has derived heavily from Rumi. There … Continue reading
The Nightingale and the Rose
Continuing our reflections on the nightingale that began with Keat’s Ode to a Nightingale in light of Rumi, we look at how another great Western writer, Oscar Wilde, portrayed the … Continue reading
Happy New Year & Milad ul-Nabi
We wish you all a very Happy New Year. May your prayers and intentions for this new year be fulfilled. This week also sees Milad ul-Nabi, celebrations for the birthday … Continue reading
Merry Christmas!
Wishing you all a very merry and blessed Christmas! May your time be filled with love and light, and may we deepen our remembrance and connection to the beloved souls … Continue reading
Mevlana’s Urs Collective Remembrance 8pm
Today we remember the Union of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi as he passed into the Unseen, reunited with his Source, giving thanks for his beautiful example and grace, and that of … Continue reading
Konya: A Christmas Tale 1975
We are pleased to share another reflection from Shaikh David Bellak on Christmas with Suleyman Dede. In the autumn of 1975 I returned to Konya, Turkey, home of the ‘Whirling … Continue reading
Introducing the Mevlevi Ceremony at the Vatican
Organised by the International Mevlana Foundation, Faruk Celebi, Esin Celebi and Celal Celebi introduced the Mevlevi Sema at the Vatican palace on September 24th. Below is the speech given by … Continue reading
Happy New Year!
Today is the first day of the Islamic new year, the 1st of Muharram. We wish everyone a Blessed New Year — may it be full of love, compassion … Continue reading
Happy Diwali!
Wishing everyone happy Diwali! Diwali means a “Row of Lights.” It is a time filled with light and love and heralded as the triumph of good over evil. May your … Continue reading
Openings from Rumi
A beautiful selection of openings from Mevlana Rumi and personal reflections by Shaikha Camille Helminski. With ney by the wonderfully talented Selcuk Gurez. Recorded at the Academy of Self Knowledge … Continue reading
In a Mevlevi Kitchen
The fruit is the reality, the blossom its form— blossoms are the good news, fruit is the joy that comes. When the blossom falls, you can see the fruit— when … Continue reading
Eid Mubarak!
Eid Mubarak friends! Wishing a blessed and joyous time to all! Congratulations to all the pilgrims returning from their circumambulations around the Holy Kaaba. May we all feel our connection … Continue reading
Happy Birthday Mevlana!
Today is Mevlana Rumi’s birthday. May his light be blessed and continue to shine down upon us. Here’s a beautiful musical ensemble to delight your ears:
Happy Jewish New Year!
Happy Rosh Hashanah to our Jewish friends! May this New Year be full of love and mercy for all. The purest mirror is, beyond doubt, the heart which can receive … Continue reading
Universal Peace Prayer Sep 27th
Join Rumi’s Circle for a Universal Peace Prayer to be held on Saturday 27th September at the Manchester Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre. We are pleased to have representatives from multiple … Continue reading
The Impersonal Existentialist of the Sufi Way
Robert Abdul Hayy Darr gives another illuminating talk, this time using Rumi to illustrate how, for the Sufi, Islam is a lived experience rather than a blind belief, an antidote … Continue reading
Eid Mubarak!
Eid Mubarak to all our friends! May the fruits of Ramadan be with you year-long and may we meet each other in peace and goodwill. In the hope of journeying … Continue reading
Ramadan Mubarak!
Ramadan Mubarak to all those who are fasting during this time! May it be blessed with worldly emptiness and spiritual fullness! The Freedom of Fasting [377] Some religious scholars were … Continue reading
A Letter from Father Francis
We are honoured to share some reflections from Shaikh David Bellak on his spiritual journey and a timely and inspiring letter received from Father Francis, a retired Catholic priest. Notes … Continue reading
Resurrection
Love is from the Infinite, and is eternal. The seeker of love is not held up by time. Any heart that is not in love will be useless on the … Continue reading
Good Friday
We remember the life of Jesus, peace and blessing be upon him, and share some wisdom of the prophet from Mevlana: A sober-minded man said to Jesus, “What in this … Continue reading
Passover
Passover began on Monday April 14th and continues until Tuesday April 22nd. The Passover festival is a time that we remember how Moses, peace and blessings be upon him, freed … Continue reading
Mevlana’s Urs – Islamic calendar
Today is the Islamic lunar calendar anniversary of Mevlana Rumi’s Urs (5th Jumada al-Akhir). As people around the world remember Mevlana’s passing with zhikr and whirling, we are pleased to … Continue reading
Happy Norouz!
Happy Norouz! Yesterday celebrated the Persian New Year and the spring equinox. The Norouz celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism. We wish everyone … Continue reading
Behold the World
My heart is so small it’s almost invisible. How can You place such big sorrows in it? “Look,” He answered, “your eyes are even smaller, yet they behold the world.” … Continue reading
Readings from Ruminations: Divine Love
Thanks to all who made it to Bradford on Saturday despite stormy weather (this is becoming a theme of our Ruminations!) We had a wonderful afternoon sharing lots of poetry … Continue reading
Keats’ ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ in Light of Rumi
‘Ode to a Nightingale’ is generally supposed to be Keats’ lament that he cannot stay in the unreal world of his imagination but must return to the real, material world … Continue reading
The Life of Rumi in Rare Islamic Manuscript Paintings from the 1590s
A handful of Persian accounts of Rumi’s life have been written, most famously the first by his son and the third, focusing on Rumi’s moralizing miracle stories, ordered by Rumi’s … Continue reading
Happy Chinese New Year!
Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year – the Year of the Horse! When the DAO rules on earth one uses the racehorses to pull dung carts. When DAO has … Continue reading
Readings from Ruminations: Saints & Seekers
We had a wonderful Ruminations event on Saturday at Huddersfield Parish, St. Peter’s Church. Thanks to all who braved the wet and windy elements to join us for poetry, hot … Continue reading
Suleyman Dede’s Urs
Today is the Urs of Shaikh Suleyman Hayati Loras (1904-1985). Suleyman Dede was a great Mevlevi Shaikh of Konya. He travelled to America and planted the seed of Sufism in … Continue reading
Milad ul-Nabi: Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday
Today is Milad ul-Nabi, the observance of the birthday of Muhammad, may he be blessed. The earth has birthed many wondrous children, but Muhammad has surpassed them all. Earth and … Continue reading
Happy New Year!
We wish everyone a very Happy New Year! 2013 has indeed been a Year of Lights…Rumi’s Circle began with a humble facebook page and one post blog and has grown … Continue reading
Postcards from Konya
A few of us have been lucky enough to visit Konya recently and we wanted to share some highlights from our trip. Rumi Hotel is located next to the Mevlana … Continue reading
Merry Christmas!
Wishing you all a very merry and blessed Christmas! May your time be filled with love and light, and may we deepen our remembrance and connection to the beloved souls … Continue reading